Goodbye January.

I always find January and February hard. These

two months tend to be cold and snowy, dark and

dreary. I'm always thankful when we get to the

end of January and move in to February. I'm even

happier when February is done. March just seems

full of life and light. This year, with Covid, I have

embraced every day in January. I'm grateful to be

healthy and to not have had any family members

or close friends contract the virus. And this year,

January has been quite the "snowless" month,

with tons of warm sun. So grateful. So thankful.

Goodbye January. You were good. Hello February!

~ Chy

Sunny Bedroom.

Our sunny master bedroom on a chilly

Sunday morning. We love our cozy space!

~ Chy

Frosty Afternoon..

Took a few shots before we skated

on the rink today. Isn't it beautiful?

~ Chy

On Air.

Dh's new "On Air" sign so we know

NOT to come in to the studio when

he is recording for our radio show. It

provides a lovely glow down the hall. 

~ Chy

Right Here. Right Now.

What I'm wearing .... warm cord camel colored pants, with a light pink turtle neck under my Ryerson University darker green hoodie and wool pink socks.

What I'm reading .... blogs and the notes I need for our board meeting this afternoon. I love to read blogs in between work stuff to keep me grounded.

What's happening in my kitchen .... dh is going to make us a lovely roast dinner with root veggies .... mmmm, my favorite! We're planning a dinner for two, with candles and some wine. It's been a busy, crazy couple of weeks, so we're looking forward to a quiet time together. 

What's outside my window .... a beautiful rink that we've spent the weekend on the ice. Our neighbors came over as well and we've had such a great time with their little ones. This is one thing that will help us keep focused on staying healthy during Covid.

What I'm thankful for .... my mom's good health so far, the health of our kids and family, our cozy cottage and sunny days that are bringing warmth back to our landscape.

What I'm smelling .... nothing just yet as dinner is not in the oven. But soon, it will smell heavenly in here!

What I'm hearing .... the dryer doing it's job!

What I'm crafting .... After figuring out how to make wood floors (thank you Claudia!), this week I figured out how to do baseboards and can't wait to show how nice they look, once I figure out how to glue them in place.

What's on my mind .... my mom's health .... it terrifies me that Covid is now in her building and in her unit. 

Words to live by ....

Have a beautiful week everyone!

~ Chy

Morning Light.

The sun hits our bedroom in so many cool ways each day. I love the shadows that are cast on the walls when we open the blinds up. Our room, like the rest of the house, is painted in a soft lavender. But with the sunlight, the color changes from wall to wall, from super light to dark. I wish I could capture that but it's a really neat effect. This morning, we noticed the chandelier that hangs over the bed made crystal lights on the wall in the first picture. In a short time, as the sun had moved, the second picture shows the height difference and the movement from right to left. But no crystals in this photo. Love seeing this, on sunny days!

Today we're off to skate again. We also have a partner's meeting with our co-founders of the radio station the five of us started last Summer. Then a board meeting for our music festival, which we truly hope we get to present this Summer in person again. If not, we'll do another virtual version, which turned out to be way less stressful, more cost effective and everyone loved it! We even had four times the number of people "attend" but we are all still hopeful for an in person event for 2021. That's our goal, if Covid will be under control then. A good goal to work towards.

Dinner in the dining room then while my family watches the hockey game, I'm going to putter around with either the miniature project I'm working on or tidy up the paperwork that seems to pile up daily. I have a nice filing system but need to get December and January stuff tucked away. Next week, I'll gather everything we need for our accountant and drop that off so we can get our tax stuff filed for the year. Not due until April 30th but I don't like leaving it until then. 

I'm off to check to see how chilly it is outside. Hoping we can be outside a lot.Wishing you a wonderful day and hope you have sunny blue skies like we do here today! Namaste.

~ Chy

Christened Rink.

We "christened" the rink today with our neighbors,

our little cohort! After months of planning, many

false starts with a leak, then super warm weather,

we finally poured the water last Friday, just as the

deep freeze started. We now have perfect ice! So

worth the long wait. Earlier today, we went in to

town to help the girls find new skates and we ran

in to the best neighbors who live just down the lane.

They were buying skates too! And the plan was on

to come down to skate with us this afternoon. You

can see A with his little son R in the picture behind

us as the girls were getting fitted for their skates. As

cold as it's been, it was lovely today and we were

outside for a solid two hours before we finally got

a bit cold. I love the store had a set of lush green

theatre chairs for seating. How perfect is this, for

a theatre family, turned ice skaters today? It was

such a great day of skating. Many more to come!

Do you have a rink in your yard?

~ Chy

Frosty Days.

Cold and frosty days this week. But it's

warmer tonight and we should be done

this chilly cold snap in the next few days.

I'm fine if the sun shines. Almost done!

~ Chy

Snowy Bench.

This is from last year when we had more

snow. It's my favorite photo from our tiny

Secret Garden. Our bench, the large pot

for flowers, and our shiny reflection globe.

Do you have a bench in your garden?

~ Chy

Cold Day Treat.

This will never get old! On a frosty day,

the best thing in the world is hot chocolate!

Do you have a favorite cold day treat?

~ Chy

What I Miss ....

.... hugs from my mama ....

.... hugs from dear friends ....

.... drives in to the big city ....

.... shopping leisurely at favorite shops ....

.... travelling to our little island ....

.... not feeling afraid all the time ....

What do you miss?

~ Chy

January Snow.

We're really been lucky and had very little snow this Winter, so far. Even with the snow squall storm last week, it brought just a bit of snowfall. It was more a "blowing around the bit we already had" kind of experience. But this morning, we woke up to a dusting of snow on the roof and the desk. As I read with interest everyone's photos and videos of the big snowfalls that seemed to have occurred all around the World, I was happy to see this new snow but so thankful the amount is minimal. Brightened everything up again. And makes staying home even more cozy!

                Do you have snow where you reside?

                                                                

                                    ~ Chy

Garden Dreaming.

Every where we are, the talk is the Pandemic. I'm

finding it hard sometimes to get away from it all.

But with our cold snap this week and my attempt

to not listen to the numbers for a bit, I've started

to dream about our garden for this year. I've got a

bit of a plan and my mood has already improved!

What do you do to think about something else?

~ Chy

Ten Fun Facts.

Danielle over at "Danielle's Sweets" shared a great post today called "Ten Fun Facts About Me" and invited readers to participate. So here is my "Ten Fun Facts About Me" List:

1. I want a sweet little puppy one day soon! We had a puppy for 16 years. We bought her to help our kids heal from their grief after our many baby losses. After Celti died, we decided it was too painful to bring another puppy home. But now we're thinking about it again, and secretly, I'm really excited. Hence, the puppy picture above!

2. I never knew my dh in school. We went to the same junior high and then high school, and likely attend many of the same parties, but never ran in to each other, until a month after I graduated (he graduated the year before) when we were cast together in a large theatre production.

3. I was not interested in a relationship after being "dumped" by my longtime love in high school. Then I met my dh that Summer. We vowed NOT to fall in love, but here we are, almost 40 years later ....

4. I always hoped for a large family. And feel so privileged to have met my guy, who had the same wish. We have had 12 pregnancies, every one planned. But have only had the honor of raising 4 of our babies to adulthood.

5. I work in a field I had never planned on being part of. I mean seriously, who as a kid says "when I grow up, I'm going to be a grief counsellor, an educator and my dream job would be in a community-based, family-focused hospice!" Who decides that at a young age? Not me!

6. I have one brother. He's almost 4 years younger than me. And almost a whole foot taller!

7. I've lived in 3 Provinces: Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia. My favorite was B.C. but I love it here too.

8. I was terrified to move to the country but not I can't imagine ever living in a town or city again!

9. I've travelled to the U.K. and Russia. Would love to go back and see the changes as I was a teen then.

10. I'm super short, have fallen in love with gardening, rescue dollhouses, write every day, love to sing, have my very own art studio, a cozy cottage we built, and a loving family. But every day, I struggle with anxiety, self esteem and feelings that I can't even always name. I'm real, feisty, authentic, and will always advocate and fight for what's right. 

Will you share your Ten Fun Facts?

~ Chy

Right Here. Right Now.

My quote for today. It inspires, it heals and for

our World today, it provides future ideals and dreams.

What I'm wearing .... my camel colored cord leggings, a warm Winter sweater, new cozy socks, with my teal slippers. 

What I'm reading .... blogs and instagram posts for ideas on dollhouse designs.

What's happening in my kitchen .... dh is putting the last dishes in the dishwasher and making me a bottle of my favorite lemon lime drink.

What's outside my window .... cold air! We're in a small deep freeze right now but it will be warm by the end of the week again. No snow fell, just cold air!

What I'm thankful for .... the vaccine was administered to my elderly and vulnerable mama!

What I'm smelling .... my candle ~ Lavender and Cedarwood.

What I'm hearing .... "Anne with an E" on tv.

What I'm crafting .... our tiny bakery project. Photos to follow.

What's on my mind .... all the things I hope to accomplish this week but did NOT work on today as we worked super hard yesterday and finally, took a real day off today. Slept in a bit, had a long shower, worked on the mini bakery project, read blogs, ate an amazing lunch, more on the project, watched episodes of "The West Wing" and now I'm getting ready to work on the project again. 

Words to live by .... see the quote above!

Have a great week!

~ Chy

My New Abode.

I have worked for our local hospice for over 16 years, first on a very part time contract one evening per week, and one full day per week. We still had a 12 year old at home at the time who was homeschooling, and putting her in after school care and NOT being there for her activities wasn't something I was willing to do at that time in her young life, especially when all her siblings had me at home before her. A few years later, they offered me full time, which I then chose as my dh was willing to work from home at that point. We made it work well and I've always felt so honored to work in this environment. I can't imagine any other job ever.

For a number of years, we were housed on our same site but in a very ancient nun's covent. Because we had not at that time established a residential hospice, our programs and our admin fit nicely in this space. Over time, the building that we owned became a large expense in trying to keep it functioning well. I had the tiniest classroom, our offices were crowded, it was cold in the Winter and hot in the Summer. When our new Ed joined us over 3 years ago, the ball started to really roll to get a new building in place and the residential piece open. As she had done this in her past work with another hospice down east, it was a natural fit to hire her to get us to where we are today. In our new building, on the same site, unpacking boxes and getting ready to welcome our first resident on site, as early as next week.

We moved our about 18 months ago, set up in a temporary location and worked away, while a construction crew took down our old building and then miraculously put up the structure we now occupy. I have not one but two huge classrooms, with built in cupboards, counter, even sinks! Two huge counselling rooms with comfy couches, cozy armchairs and beautiful cabinets to store books, toys and warm blankets. My parents group and other adult groups can choose to meet in the education room, our conference room, the private dining room or the day program room. We have storage that looks so empty right now because it's so big and we did such a great job of purging prior to moving in. And we have a fully functioning, amazing kitchen (complete with a Red Seal chef), a community dining room, communal and private washrooms, a laundry room, a boiler room, a great room with a piano and a fireplace, several family spaces (one with pullout couches for sleepovers), a family shower room, lots of bright admin offices on the second floor, and 12 beautifully appointed resident suites. Each suite has it's own washroom, desk, fireplace, tv, pull out couch, small fridge, storage and lovely shelves to display personal items, and the most amazing bed that starts out as a single but expands so family members can cuddle together with their loved ones as they actively work towards their last days on Earth. We are the first free standing, community based, family focused hospice in the region and I am beyond proud to continue to be involved. I am now the Director of the Grief Support Programs and we've added Spiritual Care in my portfolio. I have a small team of counsellors and a larger team of trained volunteers. My staff will grow in time as the hospice begins to fill and the needs of our residents and their family members are expressed. I'm truly so excited for our future as we grow.

I moved in to my sweet office a few weeks ago. I haven't had a lot of time yet to decorate it. But have lots of ideas and have started gathering things I'd like to take in to dress it up a bit. First up, artwork and then I'd like to add either an armoire or detailed bookcase. A throw on the chair, a footstool perhaps, and plants .... so many plants would grow amazing in this space. I have two windows and one looks out over the church next door. But the second one, along the blue wall, looks out over the neighbors behind us. And one, unfortunately appears to be a home with many people and a lot of junk in their yard. Not a pretty sight. I'll have to work on how to ensure I don't need to look at at that sight!

What do you think of my new office?

How would you decorate this space?

~ Chy

Worth the Wait.

It look almost 6 weeks but our card and gift

from our son and almost daughter in law did

finally arrive from the far West Coast of B.C.

And it was so worth the very long wait! I love

gifts but words mean the world to me. In the

card were the following words: "We do miss

you all so very much." I burst in to big tears.

This was in our son's handwriting. He's a

big macho guy. So these words will always

sit with me as special and precious. Love!

~ Chy

Snow Squall.

After several months of really lovely, warm, hardly any snow kind of weather, we were suddenly hit with a vicious storm the other night. We were outside just an hour before it started. There wasn't any warning, even on the weather channel. When it hit, it was soooo scary! We had intense wind, rain, thunder, lightening and the stickiest snow I've ever seen. Our power went out just after 7:30 pm and finally came back on close to midnight. I didn't sleep the rest of the night and today, I'm still over tired. Day off today, though I've been working like crazy to keep myself from falling asleep half way thru the day. We were told part way that we were in the middle of a "snow squall" ~ an intense Winter storm. Never had this happen before and I truly hope to never experience another one. It sounded like a tornado outside. We've had a few of those over the years. 

We don't seem to have endured any damage to the house or our land. I can see a couple of trees deep in the forest that look like they may topple over at some point, but there is no danger. We've heard lots of stories of trucks turning over on the highway, shingles ripped off roofs, power lines coming down and light posts crashing to the ground. Counting ourselves lucky today. I hate storms! Especially windy ones!!

Hope you are well and enjoying this calm afternoon. 

~ Chy

Final Hours.

Even though we are not Americans, we

are greatly affected by the politics in the

United States. I'm so relieved that there

are literally just hours before the new

President will be sworn in. It won't be

perfect. He and Kamala have a ton of

work to do but the idea that the one who

has been so dangerous is on the edge

of the doorstep has brought great relief

to the World. I hope tomorrow is full of

grace and peace. I hope the transition

goes well and we can all resume life!

It's gloomy outside today. So thankful

for a very busy work at home schedule.

Keeps me from feeling gloomy when

the sky is casting shadows on us all.

~ Chy 

Healing Tea.

I love tea all year long but on a crisp Winter afternoon, with clouds hiding the sun and snow on it's way, tea is the best remedy for anything! We did some work outside on our rink yesterday and it was pretty breezy, which made it feel a lot colder than it really was. Once we were done, it was lovely to come in and change in to dry clothes and then have a cup of healing tea. Definitely worth the time out in the wind!

~ Chy

Right Here. Right Now.

What I'm wearing .... jeans, cozy sweater and wooly socks. A pony tail and no make up.

What I'm reading .... today, just blogs. I'm in between books at the moment, with many to choose from that are sitting and waiting for me. 

What's happening in my kitchen .... nothing exciting this week. Easy dinners while we work away on projects. For now, the dishwasher is doing its thing.

What's outside my window .... gently falling snow. 

What I'm thankful for .... a cozy cottage, many projects and busy work.

What I'm smelling .... my watermelon.

What I'm hearing .... "Escape to the Chateau."

What I'm crafting .... working hard on creating a wood floor for the min bakery.

What's on my mind .... too many things that are huge worries to list; too many things that keep me awake at night; too many things to sort; too many things to carry alone ....

Words to live by .... one of my all time favorites .... see above. 

Have a great week!

~ Chy

A Fine Sunday.

Thank you for your kind words yesterday. We're trying to enjoy our weekend but of course, our hearts are heavy with the idea that in any moment, we could get a call that the virus has spread through my mom's care village. I'm truly hoping they are going to be just as successful as they've been in the past, and this one resident ends up being the only case. Your blessings have greatly helped me feel supported. I will update as we know the status. 

I'll do a separate post on our movie premiere evening last night for our grandson. It was a great distraction and he was so excited! Picture to follow later. 

Today is cloudy and snow is on it's way at some point. It's still warm so we're going to head outside later to try and put our greenhouse back together (there's another post) and then try for the third time (another post!!) to get our rink ready for the water man to bring us a truckload of water this week. Looking forward to skating soon on our little rink.

Once we're done these tasks, I'm going to either have a lovely hot shower OR a warm bubble bath. And then snuggle down the rest of the day to finish up some paperwork (preschool registrations), watch an episode of "Bridgerton" (new series ~ quite good!), write a letter or two (love my pen pals!), catch up on some blog reading (I'm slightly behind!) and help dh make a scrumptious Sunday dinner (can't wait to see what he's going to create tonight!). Not an exciting day but after a very busy week, a slower paced day that I'm looking forward to. What are you up to on this fine Sunday?

~ Chy

Blessings Please.

My mom's care village has done amazing since the start of Covid. A few staff have had positive tests with mild symptoms. No residents have tested positive. We went a few weeks with no cases. And then I got a call on Monday from the Director that a staff member, who had been ill in December, then recovered, suddenly died on the weekend. She did not work with my mom and had not been at work. Such sad news. He did call to let me know my mom was fine but he also wanted support for his staff for the grief work that is going to be hard. This was a long term employee who everyone knew and loved. I provided info on grief and my contact info for my team. So that was Monday. 

Last night, we got the news that a resident has tested positive, was quite ill and had been transported to the hospital. The first resident case to date. Now I'm terrified. I don't know if this individual is close to my mom's unit but I hope to find out later today, though I'm also scared to know this. Residents are set to get their vaccines this coming week. I hope it's not too late. So scared. Blessings would be greatly appreciated as we navigate this news. My mom is high risk because of her age but other than Dementia, she's healthy. I hope she will remain unaffected. But I also know that Covid can infect anyone. Fingers, toes and everything else crossed. I can't sleep so I'm super achy today and my head aches. We're going to work on installing lighting in our theatre room today for our grandson's movie premiere of a feature film that was shot in our area last Summer. He has no idea. He actually thinks that we're watching "The Sound of Music" as I won the "draw" for the movie of the week! He's going to be soooo excited, so today, we'll concentrate on making this really special for him. The director loves to do premieres with red carpet and the whole deal. But Covid took this away, so we'll recreate it here at home. 

Wishing you a beautiful day. I'm glad it's still warm here, with super clear blue skies again and tons of sun! Namaste. 

                                     ~ Chy

306 Days In.

 We spent the last 306 days together, every day,
all day. It's not been a bad thing at all. We work,

then take a break and spend some time outside,

or work on a project. It's been our pattern since

this all started, 306 days ago. We've had our tiny

moments of frustration but for the most part, all

306 days have been a gift in many ways. Today,

dh is headed off to a meeting at work, in the big

city, and I'm heading off to a meeting at work, in

the big city. Prior to this, for the last 306 days,

one of us and most of the time both of us have

been home. Our 306th day is different. This is I

guess what "retirement" would feel like. I'm tired

as I also went in to work yesterday and will go

again tomorrow, though these will both be much

shorter days and not so physical. I helped with our

set up at our new hospice yesterday ~ staging the 

look and feel of what our new place will look like

as we get set to open. Today will feel a bit weird

as we head out the door at the same time, but head

in different directions in the big city. After 306 days

together, a new adventure! P.S. Restrictions are

still in place. I'll be back working from home once

Wednesday is done, until they are lifted and we

all feel comfortable returning. It's going to take a

while to feel safe. Almost there ~ 306 days in!

~ Chy

Christmas Gifts.

This past week has been crazy. A definite interesting

start to 2021. The U.S. unrest is very upsetting. Ugh!

I thought a lovely post on the amazing Christmas gifts

I received this year would be a better use of my time

and my words. From the top, a sweet new lavender

wheat bag to keep me warm our cold Winter nights.

A book called "The Treasures of Coronation Street," the

Susan Branch puzzle I've wanted all year long, the tiny

Susan Branch Christmas book, a mini bakery to build,

a very lovely pottery candle and "Escape to the Chateau."

Another mini build to put together ~ this one has a cafe

and a garden in it. My favorite SSI lavender bath salts. 

Also from SSI (Salt Spring Island) the block I've had

my eye on. This one is quite large and says "Wander"

on it. Now the dilemma is where to hang it! And my

Susan Branch desk calendar. I also received a large

Lego set, part of the Creator series. The tiny bookstore

with the townhouse. The first of many Lego sets I'd

love to have. I never had Lego as a kid so truly loving

it at this time in my life! Truly, I was spoiled once again!

I know I can't get away from the U.S. politics. It's all

around us on the news. But a break was needed. Enjoy!

~ Chy