A New Look.

When I first started blogging over 10 years ago, so many of the blogs that I was attracted to featured soft lines, cozy photos and daily life content. That is still what I love about blogging and I set out to create the same. I chose a background I loved and never thought that I'd wake up one day to find my background blank. No graphics, no color, boring! It's taken some time to find another template, and though I'm not complete sold on the one I installed today, it will have to do for now until I can either gather some pennies to pay someone to make one, or I keep looking until the right one comes along. If I had a huge readership and even had commenters, spending the dollars would be fine. Time will tell which route to take. Hope you like this tiny fix!

~ Chy

Pussy Willows.

Every weekend, we try so hard to not be busy, to have at least our Sunday as a true day of rest. But each week, we start to work on little projects or take the extra time to finish up things that need our attention. We do have time for rest and relaxing. But we still "sneak" tasks in and cross them off my list. This morning, as we worked awy in the garage to tidy it for Spring and break down the cardboard to take over to the recycling station, it struck me that maybe there are several reasons we do this each week. Not the cardboard, but the tasks! Maybe we recognize how short life is and that we only have so many Sundays in our lives. With grief all around us and a number of family members who have died young, perhaps we wish to fill every moment with work, tasks, fun and relaxation, so we have no regrets. Or maybe we just enjoy making our space look clean and tidy. Or maybe it's a distraction from life's worries. Or maybe a way to give back to the community. What ever the true reason, it's time to stop being hard on ourselves each weekend. We always feel sooo good after getting things off the list, so my guess is the idea that the day needs to be only full of rest and relaxation is not for us. For now, we'll instead embrace the idea of doing what we need and want to do, then rewarding ourselves with the nicest Sunday dinner, or an afternoon nap, or time to work on our art. I'm sure we'll figure it out but for now, no more beating ourselves up during and after working on our task list. I'd rather spend the time and energy on completing tasks, then looking around and not liking what I see around me! 

Last night, after a busy day of visiting an event, shopping for groceries, stopping at a 2nd store for fresh fruit and veggies, and a final stop to pick up some dinner, we settled in to watch the hockey game. I find it so stressful, especially now that we are heading in to the final games before the playoffs. So when I get stressed, I find things to keep busy. I ended up re~organizing our task cart, took all the new packs of paper out of the box and stacked them up neatly, took everything off the kitchen counters and wiped down every surface, unpacked the new towels for the half bath, and finally did a quick vacuum. By then, we were well on to a win and I could relax and watch the last bit. Then upstairs to bed.

Today, we did sleep in a bit, then got up to shower, make the bed, clean up the garage and loaded up all the cardboard we've collected since Christmas. Our County provides 2 huge recycling bins each month for 1 week, so timing is crucial. After dropping all the cardboard off, we did a little drive, marvelling at the snow that was deep yesterday and virtually all gone today. Home to sweep the garage, and then we cut down some pussy willows from the garden. I can't believe how big they are! Never had them this size before. I took a moment to decide where to display them and then settled on the dining room. They may move in time but for today, here they are. I love that we finally have a sign that Spring is finally on it's way. All week, we're supposed to have super warm days. The geese have returned, the buds are starting to appear and the ditches are full of water from the melting snow. Soon, our landscape will be green.

All for now. I'm off to work on our tasks!

~ Chy

Welcome, April.

Welcome, April. I so, so, so long for Spring! We had such a mild Winter, with very little snow and absolutely NO blizzards in our region, though the southern part of our province has not had it so easy. So it's been a bit confusing to now be in the season of Spring, with snow that has been falling on and off thru the week. It's not super cold and it will melt. But it is an odd experience so far. I want to see blooms and buds on the trees, green stalks emerge from the dirt, and birds return to sing. For now, we wait for the snow to melt and the sun to return. I will truly appreciate Spring, once it finally arrives to warm our Earth. Soon!

~ Chy

Goodbye March.

With more snow in one month than we saw all

Winter, it was hard to know if the month of

Spring, March, would actually become the

month it was supposed to be. Today, the sun

was out and the last bits of snow were melting.

Looking forward to the rest of Spring and no snow!

~ Chy

Right Here. Right Now.

What I'm wearing .... my favorite jeans with one hole in the one knee, socks with lace trim and my favorite cream colored long sweater. Earrings and matching necklace with a Celtic cross in a resin pendant. Hair is super curly as I had braids in from yesterday and took them out this morning. 

What I'm reading .... ADHD 2.0 .... yes, still reading it! Got distracted. Just kidding. I'm re~reading pars of it. Fascinating!

What's happening in my kitchen .... the dishwasher is humming away, cleaning our dishes so we don't have to! Dinner was a small roasted ham with pineapple, brown sugar carrots, mashed turnips and creamy coleslaw. 

What's outside my window .... a windy night, with some dark clouds that have moved in. It was super sunny and warm today. Just a bit of snow remains. We may even get some rain next weekend! Spring may finally be here!

What I'm thankful for .... my mom's cheery disposition, despite her disease progression. All of kids. And my dh for taking such good care of me, every single day.

What I'm smelling .... the apple pie I made for dessert. It's made our whole cottage smell warm and heavenly.

What I'm hearing .... dh is watching "The Curse of Oak Island." It's been a long series. I wish they'd get to the end so we can see if they found the hidden treasure they continue to seek.

What I'm crafting .... I made sweet Easter tags that the DIY Mommy posted on her site. This made the presentation of the Easter treats so much nicer. Everyone loved their tags!

What's on my mind .... World events, my mom, my lovey and all our kids. How to move forward. Planning our garden.

Words to live by .... the quote for today is above. So sweet! Hope you enjoy this week's quote.

Having an amazing week!

~ Chy 

Easter Love.

For those who mourn someone you love ....

~ Chy

Easter Weekend.

We are embracing this lovely, long weekend. Our building permit came through from our County this week and we should have keys in hand for our new space for our program sometime this coming week. It was clear as we worked towards this amazing moment that once those keys were in our hands, life was going to change greatly. And my time will become very busy and likely fractured as I navigate many meetings, deliveries, moving and deadlines. So much is going to happen in a very short time. This long weekend of 4 whole days (okay, we did start a bit early on Thursday, so we'll call it 4.5 days) has been amazing so far. We had some great meetings on Thursday in the morning, including a very long but productive session with our Health Inspector. He shared that most organizations or businesses do their reno or build, and then call him in for the final, so he was quite impressed we asked if we could meet before the build starts with all our questions. It turned out well, as there are a few small changes to make but if we had left this until the end, those changes would have cost some precious dollars! 

Thursday is Chamber of Commerce Breakfast that we attend each week. The Networking is so important as we build our organizations but even more important to us is the connections to each other as people. We have benefitted so much and it feels like family now. I made some great strides this week with a couple of important individuals who are key to our next steps. So glad dh suggested we start attending a year ago. After the meeting, the snow was really coming down so we did some quick banking and then headed home. The plan was to visit my mom but it would have been her lunch time and she doesn't like visiting then. We instead visited her today and it was a better time together, with no other distractions. She's progressing and is now in a wheelchair ~ hard to see, even though I've been the one advocating for a better sitting arrangement for her. She seems so much more comfortable. I hate seeing her progress though it is expected but its so hard to watch.

We drove home through the snow and the wind, and soon were cozy and comfy in our little cottage. I spent the rest of the day trying to put construction stuff and program stuff in to place. It's all coming together. And then we watched a few shows we are behind on and chilled for the evening. Yesterday, we got up earlier than anticipated as dh wanted to try to get the board and batten started in the long hallway that leads to our Art Studio. We actually did way more than we thought we would get done. Today is sanding and painting. It will be nice to have this one done. I'll post photos as we work away this weekend. Trying to get our cottage all done before the new space is opened. I won't have all the time I've had this year, though my intent is to get it open and operating and then ensure I never, ever get into a situation where my time is everyone else's. Never again!

Last night, we watched Corrie and then another show we needed to catch up on. Late bedtime, which was not the best idea as we were up so early this morning. We thought it might be super busy at the grocery store so we went early and that was a good thing as it was quiet while we were there but definitely got crowded after we left. We visited the bank to chat with our bank manager, visited our site, had a great time with my mom, picked up dinner, found the top piece we'll use for trim on the board and batten, then headed home in the gorgeous sun. Put the groceries away, answered some emails and after a quick lunch, now I'm off to paint the board and batten, while dh watches hockey with dd and dgs. After I'm done, I'm going to have a quick bath, then we'll settle in for dinner, a movie or show, and likely a bit earlier bed time tonight. No big plans tomorrow other than cooking Easter dinner and enjoying some down time. Monday is open as well ~ having blocks of open time is such a lovely way to spend a long weekend. With the sun and expected warm temperatures I do plan to sit out on the deck in the warmth. Soaking it all in!

What are your plans for the weekend?

~ Chy

Happy Birthday Dad.

My dad would have turned 82 years

old today. He died at a very young 60.

I often wonder if he and Bretton are

driving each other crazy in Heaven!

~ Chy

Bretton's Birthday.

Our tiny Angel would have been 28

years old today, if he had taken a

breath and opened his eyes. Sweet

and very tiny Bretton~Elijah Lucas.

~ Chy

1/2 Bath Makeover.

When we built our little cottage in the big woods a

few years ago, we felt our 1/2 bath had no personality.

With high ceilings and wood floors, it felt like it was

just a cold, noisy and uninviting room. It had to change.

We spent a lot of time looking at other 1/2 baths to find

some inspiration. One day, we came across a photo of

a 1/2 bath in the U.K. in a tiny little "chocolate box"

cottage and that was it! We finally had some great ideas.

To make this small room seem less tall and more cozy,

we found a beautiful wallpaper that took forever to arrive.

But the wait was worth it. Then we experimented with

board and batten in our lower level. Another revelation!

Last week, with the weather turning to cold and snow,

we got the wallpaper up, the taping done, the cabinet out,

and drop cloths to protect the wood floors. Painted the

lower walls a soft white, then it was time to measure it all.

We installed the board and batten, then added another

coat of paint. Re~painted the sink cabinet, installed the

hardward and put the plumbing back. Took out the tape,

washed the floor and it was all finally done. Well, almost.

We still need to put some trim on top of the long top

boards and hang some lovely art work on the walls. We

are so in love with this little room now. It's warm and so

inviting. It's almost time to have guests over for dinner!

What do you think of our little 1/2 bath makeover?

~ Chy

Winter .... Again!

We woke up to more snow again over the last 2 days.

It is so fluffy, perfect ski snow. Lots of accidents

happened in the big City but we didn't have to go

out so we avoided the risk. Today, we did get up

really super early to head in to town for groceries.

Left the cottage at 8 am, and we were back home by

10:40 am. In that time, we did our big grocery shop, 

stopped at the dollar store for ribbon, another food

store for my favorite chocolate milk, a big box store

to buy a carpet cleaner and then we headed over to

the park fo the annual Winter Festival. All the time,

the snow kept falling. It was quite magical but I had

a board meeting at 11 am, so home we zipped after

chatting with friends and community members. We

loved getting our errands down so quickly. Every

store we were in had no customers. Best time to shop!

How was your day today? Any snow or is it all gone?

~ Chy

Snow on the First Day of Spring!

Yes, that white stuff is snow! It was virtually gone

in the last few weeks. We even got up to 18 C on

Friday. And then today, on the first day of Spring,

it snowed! Hopefully, this is all we get for now.

How was your first day of Spring?

~ Chy

Luck of the Irish.

I LOVE St. Patrick's Day, not just because so much green (my favorite color) is all around us. My mom's ancestral family is directly from Ireland and I wish we could visit one day to connect to family we've never met. My great grandparents both arrived by boat, across the ocean, as young teens in 1905. Two different boats, from two different communities, two different families, and yet somehow, they arrived in the same Province and found each other. I have often wondered how scary and yet exciting that journey would have felt. I wish I had more details so might ask my auntie if she remembers any other things about this special story. Such good luck that they somehow became connected. Can you imagine if they didn't meet? Our family might look so different. I might not even be here! Truly "Luck of the Irish!"

Do you have any Irish blood in you?

~ Chy

Right Here. Right Now.

What I'm wearing .... very light pj's as it was literally a Summer day outside today. It's going to be super warm until Tuesday, then the temperature will drop drastically and by Wednesday morning, our current muddy and brown landscape will be all white again!

What I'm reading .... the latest "Daphne's Diary" magazine. I love all the whimsical articles and activities.

What's happening in my kitchen .... quiet in the moment. Dishwasher is done and we're already snuggled in our cozy bed for the night.

What's outside my window .... the sun shone all day and the snow is all melted. Just in time for another storm!

What I'm thankful for .... life, our sweet cottage, peace, good food and our amazing family, kind friends and co~workers. 

What I'm smelling .... the sour candies my daughter gifted us tonight for a late night treat. Very sweet!

What I'm hearing .... dh is watching an episode of "The Twilight Zone." Not very interesting to me.

What I'm crafting .... back to writing my book. I took a writing course so now I want to get back to finishing this story. One day, I'll write the last word and then it will become a journey of figuring out if I want to publish it, then how to do that! Maybe even a little book tour ....

What's on my mind .... how to sleep thru the night .... I was awake until 4:30 am this morning. This can't continue as I'm getting quite exhausted.

Words to live by .... the quote for today is above. So sweet! Hope you enjoy this week's quote.

Having an amazing week!

~ Chy

Silent Corner.

Dh had to drive into town the other day for an in person meeting, and took dd2 with him as she was working at our centre. Dd1 and dgs were at work and school. So that left me at home, all by myself, for the first time in forever. I had a virtual meeting and used the time before to shower, make the bed, tidy my office space, put my notes together for the meeting, had the meeting, then did some work on our new project. By the time I had dusted, vacuumed and cleaned our bathroom, everyone was coming in the door, or on their way home. I was quite proud that I handled the quiet so well, as it's typically a noisy and busy cottage. I haven't been left alone at all since last Spring, so this new experience was one I had been dreading for months, as I knew at some point the day would come. Thankful it was a busy day and went by quickly. 

The shot above was a silent moment in the cottage, before I turned some music on, as I worked. It struck me as the perfect photo to show the quiet in our home that morning, with the sun reflecting on dh's chair, and yet, he's not sitting in it as he normally would be. A silent corner in a typically life filled home!

~ Chy

Tiny Garden.

A month ago, I posted this sweet pic of a tiny "Peter Rabbits Garden" with the intent on recreating it in our Secret Garden this year. The story of Peter Rabbit will always hold a special place in my heart as I cast in the production back in kindergarten. I played one of Peter's little sisters. I think I was Cottontail but cannot be quite sure. I recall my sweet costume, complete with the fluffy round tail, and we all got Dairy Queen Dilly Bars once the play was done. We had to be so careful before the production to not get a spec of dirt on our costumes but once it was done, we all had chocolate smeared all over our faces, and I'm sure some on the material. My pink bunny costume with the ears and the white tail hung in my closet for years. So year, the story of Peter Rabbit has many memories for me. I hope I can recreate the tiny garden above. The biggest challenge will be the little blue jacket. I'm going to give it a good try!

We woke up to heavy fog today. It's now burning off because the sun is shining but it was quite eery this morning. Today, for the first time in 42 weeks, I'm at home, all alone, with my thoughts and my worries. Dh has been beside me every day but today, he had a meeting and normally, I likely would have attended too but I have a virtual meeting in an hour, so staying home made more sense. Later today, I'm off to visit a dear friend but dh will come home in between and we'll have lunch together first. Then it's off to her house, then a stop in town to pick up dd who is working at our preschool today, then home for a virtual class, dinner and finally, our virtual board meeting. Many things to keep me busy. Helps when I'm all alone.

Hope your day is going well and the sun is out!

~ Chy

A Sister for Carys.

After a year of Carys, it was time to find

her a little "sister" but I promise, just 2

Blythe dolls is all this cottage will have!

New doll arrived on March 2nd after the

creator of Carys released her latest and

I just happened to be looking that day.

The journey from across the sea was so

quick ~ not even 2 weeks. I will do a

reveal soon. Trying to figure out how to

create a video from what I captured on

the day she arrived. And working on her

name as well. Exciting times at the cottage!

If you're a Blythe collector, how many do you have?

~ Chy

Right Here. Right Now.

What I'm wearing .... leggings and my Disney 100th Anniversary long sleeved shirt, with barefeet, and a single braid off to the side. We're having a lazy day as it's been a busy, crazy week and weekend. Tonight we have an event that dh is MC'ing and I'm trying to conserve some energy before a long, hot shower and getting all dressed up!

What I'm reading .... my new English Home magazine for the Spring. This week, I'm going to start "A Work in Progress" written by Connor Franta. I'm also reading a LOT of grant applications for our charity ~ tis the season!

What's happening in my kitchen .... quiet in the moment. Dh made us some amazing ham and cheese omelets. So good but I couldn't eat all of mine as it was too big ~ dd1 is finishing mine up. He promised me next time he'll make me one half the size. Love all of his cooking though.

What's outside my window .... sunshine and melting. We're at 0 C in the moment and will go higher this afternoon. All week is above 0 C but hoping the snow doesn't melt too quickly so there is no flooding. 

What I'm thankful for .... life, our sweet cottage, peace, good food and our amazing family, kind friends and co~workers. 

What I'm smelling .... the popcorn I just enjoyed, leftover from last night. We watched "Regime" while eating this salty treat. Always some left over for Sunday.

What I'm hearing .... the tv is on "Blue Bloods" in the moment. Dh, dd1 and dgs are in the theatre room watching NHL hockey (so early on a Sunday morning) and dd2 is working on our new program that launches in a week, so there is a bit of chatter back and forth. Love her attention to detail as she ensures it's easy for participants to register.

What I'm crafting .... a new art journal that I'm making from a couple of duplicate magazines I ended up with.

What's on my mind .... my mom's health, the many projects we're working on, announcements that need to be made this week, and our big anniversary in the Summer. A mix of good, exciting, not so great and lots of hard work coming up!

Words to live by .... the quote for today is above. So sweet! Hope you enjoy this week's quote.

Having an amazing week!

~ Chy  

Inspiring Quote.

If grief is part of your daily life, a beautiful quote

for perspective and reality. I love collecting these.

~ Chy

Cottage Dreams.

Wouldn't you love to fall asleep under

the eaves in this sweet cottage? We

have this roof line in our art studio

and I love when it rains. The sound

of raindrops pitter pattering all over

the roof makes it so cozy and homey.

~ Chy

Inside Views.

I'm going to start my video series this month of our little cottage in the big woods. For now, two shots of a view I had the other day when I was sitting at our dining room table. Both are at the front of our cottage. Our little living room is across the hall from the dining room. In our other house, we had double french doors on the living room and I loved when my kids were little, we always had a beautiful, sun filled tidy room. We lived in the family room that was just a step down from our kitchen and nook. It filled the entire back of our house and was comfortable and our favorite place. The living room was our special spot at the end of the day, or when guests popped in. Where our Christmas Tree landed, and the best place to read a book on a rainy day. The move for designers and home builders to delete formal living rooms and dining rooms from homes now may work for many. But not for our family. We had to design this cottage because every house plan we looked at had no living and dining rooms options, which was sad. I love these intentional, comfortable spaces and so glad we advocated for both.

The second photo is looking thru the french door to the butler's pantry (aka the tea cupboard) and the kitchen. My apron is hanging on the right side. I'm so thankful we again advocated for what we wanted. In this case, a vintage inspired kitchen, with solid wood cabinetry painted a sage green, with ivory accents to match our AGA range from England. Black granite to keep the look with the black top of the range. We continued the cabinets in the laundry room, which is the sliding door at the back of the hall, as well as in our bathrooms, the desk under the stairs and the bookcases in the family room. The only cabinet that is different is the half bath on the main floor. We bought that unit and painted it to match the other cabinetry. A uniform look with a vintage style. And our own eclectic design all over.

More to come this month as Spring begins to emerge.

~ Chy

Right Here. Right Now.

What I'm wearing .... leggings and a long, comfy matching shirt. 

What I'm reading .... instructions on how to use our new steam cleaner.

What's happening in my kitchen .... not a thing! Lunch will now be early dinner.

What's outside my window .... snow, snow and more snow. Welcome Spring!

What I'm thankful for .... the snow so we don't have fires this Summer.

What I'm smelling .... the plasticy smelly from the new steam cleaner.

What I'm hearing .... music from the stereo and family puttering about.

What I'm crafting .... cards and treats for Easter next week.

What's on my mind .... World events, cottage renos, permits and my mom.

Words to live by .... the quote for today is above. So sweet! Hope you enjoy this week's quote.

Having an amazing week!

~ Chy

Hello, March.

March always brings some hope. As the snow starts

to melt and Spring begins to emerge, it always feels

lighter. We don't have to bundle up and wear heavy

boots. Less sweaters and no mitts! Can't wait for it!

~ Chy

Goodbye February.

It was unseasonable warm, without any snow,

until this week. So now we're starting to leave

Winter and get ready for Spring, only to have

Winter finally show up! Thankful our region

is not being hit as hard as down south but also

thankful the snow may help us have less fire

concerns this Summer. More storms in the

next week. But Spring will soon be here. Yes!

Are you ready for this next season?

~ Chy

Bedtime Reads.

Dear grandson sometimes sleeps upstairs if his mom

has to work a night shift. He wanted to read the other

night, and while he was down in their apartment, I

grabbed these 3 books that we gifted him as a baby

and a toddler. He was surprised but did read them!

The first two on the pillows have his name in them

and really special as his name is not super common,

so it's hard to find things that have his name. And the

big one below the pillows is actually the first book we

bought for him after he was born. It's got some moving

parts in it and he loved when we'd read this to him. I

love that we've instilled our passion for reading in him.

~ Chy

Homemade Cookies.

 

Baking homemade cookies is something

I don't do very much anymore. Part of it

is time ~ when I was a mom at home,

baking fit in to my day with my littles.

But now they're grown, life is so busy

with work and projects, and cookies

have taken a back seat without littles

in the cottage to gobble them all down.

I was excited last week with our "down

the lane neighbors" coming for dinner as

they have 3 kids and the cookies would

be so needed. They loved them and I

did send home some goodie bags. The

cookies were a hit but I wish I had sent

home more as we still have cookies a

full week later! Next time, more will go!

Do you like baking homemade cookies?

~ Chy