Goodbye November.

November was healing for my body but

my heart needs time. Working on it each

day from morning to night. Grateful for

a compassionate support circle around me!

~ Chy

More Memories.

More Birthday Memories to share tonight. The flowers

were the sweetest surprise from our neighbors down the

lane. They also included ales for dh, who had his birthday

10 days ago. Best neighbors ever! My cake was amazing

and we loved the look of it. Dh found the cutest Minnie

Mouse card and he did gift me with a book I said I may

have to look for but he found it, a metal back scratcher to

replace the one he did break, and a new wheat bag for

the Winter. My big gift was my Lego set (Assembly Square)

that we found on sale before my surgery. Feeling loved!

~ Chy

Birthday Memories.

I had a very special birthday today. I

truly was not excited for today but in

the end, it was so special in so many

ways. I may have to share several posts.

This morning, we went to our weekly

Chamber of Commerce breakfast and

dh shared it was my birthday and I was

caught off guard. And then they all sang

"Happy Birthday" to me and it was the

sweetest moment! I was truly touched.

After the meeting, we headed to our office

for a bit to gather what we need for our

even tomorrow night, then had a meeting

with our volunteer centre for our festival.

Once that was done, we headed to one

of our local hotels to talk with their team

about our requirement for next Summer's

festival. At the end, after an amazing tour,

the GM asked if we had plans. Dh said

"it's Chy's birthday, so we're going to

head home for a bit before we celebrate

with family later. And then they offered

to have us come into the restaurant for

lunch, on them. We had the best time

eating the amazing food and talking

with staff who were brought over to be

introduced to us. We were so full at

the end but they sent us home with a

tray of birthday desserts. So incredible!

We will be back for dinner over time.

Let me share the photos: #1 is the name

of the restaurant. I'm assuming its a chain.

#2 is our appetizer: garlic aioli Crustini with

a goat cheese dip. A great start to lunch. #3

is a shot of my burger. I'm not a meat eater

but decided to try this for the cheese and

the bacon and pickles. It was so very good.

#4 is the Caesar Salad that came with my

lunch. It was equally amazing. I did have

to take half my lunch home as it was too

much for me. #5 is a shot of the in house

made lemonade that I now want to know

what they mix it with. Again, so good! And

finally, #6 is a shot of the washroom. So

elegant. We felt so well looked after and

know that this is the perfect spot for artists.

More birthday memories coming up!

~ Chy

Summer in Winter?

We are having the best weather so far.

NO snow, at a time of year when we

would have had a least one blizzard

and a constant stream of cool to cold

air, with snow here and there, always

with lots of sun. But at the moment, my

garden is struggling with how warm it

is and the trees and bushes are not sure

if they should bloom or wait .... I was

able to sit outside yesterday in the sun

and wait for dgs to come down the lane

from his bus drop off. The birds were

singing, the geese flying overhead (to

the North by the way!) and the air was

warm and lovely. How is your weather?

Hope it's warm and sunny where you are!

~ Chy

Cozy Office.

Our cozy office ready for morning

sessions for those seeking grief

support, mental health education

and parenting or relationship help.

~ Chy

The In Between.

Snow from last year. Almost missing it

this year. I truly only like it when our

landscape is green or white. I really do

not like the "in between" that is all mud!

~ Chy

Right Here. Right Now.

What I'm wearing .... jammies. An early night to try and get caught up on my energy.

What I'm reading .... still thumbing thru the magazines we gathered for my recovery.

What's happening in my kitchen .... it's quiet as dinner is done and the dishwasher is doing a rinse.

What's outside my window .... NO snow! Warm air, birds singing. Where is Winter?

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

What I'm smelling .... the candles dh lit for me. Love the soft light and sweet smell.

What I'm hearing .... the tv, and as always talking and laughter. Never a shortage of that in our little cottage.

What I'm crafting .... nothing at the moment. Some Lego and working on making sure my scars are healing.

What's on my mind .... recovery, what's next, Christmas and my sweet family.

Words to live by .... sweet, very timely personal quote above. I don't have the energy to look back to make sure I haven't used this one before. If I have, please forgive me.

Having an amazing week!

~ Chy

Covid Memories.

Every once in a while, a photo from a

previous experience will pop up on my

feed. This shot, taken the week that we

were all first told to stay home, that the

World was under seige with Covid, was

a week of worry, terror, uncertainty, and

so much disbelief that somehow a virus

was going to stop all activities. With a

10 year old in the house, we spent a lot

of time trying to figure it all out, and still

ensure he could have a childhood. I do

feel we did a great job. Covid memories ....

~ Chy

Chilly Night.

From my chair .... the guitar, tuned and

ready for a song, the table, full of items

but soon the village will replace those.

I love this view on a chilly night. Love!

~ Chy

Best Soap.

My favorite soaps have arrived once

again in the mail, from a little shop

in the mountains. Best soap ever. I

won't buy anything else for our home.

~ Chy

2nd Thanksgiving.

In honor of friends and family members

who reside in the United States, we made

a little bit of a Thanksgiving Dinner last

night. Chicken instead of turkey but so good!

~ Chy

Right Here. Right Now.

 

What I'm wearing .... soft gold cords, a lighter gold colored sweater and warm, wooly socks. Braids for tomorrow ~ my hair will be all curly when I wake up and it's dry.

What I'm reading .... research in the moment on ADHD/OCD.

What's happening in my kitchen .... though it is dh's birthday, he's busy in the kitchen creating us an amazing Sunday dinner. He wouldn't let me help as I'm just 10 days out from my surgery and we spent some time in town today. So now he's making me rest on the couch while he makes scrumptious food. So excited for dinner tonight!

What's outside my window .... dh just turned on the Christmas lights outside and I can see the inflatables are slowing coming to life. Looking good for this year.

What I'm thankful for .... my family, my home, my friends and our community. And I'll add an amazing surgeon!

What I'm smelling .... dinner cooking and the fresh laundry we just folded. Everything smells so heavenly!

What I'm hearing .... the Grey Cup game is on. Not our team but we're waiting for the half time show to see Green Day perform. Not sure we'll keep watching after.

What I'm crafting .... Christmas decor to fill the cottage.

What's on my mind .... my next class tomorrow, the presentation dh has to make on Tuesday to our County Council, the Middle East conflict, and how our budget is doing. I haven't really checked much since my surgery so tomorrow, during the breaks, I'll be logging on to see if our banking is still in line as I left it, prior to surgery.

Words to live by .... sweet, very timely personal quote above. 

Having an amazing week!

~ Chy

The Crown.

So very excited that The Crown is back!

So very excited that it will be done soon ....

~ Chy

Sweet Strawberries.

My favorite way to eat sweet strawberries.

With yogurt and chia seeds mixed in. So

tart and creamy. I hope we can try to grow

berries this year now that we have a spot.

~ Chy

Tree Bookcase.

Searching for unique furniture for our

new Centre and came across this sweet

bookcase. Isn't it amazing? I'm hoping

to find a local contractor to build this.

~ Chy

A Distraction.

As I was getting ready for surgery, I was

trying to find things I could do from the

comfort of my little cozy recovery chair.

We brought my art cart down from the

studio and filled it with new magazines

to read, a cross stitch to consider, cards

to write and a Lego to build. Today, I

started the Lego, though I was so tired

that I didn't get very far. But it was a

good start and now I have something

to work on when I feel bored. Still no

pain, just a bit of nausea from the drugs

and exhaustion. I'm so glad I have this

time at home to just rest as I need, with

no worry about having to rush back to

work or my regular activities. Blessed!

~ Chy

Right Here. Right Now.

 

What I'm wearing .... jammies ~ pretty much what I'll be wearing for the next week. So comfy though. And no excuses to be as cozy as I can be during my recovering. 

What I'm reading .... magazines in my art cart that we gathered and then loaded up before Wednesday. My eyes are a bit wonky. I wonder if drugs affect the eyes? Mine are not focusing the best but I'm sure they will get better.

What's happening in my kitchen .... dh is just putting the dishwasher on. I don't have much of an appetite but am being well taken care of.

What's outside my window .... now it's dark but we had blue sky and no wind.

What I'm thankful for .... my family, my home, my friends and our community. And I'll add an amazing surgeon!

What I'm smelling .... my warm blanket smells like it just came out of the dryer .... oh wait, it just did!

What I'm hearing .... talking, tv, music, dishwasher. Family life.

What I'm crafting .... nothing but I do have a cross stitch kit in my recovery art cart.

What's on my mind .... how lucky I feel to come out of surgery with NO pain and a loving home while I recover. 

Words to live by .... no quote today but a print showing how much I'm enjoying we can still throw our windows open to let the warm air in - still NO snow! 

Having an amazing week!

~ Chy

Evening Glow.

Before my surgery, we did do some early

Christmas decorating while the weather

has been so good. We hung up wreaths

on our windows on the exterior. I am

now loving the glow from the evening

lights and the moonlight as well. Homey.

I love this lamp in our great room. It's a

perfect size for this table under the big

window. And it has it's own lovely glow

that lights our space with just enough hue.

~ Chy

Changing Seasons.

Miss Carys needed a change in her

current outfit. I did buy her a lovely

bag that went quite well with her

clothes from a recent dollhouse day.

The bag is not a 1:12 size but when I saw

it, my first thought was "perfect for my

Blythe!" And it is exactly the right size

for her. Soft and great color for Fall.

Looking thru her little armoire to see

what to change her in to for the Winter.

Pretty pink sweater, knee socks, matching

shoes and I took her braids out and put

her little barrette in. She does need some

pants or leggings. I'm scouring sites now!

~ Chy

 

Cresent Moon.

Captured the cresent moon in the mid

afternoon. Perfect shot while it's light.

~ Chy

Fundraising Cookies.

My family was out today to get some

groceries and stopped to get me a treat.

A white hot chocolate and a special

cookie to support charities in our area.

Yummy!

~ Chy

Teddy Love.

As I settle in to recover, my dh brought

me my favorite teddy to cuddle ....

So soft and comforting. And tiny. No

name, just teddy. Sharing the love.

I put braids in on the day of my surgery

and will take them out later today. My

hair will be super curly and wavy. A

favorite way to do my long hair at times.

Teddy and a braid. Update: I write a post

and get tired so I'm off for another nap!

~ Chy

Our 2023 Tree.

Isn't it so sweet? So sparkly and giving

me something to gaze at all day long!

~ Chy

Intentional Eating.

I have NO appetite now. The amazing

meds that are ensuring I have NO pain

have taken away my love of food. I

feel a bit nauseated and know I need to

eat, so my dh is making me my favorites

and I'm doing my best to embrace this

"intentional eating" ~ not wanting to eat

but knowing I have to. Reminds me of

when I was so anorexic but had to eat

to sustain my life and get thru the day.

Ginger ale to keep my stomach settled.

A turkey cranberry sandwich with my

favorite gherkin pickles. And chicken

noodle soup to soothe the soul. Yum!!

~ Chy

My Comfort Cup.

My new favorite cup that I

found for free at the Hodge

Podge Lodge has become

my comfort cup as I recover.

~ Chy

Discovering Vlogs.

While I lay about and recover, comfy in our little

cottage, I've discovered the world of Vlogs! I

may have to start one. So much fun to see life in

actiion. My favorite right now is a family that has

taken a lovely but bare apartment in NYC. They

have turned it into a beautiful home. Every hour,

I watch one of the videos, then have a little nap.

Keeping me interested in something new. Love!

Have you discovered Vlogs?

~ Chy