Sweet Charlotte.

We bought this beautifully framed painting

last year at the Antique Mall. It's often paired

with a little boy. But we scoured the Mall

and could not find him. The title for this

one is "Charlotte" and we hope we'll find

the boy "Peter" at some point. Wish us luck!

~ Chy

Fall Garden.

It's only August and usually by now the

leaves on our trees in the forest are all

turning yellow, orange and red very fast.

So far, this year, we are still surrounded

by green. Not sure why but happy that

we have a bit more Summer around us.

My flowers are starting to fade though.

I'm sure they will stop growing very soon.

~ Chy

Born to be Wild!

And now that we have a licensed motorcycle driver

in the cottage, guess who wanted a ride? "Born to

be Wild Carys" of course! She had a short ride but

that was all. Carys looked great in her green leather!

~ Chy

New Driver.

He did it! Got his motorcycle license

on the very first try. Proud of my guy!

~ Chy

One Task at a Time.

I'm working on a Fall clean now that

the weather is starting to cool. And

my process is "one task at a time."

This week: cleaning out each kitchen

drawer and next week will be each

kitchen cupboard. A great system!

~ Chy

Refinishing a Scratched Vintage Frame.

I picked this up at the recent boot sale at the

Antique Mall. No one seemed to want to buy

it ~ I'd watch them pick it up and put it back

down, likely because of the scratches. I made

an offer to the seller, she agreed and off I went.

An hour after arriving home, the scratches were

all gone, as you can see by the bottom photos.

I'll take a pic once I have it hung up in our

little cottage in the big woods. Perfect spot in

our front hallway, just waiting for a vintage pic.

~ Chy

Right Here. Right Now.

"Set wide the window. 
Let me drink the day."

~ Edith Wharton ~

What I'm wearing .... jeans, bare feet and a Fall colored loose tank top with wavy hair from braids.

What I'm reading .... blogs, research and many emails.

What's happening in my kitchen .... the dishes are washing and we can hear the laundry room busily washing some clothes. Not so quiet tonight!

What's outside my window .... it was a hot and sunny day, with some cloud that made it not as bright at times.

What I'm thankful for .... my family, my home, my friends and our community.

What I'm smelling .... a candle we lit from Michaels. A new scent for Fall called "Autumn Walk." Feeling so cozy with this cozy scent in the air. And a bit of yellow outside.

What I'm hearing .... dh is watching a CFL game ~ our team is winning in the moment, which is truly a miracle.

What I'm crafting .... smalls boxes and cellophane to create gift "bags" for our upcoming baby loss gala in October.

What's on my mind .... things I don't wish to think about, so I read my mantras and set them aside. Very excited for new staff joining the team tomorrow.

Words to live by .... the sweet quote above. I love the graphic too. So very me, especially with the long, yellow dress!

Having an amazing week!

~ Chy

Pretty Summer Blooms.

I truly love this time of year when all the

local greenhouses start to put perennials

and trees on sale. Found these beautiful

and very colorful Hydrangea's at 68% off.

I can't wait to get them planted and hope

they will take well. Pretty blooms next year!

~ Chy

Four Months Today ....

.... we'll be waking up to a snow

covered landscape and precious

new memories to create with our

family and friends. Hard to believe!

~ Chy

The Green Door.

by artist Joe Gilronan.

I love fairy houses and have been gathering

miniatures to create a little spot in our garden.

Now I just need to figure out which area to

use. Two acres of forest means there are a lot

of options for this project. I chose this artist's

work for inspiration as I LOVE the green door!

Do you have a fairy house in your garden?

~ Chy

Relaxing View.

We love sitting on our deck, when the

skies are not smoky and the sun is out.

Realizing we took our railings down to

re~stain but haven't put them back yet.

Added now to our growing "things to

do before the snow flies" long list!

~ Chy

Sweet Baby ....

Tonight, you would have been 25 years

old. Instead, you remain a tiny being in

our broken hearts, safe with your big

brother and little siblings in Heaven,

watched over by your grandparents and

other cherished loved ones. Forever a

baby with everyone who thinks of you,

but all grown up in our dreams. Every day,

we live so you know how loved and

dearly remembered you are, sweet baby.

Happy Birthday Ciara~Rose Kennedi.

Love, mom, dad, all the kids, their

partners and our sweet grand babies

Salads are Back!

Our favorite grocery store in the Big

City finally has the salad bar back after

Covid slowed down. We drove all the

way in to munch and oh, it was so good!

~ Chy

Our Anniversary.

I cannot believe we've actually made it

to 39 years of marriage. How did that

happen so quickly? Now I'm feeling a

bit old with the realization that we're

not quite 18 anymore ~ the age we met,

not the age we got married at! We had

a lovely celebration, very low key and

at home. But next year, we'd love to do

something "big" to celebrate the big 40! 

Sharing ideas and dreams together now.

~ Chy

A Borrowed Puppy.

We had the pleasure of babysitting a sweet little

puppy named Piper for our daughter's friend. It

was a lot of fun to have a pup in the cottage again.

A collection of her antics over the weekend. Fun!

~ Chy