The 2nd Half.

Today is the last day of the 1st half of the year. Tomorrow begins the 2nd half. How did this year go by so fast already? I wish life would slow down. I have so many things still to do, some many things to try, so many moments to live. Stop!! Please!!

Rant over. I'm officially on holidays by the end of today. I'm looking forward to not working until the 11th of July. For the next 10 days, I'll be pulling weeds, moving stone, sorting rocks, stringing peas, hanging pictures, sorting the garage, sorting the art studio, sorting my Christmas storage room, writing, purging, donating, visiting and I'm sure, a bit of napping here and there. I'm looking forward to this time off to catch up on the projects we've been working on. Soon, once it's all done, we'll be able to truly sit on the new deck or hang out in the hammock or work in the sweet picket fenced veggie patch and know we're truly home. Exciting to get it all done. 

What are your plans for the 2nd half of this year? 

What are your plans for this long weekend?

The Meadow.

 

Our landscape designer and a contractor

we used last year taught us the basics of

permaculture and we've adapted some of

our land to be a natural meadow. All

around the garden and where we have

our grass is getting in to place and will

eventually look very manicured and

set. But around those areas, the natural

meadow will grow at its own speed,

without any plan. Our own meadow.

A Day in the Life ....

I have one of those crazy jobs that make life, on a daily basis, very interesting and definitely never boring. Actually, to tell the truth, I have 2 contracts. My full time job at our local hospice and my part time job at the charity we created as a family over 22 years ago. With the first position, I am the manager of the family bereavement programs ~ we provide counselling and groups to families, including children, teens and parents, as well as education and support to the community at large. My second position is the Executive Director for our charity. Prior to all of this, I was home with our children for just over 20 years. My position at our charity started in a voluntary capacity and eventually turned in to a paid contract. The hospice position is just 14 years old for me, and started out part time, but became full time after a few years and that is when dh came home (we still had kids at home who were homeschooling) so that I could concentrate on that position, to grow it to what it is today. I will forever be grateful for his dedication to our family and though he went back to work once our youngest was 18, he is still a large part of our home life and to this day, still makes dinner on a daily basis. Alright, enough of the mushiness. On with my post:

6:50 a.m.    

Dh wakes me up to say goodbye. I go back to sleep for a while. Way too early for me!

7:30 a.m.    

Up to shower, dress, make the bed, do my face, do my hair, gather my backpack.

8:00 a.m.    

In the car to drive dd to her job and then head to the Community Centre for a meeting.

8:30 a.m.    

Dd at work, car parked and I'm registered and having a tea at my table with others.

9:00 a.m.    

The Community Hub Meeting begins and continues until 12 noon. Loved every moment!

12:00 p.m.  

I drive to Hospice in the Big City. Eat my yogurt covered raisins, drink water on the way.

12:30 p.m.  

At Hospice, I meet with a colleague, then do some case notes while I wait for a family.

1:00 p.m.    

Family arrives and we have a one hour counselling session with art and journals.

2:00 p.m.    

More case notes, emails, phone messages and impromptu meetings with colleagues.

3:30 p.m.    

I water my plant before gathering my backpack to head to another community meeting.

4:00 p.m.    

Meeting at a local funeral home for an event will all be participating in this August.

6:00 p.m.    

Back in my car and call dh to let him know I'm on my way. This is a late night for us.

6:30 p.m.    

Home for dinner and Coronation St. I weeded, watered the veggie patch, folded laundry.

10:30 p.m.  

We head to bed to read for a bit. I can't keep my eyes open and soon fall sound asleep.

Most days, I pop into our Centre when I drop dd off to check voice mails, pick up the post and to see if my staff needs anything. Some days, I also have to drive our little guy in to his school. Then I either head to Hospice, to any schools I'm visiting or home if it's a day to work from home or a day off. If it's a work day, I usually leave the Hospice or the schools by 3 to head back to the Centre. Many days I have counselling or errands or case notes or program planning. Either I or dh will then drive dd home with us, stopping for groceries or gas as needed. Evenings are full of gardening, tidying, laundry, dishes, sweeping, plant care, art studio work, writing or a nap, if I'm super tired! I'm so glad and so lucky that thankfully one item not on my list is to make dinner each night. Dh loves to cook and I have no issue with his commitment to this task. After a busy day, if it was just me, I'd likely munch on a bowl of cereal. Cooking after a busy day is not in my ability at this time in my life.

So there you have it, my day in the life ....

Deck Decisions.

We've finally figured out how we want

to add a deck to our back porch. It's

been a long haul trying to make sense

of what we have and what could be.

Working with our contractor, we've

come up with a very simple 12' x 16'

deck that will be just 2' off the ground,

connecting the porch to the ground. In

our potting shed is the Pergola bought

last year during a great Costco sale. It

will attach to just under the top of the

porch and our contractor will construct

3 boxes to support the 3 columns of

the Pergola. Next year, if our budget

allows, we may then add 2 additions

on either side of the simple deck to

expand the space even more. I can't

wait to see all this come together.

Sports Day.

It was Sports Day at our little guys

school this week and I helped out.

There was a thunderstorm scheduled

for the same time as my shift (1 to 3).

But despite this enormous clouds, the

wind, rain, lightening and thunder held out 

until we ran to the car at the end. And

that is the moment the thunder started ....

Just before the skies opened, a local radio

station showed up with enough popsicles

for the kids, the teachers and all the

family volunteers. It was a great day.

The storm on the way truly wasn't fun

at all but his ribbon made it all worth it.

Lost Tooth.

The little guy finally lost his first

upper tooth, on the very last day

of Grade 1. He's pretty proud but

is finding it hard to talk clearly!

Summer Sun.

I've often said my favorite part of the

day is when the sun shines in the west.

Illuminating our little cottage with

its bright light and warm presence.

I love how the sun dances on the wood

floors and makes the paint change shades.

In time, this time of day will come sooner

and not last as long. I'll miss these days.

Anniversary #3.

 

And just like that, we've lived in the country for 3 years. It still feels like we're the new neighbors, with the brand new house. But truthfully, we've now been on this little piece of land since the weekend of June 26th, 2018. So much has happened since then. Great things and bad things, and everything in between! We were not sure we'd actually enjoy living out here. We wondered if we'd "chicken out" once Winter arrived that first year. After just a day and half, we knew it was the right thing. And we haven't looked back. 

Since moving in, we've done a lot. We've unpacked, decorated, hung art work, created our art studio, stained the front veranda and began our landscaping. There is still much to do, including finishing our landscaping (will it ever be finished!), creating curtains, putting up the crown moulding and wainscotting, and redoing our master bedroom closet with a custom closet system. The deck will begin off the back porch the week of July 23rd and the veggie patch is in but we still have to put up the pickets for the fence. It's all coming together but we know it will take time to feel like it's finally all complete. And then maybe, just maybe, we'll start all over again in a new location, with a new house plan. Or maybe we'll just stay here. Or even better, find a little spot on our favorite island. The future is unknown but our time here has been our dream and we've loved every moment!

Our Booth Remodel.

It was time to make some changes in our

booth at the antique mall for Summer.

We added in the upper shelf to show off

some lovely items and added in the small

bookshelf on the right side. It looks a bit

crowded right now, exactly how we don't

want our booth to look but we've decided

to try and sell a piece of furniture each

month. Our first is this so sweet vanity

dresser with mirror and seat bench. It was

on a local sale board off FB and we paid

just $60. It was painted white so we did

a quick coat of ivory chalk paint to smooth

it out and added glass knobs for the drawers.

Fingers crossed it attracts a buyer. We do

sell a lot of "smalls" but want to now try

selling furniture and dh's collection of

old radios. He's sold a few already. A

hot item for sure. I have some ideas to

make in my art studio as well. Fun!

To Blog or Not to Blog?

I've read quite a few blogs recently, within the last week or so, questioning if they should continue to blog. Personally, I do understand the frustration. Lately I'm not been as sure if blogging is the best tool right now for me to share our life. Is anyone reading? I've not had many comments at all in the last few months but I know that I don't blog every single day. I'm trying to blog more often but maybe need to step it up a bit. If I blogged every day, would you read? Would you comment? Would you share your life with me? 

Maybe my readers are bored. Maybe their taste is different than mine - English Country Cottage, Craftsman, Victorian, Eclectic isn't every one's cup of tea. Maybe I write too short. Or too long. Maybe I'm not interesting enough. Maybe my occasional reference to the grief we carry as bereaved parents is too much. Is my blog too dark? Too light? The new colors I chose are maybe not quite right? The spacing I'm working on is maybe too off? 

What is it that attracts you to certain blogs? Or turns you off from others? 

Truthfully, I love to tell stories, to share bits and pieces of daily life. Maybe that's not what blog readers are looking for. I choose blogs that do this, but there does seem to be a shift. I honor that many bloggers are able to carve out a living by blogging and some have ads on their blogs. Some have a process of "clicking" in to their post, generating funds. Mine is simple and with no ties to any other entity but my own thoughts, ideas, words, pictures and questions to inspire or debate. 

I'd love to know your thoughts. Please post and share. Or send an email. It will help me decide whether I should continue to blog or not to blog. 

Love to you all on this stormy Monday!

Cozy Foyer.

In our last few houses, the front foyer

always seemed so small and crowded.

If we had company that numbered just

two, it was a tight fit as they arrived.

But if we had more than two, it was a

true complication ~ we had to do it better.

So when we designed our house, we

made sure there was room for at least six

to eight people to stand in the hall. And

we added in a good sized closet along with

a small vestibule for the old radio that

holds some small fabric roses, a sweet

and tiny topirary, a container of fabric

plants and our guest book for all to sign.

We found this tiny bunch of fabric

roses at the charity shop for $1 ....

.... and this sweet brocade covered

guest book as well, for another $1.

Sweet finds that make our cozy but

spacious front foyer a welcoming spot.

Welcome.

We picked up this sweet print at

our local charity shop for the hall.

I love the vintage frame and the

soft, muted colors ~ perfect for us!

I love this tiny girl reaching up to

the door knocker. Here are the words:

"Hospitality is the greatest cheer,

for a friend walks in when the

whole world walks out."

Anonymous

"Let your door be always open and

a warm welcome be in your heart;

For he who looks outside is dreaming

and he who looks inside awakes."

Anonymous

"The wise teacher points us to the open

door, but you must have the courage to

enter for yourself."

Old Chinese Proverb

Our Secret Garden

I love taking pictures of our little "Secret Garden"

after the rain has finally ended. A work in progress.

But progress is happening. We planted

these sweet perennials last Spring. A

combination of purple, blue, pink and

white. I love how they are flourishing.

Our teeter totter survived another cold

Winter and looks so playful in the trees.

Wind and Rain, Light and Dark.

Outside as the rain fell, we were safe

and dry, but the crack of thunder were

too loud for my comfort. At least it

wasn't a night time thunder storm.

Still we had to put on some lights as

the sky was so dark, it was hard to see.

Scary Skies.

Driving home the other day was a bit

scary as the skies became dark and windy.

Lightening started to appear and the thunder

soon followed, booming across the landscape.

We had to quickly pull in and make sure everything

was secure before retreating into our sweet cozy home.

My Gardner.

He's been such a big help this year as we

planned out then began to put our first ever

veggie patch in. You can see the fences are

not in just yet, but the boxes are full now.

We'll be putting the pickets up next weekend

and then the pea gravel to cover up the

landscape fabric and the netting to keep our

deer friends from munching on all the veggies.

I truly appreciate how helpful this guy has

been in making sure our veggies are all

planted, then watered and fertilized well.

I love how he is so excited to see growth!

Flowery Gifts.

It's been a crazy few weeks and we have

more events coming up. One of our final

celebrations is our year end family BBQ.

And this year, I was presented with a

basket of pretty flowers and chocolates.

A surprise but so very much appreciated!

Quiet Veranda.

Not a sunny evening but still my favorite

place to sit at night, when it's so quiet.

Hospice Tea.

We had a high tea celebration the week

after Harry and Meghan were married.

Everyone dressed up, complete with a

variety of fascinators and bow ties. We

enjoyed viewing the wedding while

sipping tea and eating scrumptious

treats. Then it was time for our feast

at lunch, then back to the family room

to watch the last part of the wedding

celebrations. Fun day for all at hospice.

Frosty Tree.

I decided to leave this one last little

Christmas decoration up. There are

two and they hand on either side of

the front door. Too sweet to hide away!

Full Moon Rising.

Look what I spotted a few weeks ago.

Yup, a full moon above the clouds.

This one is called the "Flower Moon."

I hate full moons but this was pretty.

Our Local Park.

Recently we spent some time in our

local park that is in the centre of town.

It features a lake, complete with a couple

of bridges and even two little islands.

The landscaping is so colorful. Pretty

pink flowered trees and gorgeous bushes.

A fountain in the middle and geese

and ducks all over. Love this place!

Stormy Days.

We've had weeks of hot, dry and sunny weather but this has finally changed and we're in the middle of some strong, stormy days. When I went to the doctor the fountain was hit hard from the wind. Blowing water all over! The clouds do look quite light in this shot but they were in fact very dark. We had some thunder this morning but tonight we have lots of wind wreaking havoc on our forest and tons of promises of hours and hours of rain. Hoping for the rain so our garden continues to sprout. Hoping the thunder and lightening stay away, far, far away. Hoping for a quiet night and rain tomorrow.

Hello June.

The last month of school before a well

deserved Summer Break. A month of

blooms and growing gardens. A month

of sunshine and warmth, thunder storms

and late nights. A month of a birthday for

our second son. A month to truly celebrate.