Our Sunrise.

Our mornings now are full of

a low, pink sunrise. This shot

was taken looking south across

the back of our property. Pretty.

Fall Garden.

 Still growing. Still green. 

Ready for Spring ....

.... this is my tiny Fall Garden.

I'm loving all the plush green.

I'm sure these will turn brown

once the cold Fall air returns.

Excited to see what my Fall Garden

will look like in the warm Spring.

Before the Snow ....

There is a prediction in the air that

a big snow fall may arrive soon.

We started to stain our veranda last week

and I truly hope that with the warmth we

have this weekend, we can finish off all

the little jobs to be done before it's white.

The veranda has to be done, the windows

need a quick wash, the garage needs a

straighten, the winter tires pulled out and

a few small plants to get in the ground.

As long as the weather holds, we've got

it set to be done before our hockey game

on Sunday afternoon. Then we'll be all

ready for the snow when it does arrive.

Our Winters have been quite nice, with

warmer temperatures and not too much

snow. I hope this one is just as lovely so

we can enjoy time outside in the sun. A

bit of snow is okay, especially around

the holidays, but then I want it to go.

Tuesday Tasks.

Some days it feels like I'll never get my task list done. Landscaping has been a big focus the last few months but it's a tricky one as it moves from list to list. Weather can create havoc some days. Our gate guy is back to day at 3 to weld the holders for the gate and fence pieces on. It looked good the other day as we all checked the forecast. Now it's supposed to rain. Ugh! I started to stain the front veranda yesterday as it was sunny and 18 degrees. An hour in, the sky went black, the wind picked up and I had to quick. Came inside to discover a wind warning had been issued for our region, something that didn't exist hours before. Even had the weather guy baffled. I got one section done and after today, the weather does look good again, so it's back on my new list to finish. I'm proud that almost all of our outdoor work is now complete. Final coat of stain on the veranda, a few more little bushes to plant, then the big garage clean and we'll be all ready for the white stuff to fall.

The list? Each day it changes as I add items on and cross items off. Yesterday I was working from home. Got up, showered got ready, made the bed, out the door by 8 a.m. to drop kids at school. Stopped in at my Centre to retrieve phone messages, made a couple of calls, chatted with my crew, then headed out. Stopped a the grocery store and filled up my wicker basket that has become my shopping basket with dinner items and some fresh fruit. Drove home, put the food away, did a bit of a tidy from breakfast, unloaded the dishwasher and then set out my laptop and phone for the morning. We were expecting to have our freezer delivered between 10:30 and 2:30. There's a whole other post and today, we don't have our freezer so I'll share the story later. It's a funny one, kind of.

Spent the morning finishing up a Power Point for a workshop we have on Thursday and in between, made many phone calls. I'm realizing now I forgot have lunch yesterday but I did snack a bit. Continued on in the afternoon then took a break to meet with the gate guy, plant a little blueberry bush, then worked on the veranda until the weather changed. At that point, dh came home with the kids and we all went in as the wind started to create havoc outside. I made dinner again (wow, I'm getting good at this!) and then we settled in to watch the hockey game while I worked more on my PP and sent out replying emails to all the ones that came in over the afternoon. It was a busy day but all good stuff and I'm thankful my list was much smaller by the end of the day. Today, i have to drop kids off, drive into the Big City to provide counselling to 4 kids at an inner city school, then head to my office to work with my crew on the final prep for the workshop tomorrow, then back to our little hamlet to provide counselling to a family in their home, then pick up kids and head home for what I hope will be a nice quiet evening. No hockey, no meetings, just a kick back, put our feet up night. I love nights where we just get to relax and truly looking forward to this one. Well deserved.

Wishing you a beautiful and colorful Fall day. Thank you for stopping by my little corner of the world.

Tea Words.

A sweet image for the blog world

tonight, sent from a friend to me.

Dinner for Two.

A quick dinner the other night as we worked

to finish up more landscaping before Winter.

Chicken, sweet potatoe, onions, mushrooms, peas

with a sweet sauce to keep it tender and tasty.

Then the best part .... we throw it on top of a little

tossed salad and add a lemon dill dressing. Yum.

Baby Loss Day.

Around the world on October 15th each year, families gather together or in the privacy of their homes, light candles and share their stories to remember sweet babies who have died during pregnancy or anytime after birth. The International Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day is a newer movement and one our family embraces, along with those who belong to our baby loss program. Last week, on October 11th, we were invited to the Legislature to tell our story and to witness our Associate Health Minister sign the declaration for our province. A special day for our special families as they remember their precious babies. It was an honor to be present.

Telling our story is never easy but at the same time, the awareness it brings when each of us who have walked this journey share our experiences for others to learn and for baby loss families to engage. I'm so proud of the families that stand and deliver their words in memory.

The Legislature is a beautiful setting for the signing. I'm always in awe of the architecture and the grandeur of this massive building. The history to get here and the stories that exist inside are truly awe inspiring.

If these walls could talk, oh the stories they could tell. The discussions, the arguments, the laws and even the declarations that have been debated, thrown out, honored and put forward have made our Province an amazing one.

And now this special day. I'm thankful that our Province finally agreed that a declaration for October 15th was in order. It was a lot of work and a lot of people to get to this point. Worth the time and the stories we share.

Solitaire.

Last year was really difficult and I had to

find ways to keep myself calm and focused.

I ended up finding an online version of Solitaire

that became my "go to" tool when I needed a

break from all the thinking and anxiety. I began

to challenge myself with a goal to score under 100.

And I finally did it! Just like getting through a

really crappy year, this felt like a lovely little

achievement for someone who is goal oriented.

And it was and continues to be a great way to

distract myself at times as well as give me a bit

of break when things get tough. Along the way,

a sweet memory or two has popped up of being

at my grandparents house and learning to play

Solitaire with real cards, by hand. I love this

version much better! Fun fact: did you know that

 the game of Solitaire has been around for many

centuries and that it used to be called Patience?