April Snow ....

My photos look so dull but the reality is, that was the best light of the day. Why, you may ask? Because it freaking snowed, again! Yes, it is April. Yes, it is Spring. Mother Nature seems to have forgotten that we're supposed to be in a rainy season so that we'll sprout blooms and color. But oh no, she graced us with another day of the white stuff. My bronchitis cough continues to linger, so I ended up staying home to try to recover as the next few days are crazy busy and I need my voice. Right now, if I talk, I cough. A day without talking was prescribed and I hope it worked. It was sooo hard to not converse. Despite the fact I think and actually know I am a very shy introvert, I do talk, a lot! Very quiet in our cottage yesterday. Dh had a great time teasing me. I'm still cozy in bed at the moment but getting up soon to shower and head in to work. A few more days and then I can take it easy again. Sunday can't come soon enough!

Today I have to catch up with my team, sift through the job applications that have come in to fill one of our grief counsellor positions, create a Power Point for a presentation tomorrow, support my team in the last kids program for this term, head back to my other office for a fire inspection, home for dinner, then just one counselling session this evening. Will be interesting to see how my voice holds out. Tomorrow I head to a community south of us to present to a group of teacher on a PDD (Professional Development Day) ~ the topic is "Grief in the Classroom" and it's one of my favorites to chat about. My student, now full time colleague until the end of Summer, lives in the community, so she's going to join me for the morning and then she'll head in to work and I'll head over my other office to provide 2 counselling sessions. Saturday we have our annual Hike for Hospice and I'll be speaking at the beginning and leading a small ceremony for all those who we are walking to remember. Not sure if we'll stay for the day or head back home. Will depend on my energy and my voice. Sunday .... no plans. We should paint at the other house but for now, I'm leaving it open as a day of rest if needed. It will be needed! 

That's the grand plan for the next few days. Thankfully, the sun is back out today, the snow has melted and I am still super tired but can feel I have enough energy to get through the day. Looking forward to seeing my team too. I hate being away from the hospice, even when it's just a day. Feel like I miss too much. It's going to be an interesting change when we get to retirement. Hopefully by then I'll have transitioned from a very busy position to a much lighter work load. 

Wishing you a beautiful day.

And hope you have no snow!

~ Chy

Birthday Flowers.

My mom's birthday was on the weekend.

She's creeping along getting closer to 80.

So thankful she's healthy but wish her

mind was still all intact. So many more

stories and true wisdom to share that she

now has so much difficulty in providing.

Happy Birthday to the sweetest mama!

The flowers were a gift from my auntie.

So loved, so missed by those who can't

visit. I miss her funny jokes and her laugh.

~ Chy

Floral Inspiration.

I have a wooden basket pretty much identical

to this one. Even has a little metal plate on the

front declaring"flower market" and I just did

a lovely paint job on it. I've decided these pics

are the inspiration I need to style the basket

for our cottage. Love the look and the colors.

~ Chy

Baby Shower.

One of my colleagues is finished work

for a bit while she patiently waits for

her first precious baby to arrive. Before

she was done though, we gave her a

sweet little surprise baby shower. And

she loved it. It was a lovely afternoon

as she opened up each gift to reveal

tiny items for her nursery. So much fun!

~ Chy

Island Dreaming.

When I dream of our island, this is one of the

images that creep in to my head ~ so serene.

~ Chy

Sun Shadows.

Early morning and the kitchen is filled with what
I call "sun shadows" ~ bits of sun that hit different

parts of the space, and move, as the warm sun moves

across the sky. A quiet house with light and love ....

~ Chy

BK Collection.

I started a sweet little collection of books

a couple of years ago. These are so hard

to find so I truly cherish the few that I've

been able to secure in a variety of ways

from author and artist Becky Kelly. Some

have been found at the charity shop, some

from Indigo, one from the antique mall

and one very special one was a gift to me

from a dear friend who moved away. All

are precious and reside in our tiny library.

~ Chy

Spring Bronchitis.

In case anyone is keeping track, I had

a nasty bronchitis in September. First

time being sick in 2 years. Then bam!

Had another one in November, then

it showed up again at the tail end of

February. And guess what showed up

last week? Yup, the Spring version of

bronchitis. I'm not sure why this is an

ongoing thing but hoping this is the

last time it will happen! So, how was

your week? Mine included the above

ventilators being in constant use. Now

I feel quite a bit better, but have a bit of

a cough that sounds very dry. So done!

~ Chy

Just the 2 of Us.

This was dh and I this weekend. Just the 2 of

us with all the kids gone. Heavenly and quiet!

~ Chy

Fairy Garden.

We stopped at the greenhouse last week to walk in

the humid air and though we were truly just going

to "look", we did end up buying a small snake plant

for my collection, and a few tiny miniatures for a

fairy garden I want to create inside. I'm growing a

few new spider plants from the big plants and have

gathered items to make the garden. I'll post once I

have that done. The snake plant was something my

gramma's both had, my mom had one as well and

dh's mom did too. They are easy to care for and do

thrive anywhere, I'm told. We'll see how this little

guy does in the cottage. Wish me luck with all this!

~ Chy

A Memory.

I came through the living room into

the turret the other night and this cozy

sight was in my view. For a moment,

I felt likeI was standing in my dear

gramma's tiny little house. At a young

age, I loved how her home was very

inviting, tidy and warm. Almost all

Sundays were spent at their home for

dinner and I was so sad when they did

move to an apartment after my grampa

had a series of heart attacks and caring

for a home became too much for them.

The apartment was sweet but never the

same from that time on. I missed this!

~ Chy

Yummy Pho.

Dh and I have been working so hard

to get our other house ready for sale.

I had bronchitis last week, so we did

get a bit behind. With the extra long

weekend, we worked on Friday to do

the first coats of paint on the walls on

the main floor. We did choose a very

lovely, warn color called "Whispering

Wheat" and so far, I'm loving how it

looks. After painting all day, we did

treat ourselves to a delicious bowl

of Pho ~ so filling. Can't eat this all

the time but when we do, oh, it's so

good! Warm and worth the long wait!

What did you do on this long weekend?

~ Chy

Right Here. Right Now.

What I'm wearing .... warm cord pants in a light caramel tone, with a warm sweater that is one of my favorites, matching socks and a tank underneath. It's a chilly Sunday and light snow has been falling all day, though it melts as soon as it hits the ground. I love being cozy and warm.

What I'm reading .... emails and blogs. Catching up on both.

What's happening in my kitchen .... quiet for the moment but dh is going to make us a lovely chicken dinner soon. Starting to get hungry so looking forward to the amazing smell that will soon fill our cottage.

What's outside my window .... snow that melts, clouds that are dark, pussy willows that have bloomed and birds that are singing. I'm dreaming of green and buds.

What I'm thankful for .... our sweet cottage and our amazing family. This is honestly all that truly matters in life.

What I'm smelling .... the salad I just finished a bit ago, with a light bourbon vinaigrette. Heavenly!

What I'm hearing .... a special on the Royal Family is on the telly. The clock ticking in the kitchen. And the quiet for now, before our kids get home from their weekend away. 

What I'm crafting .... dgd's dollhouse ~ almost finished the roof. Then I can move on to painting the walls, and then decorating. That's always the best part of dollhousing.

What's on my mind .... the war, meeting deadlines this week and my mom's birthday tomorrow.

Words to live by .... a beautiful quote I've posted above. Hope you love it as much as I do! It's a keeper ....

Wishing you a beautiful week ahead!

~ Chy

Air Fried Chicken.

Trying out new recipes ~ don't you feel

at times that food can get boring? We

do, so out comes the cookbooks and I

even google for hours, looking for a

new tasty dinner. We found out that it

is possible to air fry chicken and we

did this last weekend. It was so good

and no greasy after taste. Now I have

a favorite that we'll have often, I'm sure.

Looking forward to our next venture.

~ Chy

Kids Trip.

We're just a bit giddy over here with the

news our kids will be taking the long

weekend to zip away. A concert, friends,

good food and a hotel. Now we just

have to figure out what we'll do while

everyone is away. It'll be so truly quiet!

~ Chy

Right Here. Right Now.

A sweet thrifted find for our wall space above

this vintage vanity that I've been working on.

What I'm wearing .... literally still in my pyjamas, which consists of a grey tank, grey patterned pyjama bottoms, comfy grey reading socks and a big oversized sweater. It's super cold today and the wind continues to howl, so staying in pj's just seemed the right decision in the moment. Reminded how living in the country means we could go outside earlier and bring in the Christmas inflatables and no one could see us! A little perk.

What I'm reading .... lists and lists of names of new referrals to be matched with my team. Getting a little ahead of the game today while everyone is currently busy. One less thing to do tomorrow. 

What's happening in my kitchen .... the dishwasher is finishing up our dinner, breakfast and lunch dishes, just in time for the dishes that will come from prep and eating our Sunday dinner in a couple of hours. In our pj's ....

What's outside my window .... wind, wind and more wind. So far, no trees down. It's just super strong and very noisy!

What I'm thankful for .... that our little cottage is solid. Good health. Sweet people in my life who truly care. Amazing work to look forward to. 

What I'm smelling .... dd is starting to make dinner ~ we're trying chicken in the air fryer. Smells lovely and she's not even doing the actual cooking yet!

What I'm hearing .... dh is putting laundry away upstairs, so I keep hearing his footsteps as he walks between his dresser in the turret, mine in the walk in closet and where we hang clothing on hangers.

What I'm crafting .... dgd's dollhouse. Working on the roof now. And then next I want to try and free hand some vines and grass with paint on the outside walls.

What's on my mind .... I'm looking forward to go in to the hospice tomorrow. It's been super heavy lately but feeling lighter now after many deep conversations last week. Letting go of the "I have to do it all so everyone else's task list is less" and realizing it's not my job to do ALL the tasks!

Words to live by .... "Not in doing what you like, but in liking what you do is the secret of happiness." ~ J.M. Barrie

Wishing you a beautiful week ahead!

~ Chy

Lego Creation #2.

Our second creation for our Lego build

for Christmas 2021 was the 100 Acre Wood.

Many childhood memories were wrapped

up in this creation. And again, so much fun!

~ Chy

Lego Creation #1.

We've started a tiny bit of a tradition in the last few

years. At Christmas, we gift ourselves a big Lego

set and spend part of the holidays building it all

together. So much fun. This year's creation (one

of two) was the Seinfeld Set. This show has been

one of dh's favorite, so it was fitting to order it

this year. It took us a few days but finally we did

get it all completed. Now displayed in the library.

~ Chy

Dreaming. Saving.

It's Spring and this is when we start to

think about the landscape plan for the

year, and the conversation around an

addition in the future always starts up.

We need office space and I love this

idea we found for one very large, open

space that could house wall to ceiling

bookcases, a cathedral ceiling, a wood

fireplace and lovely windows. Wouldn't

that just be the dream? Lots to save for!

Listening to the wind howl outside

while dh watches a race on the telly.

Not the quietest Saturday night but it

has been a very relaxed one for once.

~ Chy

Hello April.

Hello April. A month that for the

most part is full of sun, melting

snow, sprouting grass and pussy

willows that bloom. So excited!!

~ Chy