Weekly Wrap Up.

I have one more full day off before I head back to my workmates this week. It was a lovely and very busy week off. In addition to the purging that took place, we also ordered a new tv to replace the vintage one that was in our bedroom. It arrived a few days later and set up was pretty easy. It's nice to have a nice, clear picture now. Prior to this new item, we were watching tv that had an awful picture ~ any humans on the screen had bright red skin, as if they were badly sunburned. And the sound was not great anymore either. I'm sure we had that unit for at least 20 years. New one hopefully will last as well. Fingers crossed. 

Our second acquistion during this week off was our long awaited, we saved forever, treadmill. A good quality one, very heavy duty and so far, quiet. We ordered it on Thursday and picked it up on Friday. The best part? It was 70% off ~ such a great sale!! It took our neighbor and dh and myself to get it out of our car (the two guys loading it made it look light!!) and up the stairs to our art studio. We cleared a corner (see previous posts) and it will go beside the Bow Flex. Dh and I put it together last night in about 2.5 hours. And we didn't kill each other AND we're still married!! We're good. 

I organized closets and drawers, recycled and bagged up paper for shredding, put our tax items aside for our accountant (more to input), and went through all my clothes and donated 6 big bags of perfectly good clothing to our local charity shop and still have some piles to go through. I have a few more boxes that need attention, I want to reorganize the Christmas storage room in the basement and last but not least, reorganize/paint/epoxy the garage. That will take place during my next week off later in April. The big chunk is done now and the next bit will be much easier with the inside of the house all put together. 

Overall, I'm very pleased with my work and how this week turned out. I did manage to throw a few naps in, a trip to the library for more books to devour, some writing, some art, being outside (though it was a cool and rainy week), some surfing on the net, some clothes shopping, some Father's Day shopping and lots of relaxing and not thinking about work. That starts on Tuesday! A great week. 

How was your week?

Was it relaxing? Or busy?

~ Chy

Unexpected Trip.

Came home the other day to discover

our daughter doubled over in pain. I

whisked her off to the ER and we were

so lucky to be in and out in 2 short hours.

They did an exam, took blood, sent her

for x~rays and determined that she had

had a small gall bladder attack. We were

so thankful for the prompt attention and

care she was given. They scheduled her

for an ultrasound at the big hospital in

the big city, where she had to spend 5

hours being treated quite differently and

sent her home with a consult for surgery,

in 3.5 months!! However, she's only had

the 1 attack, so this is not urgent. And

she is leaving on her holidays in 2 weeks.

Hopefully she'll be fine while she's away.

I'll be slightly anxious until she's back.

~ Chy

Puppy Prep.

We are thinking about a new puppy.

Our beloved Celti died at the age

of 16 on October 10th, 2014. At that

time, I said "no more puppies!!"

But now 4.5 years later, I'm open to the idea

and have gotten just a wee bit excited about the

possibility of a new tiny pup to love. Yesterday

when we were in town, we stopped at a tiny local

pet shop to get info on dog food and pricing. I'll

keep you in the loop as our dog venture unfolds.

~ Chy

Got It!

And after the purge was all done, we

went in to town and picked up the prize!

A treadmill (NordicTrack) that was $2,800

plus tax, on sale for $800, plus tax. A 70%

savings and well worth the wait. We've

wanted a treadmill every since we moved

out to the country and realized that going

in to town to use our gym membership

was NOT going to happen after a busy

day or on long Winter nights. So we didn't

renew our membership and set that money

aside to buy a Bow Flex and the treadmill.

I'll post pics once our little area is all set

up. Can't wait to work hard to get in shape.

~ Chy

Clear Corner.

The corner where we are trying to set

up a mini gym on Monday ~ purge day.

And the same corner, ready for the rest

of our mini gym, on Thursday. All done!

~ Chy

Clear Island.

The top of the island in the art studio

on Monday when I started the purge.

The top of the island on Thursday when

I completed the purge! So beautiful!!

~ Chy

Downsizing Files.

On the subject of my mama, I've been

downsizing the items we have to keep

for her. Her items that bring her joy

and memory are in her little abode at

the care centre. I have some very, very

precious items here that we don't want

to go missing (they recommended this)

and I have all her financials. It's taken

quite a while to sort but I've managed

to get her documents down to these 2

boxes along with one plastic bin that

has her current statements and bills in

it. A big job but I got it done and am

proud to have it set for her now. Ta da!!

~ Chy

Sweet Find!

I was just thinking the other day that

I should really invest in some quality

make up brushes instead of using the

ones that come with my blush or

powder. Then yesterday, I opened

up a box of my mom's personal items

and look what I found! A whole stash

of very lovely and somewhat expensive

brushes, never opened!! With her

mind slowing, she'd often buy more

than one item, often forgetting that

she had already bought it. So I asked

her if I could have them and her

response was "that's who I was buying

them for!" Sweet find for the day. I

love my mama ~ always thinking ahead!

~ Chy

Mama's Mind ....

.... works in many mysterious ways!

With her dementia, we never know

what we'll find as we finish up going

thru her decades of life ~ $5 in an

envelope. No name on it. No note.

No address. No instructions. Hmm ....

~ Chy

Yum! My Favorite Quick Dinner.

 My favorite quick dinner by far.

Fresh salad bar at our grocery store.

Today, there was large strawberries

in the fruit section. My favorite fruit.

Just to prove there was actually some

salad in the salad! Spinach and a mix

of greens. Mandarin slices, strawberries,

blackberries, raspberries, beets, bacon,

mozza cheese and raspberry vinaigrette.

Love all the flavors and even the colors!

Do you have a favorite quick dinner?

Would love to hear your likes, for ideas!

~ Chy

Spring Break.

We're almost done our little Spring Break here.

Kids go back to school on Monday. I'll head in

a few days later. It's been a great break so far,

even with the cooler weather. Part of my time

has been spent purging the house and the art

studio. I've taken in 6 bags of clothes, 4 boxes

of "stuff" and thrown out a few bags. There

is still a bit more to do but I'm so happy with

how much I've gotten rid of and how much is

now neatly stored away. The art studio looks so

great! The rest of my time has been just some

relaxing here and there. Such a nice mix, and

on these cool days, a welcome place to be.

Thankful each year for this break to refocus.

~ Chy

Early Votes.

We have a Provincial Election coming up on

April 16th. This will determine the new leader

of our Province. With just 3 weeks between the

time the Election was called and the day we all

vote, there isn't a lot of time to figure out who

to mark down on the ballot. I have a pretty good

idea so I feel confident in my choice. As does dh.

We have to vote early this time and are happy we

can still participate, even though we aren't home

on the day of the vote. Thankful for this option.

~ Chy

Remembering Bretton.

Our sweet son, Bretton~Elijah Lucas would have been

23 years old on March 25th. We celebrate him each year.

Over time, we've received many gifts from family and

friends to add to his memory box. I put a few out this year.

Not every family will remember their lost child with a cake

on the birthday but we do for Bretton. It just feels right.

I'm so comforted with knowing that in our family, in

our grief, this is our normal, with tears and memories, 

love and hugs, laughter and community. This is how

we get through each day and how we hold Bretton now.

How do you remember a loved one, gone too soon?

I'd love to hear your stories and your special rituals.

~ Chy

Real Life Pics ~ The Art Studio.

Some real life shots of the art studio

today, before I began the big purge.

Can't even use the Bow Flex right now!

But stayed tuned as we're adding a brand

new treadmill and this space has to be

cleaned up and purged for the new item.

Wish me luck!!

~ Chy

Booth Update.

We've had our Antique Mall Booth for almost

2 years now. We've found our niche finally.

It took a bit to figure out what would sell and

what would sit. I'm not sure how long we'll

have a booth for but we're still enjoying the

experience and our sales are making it happen.

The "treasure" hunting is still the best part. Today

I found 4 of the sweetest little Easter dresses. All

look completely brand new as if they were never

worn. They should sell very well. Fingers crossed.

~ Chy

Dreary Day.

Such a grey and dreary day. A bit of rain, which we do need to get rid of the last of the snow and start to bring the green back. I've taken this week off and originally I was hoping to get the garage re~organized for Spring but with the cool air, dense fog, rain and no sun in sight, it's been actually good to keep me inside and purge the house while I'm off. Really makes senses to do this first anyway. I'll save the garage for the warm and sunny days that should be around the corner soon! Then everything will be organized.

How is your Spring Break going?

Any big plans for this week off?

~ Chy

Creepy Fog.

We've been living with heavy fog for about 4 days

now. It's a bit lighter the last 2 days but still there.

It gives a very creepy, cold feeling. I can't get warm.

Even a drive in to town hot chocolate didn't help at all.

See how thick it is? At the airport, they had to delay

and even cancel a few flights. Not good on Spring

Break! We're cozy here at home but you can see in

the reflection in the last picture, we've had to put a

few lamps on just to be able to adequately see what

we're doing inside the house. I hope this leaves us

soon. I'm off this week and wanted to work outside.

I've got lots to do inside but outside would be better.

How's the weather in your neck of the woods?

Fog or snow? Rain or sun? Share yours please!

~ Chy

Sunlit Curls.

I was part of a Podcast panel the other day

and it was broadcast live. Taped as well.

So the curls had to come out! I've had

long hair all my life. Without the curls

on the end, my hair actually goes past

by bum! But every once in a while, I

think about cutting it. It's super easy to

take care of and on any given day, I can

do so many things with it. However, I do

wonder if it ages me. Then I go to an event

like this one and everyone oogles (and

touches!) my hair the whole time. It is

a decision I need to make. Scary thought

as it's now part of my identity. Thoughts?

~ Chy

2nd Hyacinth.

This one is bright purple and the scent

is even stronger than the first one. Sweet!

~ Chy

Final Painting.

I'm down to the last little bit to paint

in our new little office. I should be

done by the end of this coming week.

A bit of trim, then set up. So close!

~ Chy

Easy Dinner.

It was a super busy week and our dinners

were easy and small. Lots of board meetings

and committee meetings left not much

time for cooking. But we managed. Yum!

~ Chy

Friday Night.

A busy week. A crazy day. The end of the week. The end of a day. And yet, here we are, very late on a Friday night, working together, with light jazz music in the background, a scented candle burning on the dining room table (our shared desk for the night), writing a few online grants and securing a few potential sponsors for our Summer Festival. Yup, this is how we roll!! Wish us luck on our brand new project ....

~ Chy

Sunday Sparkly Stationery.

I have a confession to make .... I LOVE buying stationery! Cards, writing paper, pretty envelopes, stickers and anything to make communication memorable, I'm on it! I have quite the collection now, stored away in our new (old) "secretary" desk in our living room. It all does get used ~ I don't buy it and store it away. I'm excited when a letter arrives in our mailbox and I can use pretty paper to write back. Or a birthday shows up on my calendar. Out come the cards!

One of my favorite items to hunt for then buy is Thank You cards. I have so many people in my life who help out on a daily basis. From facilitating grief groups to organizing my office space (and keeping me organized) to rescue us from the ditch or helping me with an event. Thank You cards will never be enough to truly show my gratitude but it's a start. 

Yesterday we had our last Expressive Arts Grief Group for the Winter session. I found these sweet and amazing cards, complete with sparkles on the front and embossed stickers for the envelopes. My team really enjoyed opening up the cards and the gift inside was appreciated but everyone commented on the cards and the matching envelopes. Always worth an extra moment or two in the store to find just the right card or the right paper to share the love!

~ Chy

Tiny Garden.

 

One of the neatest things we've discovered about living in our new house is how easy it is to grow indoor plants. In our last house, every plant I tried to grow would die. I think looking back we didn't have the best humidity and our house was not as light as this one is with all our windows. I'm loving being able to pick up a cheap plant at the store and nurture it to it's full potential. The baby tears on the top plate was so tiny and look at how much it's grown! The ivy is on the bottom and working it's way through the iron stand, towering over the tears. The spider plant had to be repotted and this is the 2nd piece. The other one is over by the big window. I just repotted them about 2 weeks ago and it looks like a bigger pot is going to be needed again, already!

This is my favorite right now. I bought this at the store for less than $3. It has bloomed twice now and the smell in our kitchen is heavenly. You can smell the scent as soon as you walk in the door. Growing so well and it's not looking like it's at the end yet. I don't think I've had a hyacinth last this long before. Should have bought more! Who knew it would last!! Do you have a tiny garden growing in your home?

~ Chy