New Years Eve.

After a busy Christmas season, we had quite a quiet but very welcome New Years Eve to ring in 2025. Dh made an amazing pork roast, rubbed with his special mixture, then wrapped in thick maple bacon, with rosemary on top. Not in the photo are the beautiful veggies he also roasted. We've never been big meat eaters ~ we were actually vegetarians for years. But when I became protein malnourished, we added chicken to our diet, and then some pork. I can't tolerate beef but seafood has been helpful as well. I still can't eat very much meat but dh has worked hard to figure out what I can tolerate. This was a new recipe he created and it was beyond amazing. I even had second helpings the next day! He also introduced me to a blueberry gin that was so smooth and bubbly. We ate well this season! So yummy.

For the evening, I spent some time building 1 of 2 dollhouses for our new childcare centre. It was pretty easy to put together. Well made and strong, it should hold up well with our littles in our care. You can't see all the furniture in these shots but the rooms are outfitted quite nicely. With room for adding more in as we grow. I'm hoping everyone will enjoy these new additions to our classroom. I know I did!

I'm excited for 2025. This past year was one filled with growth, healing, new experiences and incredible opportunities. It also, like any year, had moments that were hard, times when I felt we were truly moving backwards, some not pleasant experiences and missed opportunities. But overall, a much better year than 2023, with freedom and a new level of authenticity that was very present in my own little life. 

Wishing you all the best year ever for 2025!

💗 Chy 💗

Our Last Thanksgiving ....

Hi everyone!

Yesterday, we celebrated the last Thanksgiving Dinner that we'll ever have in this house. A year from now, we'll be out in the country, nestled in the forest, but creating new memories in our new space. I'm sad to be leaving here after all these years but excited too for our new adventure. This has been a good home, a safe and warm shelter from the harshness of life outside these walls. A place to be ourselves, a ongoing project of trying out our DIY skills and a haven for our children to be born and sadly, for some of them to die. We'll take with us our memories, our experiences and our gratitude for a lovely place to call home!

It was a relaxing day shared with family. Here's some shots from the warm, fall day that we were gifted from nature: 

Pumpkins, scarecrow and an excited little boy!

Front hall. Warm lights. Vintage butter dish.

Turkey, spicy gravy, cranberry sauce and warm buns.

Veggies, pickles, buns and Thanksgiving crackers!

My family, waiting for my mom to make the salad.

Random shots to fill the space ....

Teapot for gravy, owl butter knife, preschooler's tree and me!

Always so much fun to plan a big meal. We were supposed to be a party of 8 but our dear friend has come down with a nasty flu bug, so we were sad he wasn't present but happy he could stay home to rest and recover. Our menu was roasted turkey, gravy made from the pan drippings, fresh cranberry sauce, veggies in butter and seasoning, mashed potatoes, salad with cucumbers and bacon strips, and warm from the oven butter buns. Mmmmmm! Today, we're slowly simmering the bones for turkey soup. And warm turkey buns to go with the soup. 

The last shots of the day were the sweetest. Top left corner, see the green tea pot? No, we did not have tea during dinner! We had to compromise because I somehow packed our insulated gravy pitcher. Oops!! But truth be told, the tea pot worked really well. Hmmm! You can also nicely see the old but new to us 8 candle holder with pumpkin colored tea light holders. Found at our local charity shop last week, on sale, for a mere $2. Snapped it up and love the glow it provided. In the next shot, you can see my other charity shop find, the vintage butter dish, for another $2. Loved the delicate lacy border. And resting on the dish? My $6 find at Hallmark ~ an owl butter knife. I have a spring one for our Easter dinner and a sweet Christmas one and now, a Thanksgiving knife. Next in the left corner is B's contribution to our special dinner ~ his art project, a colorful tree. Finally, in the bottom right hand corner, my dear husband insisted on a shot of moi. I'm always behind the camera but he wanted to show off my new April Cornell finds ~ a pretty fall dress with a silky underskirt and a lovely new apron we found on our recent trek to the mountains. She is my favorite designer. I love the vintage look and feel of her clothing line and her linens for the home. 

That was our Thanksgiving Dinner, the final in this house. A day of family, love, memories, gratitude and peace. All I could ask for and hope for. It is, in the end, all that matters!!

How do you celebrate Thanksgiving?