Getting Ready.

We're getting ready to open our new centre and it

feels like it's turning into a very cozy place. I'm so

excited to get past the construction and into the work.

Soon we'll have littles running around and happy parents!

~ 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

One Task at a Time.

I'm working on a Fall clean now that

the weather is starting to cool. And

my process is "one task at a time."

This week: cleaning out each kitchen

drawer and next week will be each

kitchen cupboard. A great system!

~ Chy

Hello September.

I'm not ready yet to say goodbye to Summer. We are feeling quite blessed, if I may use the term, that our season has been full of warm days, cool nights, beautiful colors and very few storms. In fact, we can only count 2 that we can recall. There were threats and warnings, but most did not happen. The last few weeks have been super hot and now the landscape around us is turning color. I decided not to post a Fall color scheme to welcome September as I know I'll be sharing many shots of the outdoors here in Alberta, Canada once I feel Fall is well under way! For now, blossoms of fading flowers but still with Summer colors. Enjoy!

We started Summer with an amazing week long trip to Las Vegas for dh to attend a convention with his staff. Because everyone works from home across the country (a practice since long before Covid was a word in our lives), and we are so glad we were able to attend as it was the first time he was physically meeting everyone in person. A great trip, new memories and we both felt so welcomed in to the fold. When we got home, we immediately went in to "festival mode" ~ once the laundry was done and the suitcases packed away. Our first venture back outdoors since 2020, our festival went better than we could have even hope for. The weather was perfect, the music beyond incredible and the feedback was full of happy notes and vocal messages. We paid the bills, there's money to start next year's venture and the artists all want to come back! Always a good sign. We took a few weeks off, and now we're back to planning, as our next festival will be in late June. Can't wait already as we make plans, try out new ideas and book artists to ensure another successful event for our community.

In July and August, we worked on our garden, our garage and our sweet brick path to take us from the front door to the driveway. Or from the driveway to the front door. That was a ton of work and we were pretty achy after but so happy every time we step back and look at the progress. We put out some of the landscape lights along the path and have more to add in but well worth the work. Next we have to order a load of cedar chips to put down and add in some more perennials and bushes in the Fall. Our garage will need another tidy as we start putting away the Summer stuff and start bringing out what we'll need for the Fall and of course, in time, for Winter. I park outside in the Summer as we have a nice shady spot for our cars but in the Winter, I like to be in the garage so I don't have to scrape ice and snow off my car in the morning. For the Summer, we use the garage for projects so no room for cars at that point. That changes once the leaves start to turn. We hunker down, fill the pantry and freezer, get out our sweaters and boots, and settle in for more cozy indoor life. Hyyge!

We welcome September with a "Hello" as we start to say "Goodbye" to a beautiful Summer for 2022.

~ Chy

Pre~Christmas Dinner.

Finished our shopping, got all our fresh

groceries, picked up the mail, received

our Covid boosters, then settled in at

home while the snow fell all around us.

Our dinner before all the big dinners

for the holidays was this Edo delight.

~ Chy

Blogtober: Day 23.

Thinking about what words I'll add to

the 2 tattoos I have ~ 1 on each arm,

green for Bretton and purple for Ciara.

Our tattoo artist moved to the Coast

in the Summer. Now we have to find

a new artist. A big task for the right one.

Cloudy and windy this morning but it

is supposed to be super warm and sunny

this afternoon. I'm using this morning

to watch a Palliative Care Conference

and doing paperwork, laundry and a

bit of stretching. Then change in to my

very dusty work clothes and head out

to continue working on landscaping.

I can see the finish line! Almost there.

This time next week, we'll be all done!

What's on tap for you today?

A busy day or a quiet one?

~ Chy

Falling Behind ....

It's been a crazy, busy, I can't quite keep up kind of

week and I'm falling behind in my posts, my art and

my journaling. These are things that should be at the

top of the list for priorities but sometimes, they fall

to the side because family members need all of me,

residents and their circle of friends and family need

me at hospice, my staff needs me and this all means

the parts of life that I need to stay focused and even

grounded slip away. Ironically, I need those more all

the time with this busy life. I'm getting back on track

and hope to be back to daily posting over the next

week. For today, two sweet shots of blossoms from

our now gone flowers from our deck. I'm so sad our

blooms have died but am loving the colors we have

this Fall. And look forward to next season's blooms!

Are your flowers all gone too? Is Fall in bloom too?

~ Chy

Vacation Days.

It's 8:45 am in our cottage, and not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse! Today is the first day of my little vacation, which ended up coinciding with everyone else in the house. I'm the only one awake and only because we were originally going to head over to Costco at 8:00 am to pick up more cool items for the next few days. But this bed is too cozy right now to leave, especially as it's cool and quiet. So here I write, while everyone else sleeps. No complaints.

Had a chat with my boss a few weeks ago and vacation days came up. Turns out, everyone else in our hospice is amazing at taking days off, except for her and I. She informed me that I have the most days logged and should start to take them soon. I thought I might have 4 or 5 weeks but was quite shocked to learn that I actually have 10 complete weeks to use up! That's 2.5 months I could take off. But won't, because there is so much work to do right now in settling in to our space and re~opening all our programming. I think I'll take the bulk of it in little chunks, save a big chunk for Winter and use up a bit when we head to the coast for our son's wedding in September. The little chunks I'll centre around long weekends/stat holidays to get a nice rest in. Tomorrow is a stat (Canada Day), so with today, tomorrow and Friday, then the weekend, I have a nice little stretch to be lazy, or in my case, be slightly lazy but get a few things done on my task list! I'll check emails in the morning and late in the day, and my work phone will be off. I may take a few days next week to but if the weather is still so hot, I'm not going to get outside work done. At that point, I'll keep those days for another week when the weather is reasonable and I can work outside. My plan.

Are you good at taking holidays?

Or suck at it like me? Do share ....

Namaste.

~ Chy

Saturday Spins.

Saturday, our busy day. I work so we fit in all the things we need and want to do around my hours. It's a bit crazy but then we have our quiet, just for us, no work Sundays! 

Our wind spinner above. Kind of how Saturdays feel for us. Moving, moving, spinning, spinning. I captured this shot just as it was in the midst of a rotation. We have tons of windy days and nights. Some very scary. Some very worrisome. Yesterday, our tree guy came out and took down trees that are dead and blowing in the wind a bit too much for our liking. I hate losing trees, but a tree falling on our house or our cars would be much more of a headache than having a bit more sky visible in our little forest. Worth the cost and the time. Not looking forward to more storms but at least when they are active, I won't be freaking out that trees will fall down on us. Too many stressors when it's super windy.

Farmer's Market today, then work, then home. No plans for tonight just yet other than if there is no rain, we might have a fire outside. It's super cloudy, so will have to check the forecast and see if we can or if it's going to rain. We hung up our little lights around the Pergola last weekend ~ really want to sit out under the skies with our lights and enjoy some night air around the fire pit, roasting some marshmallows and listening to the crickets and coyotes. 

Hope you have an amazing Saturday! With no wind. With no storms. Just family, friends and fun. 

~ Chy

The List.

Sundays and Mondays are my 2 favorite days of the week. Do you have a favorite? For me, these are my "grounding" days. I accomplish more tasks with renewed energy after a busy week. Technical, Sunday and Monday are my weekend as I work on Saturdays. Sunday is full of adding and crossing of the task list and Monday is the get it done day. 

Today, my list looks like this for this bright Sunday:

1. Research how to kill horse tail weed with no chemicals

2. Plan our menu for the week with what's in the freezer

3. Gather cardboard for creating borders along the grass

4. Put the clean laundry away that is sitting in the basket

5. Work on the veggie patch now that the rain has quit

6. Pull out all the vintage wicker furniture from storage

7. Put the deer mesh around the veggie patch fencing

8. Decide then plant our raspberry canes in a sunny spot

9. Finish writing my letter I started to my U.S. pen pal

10. Enjoy our evening with the next "Big Little Lies" episode

Later, my list will look like this for this upcoming Week:

1. Pack up the preschool before Wednesday for the big reno

2. Work on the Festival planning and attending a meeting

3. Providing support to our baby loss families on Tuesday

4. Festival, Festival, Festival, Festival ~ did I mention Festival?

The Festival is our main focus for the next four weeks, though we also have to get ready for our deck expansion (the same deck guys from last year are back to build the expansion ~ we just need to move the rocks from that area) and we have to finish clearing out the preschool for the reno ~ we're half way there and have volunteers to work with us. It's the Festival that is going to take up all our time now. We power cleaned, purged and sorted out the house (everything back in it's designated spot) and pared down life for now so that we can just concentrate on this huge event we've created for our community. All the little details are now on our task list. The big details are complete. Our big and only concern is ticket sales. We need to sell at least 1,000 tickets for each day (two day event) to meet our budget and anything over that is profit for next year. Tickets are selling but it's slow at the moment. We're told that attendees actually buy closer to to the event, like the week before but this is driving me crazy as we need to know it's solid and we can then enjoy. I'll be a bundle of nerves for the next few weeks! Wish us luck and send blessings for beautiful weather as well. If it could be like today, it would be perfect ....

Do you write to do lists?

What's on your list this week?

~ Chy

Twelve Days Update ....

You may recall I booked off time from work to use up the last of my 2016 holidays. I chose Spring Break and with the weekends in on either side plus my regular days off, I ended up with a total of 12 days to rest, think, create, sort, enjoy and project. I'm back at work now but so happy for this time and thankful for an employer who is so accommodating. I also took time away from the organization I created and continue to do contract work for. Bonus time off so I could truly rejuvenate my body and my soul. Time to see if I tackled my to do list ....

* gather all the documents for our taxes

* set up time with our accountant

* move boxes, then paint the art studio

* paint then reorganize the mud room

* paint then reorganize the laundry room

* paint then reorganize the storage room

* take bottles into the bottle depot

* revise chapters in my book project

* visit with a dear friend next week

* learn how to make a bracelet

* put wicker furniture on veranda

* organize one section of the garage

Looking at the list, you can see I didn't complete it 100%. However, lets review what did happen. Our taxes are ready to go to the accountant but she was away when I called, so now on my Monday to do list is to contact her tomorrow to set up our appointment. So pretty close.

You can see I accomplished lots of reorganizing. I actually went beyond whats on the list. We revamped our dressing room, cleaned out every drawer in the house, took in boxes and bags to the charity shop, and sorted closets. True Spring cleaning! The painting of these spaces didn't happen. However, a ton of painting did take place. Confused? Read on my dear friends.

One of my hopes was to take some time to learn how to chalk paint old furniture and accessories. Not on the list but a task that ended up taking a lot of time that I thoroughly enjoyed. I ended up painting an old hutch for our kitchen nook, two mirrors to hang over our bathroom vanity, a small chair, a plate rack, a high chair, a small vanity and matching bench, a wall shelf and a dresser shelf. On a shopping trip this past week, we picked up the wax to finish each project. I'll be posting pictures once that final step is completed. 

I'm glad I got sidetracked as the chalk painting was so much fun and I feel so excited about finally learning how to refresh old pieces. Maybe in time I'll start to gather pieces to refinish to sell. But for now, it's been fun to go through our stash and remake them over. Hoping the waxing goes well. It's the only part I'm worried about. 

I still have 4 weeks of holidays left. No plans just yet as I'll be coordinating with dh's holidays as well. We're hoping this year to get away for a little break. Since moving to the country, we haven't really felt like we needed a holiday away from here, as it feels like every day is a holiday out here! But it would be great to take some time to explore a tropical or eclectic destination. 

Do you have any upcoming holidays you're planning?

Do you like to use time off for projects or just relaxing?

Twelve Days.

The number of days off of work I

during Spring Break this year: 

And what have I been doing on this

lovely time off? Let me share ....

* organized my office on my last day

* created a "to do" list to work on

* meet with our landscape artist

* meet with our builder and trades

* empty boxes from our art studio

* learn how to make chalk paint

* chalk paint an old hutch and drawers

* learn how to use wax on furniture

* organize master bedroom closet

* chalk paint mirrors and small items

* help daughter buy a new car

* set time with our gate guy

Things on my list to complete still:

* gather all the documents for our taxes

* set up time with our accountant

* move boxes then paint the art studio

* paint then reorganize the mud room

* paint then reorganize the laundry room

* paint them organize the storage room

* take bottles into the bottle depot

* revise chapters in my book project

* visit with a dear friend next week

* learn how to make a bracelet

* put wicker furniture on veranda

* organize one section of the garage

I had 12 items at first, completed those and

added 12 more. A very focused time off but

so productive and I'm so grateful for this

gift. Holidays from 2016, so I still have just

over 4 weeks left to take off for 2017. Love

my boss and my organization. Worth the work.

Did you have time off during Spring Break?

If so, what did you do with your time?

Revisiting My List.

Last Sunday, I promised to do all the tasks below.

All were completed except the last two. It was

too muddy outside to put the wicker away but

it is now safely stored under the veranda for

the winter. And setting up the room for me to

paint took place on Thursday. A blog post will

soon follow to explain our busy week that took

me away from blogging and painting rooms.

* long shower to easy my achy body

* unload the dishwasher from last night

* gather the ingredients to make a pie

* plant our spring bulbs in the warm earth

* send an email to a group I belong to

* create a scrumptious family dinner

* set up the room that I will paint tomorrow

* put the wicker furniture in to storage

Gloomy Sunday.

It was quite a "gloomy Sunday" around here today. The sky was cloudy, even dark at times and we had a few snow flakes that feel, making it feel cold after a couple of weeks of sunshine and melting. We all slept in and lazed about for a while, then tackled a few tasks. Here's my list of accomplishments on this hazy and chilly day: 

*took a long hot shower

*started the laundry

*tidied up around the house

*organized our files

*sent in a book order for our centre

*created the monthly deposit for the bank

*made dinner and did the dishes

*played with the pup and the child

*folded the laundry

*took some small boxes up to the art studio to unpack

*took some boxes of extra tile out to the garage

*moved the lamp in the laundry room 

to sit on top of the water cooler

It was a quiet day, a restful day, a task oriented day but in the end, still gloomy. Maybe we needed a day like today.

How was your day?

Was it a "gloomy Sunday"?

I Tried.

But I failed. 

I was going to write a blog

post today, inspiring and

colorful. However, my

body had other plans. The

sweet picture above does

depict what I ended up doing.

How was your busy day?

Did a nap disrupt your task list?

Falling into bed ....

I'm so tired I'm not even sure I'll hit the bed!! We had a lovely time off during the Christmas Season. Just over two whole weeks. It was heavenly. No phone calls. No emails. No deadlines. No meetings. Nothing at all! Bliss!!

Now we're back to work and life is busy again. A good busy, but still busy. Today, I'm feeling pretty tired as I've been working hard on my extensive "to do" list. Making headway and getting it all done. But it's a lot of work and it's starting to take it's toll. Monday is usually my day off work but that didn't mean it was a day to lay around. Here's what I accomplished today, on my day off:

* Two loads of laundry that normally get done on
the weekend but the washer and dryer
were too busy then.

* Dropped my daughter off for her work day at our centre
and popped in to answer emails and check voice mails.

* Stopped at the hardware store to pick up furnace filters, 

vent filters and a special tool for working on the dollhouse.

* Met two contractors at our income property to 

receive quotes on some work to be done.

* Took off the remainder of the old baseboards, 

door and window trim. Did some sanding.

* Painted one coat on the master bedroom 

and one of the children's bedrooms.

* Moved some donations items to the central 

spot in the house for easier pick up.

* Estimated the amount of paint still 

needed to finish up this big job.

* Stopped at the store for groceries and scored 

an awesome deal on my hair conditioner.

* Stopped at another store and scored an awesome 

deal on my hair color that washes out in time.

* Stopped at the library to pick up a dvd 

and a book on hold that had come in.

* Popped back in to my centre to meet a family 

and converse with my staff on their lunch hour.

* Drove home, stopping to pick up the mail.

* Made a quick lunch and spread out 

my paper work to complete. 

* Afternoon of crunching numbers, making appointments,
filling in the blanks, sending out and responding
to emails and FB posts.

* Dh made dinner, so I did the dishes and 

wiped down the cupboards and counters. 

* Took some time out to cut then glue the driveway for the 

dollhouse. Watched a couple of YouTube videos on 

how to make a wood floor with Popsicle sticks.

* Dyed my hair after a good wash 

and then drying with the blow dryer.

* Cleaned out my work bag, organized receipts 

and gathered my work for tomorrow. 

* Wrote a post for my blog .... oh, that's this task right now!!

How was your day?

Did you have a long "to do" list today?

My Task List ....

 My task list for this month isn't getting

any smaller despite my valiant efforts!

Here's what I need to accomplish before

our upcoming November Break on the 8th:

*call our builder about final construction items

*call our gate guy to give him the go ahead

*visit the granite store to confirm we received

the correct granite ~ a big worry for me

*finalize the arrangements to dh's dad's

burial in the family plot for his cremains

*insure that our documentation is in place

for the upcoming licensing visit for our preschool

*finish up the renos at our other house

*find a suitable and long term renter for the house

*move items from our garage into the storage room

or into the studio so we can park in the garage

*call the gravel guy to come and re~gravel our road

*finish up our charity documents for this year

*get our banking in order now that our build is

almost completed and we can close out credit lines

*finish up the paperwork the at my bereavement

office for fall programming and counselling

Lots to do. Lots to worry about. Lots of deadlines.

But on the 8th of November, all this should be done

and I'll be able to enjoy some much needed down time!

How is your fall task list coming along?

Any big deadlines or worries?

**UPDATE: I have now called our builder and the gate guy.

Pat on the back for me today getting 2 items off my list!!

**UPDATE #2: I visited the granite store today and my

fears were alleviated. We did receive the right granite!!

**UPDATE #3: Finished up all the documentation

for our licensing visit. Now we just need the visit!

**UPDATE #4: Our gravel guy was here today, now

we have to wait for his quote and a date to be made.

I Survived!

My first day back to work went really well. I was ready

& eager to see my dear comrades. Welcomed back with

open arms, my day was productive & affirming. I made

a small list of what I wanted to tackle & loved that it

became smaller throughout the day. With a start time 

of 9:30 a.m. & an end time of 2:30 p.m., it was exactly

the right amount of time. Tomorrow will be the same

time, or maybe even a bit shorter as dd has a field trip

& I'll need to pick her up. I'm happy to be back & so

excited I was able to accomplish so very much today.

How was your Wednesday today?

Did you watch your to do list get smaller?

Julie, Julia & Butter.

 After a busy day of sleeping in, then lounging

in the tub, folding laundry, washing floors,

vacuuming carpets, shredding old documents,

packing boxes, donating items (8 boxes!),

cooking meals & doing our taxes, it was time

to sit back & relax. What did I do with my time?

I snuggled up on the couch & found the movie

"Julie & Julia" just about to start. Quite ironic,

as I had just paid a very lovely .50 cents for a

brand new copy of the book last week when we

stopped in at the charity shop to donate some

items. After unloading our bags in the back,

we went around to the front, where I found this

book, a few tiny crocheted doilies & a small

green tray that matches another I bought a

year ago! I haven't even cracked the book

yet but now that I'm almost finished the

movie, it will be next on my reading list.

If you've seen the movie or read the book,

you'll know that butter is a big part of what

makes french cooking so scrumptious. Last

year, for my birthday, I received the book

"Butter Baked Goods" & lovingly wrapped

it up & packed it away to take out once our

new kitchen is all ready to be "christened"

by cooking our first meals. And butter will

be a big part of our staples list. MMmm!!

Have you seen the movie "Julie & Julia?"

Do you cook or enjoy butter in your meals or baking?

Full day ....

.... that I get to decide what to do with. My list of possibilities is long but I truly only have about 7 hours to play with before I have to go in to provide counseling for a grieving widow. Til then, I plan to:

*pull up the last forms for our taxes so we can print & send. We're getting refunds so no worry about deadlines here.

*input my receipts into my spreadsheet for reimbursement on Thursday, just in time for our holidays at the end of June.

*do our personal banking for June & maybe even July - a busy 2 months coming up & the last thing I want to be doing is worrying about deadlines for payments.

*take in a deposit of cheques & cash for the centre - my administrator usually does this but she's in the city & I have all the money here. Faster for me to do it rather than drive it all the way in to her. 

*box up the brand new printer that is not working to take back to Costco. A really good one but we appear to have chosen the dud in the pile.

*create a press release for our new centre - exciting news that our community needs to know about!

*wash the floors - we have tiny doggy prints gracing the landscape from all the rain on the weekend.

*start to pot all my flowers sitting on the deck in the sun - they are doing well but I need to move them off the deck & spread the color around the yard.

*pull up the rhubarb and the weeds - a big job that we started on the weekend but it kept raining, so we had to keep stopping. Blues skies today so this task should be finally completed.

*mix the organic dirt we bought with some new grass seed to fill in a few dead spots - our grass is looking lush & full, except for a couple of spots that aren't as nice.

Whatever does not get done today, no despair shall incur, as I have tonight off & tomorrow too!! It will feel good to go back to work on Thursday, with all of these completed. Wish me luck!

So what's on your 
to do list for today?