Goodbye May.

A month of highs and lows, and everything

in between. So thankful for no fires this year!

~ Chy

Go Oilers Go!

It's tense in our little cottage in the big woods in

the moment. Yup, it's hockey playoffs, the finals

for the year, the quest for the Stanley Cup. Our

team, the Edmonton Oilers, is the last Canadian

team in the running, so there's a lot to be proud

of, and a lot to be nervous about. Hoping for a

win, as we haven't gone this far since 2006. I'm

so nervous, I end up cleaning and purging at

the same time the games are on. At this rate, I'm

going to have the most organized cottage ever!

Go Oilers Go!

~ Chy

May Memorial.

Each May, we gather to remember our sweet and

precious babies. We support families and increase

awareness about baby loss in our community. It's

a beautiful day full of sorrow and hope, memories

and love. We share names, stories, written words

that are buried. And tea before we head out to the

cemetery. This year, we started out with a beautiful

day but later on, a huge storm rolled in. Memorable.

~ Chy

Right Here. Right Now.

What I'm wearing .... jeans, bare feet and a light purple t that is comfy and a favorite.

What I'm reading .... my latest copy of Country Living British Edition. Always a month behind as I have to wait for it to come to Canada. Very worth the wait.

What's happening in my kitchen .... everyone is in bed and the kitchen is closed!

What's outside my window .... dark clouds and some thunder. A bit of rain but not much.

What I'm thankful for .... rain when we need it and sun when it's warm and bright.

What I'm smelling .... the rain from outside and the flowers that have bloomed in our garden.

What I'm hearing .... crickets. Or maybe they're frogs. Hard to tell some nights.

What I'm crafting .... dollhouse prep. Starting a new cross~stitch. Nothing else.

What's on my mind .... World events, my mom, new programs and our renovations.

Words to live by .... the quote above. So timely and how I'm now living life!

Hope you enjoy this week's quote.

Having an amazing week!

~ Chy

Conference Gifts.

My students and I had so much fun putting these

gifts together for all our conference attendees. A

variety of items, with inspirational notes and quotes.

Just enough love to inspire and encourage everyone.

~ Chy

Spring Conference.

We had our Spring Conference for Early Childhood

Educators today. Such a great day and on top of the

learning, there was connection and sharing. I'm so

proud to be part of this organization. New energy!

~ Chy

Construction Underway.

Our construction on our new space has started. The

crew had to cut up the concrete floor for the new

plumbing and that was a huge job. But it's now done.

Soon the walls will go up, the ceiling will come down

and we'll paint once the doors and trim are in. Then

it will be the washrooms and the kitchen, flooring

and a big clean. Hope to be open before the end of

the Summer. Fingers crossed we can get there on time!

~ Chy

 

Victoria Day.

The May Long Weekend in Canada each year is in honor of Queen Victoria. It's a lovely weekend to embrace our heritage and history. Some years, we stay home and plant our gardens. Other years, we zip away on a jet to our favorite spot on the West Coast. This year, we took the time to rest, put our feet up and dream about the next few months. Because the rains arrived, we couldn't plant our gardens or jet away. So we did the next best thing ~ relaxing! It's going to be a very busy Summer, so this time off for us has been healthy and what we needed to do to keep moving. Long weekends are for rejuvenating our minds, our bodies and our spirits. And honoring the Monarchy. 

~ Chy

Right Here. Right Now.

What I'm wearing .... a soft purple t~shirt and white cutoffs. No shoes. Hair down.

What I'm reading .... Melissa Gilbert's "Back to the Prairie." I grew up watching "Little House on the Prairie." This is a great read about her life after marrying fellow actor Tim Busfield. And leaving Hollywood to move to the Catskills to live a rural life.

What's happening in my kitchen .... closed for the night but all ready for tomorrow.

What's outside my window .... a landscape that is starting to burst and bloom.

What I'm thankful for .... the rain that has taken the threat of wildfires away.

What I'm smelling .... the sweet earthy smell that comes after a rain.

What I'm hearing .... frogs croaking and geese flying by. Quiet but noisy.

What I'm crafting .... gifts for our upcoming preschool conference next weekend.

What's on my mind .... budgets, renovations, purging, organizing, upcoming events and my mom.

Words to live by .... the quote for today is above in honor of Queen Victoria, the reason for our May Long Weekend here in Canada. Hope you enjoy this week's quote.

Having an amazing week!

~ Chy

Budding Garden.

My lavender on the left is turning green slowly.

And the bleeding heart on the right is healthy.

Tiny pink flowers in memory of all our baby girls.

New growth around the little bushes we planted.

Blue flowers in memory of our sweet baby boys.

They remind me of tiny grapes in a bouquet.

More growth that will soon be part of the bigger

garden. It's so amazing each year as green appears.

Buds that are so tiny it's almost too hard to see them.

But they're there and soon this little bush will be full.

Every time I come home from our centre, I love to

go out to the front veranda and walk down the path

in our front garden to see what is popping up as our

landscape starts to bud and bloom. Soon the beds

will be full of color and scent. The 2 things that are

slow to come up are my lavender and the hostas. I

do seem some green so that is always a relief to find

signs that they weathered our harsh Winters. Yes!

~ Chy

Mother's Day.

Love notes from my babies and the daddy guy are

always my favorite gifts on Mother's Day. But this

year, with wildfires starting up again, the best gift

today was the pouring rain. By this evening, on the

news, they shared that the rain did help to curb the

fires. More is in the forecast all week so this is the

best news. It was an amazing day but this was the

best that could have happened. Now we can relax!

Mother's Day. A special day to celebrate. And for

those of us who mourn children, a day to remember.

~ Chy

Our King Charles.

Not long after our Queen of England

sadly died, her picture was draped with

a purple velvet swag in Council Chambers

at our County Hall. It was there for quite a

while. Just last week, we had a meeting in

the Chambers, and I noticed her picture has

now been replaced with a new one of our

King Charles. Still so surreal she's gone.

~ Chy

Spring Flowers.

Pretty Spring flowers that my dh brought home for

Mother's Day. Sweet smell and amazing colors. We

are trying to find the best spot to buy flowers with

the idea of having fresh ones every week. Love!

~ Chy