Hello, and welcome to Sunday Sundries Feature for February 14th! Let’s celebrate the work of these four talented artists who tagged their images to #sunday_sundries on Instagram.

Again, I’m amazed at the beautiful and varied images in the gallery, and it’s a thrill and an honour to have you play along! Thank you!

If you get a moment, and want some more eye candy, please visit their galleries and leave some love!

Today is Family Day in Alberta. This holiday celebrates the importance of families and family life to people and their communities. It’s a joy to witness families out and about: skating, tobogganing, skiing, or simply taking a walk.

So today I’m celebrating:

• My family. Even though we are not together today … I love you, and I celebrate you.
• Arriving home safely from our holiday in Arizona.
• The beautiful spring-like weather that we’ve come home to … wowzers … zippity-do-da!
• My Birthday. Hubby took me out for a lovely dinner at Quiessence, a very unique restaurant at the Farm at South Mountain.
• Phone calls from both daughters. Hearing “Happy Birthday” sung by grandchildren. Beautiful presents wrapped with love.

I have so many things to be grateful for.

Have a lovely Monday, and thank you so much for stopping by ♥

 

 

Hello, and welcome to Sunday Sundries Feature for February 6th! Let’s celebrate the work of these four talented artists who tagged their images to #sunday_sundries on Instagram.

If you get a moment and want some eye candy, please visit their galleries and leave some love! I’m blown away by the beautiful and varied styles in the gallery, and when four different images come together to make a cohesive grid, well, it is such a thrill! Thank you to all who play along!

So what else am I celebrating this week?

• The arrival of the lovely month of February! Did you get my free word art? if not, check it out here.
• Roses, hyacinths, hydrangeas, tulips … in abundance! We don’t get flowers like this in Alberta at this time of year.
• Re-discovering a beautiful old table. When we first bought our condo, we furnished it with an eclectic mix of furniture and I’d sorta, kinda forgot how completely gorgeous this table is. I’ve been using it all week on my Instagram shots.
• Using my Christmas gift certificate at Anthropologie. I bought a very spring”y” vase … I think I’m going to be in a bit of shock when I get back home to Alberta to find it’s still winter … argh … .
• Trader Joes for those aforementioned flowers. I love going there. You walk in the door, the sun is shining, and there are flowers everywhere.
• Receiving my “Living Artfully” book from Amazon.

So that’s it for me … thank you for stopping by and I hope you’re having a wonderful weekend!

Day 6 of blogging every day in February.

Hello, and welcome to Sunday Sundries and the last four features for January.

As busy and wonderful as January has been, I’m really looking forward to February. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I’ve challenged myself to blog every day. Right now I feel pumped … but, umm … yeah … I’m certain as time goes by, I will have a few moments where I’m struggling.

But for now, let’s celebrate the work of these four talented artists who tagged their images to #sunday_sundries on Instagram. If you get a moment and want some eye candy, please visit their galleries and leave some love!

What else am I celebrating this week for Sunday Sundries?

• Our vacation home in Arizona. It’s so nice to have your own place to go to … it’s a home away from home.
• The abundance of fresh flowers here in Arizona … I know I can find flowers in Alberta, but they are mucho expensive, and somehow not as interesting (at the moment, in the dead of winter).
• Being outside, going for walks, sitting on our sunny deck.
• Having coffee at our favourite coffee shop.
• Searching for treasures at garage sales.

Well, that’s it for today. I’m looking forward to a delicious roast chicken dinner and a quiet evening to recharge my batteries. I’ll be back tomorrow.

I hope you are having a wonderful weekend!

Hello, and welcome to Sunday Sundries once again. I’m happy you stopped by.

Oh my gosh, it’s January 24th and it’s above zero.

Snow is melting off the roof and running out the downspouts. Well, it’s just a drip, but I’ll take it. Yes, I know it’s not going to last, but I don’t let that get me down.

I have a window open in my office, and I can hear skidoos tearing around on the lake. Everyone is soaking it up. My apologies to those of you experiencing bad weather … but we must celebrate and appreciate our little pleasures up north here.

So, now I’m pleased to be able to share these four beautiful images with you today. They were all tagged to #sunday_sundries or #sundaysundries on Instagram.

I love the vintage handwriting theme, the simple and clean shape of the pottery and wire basket, the humble yet elegant table setting, and the soft pink of the flowers and grey scissors placed so carefully on scripted paper. I am so grateful to all who play along, and if you get a chance, please check out the galleries of these amazing artists … seriously, my heart skips a beat when I see a beautiful image …

So what am I celebrating this week?

• Well, I came home from our travels with a case of the flu (not good), but I’m celebrating the fact that I have a big, soft, safe, warm bed to go to each night. I slept about 12 hrs/day, each day, since we’ve been home.
• I’m better now :)
• Vicks vapo-rup (yes, I still use that stuff.) Sinutab. Kleenex :)
• Did I mention that I’m better now?
• Receiving a lovely gift from Katherine Dorrington who lives in Australia. I was featured in her #fridayfaffingcompetition on IG.
• It’s still light here at 5:00pm … not bright, but light … it’s very encouraging. I think more than anything it’s the darkness of winter that gets to me. The snow is still a good thing at the moment, however that changes come March.

So that’s it for my Sunday Sundries. I have a Blogging Bits and Bytes newsletter in the works and am looking forward to carrying that forward into 2016. I hope you continue to participate.

xo

Hello, and welcome to Sunday Sundries! I’m here to ramble on about my week, it helps me be grateful and to “celebrate” all the small (and large) extraordinary moments in my life.

Today I have four features from the gallery. I am loving the drama today! If you get a moment, pop by and leave some love for these talented artists!

What else am I celebrating?

• Dried peonies to appreciate and play with during the cold winter month of January when affordable, fresh flowers are less than inspiring.
• Travelling with hubby on business trips.
• Staying at the Banff Springs Hotel, in a room with an astonishing view.
• Dinner with hubby at Castello Ristorante.
• Afternoon (High) Tea at the Banff Springs Hotel.
• A relaxing evening at home before taking off on our next trip!
• Safe travels to Quebec.
• Staying in the beautiful Manoir Rouville-Campbell in Mont-Saint-Hilaire with a view of the Richelieu River.
• A beautiful Christmas party with wonderful people. Incredible food. Incredible music. Dancing (yes, me dancing … it was fun … wait … did I really point my finger to the ceiling? no … not … I must have dreamt that …).
• Now we’re downtown Montreal and getting ready to go out for another dinner.

I’ll be looking forward to falling into bed tonight.

I hope you had a wonderful week as well! Thank you so much for stopping by!

 

 

Hello, and welcome to Sunday Sundries! I’m here to ramble on about my week, it helps me be grateful and to “celebrate” all the small (and large) extraordinary moments in my life.

I’m reluctant to let go of my word for 2015, which was/is celebrate. Hmmm… I wonder if a person can have two words? Well, I think a person can do whatever they want don’t you? and I may just keep my word and add another one … or maybe even more! and perhaps even another quote #whythehecknot?

I can’t believe it’s been a year since I started Sunday Sundries (January 11, 2015.) At first it was a link-up here on my blog, but it gradually migrated to Instagram. You can visit the gallery here #sunday_sundries.

So, here are my (8) features this week. Please help me celebrate the work of these talented artists:

Gah! so much gorgeousness in the gallery … I can’t stand it! If you’d like to play along on Instagram, simply tag your own images (old and new) to #sunday_sundries @keepingwiththetimes, I’d love to see you there!

This week I’m also celebrating:

• The Paperwhites I planted back in December. They are truly a wonderful thing to see on a cold, snowy, foggy day in January.
• Arriving home safely before the aforementioned snow and fog set in.
• Candles.
• Evening light. Morning Light.
• The few plants that have survived since I brought them in last fall.
• Finding the perfect rug at Pottery Barn … a rug was on my wish list, and happened to be super sale priced as well.
• Turning the television off and reading by a roaring fire. Bliss. Speaking of good books, have you read You Before Me by JoJo Moyes? Truly a great read (but remember to have the tissues handy.)
• Soft fluffy snow. Hoar frost.
• Finding the perfect outfit to wear to the hub’s Christmas party (yes it’s in January.)
• Date night at the movies. We went and saw Joy with Jennifer Lawrence. It’s not earth-shattering but was fun, and has an amazing and notable cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Bradley Cooper, and Isabella Rosselini.

OK! I think I’ve rambled on enough. Thank you for stopping by, and have a wonderful day!

Hello, and welcome to Sunday Sundries Feature for January 3rd!

#sunday_sundries is back after a scheduled break during the holidays … with so much on the go I gave myself the gift of simply enjoying the images in the gallery. Many mornings I sat by the light of the Christmas tree, hot coffee in hand, just browsing and enjoying.

Today I have two grids for a couple of reasons, first I want to catch up, and secondly I accidentally discovered that some people use the hashtag without the underscore … so technically there are two galleries #sunday_sundries and #sundaysundries.

In the beginning I chose to use the underscore because someone had already used the hashtag without the underscore … argh … so last week I went in and executed a takeover … tagging past features to the new hashtag, as well as some of my images. I feel like a boss now ;).

So, please help me celebrate the work of these talented artists:

 

… and now, from the takeover gallery ;)

Thanks to all who play along with Sunday Sundries! I appreciate it so much!

So what am I celebrating this week? Well, almost too much to mention …

• An amazing Christmas spent with our whole family.
• Our warm and cozy home, and that it holds all of us so comfortably and safely.
• Winter fun and games: skating, tobogganing, hockey, walks, cards, and sitting by a roaring fire.
• We had lots of snow, but no severe weather (which makes for safer travels.)
• Food. Delicious, homemade food. Some made by me, the rest by my daughters (with help from their loves.)
• My hubby who helps keeps the kitchen in tip top shape, day after day, even as I sometimes vanish to the bedroom to shower and clean up.
• Watching our grandchildren on Christmas morning. Watching them play. Watching them making memories with their cousins. They are all so innocent … it makes our hearts burst.
• Getting back to normal ;) cleaning, organizing, purging.
• A quiet New Years Eve, just the hubs and I.
• A brand new year to look forward to.

Thank you for stopping by! Have a wonderful day!

Hello, and welcome to Sunday Sundries Features for December 20!  Thank you to all who tag their images to #sunday_sundries @keepingwiththetimes. I so appreciate you sharing your beautiful images.

So, here are my four features for #sunday_sundries December 20 … so many amazing images in the gallery … please congratulate the following artists:

So what am I celebrating this week?

• YOU. My loyal readers xoxo.
• Instagram for the inspiration and the beautiful community, as well as the fact that by posting there every day I’m documenting the moments of my life.
• Getting my Christmas shopping all finished up! Yay!
• Talking to our grandson on his birthday.
• Dinner with friends.

This will be the last Sunday Sundries until January 3rd, 2016, but please keep tagging your images on Instagram throughout the holidays (thank you!)

The winner of the Bella Grace magazine giveaway is the lovely Ann Davis. You can find her on Instagram at @annld60 and you should also check out her amazing Steller account @annld60! Congratulations Ann! and thank you Stampington & Company and Bella Grace magazine for sponsoring the giveaway.

PS: If you use Lightroom, you may be interested in the free template download I posted yesterday.

Hello, and welcome to Sunday Sundries! I’m here once again to ramble on about my week … a busy one as usual … .

But first, here are my four features for #sunday_sundries … so much beauty in the gallery again! Golden stars, delicious (and strong-looking) coffee, delicate wildflowers, and silvery-green packages all made my heart sing!  Many congratulations to these four artists and thank you all for tagging to the gallery.

So what else am I celebrating this week?

• Getting dozens of perogies made and in the freezer (ready for Christmas Eve.)
• Making a trip to town for groceries before the snow arrived.
• The beautiful, white wonderland we’ve been living in for over a week. It’s amazing.
• Rediscovering old, but loved Christmas ornaments.
• My new dining room blinds and the hubby who installed them so perfectly.
• Being published in Bella Grace, and Stampington & Company sponsoring a giveaway of one copy! Have you entered yet? Check it out here (contest closes soon).
• Safe travels late at night … arriving home safely.

Thank you so much for stopping by today!

Hello, and welcome to Sunday Sundries! I’m here to ramble on about my week, it helps me be grateful and to “celebrate” all the small (and large) extraordinary moments in my life.

But first, here are my four features for #sunday_sundries … so much beauty in the gallery again! It’s really hard to choose four images … argh … but here goes!

Please help me celebrate the amazing work of these four talented artists:

What else am I celebrating this week?

• Making Pyrizhky, and getting it in the freezer, ready for Christmas Eve dinner.
• Taking a chance on a new stylist and ending up with the best haircut I’ve had in years!
• Taking another chance and having “low-lights” put in my hair … which I love.
• Getting some Christmas shopping done.
• Lattes. Italian lattes.
• Walking … with friends, or alone. There’s nothing better for clearing the head.
• Charlie Brown Christmas trees … .
• Naked cakes … I made one for a friend and what a hit it was! I’ll be sharing that later … .
• Dinner with friends.
• Quiet evenings at home with hubby.

Hope you all had a wonderful Sunday. Thank you for stopping by.

Hello, and welcome to Sunday Sundries! I’m here to ramble on about my week, it helps me be grateful and to “celebrate” all the small (and large) extraordinary moments in my life.

Another week has disappeared and we’re heading straight into December … it’s a beautiful month full of moments to celebrate and I plan to fill it with preparations for our family Christmas at the lake.

I’m very excited the hubs and I are hosting this year so I’m going all out! A full-on Ukrainian dinner for Christmas Eve is in the works. I’m starting Monday by making Pyrizhky … oh, my … uh oh, I better set up a schedule for walking every day next month :)

But for now, here are my four features for #sunday_sundries … so much beauty in the gallery again! It’s really hard to choose four images … argh … but here goes!

Please help me celebrate the amazing work of these four talented artists:

So what else am I celebrating this week?

• I have to say the #1 thing I’m celebrating is the fact I’ve (almost) made it through National Blog Posting Month. After tomorrow I will have posted every day for the month of November. Big Giant “Whew”!!
• Snow! Yes, I love snow this time of year. It makes everything look so fresh and clean … plus it really puts a person in the mood for decorating and baking.
• Stepping outside for a walk and hearing coyotes yipping back and forth. Looking up and seeing a bald eagle. Hearing the twitter of cedar waxwings.
• Packages in the mail! I won a little gift from Somerset Studios. When you subscribe to their newsletter and then open that newsletter, you are automatically entered in a draw … which I won. How fun! You can check out their newsletter here.
• Cute new curtains in the dining room.
• A husband who comes home and helps finish the curtains task by a) removing old brackets, and b) helping me order new blinds. I’m hoping they arrive before Christmas … but they may not.
• Fresh (affordable) evergreen bunches available in stores right now.
• Instagram inspiration.

Thank you so much for dropping by Sunday Sundries today!

Tomorrow is the last day for NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month) on BlogHer.com where bloggers committed to post every single day this month! Woo Hoo! I’ll have a recap and a few tips on how I survived … .

Day 29 #nablopomo

 

Hello, and welcome to Sunday Sundries! I’m here to ramble on about my week, it helps me be grateful and to “celebrate” all the small (and large) extraordinary moments in my life.

But first, here are my four features for #sunday_sundries … I love all the wonderful fruits, foraged pine cones, cups of tea, old baking tins and splattered cookbooks! Absolutely delightful! Thank you to all who tagged your images! Please remember to visit these galleries and leave some love! and don’t forget you can tag to #sunday_sundries @keepingwiththetimes all week!

So what else am I celebrating? So many wonderful things!

• A weekend spent with our entire family. I’ve missed them all so much … we aren’t so far apart that this couldn’t happen more often, but everyone seems to be going in different directions at all times. Next up: Christmas together! Yay!
• Good food. Homemade food. Amazing food.
• Christmas craft markets. Finding fresh greens and cute ornaments.
• A walk through a most amazing forest right in the middle of a major city.
• Driving on good roads and arriving home safely (ahead of a nasty winter storm that’s predicted).
• A carload of supplies for baking, crafting, and decorating.
• Friends that call and wonder where you are!

My Sunday Sundries was a bit scattered this week – but I made it and I thank you for stopping by!

xo

My Word for 2015 is “celebrate” and that’s how Sunday Sundries came about. I wanted this year to be a celebration.

However, at first I had a little trouble with the word “celebrate” because quite frankly there are some things about this world that just do not deserve to be celebrated. So I wondered, how could I make this work?

I thought maybe a quote would help, so I started searching for something that I could relate to, something that would give me “permission” to celebrate, and I found this by Tom Peters:

celebrate what you want to see more of
~Tom Peters~

I’m thinking I may carry this word on into 2016 … .

I started a linkup here on my blog for people to share their celebrations, but as things changed (they always do), it migrated to Instagram at #sunday_sundries. So once again, please help me celebrate the work of these talented artists:

 

So what else am I celebrating this week?

• Small, quiet moments, sipping tea, and playing with leaves.
• Safe travels.
• Falling into a big soft bed at 2:30 am after a looong day.
• Twinkly lights.
• A skiff of snow, signalling it’s time to stay indoors, drink tea, and sit by the fire.

Here’s to a quiet and peaceful Sunday.

Day 15 #nablopomo

 

Hello, and welcome to Sunday Sundries! I’m here to ramble on about my week, it helps me be grateful and to “celebrate” all the small (and large) extraordinary moments in my life.

But first, here are my four features from #sunday_sundries on Instagram.

I’m continually blown away by the talent in that gallery! Today we have grey pumpkins, yummy golden pancakes, bright autumn leaves, and stunning corrugated metal siding … I swoon, I tell ya! oh, and the light in all of these images … oh my … .

So please help me celebrate the art of these amazing artists, and talented IG’rs!

A huge thank you to everyone who tags their beautiful images to #sunday_sundries! There are lots of hashtags out there and I am so grateful for the opportunity to celebrate your art!

So what else am I celebrating this week?

• Our little holiday home in Arizona that helps us get away from the harshest parts of winter up north (right now we’re on a bit of a vacation even though the weather at home has been gorgeous.)
• I wasn’t ready to leave autumn as we left Alberta, so we took a trip to Mount Lemmon near Tucson, and found autumn right here. Let me tell you, it’s stunning and I have a post coming on that later.
• Having coffee with the hubs in our favourite coffee shop, Mountain View Coffee in Fountain Hills … after 4 years we’re considered regulars, and it’s a very cool feeling to be welcomed there! Oh, and they make the best latte’s!
• Dinner at Marcellino Ristorante in Old Town Scottsdale. Oh.my.good.heavens. the pasta was seriously to-die-for. It’s made fresh every day. I wanted the espresso infused fettuccine but I felt it would keep me up all night … I wonder if they serve breakfast? hmmm …
• Shopping and browsing (nothing serious) at Kierland Commons on a warm, sunny November day in Arizona. It’s a dream. I spent a ton of time in The Pottery Barn, oohhing and ahhing and dreaming … oh I wanted the white marble table but no … I came out with “the worlds’ best potato masher” a few place card holders, a lot of inspiration, and I was happy.

I’m also grateful that Xanthe and Kim alerted me to #nablopomo (blogging every day in November). It’s not easy to keep up, but some amazing things have already come of it. I started a series on my trip to Rivers, Manitoba for Finding Stillness 2015, and you can check it out here and here. I hadn’t blogged about that at all yet … I don’t know why … but perhaps #nablopomo has opened some floodgates!

So, before I sign off I want to remind you enter the draw (if you haven’t already) for a chance to win a copy of Artful Blogging! Draw to be made November 10th and everyone is welcome!

Thank you so much for dropping by and have a wonderful day!

Barb

xo

Day 8 #nablopomo

Hello, and welcome to Sunday Sundries! I’m here to ramble on about my week, it helps me be grateful and to “celebrate” all the small (and large) extraordinary moments in my life.

But first, here are my four features from #sunday_sundries on Instagram.  I see a recurring theme … autumn of course, and a little bit of Halloween, but also seeds! which didn’t register until I saw this grid – how fun! Please help me celebrate the art of these talented IG’rs!

It’s been a busy week once again. I spent a lot of time cleaning and organizing my house. I brought the remainder of my plants indoors for the winter. I roasted and froze pumpkin and squash, as well as apple crisps and sauces to bring out on the up-coming dark winter days. Totally satisfying.

The time change is upon us where I live. The sun sets at 5:01 pm and there’s no use grouching about it. It just means I have to be more organized when it comes to photography. I start shooting earlier in the day or else … .

So what more could I be celebrating? well …

• Having my photo featured by @anthropologie. I tell you I was am flabbergasted … and I keep going back to their feed to see if it really happened … it did. Big Magic (Elizabeth Gilbert).
• Having my photo featured by @teavanatea … seriously … wha???
• Having the opportunity to co-host a new hashtag on Instagram with Kim Klassen #stillswithstories … another gift
• Warm autumn days, homemade soup, tea, photography … life …

And then … having my blog featured in Artful Blogging. I could hardly believe it to be true until yesterday when I held a copy of it in my hands. Yes, my story is there. My photographs are there. I.can’t.even. So to celebrate this happy moment, I’m going to be giving away one copy to one lovely reader. Watch the blog for details … .

Thank you so much for stopping by! Happy Sunday! I appreciate each and every one of you.

Barb

Hello, and welcome to Sunday Sundries! I’m here to ramble on about my week, it helps me be grateful and to “celebrate” all the small (and large) extraordinary moments in my life.

Another week has come and gone, and each and every day was sunny and warm with no frost. It’s a bit unusual for October … I was having a bath with the windows open … tmi? oh well, I thought it was something to celebrate! I believe next week we are about to get some frost, and maybe even wet snow … so grateful it held off this long.

As I was going through the #sunday_sundries gallery I was actually talking out loud. Oh wow! Oh my! Gah! so many stunning images … how to choose … but I had to, and here they are. Please help me celebrate the work of these talented artists:

What else am I celebrating this week?

• Crossing items off my “to-do” list.
• Walking with friends.
• A solitary walk along a country road on a warm October afternoon.
• A day spent with friends shopping and having lunch.
• Pretty cups, bowls, linens, and pillows … as well as huge end-of-season sales where everything is 1/3 the original price.
• Autumn leaves. I found some real beauties in the parking lot at Costco … they were fluttering down right in front of me.
• The abundance of squash, pumpkin, and root vegetables at this time of year.
• A bowl of hot soup on a crisp October day.
• Apps that get updated regularly and keep my blog running smoothly.
• Autosave in WordPress. Whew! I would have lost an entire post if not for that feature.

So that’s it for me, I’ve had a whirlwind of a day and it’s time to relax.

I hope you had a wonderful Sunday, and thank you for dropping by!

Mosaic Monday at Lavender Cottage

Hello, and welcome to Sunday Sundries! I’m here to ramble on about my week, it helps me be grateful and to “celebrate” all the small (and large) extraordinary moments in my life.

It’s Sunday evening and we just cleaned up some leftovers from our (final) dinner party which hubby and I threw last night. I have to tell you, the single most bestest thing I’m celebrating today is the fact that our dinner party obligation is over.

You see, we’ve been participating in a themed dinner with 3 – 4 other couples for 24 years … with a total of 76 dinners. Is that not amazing!? There’s a lot of history between us and it was hard to be the first couple to leave the group, but for me especially, it was time … and we ended on a wonderful note.  And I feel so.so.good. And I’m exhausted, so if this post doesn’t make sense, that would be why.

So, before I fall off my chair, on to the task at hand: #sunday_sundries. If you’re on IG, please tag your images to play along – I’d love to have you!

The gallery is bursting with beauty this week and these four muted and warm images kept calling to me. Tea, white pumpkins, worn books, old photos, dinnerware and yarn … if that’s not warm and fuzzy, I don’t know what is!

So please help me celebrate the beauty created by these four talented artists:

Again, I’m humbled and grateful that you share your images with me, thank you so much!

So what else am I celebrating?

• Slow Sundays where all a person has to do is get out of bed, eat breakfast, then wander around outside soaking up a perfect autumn day.
• Tea and a light lunch on the deck.
• Two hour naps.
• Not having to cook. Leftovers for dinner. Turning the lights off in the kitchen at 6:30pm.
• The absolute quietness and peace surrounding me as evening turns into night.
• Peonies in October … but more on that later in the week … .

I am now about to lay down on the sofa, and from there, my bed … .

Good night, and thank you for stopping by!

Hello, and welcome to Sunday Sundries! I’m here to ramble on about my week, it helps me be grateful and to “celebrate” all the small (and large) extraordinary moments in my life.

Today is Thanksgiving in Canada and I’ll share more about that after my Sunday Sundries feature … so many gorgeous images to choose from and I’m so grateful and humbled by the people who share. Thank you all so much!

So please help me celebrate the work of these four talented artists! I was captivated by the colours, textures, and light in these beautiful images:

To see more, please check #sunday_sundries … you won’t be disappointed!

Last week I was dazzled by our colourful autumn display, but this week, not so much. A wind of ginormous proportions visited our area and blew leaves off trees like rain. Today it’s calm, but we’re staring at bare branches. Bare grey branches that we’re going to be staring at for almost 8 months. But you know what? I still see beauty. Sunrise cast a reddish golden glow over the lake this morning and I was able to see more of it because of the very absence of those leaves (talk about being positive, right?) But really, I mean it.

There’s a coziness in the air. Last night we listened to geese honking, coyotes yipping, and grasses rustling (as we ate our yummy Thanksgiving pumpkin pie.)

What else am I celebrating?

• My family. Even though our daughters (and families) weren’t here this Thanksgiving, they were definitely here in (our) hearts.
• Being outside, cleaning up the yard, cutting grass, and washing windows on a very warm autumn day.
• The sweet smell of wood smoke drifting through the air as people burn trimmed branches and fallen trees.
• The quietness, the stillness, that falls over the lake in October.
• A comforting turkey dinner.
• Pumpkin pie.
• All of you who visit, read, comment, and encourage me on my blogging adventures. I appreciate everyone so much – thank you!

Hello, and welcome to Sunday Sundries! I’m here to ramble on about my week, it helps me be grateful and to “celebrate” all the small (and large) extraordinary moments in my life.

I truly hope you’ve had a wonderful week, and am honoured that you’ve stopped by my blog today.

I tell you I have such a hard time choosing only four images to feature from my hashtag #sunday_sundries … oh. my. there is some seriously gorgeous stuff in there, and I’m so grateful to all who share!

Please help me celebrate the beautiful images of these four talented artists:

From vintage photos to dancing scissors to dried flowers in enamelware to October literally spelled out … I love! Love! Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful art @ehpyle @mozsas @annld60 @aalmadr and thank you to everyone who tagged their images! I am so honoured that you do!

So what else am I celebrating this week?

• Our healthcare system … I’m so glad it’s there for us.
• Our house in the city, and our house in the country.
• Supportive bloggers.
• A dentist who fixes what needs to be fixed in a confident and quick manner, and who doesn’t overcharge.
• A hubby who spends a Sunday helping clean up my garden, and organizes a compost system.
• Beautiful, stunning autumn days … beyond description, really.
• Our little store in the country, and the lovely owners who take the time to chat.
• A cute grey sweater and scarf set (found at said store.)
• Inspirational books.
• Receiving photos of grandchildren.

So that’s it for me today. I hope you had many moments to celebrate this past week!

 

 

Hello, and welcome to Sunday Sundries! I’m here to ramble on about my week, it helps me be grateful and to “celebrate” all the small (and large) extraordinary moments in my life.

I truly hope you’ve had a wonderful week, and am honoured that you’ve stopped by my blog today.

The past week for me was a.ma.zing, but there’s so much I have to think about before writing anything. I just returned from 5 days in Rivers, Manitoba, Canada where I attended Finding Stillness 2015 with Kim Klassen in her new studio. Xanthe Berkeley joined Kim to help host the 3-day retreat focused on styling, shooting, and editing still lifes. If you care to have a peek at the goings on, check out #findingstillness2015 on IG.

Today, I want to share four images from my own hashtag #sunday_sundries in which I invite people to share their everyday celebrations. I have such a difficult time choosing only four to feature because they are all pure gorgeousness. However, it must be done, and here they are! Please help me celebrate the light-filled, and autumnal images of these amazing artists:

So what else am I celebrating this week?

• Having the privilege of attending Finding Stillness.
• The 10 beautiful souls with whom I was able to share that most amazing experience.
• Returning home to find our trees are at the peak of their autumn glory … I was a bit worried the show would be over … because that’s how fast it goes here.
• The fact that I just have so much to celebrate!

Have a wonderful day!

 

Hello, and welcome to Sunday Sundries! I’m here to ramble on about my week, it helps me be grateful and to “celebrate” all the small (and large) extraordinary moments in my life. I hope you’ve had a wonderful week. Mine was beautiful, with one little bump :( which I’ll get to later … .

But first, some amazing art from four talented IG’rs. I’m choosing solely from IG, as explained in my last Sunday Sundries.

Other things I’m celebrating are:

• Confirmation that I am going to be published in the upcoming winter issue of Artful Blogging! Honest-to-goodness, could I be any more thrilled? I think not.
• Autumn leaves.
• An orchard full of apples literally falling into my bucket!
• A bit of rain. Warm temperatures. Sunshine.
• Silence. Stillness.
• A stylest that cuts my hair just the way I want it.
• Finding casual, comfy, flattering clothes at a reasonable price.

One of the things I treasure most is silence. I’ve always known this, and sometimes it’s to the dismay of my poor husband who has to either keep the TV volume down or wear headphones when watching his shows. I just cannot take noise. I even have the most silent fridge on the market.

So imagine my dismay when some people (who I don’t know) set up what must have been gigantic speakers on a lot nearby and proceeded to pound out some very strange music for hours and hours … from 4:00pm to 3:00am. But wait … it started up again the next day at noon and slowly got louder and louder until 11:00pm at which time I think they turned it down a bit. I don’t know … hubby went to bed with earplugs, and I went to the basement … arghh.

But in the midst of it all, I found relief here and there. One moment occurred when I gathered together some apples, my big wooden vintage bowl, a journal, a pen, and the latest issue of Bella Grace. After I had photographed my little scene, I sat down and read an article by Misa Terral of wanderwonderdiscover.com which really spoke to me. She said “silence has a gift in its stillness, the willingness to amplify the immeasurable things.”

I ask you, in the midst of heart pounding noise and distraction, how can you appreciate the perfect light falling softly on the flowers lingering in your autumnal garden? How can you process the heady scent of apples ripening in a bowl on your kitchen table?

Truly … I can’t, and I think a soft breeze must have blown the offensive noise in another direction as I composed this still, because at this moment I was feeling quite peaceful.

It’s quiet now, and hopefully will stay that way … thank you so much for dropping by!

Hello, and welcome to Sunday Sundries! I’m here to ramble on about my week, it helps me be grateful and to “celebrate” all the small (and large) extraordinary moments in my life. It all began with My Word for 2015, and it has served me so well this year, I may take it into 2016.

When I started Sunday Sundries, I envisioned people linking blog posts, or IG photos, or Flickr photos here on my blog … but that hasn’t happened.

Ninety-nine percent use Instagram only … so I’ve decided to go with it. Blogging (for me) is about learning, and growing, and seeing where it takes me … however, I will have to say that lately I’ve felt a bit more challenged with the changes, but I’m working on it … oh, have you signed up for Blogging Bits and Bytes? It’s a free course where I hope to inspire you to love blogging as much as I do. It starts September 29th.

It’s extremely hard to choose four images to feature, but I realized it was something I had to do … people were expecting it! So here are four favourites posted to #sunday_sundries … I think I’m trying to hold on to summer … please help me celebrate the work of these four talented artists:

So what else am I celebrating?

Well, last week as I was sipping my coffee and slowly reading (savouring) my Bella Grace Magazine, I thought to myself what if I turned a page and found one of my own photos? It was just a thought … a dream-filled thought … but imagine my shock when I did see one!

I swear this is the absolute truth, I did not know it was there. Last summer I tagged a photo of my peonies to #bellagracemagazine @bellagracemagazine and then forgot about it … but anyway, now I’m bursting … bursting … and I plan to submit more to this amazing magazine. I also encourage you to dream your own dream and follow it! It may sound cliche … but it works!

I’m also celebrating:

• Our amazing, memorable trip through the Canadian Rockies. I’ve written two posts about it and there’s more to come.
• Emerald Lake Lodge … ’nuff said.
• Arriving back home to find we had received 2 inches of rain.
• The fresh new blooms in my garden as a result of that rain.
• Autumn is around the corner, and our trees are turning colour.

Thank you so much for stopping by, and have a wonderful week!

This is the last Sunday Sundries for August! I can hardly believe we’re heading into September … but I seem to be saying something similar at the end of each month … “I can hardly believe it’s such and such …”

Today I’m featuring four images posted to the hashtag #sunday_sundries on Instagram. Please help me celebrate the art of these talented people!

I would love for you to play along! You don’t have to be on Instagram (altho it’s a ton-o-fun). Link images from your blog, Flickr, or simply leave a comment as to what you’re celebrating from the past week.

I have so much to celebrate this week! Even though I hurt my back (again), and spent a few days in pain, I continually thought about all the amazing things in my life. So … I’m celebrating:

• I had some prescription pain meds left over from the last time I hurt my back (two years ago) and it worked beautifully. It made the difference between being bed-ridden and sitting up on the sofa working on my computer.
• My new glasses … I started wearing progressives 4 years ago and I basically hated them … but now I have new and improved progressives. I’ve been wearing them non-stop for 4 days … and I can see! It takes some getting used to, but I’m determined this time.
• Discovering Steller Stories (thanks Kim Klassen!) Oh, and my username is BBrookbank, if you care to have a look at my latest story.
• Dolgo crabapples.
• Chokecherries.
• Abyssinian Gladiolus … a most beautiful autumn-blooming treasure.
• The amazing response to “Blogging Bits and Bytes” … if you’re a blogger, or are thinking about starting a blog, you might want to take a peek!

So what are you celebrating? Please share!

Hello, and welcome to Sunday Sundries! I’m here to ramble on about my week, it helps me be grateful and to “celebrate” all the small (and large) extraordinary moments in my life.

As the last part of August is upon us, I’m loving the quiet foggy mornings, the warm sunny days, and the cool evenings.

There’s a hint of (you know what) in the air, and yet everything is still green, except for some of the wayside wildflowers …

… for some reason I adore this plant (although I don’t know what it is.) Growing sparsely in ditches, it reminds me of a tumbleweed, although I’ve never seen one tumbling around. For now, it’s a mystery left for me to solve … or not.

Next … the beautiful and abundant tansy, another wayside find:

Today has been so slow … we had a late night last night, and I’ve basically been putting one foot in front of the other today … waiting for bedtime … I think I’ll simply celebrate a good sleep tonight!

Are you celebrating anything?

Good morning … Sunday Sundries on Monday? What’s that? Well, it boils down to some poor planning on my part. Oh, I could blame it on the fact that there was no internet, or that we were out of town visiting family, or that I felt downright deflated last night (and I still do).

But truthfully, if I had just been a little more organized, I could have had it posted. So for that, I apologize.

I debated whether to simply leave it until next week … but I decided that by counting my blessings today, perhaps I could salvage this beautiful August Monday morning … and perhaps the whole week would follow suit. After all, that’s what this is all about. So here goes …

This week I’m celebrating Globe Thistle (echinops) which is growing in abundance in my garden. What more could you ask of a plant than it grow in full sun/part shade with well-drained/light, dry, moist, sandy soil!

I’ve always loved the spiky, steel blue/grey balls that appear in August. Each spike produces a tiny blue flower at the tip, which is absolutely irresistible to bees. When in full bloom, the plant is humming with them. This will continue until dusk, at which time a few will curl themselves up, and literally stick to the flower overnight.

But of course I do pick a few blooms to play with …

Once the flowers have died, I harvest stems for winter flower arrangements.

Using gloves I snip a stem, strip the lower leaves, and pull the spent flowers out of the tip of the spikes. After tying into a bunch, they need to be hung upside down to dry, or some of the heads will droop.

What else am I celebrating from this past week?

• Still being “young enough” to accomplish some of my dreams.
• Finding a perfect new/old table to play with.
• Making salsa … an August ritual.
• Sitting down for a “moment” on the sofa, and drifting off while listening to the whispering of aspen leaves as a light breeze moves through them.
• Cooler temperatures in the evening, bringing relief from hot dry days.

Hello, and welcome to Sunday Sundries! I’m here to ramble on about my week, it helps me be grateful and to “celebrate” all the small (and large) extraordinary moments in my life.

Today I must acknowledge the past week has delivered some life events that are definitely not worth celebrating. It’s been a stark reminder to me to not only cherish the people I love, but to tell them how much I cherish them … and to tell them often.

When I chose my word this year, I knew there would be times like this. In order to make it work, I refer to a quote by Tom Peters “celebrate what you want to see more of”. I can do that. And yes, there are many things to celebrate during this trying time … some small, some huge, and I’m thankful for that.

Today, I’m celebrating the people who link up to Sunday Sundries … here and on Instagram:

(TL) @britt_throndson (TR) @idreaminflowers (BL) @orangerinka (BR) @amstrate3

Aren’t they all so gorgeous!? I must point out the image by @orangerinka … it’s a painting of my yellow teapot! How fabulous is that!? Thank you so much @orangerinka!

So what are you celebrating this week? I’d love to hear – it brightens my day!

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