About Me

September 30, 2020

Goodbye September!


It was a lovely month. One of my favorite with
the vibrant colors and new experiences. Goodbye!

~ Chy

Orange Shirt Day.


Today across Canada, we observed and honored
our Indigenous Community by wearing orange
shirts. Orange Shirt Day was started in 2013 by
residential school survivor Phyllis Webstad, who
went to a residential school in Williams Lake, B.C.
This day is named after she wore an orange shirt
to her first day of school as a 6 year old. Phyllis
arrived wearing a new orange shirt her grandma
had bought for her but the school staff stripped it
from her. This has become a symbol of all the
children who were stripped of their Indigenous
rights when they were taken from their homes and
brought to residential schools by the government.
The even takes place on September 30th every
year because it's the day that so many Indigenous
children were forced to leave their homes. People
wear orange shirts to honour Phyllis and to create
awareness around what residential schools did to
our Indigenous Community. For us, as a family
and as a school, we are honored to all participate.

~ Chy 

September 29, 2020

Theatre Love.


We both appeared in school productions and
I was fortunate to tour with a children's
choir when we were young. Then fate drew
us together and we met as young actors in a
big production in the big city. We grew up,
married, bought a house, had children but
kept the love of theatre in our hearts and in
our lives. Our kids have all had various art
themed pursuits and now our grandson is a
tiny thespian! So proud and love this print!

~ Chy

Dream Cottage.


Isn't this the sweetest cottage ever? As we
start to think about our next home, this is
one I've come back to a few times. It would
be a gamble to build as resale would be a
challenge later on. Not everyone would love
a thatched roof or the English feel. Sigh ....

~ Chy

Project: Tiny Gifts.


These tea light jars are now on my
list of gifts to make for my team
members for Christmas this year.
I love to give small gifts and I hope
this one will be achievable for 2020.
So many elements make it just the
right token to share my gratitude
for each of them. Adding to the list!

~ Chy

First Panorama.


Playing around with my camera and was able to
figure out how to take a Panorama shot. This is
from the photo shoot I've been working on for
my families who participated in our recent event
for baby loss. This shot hasn't been touched up at
all and not sure if I'll use it but loved the chance
to try this option. I have many more features on
this camera to figure out. And love the ease of it.

~ Chy

Wander Wish.


A favorite gift on my wish list for
Christmas. We love this line from
a local family on the tiny island we
love to visit. I would LOVE this one!


It's called "Wander" and so describes life
for us right now. We have our goals and
our daily life but we also love to get lost
and wander as we go! Hope you do too.

~ Chy

Opening Mail.


Another favorite from The World of
Susan Wheeler collection. One of my
favorite things is to write letters and
receive letters. A lost activity now.

~ Chy

Fall Rosebush.


My rose bush is still trying to bloom
again. It's a weird time as we woke up
to rain and fog, then an afternoon of
hot temperatures and full sun. It was
like Spring, Summer and then Fall,
all in one day. Loving these colors!

~ Chy

September 28, 2020

Isolation Check~In.


We're now officially at 29 weeks, or 203 days, of
being at home, though isolation is a more liberal
now. In our home, we still only visit the grocery
store, one store we feel comfortable at because
of their Covid restrictions (the bookstore) and
school. Other than that, we're primarily at home.
I am going in to work now once a week. But not
even for a full day. Just to catch up and get our
students set for the following week. This has
become true life. And it's okay. We're safe, we
have what we need, we have our jobs, we have
our freedom too. No complaints here. We hope
and truly wish every day that this soon ends. We
also use this extra time to make new memories.
How are doing during Covid? Are you coping or
are  you fed up and wanting this to be all over? 

~ Chy

All Hallow's Eve.


Halloween has never been my
favorite holiday but I do enjoy
the time put in to decorating and
having kids in amazing costumes
come to our door for treats. I'm
hopeful that Halloween will still
continue this year, despite Covid.
We'll be ready if they venture out.


We bought new decorations this
year. Our grandson felt we really
needed to "step it up" and so we
did with new inflatables (pictures
to come ~ all on sale!) and some
little surprises we've got in store.

Are you getting ready for Halloween?
Do you hope it will still go ahead?

~ Chy

Garden Tour.


In front of our cottage, in the little
Secret Garden we've dreamed of. We
call it this because it's a bit hidden
from the lane in the Summer months.


A plant given to me by someone I did
not know at all, until I started gardening. 


Our bird bath that belonged to my inlaws
and the gramma before that. Super old!


My favorite statue in the garden. A tiny
girl and a bigger boy, on a seesaw, in the
trees. I smile anytime I see this sight in
the front. Reminds me of all our kids.

~ Chy

Remembering ....


.... my dad. Today is the 18th Anniversary
of his death. It was a chilly and very rainy
Saturday morning and all our family was
together. It was such an honor to be laying
beside him as he took his last breath. He
told us a lot that week that he had so many
angels visiting him. We kept telling him it
was okay to go but I knew he was very
determined to die on the 28th. My dad and
I both had a "thing" about even numbers.
He died at the same time to the same minute
when he was born (I kid you not!) exactly 6
months to the day (I kids you not!) from his
60th Birthday. I hope I have this experience
when I am dying, though I'd like to live a full
100 years. I love how he smiled, closed his
eyes and took one last breath. We had a very
untraditional funeral ~ he wanted a party, so
we had a Celebration of Life and my kids
still have good memories of grampa's end.
A beautiful life, a beautiful goodbye. I
can't believe all the experiences we've all
had in our lives since he's been gone. I wish
he could be here to see everything we've
accomplished and been here on the days
when we felt we couldn't take another step.
I hope my kids feel this when we are gone.
That we made a difference and this live is
worth living, even when it difficult and so
hard at times. Miss you forever, dad ....

P.S. The picture above is my mom and dad
on our Wedding Day in 1984. When he
died in 2002, he look exactly the same. A
bit skinnier but the same. He never aged!

~ Chy

Sweet Bunnies.


My blog has a few purposes but one is to
capture visuals that I want to keep forever
but have no place to store them. Like this
sweet picture above from the "World of
Susan Wheeler" ~ one of my very favorite
visual artists. Love this bunny couple. I
am in awe of the details that went in to
this project. All the little details. Perfect!

~ Chy

September 27, 2020

Right Here. Right Now.

What I'm wearing .... teal colored skinny jeans with a rose motif in the pattern, a white t shirt, grey soft hoodie with a vintage Disney theme, grey warm socks and black ankle boots.

What I'm reading .... finally finished "Educated" and am now completing Mary Trumps book so dh can read it next.

What's happening in my kitchen .... dh is making pork chops with salad and butternut squash for dinner. Mmmm!

What's outside my window .... beautiful Fall leaves, fluttering to the ground in the breeze. It's been a warm then cold, then windy then calm, kind of day.

What I'm thankful for .... my family, my health, our cottage and our community.

What I'm smelling .... my gum! It has a fruity flavor.

What I'm hearing .... the tinnitus in my ears! And music to drown the annoying sounds out.

What I'm crafting .... an old dollhouse I rescued. See previous posts!

What's on my mind .... what's on my plate this week and when I should take a week off.

Words to live by ....


Thanks again, Barefoot Mom, for
the inspiration to capture this day!

~ Chy

Sunny Sunflower.


We stopped off for a visit at my mom's
place today and look at the sunflower!


So tall and bright. The international
symbol for hospice, I love they have
one in the garden at the front entrance
of her place. Warms my heart and soul.

~ Chy

September 26, 2020

Lovely Scents.


I recognize that many people are staying
away from scents due to allergies and as
respect to others. As someone who suffers
from food allergies, I do understand and
try to always be conscious of the scents I
wear. There are four items I use that I have
been told are very light in scent but for
me, they always make me feel good and
I'm glad I can wear them without worry.
The Whole Blends shampoo has an great
coconut flavor! And my Lavender soap
too. I also use Lavender bath salts and a
Lavender scented deodorant. No harsh
perfumes, just these light scents. Lovely!

~ Chy

Five Years ....


That's how long it took me to figure out
this corner. I could never get it right ....


I tried our mixer here. Our kettle with
an assortment of teas. A very chippy
and vintage themed bread box. None
of them appealed to me. And then we
bought two new candles (Green Apple
and Rose Vanilla ~ heaven!) and this
corner became the final resting spot
for both, along with a purple candles,
a potted plants and a jar with sage eggs.
I'm hopeful. That was a long five years!

Do you ever struggle with decor?
How do you figure it out in the end?

~ Chy

New Project.



Well, it's time to start a new dollhouse project. I still
have some finishing touches to make on the first one
but am itching to do the "big work" right now. Up
in the studio, we have 8 dollhouses in various stages
of progress. Only one we have built ourselves. The
rest have all been "rescues" and the work on some
will be intense. This one had wallpaper that I'm not
crazy about, so the first job is to remove that. Not an
easy task and my fingers are a bit sore today. There
is hockey on our tv agenda tonight, so while every
one else is watching that, I'm going to attempt to
make more progress and get the last bits off. I had
to take all the trim off first and the "flooring" in the
kitchen will be leaving as well. Once all the glue is
gone, then it will be time to paint. I haven't quite
figured out the theme and colors for this dollhouse.
That part will be fun. I'm going to head to a few
sites later to get some inspiration. Wish me luck!

~ Chy

Interesting Clouds.


Over the cottage yesterday afternoon
was this very strange looking cloud
formation. Hard to see in the pic but
it was actually quite dark and very low.


It moved quickly and I'm glad, though
it did leave a lot of nasty wind behind.
Our leaves are quickly losing all their
leaves due to the powerful gusty wind.

How was your first week of Fall?
Is your weather great or nasty?

~ Chy

Fresher Food.


We buy this coleslaw at least twice a
week but struggle to keep it truly fresh. 


I'm not a fan of plastic anything but this
week, we're going to try a new process.


Ziplock bag with the date clearly marked.
Now we can see the date and keep air out.


Bagged up strawberries, blueberries,
watermelons and tiny cucumbers too.


Hoping this "experiment" works well.
I hate throwing out food more than I
hate plastics, so a fine balance is in the
works now. Wish us luck for this week!

~ Chy

September 25, 2020

Fall Blooms.


I'm loving that though we are now fully in
to our Fall season, we have fresh blooms!


Martha Washington's are vibrant and so
big in their pots. I'm loving this one now!


Sweet tiny bright pink petals in the front
Secret Garden. This color is so incredible.


Tiny pansies in the Secret Garden. This
was a late planting but so very lovely now.

How is your garden doing this Fall?
Is it done or is it still blooming like ours?

~ Chy

September 23, 2020

Cozy Veranda.


A new item for our front veranda for
Fall. I plan to fill it with wheat grass.


The sun shining through the woods at
the right moment. Cozy, warm and sun!

~ Chy

Gather Art.


A little Fall art project. I'm almost
done but here's how it all started. 


I'll post the finished project. These
items are from our local dollar store.
The paint I already had, so other
than the wood pieces, there was no
other costs involved. I'm excited to
post once it's all done. Happy Fall!

~ Chy

Fall Decorating.


When I decorate for Valentine's Day,
Family Day, St. Patrick's Day, Easter,
Spring and July 1st, it's a pretty simple
process. Inside or outside, it's very fast!


But for Fall, Thanksgiving, Halloween
and Christmas, decorating the cottage,
both inside and out, takes FOREVER!
I really don't mind and quite enjoy the
process. The final outcome is always so
worth it. I hope you like the start of our
Fall Decorating. Just the beginning but
soon it will look like a colorful backdrop.

Do you decorate for Fall?
Have you begun the process?

~ Chy

September 22, 2020

Evening Shadows.


A quick post, a quick shot. The sunlight is quickly
changing each day. I love capturing the evening
shadows that fill the house as the sun gets lower
in the sky. Our front entrance with stream of light.

~ Chy

We Did It!

Introducing the newest member of our landscaping
family .... our tiny greenhouse for our little cottage.


It was quite the journey to get her. And then we had
so many delays with rain, or wind, or events. But
finally the stars aligned on the weekend and with
just a handful of tools and a few short hours, here
she is! I know you don't need to have a greenhouse
to be a true gardener. For me, this was and is a dream.


If you have a greenhouse, are you able to use it in
the Winter here in Canada? Still learning if we can.
Any thoughts and tips to share would be so greatly
appreciated as we now figure out the best way to
use this new item to its full capacity. Very excited
and intrigued to see if our garden is better in 2021.

Today if full of Zoom meetings, counselling, file
management, research, some lunch and then one
last counselling appointment in the afternoon. I
then hope to spend some time rooting through the
potting shed to find all my items to move over to
the greenhouse to make it cheerful and inviting.

Wishing you a beautiful Fall day where ever you
are today. Enjoy all the colors and this new Season.

~ Chy

September 21, 2020

Right Here. Right Now.

I'm a day late in following Barefoot Mom's Sunday night post. But we had an event yesterday and I was so exhausted after (it went really well!) that I didn't take any time to create a post. I hope it's okay to write this a date late!

What I'm wearing .... my comfiest socks, jeans, a tank top and a light blue pullover hoodie sweater.

What I'm reading .... Educated by Tara Westover. One more chapter and I can take it back to the library. 

What's happening in my kitchen .... Dishes are washing in the dishwasher. No baking today. A yummy dinner of coleslaw and sausage patties. And lemonade.

What's outside my window .... dark skies. It suddenly is so dark so early now. Fall is here tomorrow!

What I'm thankful for .... my beautiful family. And this sweet cottage that keeps us warm and cozy.

What I'm smelling .... the new apple candle I bought last week. Smells like fresh green apples!

What I'm hearing .... the constant Tinnitus in my ears. Starting to really drive me crazy. Impacting my sleep big time. Sigh.

What I'm crafting .... I took some time today once my work was done to tidy up the Art Studio. I'm going to start working on a dollhouse that I rescued last year. Needs lots of TLC.

What's on my mind .... my grandson's comment today when I picked him up from school that he has no one to play with at school. Still the new kid. I wish I could fix this for him. But he'll get thru. And he's always a happy kid. Just needs to click with the right kids. 

Words to live by .... 


Have a great week!

~ Chy