Goodbye June.

It's the night before Canada Day

and we're saying goodbye to a

very rainy month. It's pouring

outside in the moment. Hoping

for a very sunny July! With all

we've been going thru, we need it!

~ Chy

Gardening Goals.

Aside from my art as a stress reliever, I have discovered how much working in the garden has helped when life is tough. It's been especially great this year with Covid. We have had a ton of rain (again today!) and I'm starting to worry we'll have another water logged year like last year. Maybe it will change. For now, when it isn't raining, I dig my hands in the cool dirt, feeling connected to the Earth again. I weed. I move plants. I dream of what it will look like one day. I dream of an English garden/Cottage garden concept. Slowly I'm getting there. Slowly but surely, almost there!

Above on the left, raindrops on the Bleeding Heart bush.

Top right, the Hydrangea bush is coming along nicely,

Bottom left, the Hosta looked like it wasn't alive but

here it is! And bottom right, Munstead Lavender ....

This last week was a bit of a break from work for me and I had hoped to get more done than I actually did but the rain would NOT stop. I did learn that pulling weeds and planting and even moving plants in the wet weather is actually a bit easier. It's just very messy! But working in the dirt is so good for the soul and if I have to do it in the mud, than that will be the plan for the rest of the Summer. Whatever I have to do to reach my gardening goals and to keep my spirits alive and well during this crazy time, I will do it!

Do you have gardening goals?

How is your garden doing this year?

~ Chy

Relieving Stress.

Since Thursday, some stress has entered

our life and it's been a tough few days.

Last night, a bit of a break and what do

I do to relax when I'm stressed? Art! I

am creating a little mixed media box

and this is just the beginning ~ paint,

then some printed paper, a few odds

and ends to add texture, then a bunch

of embellishments. I'll post once I have

it completed. Happy to have my art!

~ Chy

Home.

~ Chy

Sunday Task.

Our living room is small and cozy but still needs

some work. I have been sewing curtains to go with

the lace and am almost done. I had to buy new rods

as a double was required. You know what this means!

The view from the front door. At the moment though,

this room and our dining room are turned upside down.

Yup, it's time to paint again! Taking down

the single curtain rods to put up the doubles

meant I had to fill the holes, so then that

transpired in to painting the rooms again.

Yesterday was prep day and today, because it's

raining again all day today is painting day. Until

our Board Meeting later today. Which means I'll

shower before that, have the meeting, drive in to

town quick for a pick up and then back to put

everything back in it's place if all goes well this

morning. I love freshly painted walls and though

we've lived here 5 years, this is the 2nd time I've

painted the house. Same color, just a refresh! I

did the art studio last week and this week is the

two rooms in the front, then the family room,

kitchen and laundry room, the back mudroom, 

down the hall then upstairs to tackle the upper

hall, our bedroom and our bathroom. Then we

should be good for another couple of years. All

this because I needed to switch out the single

curtain rods for doubles! I love painting so this

is a good thing. It's my "therapy" and cheaper!!

~ Chy

Father's Day 2020.

Last week, we celebrated Father's Day

at our home this year. No visiting. But

still a special day. As you can see by

the photos, dh was spoiled once again.

But he is that guy who deserves it for

all he does for us. We love him to pieces!

~ Chy

Community Spirit.

I have personally loved all the ways

that businesses and organizations have

incorporated community spirit in to

their messaging/branding during Covid.

From heartfelt commercials, to art

and music. As a visual artist, I'm in

love with the windows at our local

grocery store that were painted last

month. We will get through this and

the reminders due help to keep our

spirits high as we spend each day

coping, living, stressing and waiting

for a healthy World once again. In

the end, HOPE is free and present.

~ Chy

Happy Sunday.

Wishing you and yours an amazing

day of love, sun and new memories!

~ Chy

Getting Groceries.

I'm sure everyone around the World

is so feeling the burden of grocery

shopping each week. It has become

quite the chore and one I don't enjoy

anymore. I used to love to browse

the aisles and chat with the staff or

community members who happened

to be shopping at the same time. But

now, on the odd occasion we venture

in to the store to get our groceries

vs. ordering them online and pick up,

I feel like I'm holding my breath the

entire time we're in the store. I can't

wait to get back to the car and then

get safely home. Once there, we do

spend time washing down our food

and put everything away, hoping we

didn't pick up the virus in any of the

transaction. I know that once this is

all done, we'll still be truly extremely

careful when food shopping. Germs

won't have a chance in this house! I

envy those in the picture above. A

simpler time, without worry and the

stress we are all encountering at this

time in our lives. I would love to be

carefree again and can't wait to be

there again one day. Until then, we

work hard, keep positive and recall

the days of less worry. One day! :)

~ Chy

Topsy Turvy.

This is how the World feels today.

Turned upside down, topsy turvy!

~ Chy

Future Balcony.

If we get a chance to build again in the

future, I would love to add a balcony

to our Master Bedroom. It would sit

right over the back porch and provide

a lovely view of the gardens. It wasn't

in the first budget, but as this house

gains equity, who knows, maybe we

can fit it in next time! Until then, we

will love the back porch and decks for

eating and the front veranda for quiet

times of reading, or chatting, visiting

and remembering. All are amazing!

~ Chy

This Guy ....

You see that guy beside me in the middle? I often

refer to him as "lovey", "Bear" (long story behind

that one) or "the daddy guy." To our kids, he started

out as "da da", then became "daddy" and is now

called "dad." To our sweet grand babies, he is also

affectionately know as "papa" though sometimes

our gs still calls him "baba" as he couldn't quite say

his "p's" for a while when he was quite young and

that nickname kind of stuck. This guy lives for us

and we are all so grateful for his love and hard work,

his VERY BAD dad jokes, and his very incredible

patience with all of us as we find our way. Really,

there are no adequate words so we'll just say LOVE.

This is how we honored this guy on Father's Day!

~ Chy

Greenhouse Saga.

All we wanted was a sweet little greenhouse

for our garden. We ordered in April, in the

middle of the Pandemic. It took a number of

weeks, more than double the usual time but

we were patient and understanding. Then the

first piece (1 of 2) finally arrived. We tucked

it away in the garage to wait for the 2nd piece.

Which never arrived. So we had to cancel the

order. And then, out of the blue, the other day,

we went out the door to the car to get some

groceries and there was the 2nd piece against

the garage door. We had been working in the

garden the day before so it must have arrived

at some point after that. No notice. No call.

Thankfully now, our order is restored and we

can start to put it all together. So very excited!

~ Chy

Sibling Wishes.

Our dd had her birthday in May, during

Covid, which meant that we stayed home

and made the best of her special day. I

felt bad for her but she had a great day!

The best part was the surprise group

video chat from her out of town sibs.

And their families, including our little

granddaughter. It did actually feel like

we were all together, even though we

are currently so far apart. Loved this!

Her birthday brownies with a sweet

little bunting I made for one of my

dollhouses. I borrowed it for this very

special day. It's back in its place now.

Have you had any birthdays during Covid?

If so, how did you celebrate during this time?

~ Chy

Saturday Night Sun.

I love the sun that streams in through

our lace curtains at the end of the day.

It filters and flits about the rooms on

our main level. Starting in the turret,

then moving around to the living room,

the hall, then ending in the dining room.

It hits the dining room, then comes

 the doorway and the butler's pantry.

By the time it starts to move further in

to the kitchen, it is setting behind the

trees that are to the West of us. This

bit of light is just for a short time before

the sun is gone for the day. The moon

comes out and off to our bed we head.

So many things I love about our little

cottage in the big woods. But when

the sun hits the walls in the morning

and then moves around the house for

the day, those are the moments I love

to capture. I hope you love this too!

~ Chy

Baby Fawn.

These will not be the best pictures

but look what we spotted by the

potting shed last night! A tiny baby

fawn, sneaking a drink from mama!

We have had many deer families over

the time we've lived at the cottage.

But this is the first time we've spot such a

new and tiny fawn. Often we don't see any

babies until mama and sometimes papa are

out for a little walk with their bigger babies. 

They spotted us and started to tip toe back

to the forest. Quietly and peeking back at us.

The meadow is so tall at the edge of the forest

so we lost sight of the baby fawn. Such a treat

though. All day today while we worked inside

and out, we'd stop to look to see if mama and

baby would be back to visit. I'm sure she's so

protective but we hope in time they'll visit again.

~ Chy

Intricate Sink.

No we haven't moved and don't intend to

for a long time. BUT when we do move

again, down the road, kids are gone and

it's just the two of us, we'll build again,

a tinier English~styled cottage, and I so

would LOVE this sink! We already have

a white farmhouse sink. But this one is

amazing. I love the detail and know it

would be a perfect fit for the next cottage.

Wouldn't you agree? I sure hope so ....

~ Chy

The Love of Reading.

Reading has been a love of mine since I was a young child, even before I could read! One of my aunties worked as a book publisher for a large firm here in Canada and every Christmas, we get books. My cousins who were older and younger would sometimes complain .... "Books? But we wanted toys!!" But me, I was in Heaven! I feel like some people read a book and I devour a book. I'm thankful to have married a man who also loves to read and collect books. Not what attracted me to him, in fact, it was something we discovered when we bought our first home and we're moving in. He had boxes and boxes and when I asked what was inside, his words "my books" intrigued me. And here I thought I knew everything about him! In time, we have filled bookshelves, and corners, and we both often have a little stack beside the bed. I love to read in a warm, soapy tub, or curled up in bed on a rainy night. A favorite memory has always been introducing reading to our babies, whom we read to in utero. When they each learned to read themselves, that was a big moment in our tiny house. Each Christmas, as the reader became stronger, they were gifted the right to read "Twas the Night Before Christmas" and everyone would cheer the new reader on. Now our grand kids read and it makes our hearts sing. There is nothing more precious in the World then curling up in a comfy chair, with a small child, who asks you to read them a story. Especially in front of a warm and cozy fire. I love that this tradition is carrying thru with our kids. Books are often an extra gift under the tree or in a birthday basket. I'm thrilled that instead of hearing the words "Books? But we wanted toys!" we hear "Yes, more books!" When they were small, and even now, as adults, a favorite spot to visit if we were out and about shopping would be our local book store. We'd ask "Where should we go today" and always we would get "Can we stop at the bookstore?" I can't imagine the investment we've made in books over the years. Some are bought at full price (not many!), some are thrifted, some are gifts but all are cherished. The love of reading is strong here.

Do you love to read?

Are you a book collector?

~ Chy

Protected from the Rain.

We had a super big storm on the weekend.

Thankfully there was no damage here but

a number of communities in the south end

of our Province were hit hard. Lucky for us.

As we watched the storm track during

the day on Saturday, we started to put

things away and tucked out of danger.

My plants on the front veranda got cozy.

See those dark skies with the storm?

Those were actually light compared

what came next. We had just bought

our new deck furniture two weeks ago

and I was worried about the rain, so

we bought (on sale!) these cover ups.

I'm so happy to report that despite the

downpour of rain, not a drop touched

the cushions. It was lovely to take the

covers off later and sit on the deck in

the bright, warm sun again. This also

saves us so much time and space as

we don't have to take all the cushions

off and store them in the kitchen if it

rains. We'll watch the forecasts and if

it looks like rain, the covers go on. We

had rain predicted for today so last

night, we put them on all the chairs

and the sofa and today, they are nice

and dry again. Supposed to rain all day

after a few days of hot sun, but now I

have no worries about our new deck set.

Do you cover up your deck furniture from the rain?

Have you had some great weather or lots of rain?

~ Chy

Food Pictures.

A silly post to start the day.  I take a lot

of photos and sometimes, at the end of

the day, I scroll through and have to laugh

at what I capture. Case in point: the 4

eggs above. I shot this to later ask the

the question online of anyone who would 

take the time to read it .... "do you wash

you eggs when you bring them home?"

The next shot is so we can all remember

the very day that our dd ordered a jar of

parmesan cheese. She so thought it was

going to be a regular size one but knew

it wouldn't be as large as the one in the

shot, which we buy for ourselves from

Costco. So it was a big surprise to see

what she pulled out of the bag from her

online order yesterday. Yup, she chose

the smallest version without looking at

the sizing .... life lesson learned! But

to be fair, this is the kid who ordered

fruit, but forgot to put in a quantity of

each. Opened her bag to find a single

pear and a single peach. Yes, I do have

that picture saved in my files for future!

Finally, my amazing dinner from last

night. The family had lasagna, which

would literally kill me as I have a

deadly allergy to tomatoes. So this is

my version of that dish. It is cheesy

chicken broccoli cauliflower rice. So

good and easy for me to swallow. At

least once a week I get to enjoy this!

All my food pics for now.

Do you ever take food shots?

~ Chy