Breathe September #30: Breathe.

My B12 levels totally bottomed out over

the summer. I didn't get in to my Naturopath.

So my daughter brought home some B12 and

all the things needed to inject into me! Breathe.

Breathe September #29: Kindness.

Kindness is something I hope to give each

and every day, and something I also wish for

all of mankind. We don't always have enough.

A sweet gift, given in kindness, from a friend.

No strings attached. Just pure love and total

friendship, from one to another. Kindness.

Breathe September #28: Night.

I forgot I took this picture at Night. At the time, the

electrician had inadvertently placed the light that was

to hang from the ceiling on the second floor down to

the first floor, just above our guests heads way too

high. He had to come back recently to fix it and now

when we look up at the oval window from the outside,

all that is visible is the long chain. Much better but

I am glad I captured this shot so we'll always recall

that at one time, the light was not where it was truly

supposed to be! So much better now that it's right.

Breathe September #27: Color.

I will never grow tired of these amazing

colors in the country in the Fall. Love ....

Breathe September #26: Now.

Now, in my world, the house is warm, 

full of family voices, sharing our day,

and outside the leaves continue to fall

to the ground, while the sun begins to set.

Breathe September #25: Contentment.

When the day is ending, the sun is setting and

the shadows are long, this for me is Contentment.

Breathe September #24: Self~Care.

I work in the palliative care field, in a

local community based hospice. It's truly

amazing work but at the same time, it's

full of challenges and heartache. One thing

we all practice well is Self~Care. I have a

number of things I do to keep myself in

good spirits and healthy. Nurturing family,

nourishing food and natural ways to fully

relax. One of my favorite practices is to

soak in a nice, warm tub. It really is the best.

Breathe September #23: Smell.

I wish you could smell this sweet cake! Cinammon

with apple and spices. Oooohhh, so good and so Fall!

Breathe September #22: Move.

Our big move from living in a small hamlet out to the country was just over a year ago now, our home for just over 26 years. We originally bought this beautiful little piece of land to build a house for our growing family. Then we realized how much of a pain it would be to move our very established kids out of town, when their activities were keeping them grounded and everything was so close. Plus they really didn't seem all that keen about leaving town. So then we decided to just hold on to it, working on it a bit each year and once the kids were gone, we'd then build a "tiny" cottage, just for the two of us. Space to live, space for our creative pursuits and space for a grandchild or two to visit. Fast forward to 2016 and here we are, in the country, surrounded by immense and incredible trees, lovely and quiet neighbors, wildlife that intrigues us and space for all who live and visit. It's not quite a "tiny" cottage but it's not a mansion either so we're happy with the extra room we have without the "mega house" expense. Two of our kids and one grandkid live here too, again, not part of the plan but we're happy, they're safe and everyone has their individual space to chill out. 

We were going to give ourselves one year to see if we liked it and if not, then we knew we could move back to town, back to our old house. So many will share stories of how hard country living is, but too date, we've not had any struggles. At this point, we honestly can' imagine moving back to the hustle and bustle of hamlet living. Plus we leased out our house to a lovely family who would love to stay beyond the one year we all agreed to start with. I think that's one thing that has made it easier ~ if we suddenly hated country living, we know we'd have a home we love to go to. 

But for now, life in the country is amazing. We had a really mild Winter and that was going to be the deal breaker. There are many rumors abounding in relation to this year's coming season. It's scary to think it could be the "worst Winter on record" but we'll deal with what comes. At least if we get snowed in, we have a lovely place to be. I'm actually hoping we get at least one cold, snowy time so we can hang out and not go anywhere! 

Move: ours was directed by us and it was long as we did it in spurts. But it also gave us a chance to get rid of the stuff we didn't want. Next time, I'd hire a moving company but for this big move, it was good to do it in the manner that we did. Our next move would either be back to our old house or out to our paradise island on the West Coast. Not something we need to think about now. Always good to have plans though ....

Breathe September #21: Up.

Looking up through the ice covered

sunroof in my dh's car. It was a bright

day but the ice was taking it's time

melting. I couldn't resist this shot!

Breathe September #20: Read.

I bought this wonderful book at one of the

Boot Sales this Summer. Susan Branch, my

hero! It's been such a crazy, hectic time,

I haven't had time to just sit and read. It's

still busy but now I'm determined to take

a bit of time this weekend to read it. Yeah!

Breathe September #19: Smile.

Eating his favorite breakfast! Love his

sweet little smile and missing it today!

Breathe September #18: Day.

Not as bright anymore. But still

full of life and now lots of color.

Breathe September #17: Soft.

Our sweet grand puppy "A". So soft,

so full of life and tons of mischief!!

Breathe September #16: New.

.

A new deer in the neighborhood. This

one still has lots of golden brown hair.

Breathe September #15: Quiet.

A quiet morning, long before our work

day begins. Meditation and reflection.

Breathe September #14: Beauty.

 Pictures from our little island.

The moss is incredible, so soft and green.

Sea views with gentle lapping waves.

More moss. I love this beauty!

A sailboat floating into the bay.

Breathe September #13: Drink.

Our favorite spot in the world is a

tiny island on the West Coast of

Canada. No traffic, no noise, all

organic food and truly incredible

Islanders who make our visits so

memorable. Today, my photo is

my favorite cooler, chilled with a

lemon slice. From the island, Cheers!

Breathe September #12: Relax.

I grew up in a very busy house, with high goals and not a lot of down time. Expectations to be someone, to do well, to work hard and to never let your guard down meant I really didn't understand the word "Relax" until I was much older. You may find this little tidbit funny but it's a true story .... guess where I learned for the first time in my life, after many children, after many goals and achievements, after getting to a good place? Believe it or not, Las Vegas! Yes, the place that is open 24 hours a day. And how did I learn to relax there, you may be asking? Here's the short story: my dh was invited to a conference and all the wives in the company were allowed to come along for the trip, paid for in full. Who could turn down that opportunity? Well I almost did. Vegas has never been on my bucket list and personally, I'm not a big on crowds, noise and lights drive me crazy, and I was pretty sure I wouldn't fit in with a very suave group of women who would be attending. But my dh was persistent and in the end, I decided 4 days away from our kids wasn't the end of the world. Off we went and although I have no wish to return, it was an amazing trip and one I'm glad we did take.

The relaxing part didn't happen right away. It took a day or so to feel like I would fit with the other ladies but they were surprisingly very welcoming and soon I found myself shopping at the outlet stores, fits of laughter the plan for the day. Next came a lesson on how to spend an afternoon soaking up the rays, floating in the pool at Mandelay Bay, while the pool waiter (yum!) would bring us our lunches and copious amounts of fruity, icy concoctions to keep us well hydrated. I found myself learning I could let go of the stress and take some time for me. It worked and after this trip, I used the things I learned from the other moms to give myself time to breathe, and relax each day. A trip I didn't want to go on ended up being a trip that taught me some valuable lessons in being the best mom, daughter, friend and most importantly, wife by allowing myself to relax and enjoy life. 

Breathe September #11: Love.

 Our Wedding Day in 1984.

Our Anniversary in 2014.

We're now 35 years into our "partnership" and

Love is still the key ingredient, even when life is

beyond tough and exhausting. I feel lucky to have

this guy who makes me smile and laugh all day!