Giving Hearts.

The online radio station we started this past Summer

provides a month of awareness and gathers funds

to give back to the charity in need. This past month,

we chose an organization that supports young moms

who have babies. I actually volunteered there years

ago as a baby cuddler. It felt so good this weekend

to gather some items to send along to young parents

who are doing their very best to raise their sweet

babies. It's a favorite charity of ours. We truly hope the

young parents who receive these items find them useful.

~ Chy

Dollhouse Dilemma.

I find myself struggling with a dollhouse

dilemma. I bought this old dollhouse but a

few of the lovely doors and windows were

missing. The previous owner promised to

find them in her boxes from moving but

at this time, she has not come across them.

I've decided it's time to get this one going,

so I'm scouring the internet looking for

the same ones or something that will do

well as a replacement for all. Wish me luck!

~ Chy

Teary Birthday.

Photos from our sweet baby boy's Angel

birthday. He would have been 25 years

old this year. We miss and love him every

day. And cherish the way we celebrate him.

~ Chy

Sunday Dinner.

Waiting for the snow on Sunday, we

had a lovely dinner, just the two of

us, with a sparkling lime drink and

my favorite ~ roasted veggies. Yum!

~ Chy

Hodgepodge Wednesday.

Joining in on Wednesday's Hodgepodge today, created by "From this Side of the Pond." Here are my responses:

1. The Hodgepodge lands on the last day of March .... in ten words or lest bid the month adieu. "In like a lamb. Out like a lamb." So happy we've had a warm and sunny month.

2. March 31st is National Tater Day .... your favorite way to have a potatoe? I made this one shorter from the original as I am deathly allergic to potatoes, so I have no opinion. Next!

3. Last time someone or something "rained on your parade." Explain. My baby loss support program website suddenly seems to not be accessible. Not sure if Wordpress is down or if we've been hacked. Rained on my parade? Yup! I was so on top of things and now this ....

4. Put all your eggs in one basket, get cracking, nest egg, bad egg, good egg, egg on, have egg on your face, or walk on eggshells. Choose a phrase from the list that applies to something in your life currently and tell us how or why. Nest egg is my word of choice. I love saving money for things we need, things we dream about and for emergencies, like Covid! It wasn't easy when we had a young family and there was always something we needed. But we still managed to ensure we saved each month, even if it was just a bit. So happy we did. Made life a bit easier to always have a "nest egg" to fall back on if needed. 

5. If I visited your home, would I find a lot of baskets there? Something you like to keep in a basket? We have a few baskets here and there. One for the mail. One for things like bills that have been paid but need to be filed. One basket for letters ~ received and to be written. One for books to be read. One for work that needs to be done or needs to go back in to the office. One for groceries. One for gardening tools. And about four for laundry (whites, darks, to be washed, to be put away). I love baskets for all these uses.

6. Insert your own random thought here. Enjoying our beautiful sunny days again after a very short Winter storm on Monday. It's helping to make my Spring Break a nicer experience. Lots to do but my task list is already shorter. 

Hope you'll join in on Hodgepodge Wednesday.

~ Chy

Dirt Therapy.

One thing I love about Spring and

Summer .... digging in the dirt. And

this sweet tiny quote just sums about

how often gardening is so therapeutic!

~ Chy

Blooming Tulips.

The tulips we brought home the other

day in our groceries are blooming so

nicely. Loving the feeling of Spring

inside the cottage. Aren't they pretty?

~ Chy

Light Moments.

After a night, a day and then another long night of

high winds, blowing snow and cold temperatures, we

have had a lovely, warm and very sunny day. The snow

has melted and the air is heating up. I took a few key

photos from around the cottage today to show the sun

in a couple of spots. Spent some time outside as well.

It was a brief reminder that Winter has ended but can

always show up anytime again. Welcome back, Spring!

~ Chy

Couldn't Resist ....

'Tis the season with bunnies all over.

So I couldn't resist sharing this pic!

~ Chy

Tiny Progress.

My vintage cabinet is now ready for

items that will make it homey and filled.

A sweet banner of vintage fabrices,

a framed print of Angels and my teddy.

Between the two cozy chairs are framed

art and needlework to go up on the walls.

A close up of the top shelf. I did move the

banner up a bit after I took the photo so it

didn't hang down so very low. My teddy was

a gift from a child who came through the grief

program and she wanted me to have a soft,

tiny stuffy with a stitched heart with the idea

that I will always remember her, which I do

each time I look at it. Her heart warmed mine

greatly. She will and is doing well. I often

receive gifts and cards from kids. So loved!

That's it for the progress on creating my new

space at hospice for now. I'm not working

this week as it's Spring Break, then Easter,

and I am enjoying a week at home for now.

More updates once I'm back at work. I'm

almost done this space! Have a great week.

~ Chy

Early Tulips.

When we picked up some fresh food

yesterday for the weekend, we spotted

these very lovely Spring tulips and

brought them home for our table. I

love the light and dark greens, and the

pretty white blossoms. It's still a bit

grey outside but we've had some rain

and we can see bits of green starting

to push through the dirt. My little

perennials at the front are making an

appearance already ~ far earlier than

usual but we seem to be having a

very early Spring! I'm so looking

forward to a wonderful Summer ....

~ Chy

Spooky Moon.

Heading to bed last night and I spotted

this spooky moonscape out our large

kitchen window. A few seconds later,

the clouds moved past. Very eery ....

~ Chy

Remembering Bretton~Elijah.

Tiny toes.

Mommy holding space.

Christmas candles.

Garden angels.

Birthday cake and his teddies.

Mommy and daddy at our Walk to Remember.

Twenty five years ago yesterday, on March 25th, 1996, we said hello and then goodbye to our sweet, precious baby Bretton~Elijah Lucas. He was and is our 5th child, our 3rd son and we miss him to the moon and back. Bretton was to be born at home but when I went in to labor in the middle of the night, far too early, we headed to the hospital at our midwife's urging. We were lovingly cared for but he was too tiny and that began our baby loss journey. Many will say that "time heals" but we know from our own experience that "time helps" but does not heal. We are proud to be Bretton's family and know that our legacy projects to help other baby loss families with our Centre and our programs is worth the time and effort. But every day, more than ever now, we do wish for him to be back in our arms, a grown up young man with a world of possibilities ahead of him, like his siblings. Bretton~Elijah Lucas. Remembered with love and tears, cupcakes and gifts, candles and memories. Gone too soon, loved and held in our hearts forever, never forgotten. 

With love and memory,

Mommy

First Houses.

A short story about our first houses. As a long time book lover, I would jump at the chance to live on a street like this, though I can't ever imagine living anywhere but the country. We're coming up to 6 years in our little house in the big woods and now more than ever, it feels like home. 

When we first started out, we lived in a new complex of condos. All young families and professionals, living on the edge of ravine (which now has houses) and enjoying being far from the centre of the Big City but with all the conveniences we needed to live comfortably. The two of us looked so young, like we were still in our early teens, so often we were asked what our rent was .... we were proud to say we were owners, with a mortgage! One of my first experiences of people making assumptions about us. We lived t here for 4 years and then moved to a home that was larger as we had started our family and dh really wanted a garage (I agreed!). However, when we bought that house, we knew we wouldn't live there long as it wasn't the best part of town. My dad, a realtor, convinced us that because it was a changing area, that the funds we put in to the house would double in a year. We stayed 18 months and they actually tripled, giving us enough money to move away from the Big City and to the little hamlet we resided in for 26 years. With the 6 years we've almost accumulated here, it will be 32 years this Summer since we moved away from the hustle and bustle of city life. No regrets! It's there if we need it, like today when we have to drive in to my Naturopath appointment. But far enough away we're separated from the noise and crime. We love it out here.

What was your first house like?

Do you still live there?

~ Chy

Spring Break.

This week coming up is Spring Break in our region. When I was home with my kids, I loved this week to do fun activities with our family, to travel or to just be. A break before the end of the school year that was always a very busy time. Now that I'm back at work and the kids are older, I still take this week off. A chance to finish up Spring cleaning, ensure our taxes have been filed (due April 30th but I always do the early), start to work in the gardens and take some time to just be. This year, with Easter at the end, I have a few extra days and am really excited and so very ready for this break. I always feel so much better after.

Do you have a Spring Break where you live?

~ Chy

Friday Favorites.

My sweet corner in our walk in closet.

Favorite things from family and friends.

I love reading "The English Home" and

the U.K. edition of "Country Living."

My current favorite snack is tart green

apples and sweet caramel dipping sauce.

The sun at the end of the day streaming

through the living room windows. This

does remind me that we need to get on

to the task of ordering an area rug for here.

Hope your Friday is amazing!

~ Chy