Wintry Day.

We are officially snowed in today! Yesterday, a heavy snowfall warning was issued for our region and we quickly shifted our day around so we could stay home today and just work, while the snow fell silently outside. One promise we made to each other was that if we moved to the country, we would not chance our lives if the weather was bad. So far, for the most part, we've been able to navigate this each Winter. It was hard when I was at the hospice to travel all the way into the Big City but I managed to work thru it all. But now we have more flexibility and it's made Winter less stressful. The snow started last night and has been falling all day. Road reports have not been good. We plan to venture into town tomorrow for a Christmas breakfast with the Chamber and to visit my mom's new care home as she moves on Monday. But we'll wait to see if the roads get better. Not worth the risk if we can avoid it. 

The one thing I love about snowy days out here is how beautiful our landscape becomes. It's so quiet out here and the snow sits so prettily wherever it falls. In town, there is such a rush to shake the flakes off everything that it's not as breathtaking. We feel so very fortunate to have this beautiful spot we call home. And snowy days means we can be inside, cozy and safe in our little cottage.

Last night, we were at severals events, and in between dh commented how he was loving our activie social life but couldn't wait to get home to the cottage to be cozy and warm! I totally agreed. Loving this time in our lives but home is where we most often want to be. Today, I slept in a bit, knowing I didn't have to travel in, then had a hot shower, put on my cozies and settled in on the comfy couch to work away at several projects. We applied for funding for Summer Students, attended a webinar on marketing our new centre, caught up on emails, posted on Social Media, read a lot, wrote a bit and tonight, I hope to bake a bit for our Christmas Celebration on Friday for all our littles and the parents. On Monday, we'll work a short day, and have a Christmas lunch for our team, then head home to get ready for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. We have our neighbors coming over a couple of days after the holidays to celebrate (we have them over each year) but the rest of the time will just be us. We do hope to visit with our son and his little family. Waiting to hear what their plans are, If not before, then after. Love the holidays every year!

Wishing you a beautiful evening and hope you are cozied down in your little cottage, wherever you live and with whatever weather you have in your neck of the woods! 

~ Chy

Wave of Light.

Tonight at 7:00 pm all over the globe,

families who have experienced the loss

of a precious baby or a sweet child, at

any age, for any reason, gather to share

their stories, and their love for those

who understand and share the journey.

Each year, since 1998, we have been

so fortunate to have our local funeral

home open their doors to our program

and our families. Our service is in the

afternoon so families don't have to

worry about traveling out to our tiny

hamlet in the dark. In the evening, we

all post photos of our candles from the

service, in memory of our angels,

as families Worldwide participate in

the Wave of Light for 24 hours. It's a

beautiful evening, and there is so much

comfort in knowing we're supporting

each other. But we also always wish

events like this would never have to

be in place. Heartbreaking but needed.

Tonight, with love, our family remembered:

Bretton~Elijah Lucas Roberts

Ciara~Rose Kennedi Roberts

Birkley~Finn Kensington Roberts

Cabriola~Ireland Laci Roberts

Cambria~Sage Kassady Roberts

Beau~Harper Levi Roberts

Cree~Raven Lyric Roberts

Bentley~River Kai Roberts

Never forgotten. Love forever!

~ Chy

Hello December.

The month of snow, celebrations, love and gifts! I

love this month, though I wish it was less busy and

more spread out. Truly a time of spreading joy and

cheer. We have the snow. Bring on the celebrations!

~ Chy

Goodbye November.

The end of the month. It was

a lovely month, full of many

adventures. I couldn't pass this

graphic up and hope you love it!

~ Chy

My Birthday.

A beautiful ice cream cake from DQ.

Strawberry Cheesecake Blizzard ~ my favorite!

A lovely collection of gifts from my dear family.

White chocolate from Purdy's, a white chocolate

Kit Kat (bit of a theme here), the Christmas edition

of The English Home, along with the annual insert,

a bag of my favorite sour candies and a pair of soft

slipper socks to wear on cold Winter nights. Not

shown is the amazing heating pad that dh found.

It's as long as my body, heats from top to bottom

and is also a massager. We had quite a bit of fun

going thru all the settings and killing ourselves

laughing! Dh is always trying to find ways for my

body to be warm as I'm always cold. Thankful for

his kind heart and creative gift giving. I wish I was

as creative but he is easy to please. Loved my day!

~ Chy

Gourmet Salads.

I've discovered our local Italian shop

makes gourmet salads. I LOVE salads

that are layered and have a variety of

ingredients. So scrumptious! This one

has been my favorite so far ~ mixed

greens, blueberries, strawberries, and

blackberries, walnuts and feta cheese,

along with a balsamic vinaigrette. Love!

~ Chy

Snowed In.

As predicted by the many weather guys,

we were hit with our first real blast of

Winter. And it was big! Thankfully, in

our region, we just got tons of snow.

Some areas had power outages and wind

storms too. We prepared to as soon as we

heard the news, only going in to town on

Friday to meet a client, and got groceries.

Then we came home and settled in for

the next few days. The snow started on

Friday, continued all thru the night and

then all day and night on Saturday too.

It ended late last night but then did add

in a few more bits today. We've stayed

in, except to go out to shovel the very

light fluffy snow. Later in the day on

Saturday, our sweet neighbor came to

clear our driveway so we don't get stuck

in the snow. He did the lane too and it

makes it so much easier in the Winter.

We thanked him with ale and freshly

baked cookies that had just come out

of the oven. Truly, they are the best

family ever to have as neighbors! It

is not just because he has a tractor

but because they have been out here

longer and have so much experience.

We are so thankful for their kindness.

Have you been snowed in yet?

~ Chy

Getting Ready.

We're getting ready to open our new centre and it

feels like it's turning into a very cozy place. I'm so

excited to get past the construction and into the work.

Soon we'll have littles running around and happy parents!

~ Chy

Hello November.

Our landscape is cold now and snow has come

and gone but will soon arrive with a force and

stay until Spring. It's such a pretty view, even

though I don't like the cold. Hello November!

~ Chy

Goodbye October.

A very busy and productive month.

Getting ready for our centre and Hygge.

~ Chy

Blogtober: Day 31.

Wishing everyone, where ever you

are, a safe and Happy Halloween!

~ Chy

Blogtober: Day 30.

A leftover shot from our lunch the other

day at the greenhouse. And we did enjoy!

~ Chy

Northern Lights.

No words tonight. Just pure wonder. Click on each

photo to see the beauty that was our sky last night!

~ Chy

Blogtober: Day 29.

A bit of sun after a couple of cloudy

days. Feels warmer in the cottage too!

~ Chy

New Project.

We've created a new project

that we hope to launch in the

New Year. I needed some tiny

crotched items and our great

community responded. I'm

beyond thrilled and thankful!

~ Chy

First Snow!

As we settle in to our new home, our

new centre, we've joked about the first

snow that would soon arrive. In 2023,

the snow didn't arrive until December.

But this year, after a meeting in our

kitchen that is still waiting for a real

window, I came around the corner

to my office and squealed out loud!

Snow was falling in big flakes. It was

not sticking on the ground but falling

so lightly from the sky. My team all

started coming to see and we had a

bit of a laugh that we were so excited

to see the "white stuff!" We know it

will soon truly arrive and stay, and

then we won't be so excited to see it

anymore. For now, it made the day

feel warm and cozy inside and gave

us the chance to do more bonding

over our heaping cups of sweet tea!

Do you love the first snow each year?

~ Chy

Blogtober: Day 28.

A frosty day, with a late lunch at a local greenhouse

that has a sweet little cafe. Food is amazing and the

walk thru the site after is always fun. We needed a

break from the construction and this hit the spot!

~ Chy

Blogtober: Day 27.

After our annual gala for baby loss, we meet to

share our thoughts on the event. I love hearing

how everyone enjoyed the event, and hearing

the final numbers and outcomes. This year, we

took some time to also tie little tags to the bears

for an upcoming market where shoppers can

buy bears in memory of a very precious baby.

A heartfelt way to support the event and others.

After the tasks were all done, we enjoyed a

lovely meal together. Good company, amazing

conversation, new ideas for next year and new

energy for the busy weeks ahead of us. Bravo!

~ Chy

Blogtober: Day 26.

Fall cleaning means making sure we have all our

baking items for the holidays. Washing out all the

storage containers and filling them back up with

new supplies. Can't wait to start our holiday baking.

~ Chy