Goodbye May ....

It was a lovely and full month. But

really,  May went way too fast!

~ Chy

Bright Spot.

I've discovered the bright spot in our little

kitchen nook ~ this shelf! My plant loves it. 

~ Chy

Revived Treat.

Very excited to see DQ has brought

back my favorite treat .... icy float!

~ Chy

Rebuilding.

Today, I had lunch with an individual

who has come back in to my life after

a "break" a few years ago. We're

rebuilding and reconnecting.  Cheers!

~ Chy

Grass Seed.

Growing grass with our preschoolers

from seed. Easy peasy and they love it!

~ Chy

Later that day ....

 

The sun disappeared and the smoke and

haze returned in full force. It's dark again!

~ Chy

New Day.

A day after the wildfires left our air

thick with smoke, we woke up to sun.

Bright and streaming through the glass.

Hope for a smokeless day with sun.

~ Chy

Smokey Haze.

We had to turn lights on in the house

yesterday as the dark skies descended.

Smoke from the fires up North have

dulled the skies and hidden the sun.

It was very eery but also comforting

to be inside, in our sweet cozy cottage.

~ Chy

Transforming ....

I bought this old oak cabinet from a

friend's daughter for my new office.

In the process now of transforming the

look for old wood to new paint, bright

and fresh, with wallpaper in the hutch. It's

taken quite a bit of work ~ almost done!

~ Chy

Piggy Back Car.

Ugh! This was our daughter's car after

her tire blew out on the highway at the

end of a trip. Thankfully, she was able

to safely pull over, called her roadside

assistance and we got there to pick her

and our grandson up as the tow truck

was ready to take her car to the shop.

She now has two new tires on the back

and is saving for two new front tires.

Thankful and grateful for a safe ride.

~ Chy

Perfect Sky.

Early morning perfect sky. So blue and not a sign

of a cloud anywhere! This was well before the fires.

~ Chy

Safe Crossing.

 

We had to stop the other morning to let this little

family of geese to cross the road safely. They did it!

~ Chy

Cozy Office.

I'm getting settled in well to my new cozy little

office space at our temporary location this year.

I hung up a long scarf as a window covering and

bought a little tie back with glass on the end of

the ties. And hung a sweet little wooden heart

with a green ribbon that was originally white.

Hung up more pictures, found some sweet little

stickers to embellish the walls and am now on the

search for some beautiful quotes to hang up as well.

Isn't my plant on the shelf amazing? It's growing!!

We're here for about 14 to 16 months while our

new hospice is being built. For now, it's cozy ....

~ Chy

Tiny Tarts.

Remember my sweet but large raspberry tart that I

shared a few weeks back? The easy peasy recipe?

I rejigged it into tiny tarts for this week's Sunday night

dinner. And there were rave reviews all around. Yum!

~ Chy

Banana Bread.

I make the most amazing banana bread,

according to my children and the dh.

What makes it so good? I have no idea,

because I actually can't eat banana bread!

Yup, I'm allergic to it! It would literally

kill me if I consumed any of it. So there

you go. Something I make, out of love

for my family, that I will never know

what it tastes like but glad all who try

it love it. A healthy treat for my family.

~ Chy

Support Group.

We've resumed our support group

monthly meetings for our baby loss

program, after months of setting up

our new office space. Heartwarming.

~ Chy

Victoria Day.

Canada is part of the British Commonwealth and each year we honor Queen Victoria on the long weekend in May, known as Victoria Day Weekend. Traditionally, it is also the weekend in our region when everyone starts their gardening. Prior to this, the weather is more unpredictable (we had a frost warning last week) but once this weekend comes along, the weather is a bit more settled. We did plant our seeds for our veggie patch yesterday but haven't yet put in the plants we bought ~ some perennials and herbs and raspberry canes. I need to get more deer fencing and don't want to risk any new plants getting eaten up! These currently reside on our kitchen table getting good sun and amble moisture. I hope to plant either later today or tomorrow. Sunny week ahead with mid to high 20's.

Over the weekend, we also visited the Farmer's Market, bought our plants from a local nursery, worked on the "never ending Pergola project" and did a quick house clean. The rest of the time we've been really good about also taking some time to relax and enjoy this time off. Today I'm doing a 5 hour shift at the Antique Mall, which reduces our rent. We both enjoy getting to know the other vendors and helping customers with their purchases. Today is the 1st Boot Sale of the season, so I'll be inside and out. Nice sunny day out so I'm sure it will be busy! We might even do a bit of shopping.

Before we head to the AM, we're stopping to pick up an item I've bought from a lovely lady. I've searched for a soft art tote forever and finally found one. She posted it for just $15, a huge savings. I love the colors and am excited that now I'll have a way to cart my art supplies to classes when I take them. Last time, I used my little tool kit that holds my dollhouse supplies but it's a hard shell and was a bit clunky. And then the dollhouse supplies had to sit on the art studio island all weekend. This is much more efficient. Here's a shot of the tote. Isn't it sweet? I can't wait for my next class!

My shift is done at 4 p.m. Both dh and dd are coming to drop me off and shop a bit before and then they'll head home. At the end, dh is coming to pick me up but we haven't made any plans beyond that time. Likely a nice dinner and then some Festival work. I might finish up the one area that needs more weeding and I'll definitely need to do some watering. Long weekends are lovely for projects and for taking time to enjoy and relax. This one has been great for us. Hope your Victoria Day Weekend has been wonderful!

~ Chy

Garden Bliss.

Today, we brought home the annuals,

perennials, herbs and veggies to plant.

Oh! And some raspberry bushes. This is

just the start of our gardening season and

likely we'll need to go back for more. It

was planting day around here, with seeds

and plants going in to the veggie patch, 

a spot for a herb garden chosen, a place

for the raspberry patch to start and a

lot of weeding in between! Tons of fun. 

~ Chy

Farmer's Market.

We went to the Farmer's Market in

the Big City yesterday. And indulged!

Cheesecake Caramels, Organic Carrots,

Scallions, Honey and Garlic Sausage.

Always so much to look at, like these

pumpkins and gourds. So very colorful.

And jams and jellies of all kinds. We did not

buy these but it was fun to see the various flavors.

Do you have a local Farmer's Market?

Do you love to shop at one if you do?

~ Chy

A Tesla ....

I was admiring this car, not knowing it

was a Tesla and the owner came over ....

.... and invited me to sit in said car. But

I declined, as people were waiting for

his parking spot. He was kind and I'm

sure it would have been fine. It was a

sweet car, with these integrated door

handles and sleek look. Not my style

but cool all the same. Now I'll have to

find a local dealer so I can try one out!

~ Chy

Love Locket.

Last weekend for Mother's Day, we

ended up having an impromptu lunch.

Our son, daughter~in~law and our little

granddaughter wee supposed to go for

lunch with dils family, but some were

ill, so we filled in and had a great time!

I received many amazing gifts on this

special day, including this locket from

granddaughter to carry with me always.

Both grandkids will be inside, once I

figure out how to get some photos this

tiny! Looking forward to wearing it.

~ Chy

Lavender Bag.

I love lavender of all kinds. And dh is

always on the lookout for lavender gifts.

He recently found this sweet bag that

comes with soil, peat and seeds to grow.

Instructions were easy. Open the soil

bag, dump in to the plant bag and seed.

A little water, some sunlight and now we

wait to see if lavender can grow in a bag!

~ Chy

Grazing Neighbors.

We share our subdivision in the woods

with many wildlife families, like deer.

Thankfully, they have most of the time

left our gardens alone but they do help

greatly in keeping the natural grasses

around us under control by grazing.

~ Chy

Easy Dinners.

One of our favorites is this Chicken and

Broccoli Pie Au Gratin and Caesar Salad. 

Another favorite is grilled chicken on the

BBQ, with crisp veggies and creamy dip.

These are easy and scrumptious dinners

that sustain us but don't take too much time.

Do you have any favorite and easy dinners?

I look forward to hearing what you feed your family.

~ Chy