Fall Memories.

Spending hours searching for the perfect pumpkins.

Working in the Secret Garden for the very last time.

Loving the changing sunsets with such vibrant colors.

Looking forward to this season but mourning the last.

~ Chy

Changing Seasons.

Miss Carys needed a change in her

current outfit. I did buy her a lovely

bag that went quite well with her

clothes from a recent dollhouse day.

The bag is not a 1:12 size but when I saw

it, my first thought was "perfect for my

Blythe!" And it is exactly the right size

for her. Soft and great color for Fall.

Looking thru her little armoire to see

what to change her in to for the Winter.

Pretty pink sweater, knee socks, matching

shoes and I took her braids out and put

her little barrette in. She does need some

pants or leggings. I'm scouring sites now!

~ Chy

 

Blogtober: Day 17.

Soup becomes a staple in our cottage

when the weather changes from

hot weather to cool days and nights.

Hearty homemade chicken soup!

~ Chy

Crazy Weather.

In November, December and January,

we experienced so much snow, we

were worried where it was all going

to go in the Spring. Blizzards, strong

winds, mountains of the fluffy white

stuff and bitter temperatures. But then

February began and we've had super

warm temperatures, and now all our

snow is melting away. Typically, in

November, it's warm with very little

if any snow. It arrives in December in

little bits, always before Christmas.

January and February will be bitterly

cold with tons of snow. So this year,

it feels backwards. For now, we are

truly loving the warmth, the sun and

the melt. We know that we will likely

have at least one more blizzard. Until

then, we'll lap up the warmth and the

sun. Spring is only 5 short weeks away!

~ Chy

Blogtober: Day 5.

Sometimes we complain about our cold Winters or our rainy Summers. But the truth is, we have some pretty good weather in our region. And we have 4 very distinct Seasons. I can't imagine living somewhere that doesn't have a change every few months. Yes, snowstorms are scary and rainy days can be gloomy. However, the number of sunny days and the number of beautiful Fall days are so worth the few awful days here and there. We are lucky and one of my favorite quotes from Anne of Green Gables says it all above!

Do you have a year full of Seasons?

Do you love the month of October?

~ Chy

Outside My Window.

 

The buds on all our trees have bloomed
and the light green shade is amazing. I
love how over time this Summer, these
leaves will become darker and darker.
Then suddenly in the very early Fall, they
will change again to shades of yellow,
gold, orange and red. Finally, they will
fall to the ground, leaving these now
very full trees look like skeletons in
the cool air of another changing season.

~ Chy

Goodbye Fall.

The last view of our Fall Mantel for this year.

Time to put the decorations away and tidy.

I loved this version of our mantel this year. Lots

of color and texture and variety for the season.

My favorite is this sweet weave glass basket

we found at the charity shop for a sweet $1.50.

In the end, after the Fall decor was put away, I went

back and grabbed the basket for the Christmas Mantel.

~ Chy

Fall Colors.

A few pictures the other day from our little garden in the big woods. Lots of different colors at this time but the one that keeps shining through is of course the bit of yellow. Fall is on its way here in the country. I'm not wishing to let go of Summer but Fall is my very favorite season. Just hope it's nice and warm, colorful and long! Not crazy about Winter at all. Even though our cold months have been much warmer than in the past and our snow not as deep, it's still not the time of year that I look forward to. If we could have a long Summer and a long Fall, and a day or two of Winter, then lots of warm Spring, I'd be in Heaven. Can you imagine gardening most of the year? Well, maybe you can but here, it's a shorter season, so we take what we can and make the most of it. And long for the warmth and color of Spring, Summer and Fall! Truly always worth the wait in the end.

Season of Grief.

 

Our little guy B and I were driving to school on Friday morning, listening to our favorite tunes and looking at all the houses that have hockey sticks on the front porch. It's been part of our routine now each morning for the last week and a half when this movement began to show support for those who died in the bus crash on April 6th.

And then a tiny voice from the back of the car put that anxious feeling back in to my gut .... "Gramma, when will we all put our hockey sticks away?"

I wanted to say to him "never" but I know in time, one by one, the sticks will eventually go back into the garage, the shed, wherever families across Canada store their sticks when hockey season is over. Tucked away, out of sight, safe and secure. But this isn't a hockey season. It's a season of showing our love, respect and compassion in the midst of an incredibly difficult and very public grief experience, and there is no time frame for this kind of mourning. The loss of a child is unnatural and inconceivable. A grief that no one can plan for and the healing, the moving forward is an exhausting path that never ends. So I answered him as best I could, on the cusp of the 2 week anniversary of the bus crash.

"Some people will put their sticks away soon, some may keep them out longer and some of us might leave them there forever. Right now, we're all showing the families how much we care that they have had such big losses. I think and hope they see the pictures of the hockey sticks or see them in their own community and know that they are not alone in their grief journey. It makes me proud to see so many sticks every day."

And then I asked him a question .... "B, when do you think we should put our sticks away?"

A big pause and then that tiny voice, straight from the heart of an innocent 7.5 year old boy, who is now just a bit more aware that people can die ....

"Not until after everyone else has put theirs away. If we put our sticks away at the same time, the families will feel sad that no one is thinking about them anymore. I think we'll have to leave them outside forever so they know that we still care."

And then we pulled up to the school, parked, walked to the crosswalk, said our goodbyes and he ran off to play with his friends before the morning bell. 

So for now, at our house, our hockey sticks will stay out, until B is ready, when he fully understands and is comfortable with the idea that the grieving families and the injured players will know that we are still thinking of them during their season of grief, even if our hockey sticks are no longer visible. 

Sprinter ....

.... what everyone is beginning to call our

so called Spring around here. A combo.

I'm not going to complain. I know it

will happen and soon it will be Summer!

I miss ....

The snow has made everything so

stark and quiet, bare and noiseless.

I miss the leaves that hide our house in

the forest. I miss the sound of the wind

blowing through the trees. I miss the hot

sun warming out souls. I miss Summer.

Welcome Flag.

We found this sweet Welcome Flag

at a local store but then had a hard

time finding the flagpole. Finally

had to order from Amazon and in

just 2 days it was delivered to our

post office in town. Our Christmas

Flag will go up next, then for a bit,

our "R" Flag and then the Spring

one will be displayed. I'm going to

try and find flags for reach season.

New Season.

In Between ....

As summer winds down and our landscape changes, the days are getting shorter and the hot, scorching days have all but disappeared. Yellow leaves have taken over the light and dark green that we've enjoyed all season. And the flowers are truly beginning to fade. In between the vast amounts of rain we've experienced, I was able to capture a few shots of the last wildflowers in the meadow. Still sweet, still bright. Not as plentiful and many are already gone. But it's lovely to see bits of life still renewing itself just as the season changes to getting ready for winter. It started pouring rain again today and I wasn't able to catch any shots of my lavender, which has finally blossomed. Tomorrow I'll venture out, even if it rains and post some pretty purple blooms. Not a huge harvest this year. I was very disappointed that despite all my attempts to create a great crop, it was very tiny. Next year!

I'm really not looking forward to winter. It's such a privilege to have a warm house to live in and one that we're just now starting to think about decorating. I'm sure through the storms, blizzards and bitterly cold days, I'll be able to keep very busy making curtains, creating decorative trim and measuring up for crown molding. But the thought of looking out at the landscape and seeing blustery winds just isn't something I'm looking forward to. One day, we'll move back to the sea, where snow is sparse, if at all. And on an island, when the snow falls, life stops until it melts, usually within a day or two. Here, we are so "hardy" so we just keep going, no matter how high the snowdrifts are and how cold it gets. But truthfully, it's time consuming and hard to enjoy. Very tiring. Ugh. So wish it wouldn't be something to even think about on a rainy Friday night. Every time I turn around though, the media keeps referencing the Farmer's Almanac for the 2016 ~ 2017 year,  which is predicting a long, cold, bitter winter for North America. Last year, we had such a mild winter it was unbelievable. If every winter could be like that, we'd be laughing! Winter can be so pretty but it can also be daunting and dangerous. Here's hoping the Farmer's Almanac this year is completely wrong!!

Are you in a zone that has snowy winters?

Do you believe the Farmer's Almanac?

Change.

All around us, the Earth is changing. The air is

crisp, the landscape is colorful. Change is here

and after a Summer of hot days and stormy

nights, we start to get ready for the long and

cold Winter ahead. I'm very nervous about it

this year. We had such a mild season last

year that it's hard to learn that the Farmer's

Almanac is predicting an extremely harsh and

bitter Winter. Ugh! I've been looking at seaside

cottages at our favorite spot in the world. In a

heartbeat, that's where I'd love to be when our

Winters are really bad. But we have life here too

so it's not in the plans just yet. A dream, for sure.

For now, we'll enjoy the colors, the scents and

all that Fall has to offer to us before the Earth

finally gives in and everything turns white.

What is your favorite thing about Fall?

Are you starting to get ready for a long Winter?

Seasonal Walks.

Winter Walk ~ December 16th, 2015.

Spring Walk ~ April 16th, 2016.

Spring Decorating.

I present to you, our Spring Decorating!

That's it! Everything is packed & my "seasons" shelf was empty. But we did dig up a few rogue pieces that were around the house & added a few new ones in that we bought at the thrift shop. Starting at the top, we have a lovely Easter tree, bought for a tidy sum of .25 cents. Next to it is my coveted glass jar of green speckled eggs. This was $8 but I've been looking forever for these eggs. They are heavy & hand painted, so I honestly didn't mind the higher price. And beside that, a sweet bunny. She was $1.75, so for $10, I was able to complete this shelf. The other items belonged to my dad in law. After his death in January, we had boxes of items to go through & we chose to keep these special pieces that have memories attached to them. They are all in our opinion, spring like & appropriate for display. Next year, our Spring Decorating will be more elaborate but for now, we'll enjoy this vignette for the season. 

How is your Spring Decorating coming along?

Changing Seasons.

Hi everyone!

We love the seasons here in Canada, even when the snow is abundant and the temperatures bitter. All 4 have such unique differences. I can't imagine, personally, living somewhere that doesn't have distinct times of the year when the changing landscape dictates the next holiday celebration. I'm sure its doable with a good imagination! Even when we lived on the west coast, I had a hard time making it seem real, without the changing seasons. 

I love decorating the house, especially for Thanksgiving, Halloween and Christmas. Having just posted a picture of the small Christmas scene I created at our front door, here's the same spot, taken a few weeks ago as we waited for Thanksgiving to be celebrated. This is gone now, replaced by a candle, a vintage sign and a couple of jolly snowmen!

Another favorite spot to decorate is our "Seasons Shelf" that we bought a few years ago, again, from the thrift store. It's fun to fill the open shelves and create scenes with items we've coveted. Our "Fall" shelf, just before we put everything away for the year. It was fun and colorful.

Up next: the beginnings of our "Winter" shelf, created by the 4 year old and his 72 year old great gramma and her beau!

Do you have a special spot in your house to 

decorate for the changing of the seasons?

The last remnants of Fall.

Hi everyone!

It's finally happened! Fall has disappeared from our world here at the Little House in the Big Woods. I miss the bright and warm colors that have graced our space for the last few weeks. My favorite time of year always seems so short. But I'm grateful for the crisp air, engaging colors and warm smells. Now that the weather has turned, all we have left are the memories of these days gone by!

The wooden decor on our dining room door. 

Is Fall still blooming in your neck of the woods?

Warm and Cozy!

Hi everyone!

I'm sure you're now experiencing what we've had the last little bit. Beautiful sunny days, followed by early evenings, with dark descending before 9 p.m. Cool air, almost a crisp feel to it and lots of neighbors are now starting to burn leaves and dead foliage. I love fall, truly, my favorite season but this year, it seems to be coming so fast. which makes we worried that we'll have an early winter. Or maybe it just feels earlier because I want it to wait a while. Moving in the ice, sleet and swirling snow does not appeal to us at all!

Fall colors.

Can you feel the chill in the air?

The warmth in candles, softly lit?

What is your fall looking like?