Snowflake Greeting.

Yes, we do still have some of our Christmas

decorations up at the childcare centre. It seems

in a month that tends to be "dark" and gloomy

that the more sparkle we have, the better we do!

💗 Chy 💗

All Grown Up.

When I was a small child, I remember my dad

being so excited one Christmas morning when

he opened a package and there was a brand new

wallet in a small box. He was beyond thrilled.

My first thought was "why would you ask for

something as boring as a wallet?" And in that

moment, always promised myself to ask for

items that were dreamy and a true gift, and

not something I "needed." Of course, now as

an adult, I'm at the point in my life where there

is really not much I want or need, but this year,

my old wallet was beyond repairable and it was

time for a new model. Look what my dh found.

A sweet pink leather wallet, with many tiny

slots inside for my cards, a place for bills, a

zippered section for coins, and a spot for my

id. I love the little leaf and the mottled look

of the leather. Truly, a need but also a want. I

guess its time to proclaim that I'm all grown up!

I never would have guessed I'd be so thrilled.

💗 Chy 💗

Magic in the Air.

A beautiful print depicting Christmas

night as families all over the World wait

for the jolly man in the red suit!  A time

of peace and hope, and magic in the air.

💗 Chy 💗

A Favorite Decoration.

One of my favorite little Christmas decorations ~

our "I'll be home for Christmas." Means so much!

💗 Chy 💗

Silly Bruce.

Sometimes, our Christmas inflatables

are finicky. Example: Bruce the Moose

doesn't always have his wreath around

his neck. At times, it ends up on his nose!

~ Chy

 

Christmas #4.

We had our neighbors from "down the lane" over for

our 4th Christmas Dinner. They had company over

the holidays so we all decided to gather after. And then

there were some illnesses, crazy hockey schedules

and school. But we finally found a date and time that

worked well ~ Family Day in Alberta! We created a

very lovely "Pasta Bar" and followed that up with a

sweet and fun "Dessert Bar" which included icing

cookies. The food was amazing but the company was,

as always, the best! Excited for the next gathering!

~ Chy

Lego Christmas Village.

Our girls gifted me some Lego for my birthday in

November and then they decided we were NOT

putting up our traditional Christmas Village. It's

taken a bit to get used to, but I quite like it now!

~ Chy

Swiss Gift.

My favorite white chocolate will always

be Purdy's but this bar, from a little shop

in the mountains and gifted to me from

dd1, is made with Swiss chocolate. Yum!

~ Chy

New Tree Decor.

After our last Chamber of Commerce

breakfast before the holidays, we were

invited to shop in the greenhouse that

the meeting was held in. One of our

favorites! And we came out with this

soft heart for our tree. Very fitting!

~ Chy

Our Tiny Mouse.

Our tiny mouse, a vintage ornament that

belonged to my gramma. A precious

item that I feel so honored to place on

our fireplace each year when we decorate.

Do you have a precious ornament or two?

~ Chy

Stuffed Stockings.

When I was a kid, it wasn't the presents

under the tree I looked for to as much as

the stockings that my mom and dad filled

with little treats and trinkets each year.

This is a tradition for our kids now and

the thing I love to watch on Christmas

morning. It can take the longest time for

each of us to go thru the stocking, to

open each gift and laugh as we go. I hope

our kids will have the same thought, that

"stuffed stockings" are the best thing on

Christmas morning, even as adults now!

~ Chy

Family Heirlooms.

My grandmother's on my mom's side

lace table cloth. I love it for Christmas.

Candles lit and teacups ready for tea

after a scrumptious meal made by dh.

The dining room hutch that matches the

table and chairs. This belonged to my

dad's parents, my other sweet gramma and

grampa. I feel family around us at dinner.

And in the corner, their hutch they got

when they were first married way back

in the early mid 30's. Honored to have it

in our dining room, holding special items.

Is your home filled with family heirlooms?

~ Chy

Christmas Dinner.

We decided this year to not cook a turkey as it was

just a smaller than usual crowd for the 25th. We had

company after the big day, and more to come but for

the actual day, we enjoyed a roasted chicken with

amazing gravy, fresh peas, mashed rutabaga, mashed

potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, pickles and fresh,

homemade buns. For after, we had a variety of squares,

cookies and tarts. The best part was we didn't have a

lot of leftovers that may have gotten thrown out later.

A much easier dinner and so very good.  Scrumptious!!

~ Chy

 

Comfy and Warm.

Our sign post for the cottage. We hope
to replace this in 2024 with a new one.

When we walked through the trees

 on Christmas Day, we realized we can

see the front of the cottage. I love this

pic showing our forest that surrounds us.

An old fence along the path. I love how

the moss actually grows on the north side.

Our garage and above the garage, the

art studio we spend so much time in. I

love our cottage. It's been such a lovely 

place to call home. Comfy and warm.

~ Chy

More Gifts.

A piece of art from a favorite shop out on 

Salt Spring Island. Love the sweet saying!

More milk bath for the Winter. I love

to soak in a hot tub when it's cold out.

Earrings to dress up my look when we're

heading out to events or big meetings.

And Hemp Bath Bombs for those long soaks

I mentioned earlier. A hot bath and a good book.

~ Chy

 

A Long Awaited Piece of Art.

I've been searching for this print forever!

It's often paired with another piece from

a different artist ~ a beautiful print of a

little girl titled "Charlotte." This one is

called "Peter" and we spent a lot of time

trying to find it in the various antique

stores and even online. Finally, I found

it on Etsy and showed it to dh. And look

what was under our tree on Christmas

morning! From great sellers on the East

coast, it arrived in perfect condition. I

can't wait to hang it up. Now, should it

go beside "Charlotte" or should "Peter"

have his own spot in the cottage? Hmm.

~ Chy

Christmas Books.

I LOVE getting books at Christmas.

Next to chocolate, books are my

very favorite gifts. This one above

was not to read but to store passwords.

The newest to me Susan Branch book

that I couldn't find last year but dh did!

And The Cottage Fairy, based on the

Youtube channel I love to watch. I

am now well set for the New Year to

read away the long, dark nights. Yes!

~ Chy

 

Garden House.

A gift from my daughter. A miniature kit to make

a garden house. I can't wait to put this together!

~ Chy

A Good Sport.

Eldest dd gets quite excited about gift

opening and she also loves to spoil us!

She is trying to guess if there is a set of

pots in the bag. We did gift her a set ....

But put all the pieces, including these

instructions/warranty in separate bags

and boxes so she had a lot to open. She

had an amazing time. Such a good laugh!

Youngest dd also loves opening gifts

and this was one that she had hoped for.

However, she does have one request each

year: her gifts have to be wrapped, not

place in gift bags. So of course, I need

to put at least one gift in a bag. This is

her response .... she loved the gift, but

really likes the process of opening it

up by ripping paper. Love to bug her

and thankful she is always a good sport!

~ Chy

 

First Crack at Baking Homemade Buns.

My first attempt in my entire life to

make fresh baked breads. And the

dough rose, just as the directions said!

Now on to the baking. Wish me luck!

~ Chy