Why We Love Having a Dining Room.

I've heard many people talk about the

"ditching" of Dining Rooms. We have

always had one and can't imagine living

without one in our home. It serves a

great purpose when you have a larger

family. Room for everyone to gather.

A place to store all the beautiful china,

silver and pretty glass we've been gifted

and we've thrifted over the years. And

all the linens too. Special memories have

been created here. Laughter and puzzles.

Dinners and meetings. I can't imagine ....

~ Chy

Getting Ready.

This time of year always feels like the reverse

of Spring for me. Today, we're working outside

to clean up the gardens and tidy the garage so

we're all ready for Winter. Time to empty the

pots and turn the dirt. Get rid of the pallets and

give away our firewood we won't use. Empty

the little hot tub and clean out the greenhouse.

Set up the rink for skating and wash all the

exterior windows. Make sure there is nothing

left that could be lost over the season. All of

these tasks will be done over the next 2 weeks.

Today is garage, gardens and hanging up our

Fall decor. Dear neighbors down the lane are

coming over for Thanksgiving dinner later

next weekend and we're excited to host them. I'll

be baking after our outside work: my raspberry

cheesecake, pumpkin tarts and butterscotch

confetti. Might even make my salad and cut

up the sweet potatoes. Will see how my energy

is after all the outside work. It's feeling like

Summer this weekend so taking advantage of

the lovely weather. Hope your enjoying the sun!

~ Chy

Still so Beautiful!

I took these photos a few weeks ago

but we're back to foggy days again.

I kind of like the eeriness but it can

be a bit hard to drive, not knowing

if there's a moose standing in the

middle of the road. Still so beautiful!

~ Chy

Comments to be Approved.

I have made the hard decision to monitor my comments

for now. I've had a troll who will NOT leave me along.

He/she leaves not appropriate comments and fills up

the box. So for now, I've disabled free comments and

for those who wish to leave a sweet note (I hope you

will still visit and comment!), I'll approve yours first.

~ Chy

Au Natural.

I get asked ALL the time how I color

my hair. Would you believe this is my

completely natural hair color? I'm not

sure why it has become this but I love it!

~ Chy

Fall Riding.

Beautiful Fall day ~ perfect for riding the Spyder!

We won't have many days like this left for a ride.

~ Chy

 

Right Here. Right Now.

 

What I'm wearing .... ripped jeans, green tank top and wheat colored cozy sweater, with warm socks on my little feet. Braids for tomorrow ~ my hair will be all curly when I wake up and it's dry.

What I'm reading .... I have a stack of books to read but think I'll start with Matthew Perry's book. Dh got it for Christmas last year but I haven't read it yet. 

What's happening in my kitchen .... nothing. All shut down for the night.

What's outside my window .... howling coyotes and a cool breeze!

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

What I'm smelling .... the candle we just blew out. Fall scents.

What I'm hearing .... the tv. And nothing else. A quiet night.

What I'm crafting .... a small "tiny house" dollhouse.

What's on my mind .... wondering if my surgery, set for November 8th, will be cancelled due to a large outbreak of Covid at the hospital ....

Words to live by .... sweet quote above. 

Having an amazing week!

~ Chy

Pumpkin Hunting.

Pumpkin hunting will be happening today. We need

a few to fill the front veranda before Thanksgiving

dinner with our neighbors from down the lane. We

do have a couple of "fake" white ones but need orange.

Wish us luck!

~ Chy

Art Therapy.

Working on Art Therapy projects in my

current post~secondary classes. Fun!

~ Chy

 

Right Here. Right Now.

 

What I'm wearing .... late day shower after working outside for a good part of the day, so my hair is down and damp. Wearing my big grey lined socks (so warm), my Halloween leggings (Sweetlegs), my long flowy black jersey shirt (Sweetlegs) and my oversized grey knit cardigan. It was almost 25 degrees Celcius today but tonight I'm feeling pretty chilly. The sun is setting, night is on it's way.

What I'm reading .... design blogs for ideas for our new space. So much to think about and we feel like we only have one opportunity to get this done well!

What's happening in my kitchen .... the dishwasher is quietly doing its job. I'm about to start working on my raspberry cheesecake for Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow with our family, and our neighbors down the lane. Lamps are on now that dusk has settled in.

What's outside my window .... it was an amazing day with pure blue skies, no wind, warm sunshine and the bugs are disappearing. So much nicer to work in the garden when I don't have critters crawling on me or trying to take my blood. I love Fall the best ~ less bugs!

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

What I'm smelling .... the chocolate I'm enjoying as it melts in my mouth. We fast each day from 8 pm until 12 noon, so this is my treat for the day. Yummy!

What I'm hearing .... the show dh is watching, the dishwasher and dd's laughter from upstairs as she chats with someone on the phone.

What I'm crafting .... actually doing a big purge of our Art Studio so we can get our Fall projects all organized. I have the opportunity to also have elective surgery in November and I'm planning on what I can work on while I recover. 

What's on my mind .... potential surgery (see above) and all that I'd like to get done before that day so I can recover without feeling that there are things that need to be done. Yes, I am a planner!

Words to live by .... sweet quote above. I try to live with words like this every day. And hope others do too.

Having an amazing week!

~ Chy

Right Here. Right Now.

What I'm wearing .... a braid in my hair, warm wooly sock, ripped blue jeans and a long and flowy purple hooded top, with a lacy trim bottom. All under a warm, heated blanket.

What I'm reading .... blogs and how to film a presentation for this week. I have a pile of books and magazines to be read that is sitting beside our bed but haven't had time to get to those just yet. Hopefully later in the week.

What's happening in my kitchen .... it's quiet as dh is on a trip. I need to figure out my dinner soon. Likely some warm chicken rice soup and crackers as it's chilly outside today.

What's outside my window .... more smoke from the fires in B.C. Kept us inside, again, today. I wanted to plant our last new bush ~ a sweet Mock Orange. But it was too smokey and my planting will have to wait. Garden will be done soon!

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

What I'm smelling .... the Fall decorations dh brought up from our storage room so I can decorate the cottage while he's away. The pine cones have a cinnamon smell that reminds me of the season. So yummy!

What I'm hearing .... the tv and my fingers on the keyboard.

What I'm crafting .... we went to the annual Dollhouse Show and Sale today, and now my brain is working overtime on which project to tackle. One at a time, slow and steady.

What's on my mind .... my presentation that needs to be filmed and sent, and the other presentation I have all ready to go for later in the week.

Words to live by .... please see above for this timely quote that popped up on my feed this week. I'm working thru some pretty hard stuff right now and this was just perfect to keep me on track. I'm always wanting things to be done quickly but realizing some things take time to be worked out. Wishing for a lovely ending for a difficult experience.

Having an amazing week!

~ Chy

Who Needs a Car?!

We can actually get some groceries with

our Spyder. Yup, there are 4 different bins

that can hold several big bags of food, and

then these 2 smaller ones that held our buns

for our Sunday Dinner as well as some

treats and the alcohol as well. Ingenious!

~ Chy

Last Planting.

We've added to our garden once more.

I love buying plants from our local

greenhouse in August and September

when they put their perennials on sale!

~ Chy

 

Cozy for Guests.

As the days begin to get shorter, the sun

is setting earlier and earlier. Our little

cottage is starting to feeling cozy as we

begin to get ready for Fall and cool days.

Our guest room at dusk, ready for guests.

~ Chy

 

My Bleeding Heart.

Each year, I have a moment of panic

when my Bleeding Heart looks like

it will never bloom. And then magically,

it comes to life and we end up with this

amazing bush in our front garden. A

favorite, in memory of our loved ones

and such beautiful color for the cottage.

I might add a second one next Spring.

~ Chy

Turning Color.

Fall is starting to set in. Even my Sedum is turning

color. My favorite season. I hope it lasts long this year!

~ Chy

Motorcycle Lessons.

Back in May, we took motorcycle lessons together as
we waited for the bike we bought to be ready. I wasn't
sure I'd like to ride a bike but at the end of the day, after
a lot of great coaching from the instructor, I was hooked!

Now on to truly riding the bike ....

~ Chy

Right Here. Right Now.

What I'm wearing .... a nightgown, bare feet and loose hair.

What I'm reading .... how to make a presentation poster on Canva. I am off to a baby loss conference soon and will be presenting with a poster.

What's happening in my kitchen .... all done for tonight. Even the dishwasher has finished it's cycle and is now quiet.

What's outside my window .... smoke from the fires in B.C.

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

What I'm smelling .... the Fall candles we put on the fireplace. Started a bit of decorating today as it felt like Fall, even though our trees are still so green.

What I'm hearing .... the tv and my fingers on the keyboard.

What I'm crafting .... still working on the gift bags for our donations. Big job!

What's on my mind .... how much fun tomorrow will be. 

Words to live by .... no quote today. Just a very cozy picture of my favorite corner of our cottage. Warm and inviting, with late day sun through the window.

Having an amazing week!

~ Chy

Afternoon Class.

A dear friend and I took a class at IKEA a few weeks

ago and had a blast. It was a great project and we both

went home with two different sized frames with dried

flowers. Taught by the amazing DIY Mommy, it was an

honor to be there with my friend and to be taught by a

real life blogger! I'm hanging my frames in the studio.

Have you taken a class lately? Or time off for yourself?

~ Chy

Hello September.

I think we're in for a beautiful Fall. Smoke did settle

into our area from the fires in B.C. today. But rain

is in the forecast and the nights are starting to get a

bit darker. Trees are still green and my flowers are

doing pretty good, though not as vibrant as they were

a few weeks ago. I love Fall but happy that it's taking

some time to get here. This Summer has been hard,

but also full of new adventures. Welcome September!!

~ Chy