New Project.

We've created a new project

that we hope to launch in the

New Year. I needed some tiny

crotched items and our great

community responded. I'm

beyond thrilled and thankful!

~ Chy

Thanksgiving Dinner.

We had the most amazing dinner with our family and

our neighbors from down the lane. The kids were in

the kitchen and we were all at the dining room table.

Such great conversations, laughter and sad moments

with sharing some tough experiences we've all had

in the last little while. This is how community is built

and now healing can happen. Sharing is caring and we

are fortunate to have such amazing people in our lives!

Thanksgiving.

~ Chy

Lost then Found.

I recently had the experience of losing a very precious item that I had saved for and was so excited when it arrived in our mail one rainy day last year. A set of makeup/travel bags, quilted in my colors, from my favorite designer April Cornell. I used the smaller one for my small stash of make up and kept the other one for trips when I'd need more items in my kit. I brought the smaller bag to our festival in June and kept it tucked away in the bathroom of our trailer we were gifted for the weekend. Typically no one would have gone to the back of the unit, so I was shocked when this item went missing at some point during the festival. We looked everywhere but it didn't appear in our searches. I was gutted but reminded myself that make up is easy to replace and the bag, though cherished by me, was perhaps needed more by someone else. I posted on our volunteer board and received many notes but unfortunately no one had seen it and it was clear it wasn't coming back. 

Last week, when I had a break between activities, just for fun, I went on eBay and could not believe that after a very quick search, I was able to find a brand new, still sealed in the bag from a seller in California. She was lovely and the other day, this package arrived in our mailbox. Inside, the very same bags. A bit of a small miracle. I'll never understand why someone would take from someone else (not my style) but I'm glad this story has a happy ending. 

~ Chy

The Storm.

Weeks after the wildfire in our region,

we finally had a big storm that moved in,

doused the flames, purified the air and

brought back the green to our trees. So

very thankful for the firefighters who

ensured our homes were safe. Bravo!!

~ Chy

 

Thankful Thursday.

I read a post earlier this morning, still tucked in our cozy bed while dh showered and it was titled "Thankful Thursday." But do you think I can find it now! I like to give credit to other bloggers but without finding the post, I am not able to and apologize in advance. I loved the concept though and today am posting what I am thankful for on this hot, muggy day.

Working in a hospice, I am thankful on a daily basis, not just today, for my health. I do have some challenges and work thru these but for the most part, I'm healthy and whole. I'm also grateful for my family's good health and always hope we can get thru this life without the struggles of a body that fails us. On that note, I'm thankful for my family, as goofy as they can get, the underlying theme is always love. You can't ask for anything better, if on days where we frustrate one another. I'm thankful for our cottage, with it's eclectic look and homey vibe. Finally, I'm thankful and eternally grateful for my job ~ there is nothing better than helping others along life's path and to be part of their journey is such an honor. Many people go thru life hating their jobs or at least tolerating their work, so I truly feel blessed to have this amazing position and opportunity. 

You're likely wondering what the food pic is above. Dh and I recently started cooking together. When we first got married, he loved to spoil me with dinners each night. And then once we started our family and I was home for 2 decades, I made most of the meals so they were ready when he came home from work. But once I returned to work and he stayed home with our youngest for 6 years, he went back to cooking. That was almost 18 years ago and he's still the cook! So now we've come full circle and we're now cooking together. Not every meal but for now, on the weekends, when we have more time and can try elaborate new recipes. The one above was super good and actually easy, though I was so worried I was going to burn the sauce. It's a meatball in sauce receipe that is supposed to be better than the Ikea meatballs and sauce. I've never tried Ikea's version but after trying ours, the girls proclaimed that ours were in fact even tastier. Yeah! We found a website called "Natasha's Kitchen" and many of the recipes we've picked out to try are from her site. Looking forward to our new adventures in our little kitchen in the cottage. I'll post some. 

That's it for my "Thankful Thursday" post.

Tell me, what are you thankful for today?

~ Chy

My Morning. Our Night. Thankful.

In the morning, I wake up to the sound

of sweet birds singing. I am so thankful.

At night, we sit on our front veranda and

watch the trees blow in the breeze and

the frog jump across the paths. We watch

the sky change in color. I am so thankful.

~ Chy

Treating my Crew.

Each time we end an 8 week grief program,

I like to treat my truly hard working crew.

 They work so very hard, giving their time

on often cold Saturday mornings to work

with very vulnerable children, teens and

their parents, teaching each about grief.

It may seem like a simple card and a store

bought gift certificate would be not very

personal but I've learned this is one thing

they love and it fits well in our meager

budget. But the real gift is the words I

write for each of them, unique for all and

excitedly received. The gratitude I feel

could never be measured, so this is one

way I can show my appreciation. Their

reactions are priceless and worth the time.

End of a Long Day.

I'm so very thankful that the

sun has set and this day has

come to it's end. It was tough

at times, lovely in between.

And exhausting all around.

Happy it's done. PJ time!!

Tomorrow is a new day and

we have been promised warm

weather and sunny skies. I'm

looking forward to new energy.

How was your day, this fine Monday?

Great? Hard? Blissful? Frustrating?

Thankful.

My father in law had a heart attack last week.

Tomorrow he goes home from the hospital.

He received amazing care & recovered quickly. 

We are all so very thankful for the blessings 

our family has received during this time.

A difficult time that could have been worse.

What are you thankful for today?

Is there something you are struggling with?

On the Mend.

Well our year has certainly started out with

a bit of excitement. My father in law was not

feeling to well on Monday, so his partner was

worried enough that she convinced him to go

to the doctor on Tuesday. Tests were run but

nothing was detected, so they were sent home.

On Saturday, he was pretty sleepy and not

truly himself. She called us, concerned and

then a few hours later, called again but this

time, she was in the ambulance with him. He

was having a difficult time breathing and she

did the right thing. Turns out, last Monday, 

he had a heart attack but no one knew because

he didn't display the classic signs. Now he's

in the cardiac unit of our hospital and being

very well taken care of. Tomorrow, we should

learn if he'll need an angiogram to unblock

his arteries. He's rarely ill,has never been in 

the hospital and he's turning 80 tomorrow!

So thankful today for a great medical system,

caring professionals and a state of the art

heart institute in our back yard. Glad he's

joking around, off the oxygen, no iv and

walking around the unit, anxious to get home.

A busy weekend but all is calm now. 

How was your weekend?

Gratitude.

Hi everyone!

One of my blogging goals this year was to increase the number of followers I have. I'm so excited to see a few more have joined the "follow" team and thank each of you for jumping in to this eclectic blog, full of real life, an occasional tale and pictures depicting the journey of our family.

If you've been here for a while, thanks for hanging on!

If you've just joined in, thanks for connecting to this blog!!

Being Thankful!

Hi everyone!

I am thankful on a daily basis for this life. A loving family, warm home to live in, a vibrant community, health that is not perfect but manageable, a job I love and the freedom to choose in a country that is alive and thriving. Occasionally, I miss a moment and have a bad day and then question life in general. Something always brings me back to the very core of life. And being thankful is always at the top of that very long, well thought out and beautiful list. 

Today, it was a huge wake up call for the thankfulness in my life. Our eldest daughter, with grace and courage, is now formally divorced and the proud single mama of our first born grand baby, Mr. B. He travels down south about once a month to visit his dad. Often it's cancelled but this weekend, the dad was getting married again, so it was important that B attend. Mom and dad meet half way between both communities and the hand off takes place smoothly each time. Today, she was driving back home after picking B up and on the same highway that a huge accident occurred. So large, both big cities sent trauma life helicopters to the scene. In total, 7 people were injured and taken to hospital, some by air and some by ambulance. We realized when we heard the  news that our daughter and grandson were on that highway at that time. Texting and calling netted us silence and we were soon a bundle of nerves. I began to panic and of course, having already lost 2 children, I began to prepare for bad news. Just as I was about to burst with anxiety, we heard the sweetest voice come up the front steps, calling our names! They were finally home, safe and sound, and late, because they had to pass by this tragic accident. Somewhere tonight, families are hurting but I will admit, having done our time, we are so thankful our daughter and grandson were not part of that incident. I hate they have to travel down that road but this is part of life now. I know I'll never get used to it. But today, I'm thankful all is well and our wishes for a safe journey home were answered. Our babies are here, tucked in snugly. It's all I could ever ask for, to have my kids grow to old age!

Were you thankful for something today?