Showing posts with label festive. Show all posts
Showing posts with label festive. Show all posts

Sunday, November 1, 2020

Halloween during Covid...

 


Spooky Halloween Eve


Choosing pumpkins for Halloween with the grandchildren at a local farm.

We wandered about the pumpkin patch for about 45 minutes searching for the perfect specimens for our Jack O' Lanterns.


So many choices!
Difficult to opt for just one, so we ended up choosing two each.


Our wee pumpkins on the front porch table.


Packages of assorted treats in zip loc bags.
50 packs


Ready for the trick or treaters!
Large PVC tube on the left, for the safe delivery of the packages of treats.

We bundled up in out down coats.
I wore my scarf, gloves and a hat.

It was fun to see the costumes and hear the excitement of the children as they made their way up and down our block.

We turned the lights out when we ran out of treats at around 7:30.

Did you celebrate Halloween?
How did you do things differently so it was Safe?

Time is flying by and it is already November.

Take care.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Thursday, December 21, 2017

This Hostess has been shopping ...and a few festive touches in The Humble Bungalow

I've been naughty!



Guilty YES!
I bought something for myself...

I went into the store "just to browse" 
I tried on a few cozy sweaters and perused the racks of the Saint James section, Royal Robbins and then the Eileen Fisher group of garments.


 A tunic top for tall gals but a dress for short me.
The hem sits slightly above the knee and it drapes so well 
the fabric is super soft and it flatters without clinging.

The WIN thrift shop did not disappoint either...


French Dressing shirt in black and white...
great for white pants or black skinny ponte knit pants.
Also the black and white Hermes scarf, probably my favourite will look great tied at the neck.


There are a few festive touches here in The Humble Bungalow.
We don't do a lot of decorating but we have a tree lit with white lights
 a peachy pink poinsettia
candles
wee trees on the mantle with the Ojibwa duck decoys.


Sadly we are unable to put our vintage glass baubles on the tree because the cats undress the tree and bat the ornaments around and they break...



Please excuse our messy fireplace 



Some silver baubles from my childhood home with two vintage silver pieces.


White fairy lights and the silver balls on the front rose arbour.


Our wee tree with white fairy lights on the front porch.


Reindeer votive holders
glitter cones
sit atop
our silver tray
which was a wedding gift.

The seniors turkey luncheon at the club was a lot of work but such fun.
Those of us who volunteered were treated to lunch and a glass of wine 
which we ate while the choir performed 
then we served the desserts and tea and coffee 
before washing up all the dishes.
This year there were 80 seniors in attendance...it is one of the many fundraisers that we have at the club.

We were thrilled to go to our darling granddaughter Isla's school 
where we watched the annual winter concert. 

How are your holiday plans shaping up?


Thank you for stopping by The Humble Bungalow
Merry Christmas!

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Monday, December 11, 2017

The Festive Season is well and truly upon us!


Ready or not the festive season is truly in full swing!


Hope that you are hanging in there!


We added a few seasonal decorations to dress up The Humble Bungalow
The faux tree is up and wrapped with white fairy lights.

There is a wreath on the front door...
 boughs and red berries
mandarin oranges.


I spent a lovely hour 
lunching with a good friend at one of my favourite spots...
Pure Vanilla.

The Festive season can get far too busy as there is so much to do.
Cooking, baking, entertaining, being entertained, shopping, cards, decorating, wrapping presents and so it goes...

I need to remind myself to slow down 
and 
savour the simple things in life.

Lets take a collective deep breath...
stop and smell the flowers.


Jude The Obscure is STILL blooming!

Hope that you find some time to savour a few quiet moments this week.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Tuesday, November 28, 2017

Raindrops keep falling....thinking of MOM.


It has been a pretty wet, wild and windy week.
I have felt rather out of sorts...
not blue, 
just kind of irritable...
moody.

Despite these feelings
I've managed to be quite productive.

Frequently when the rains set in I tend to "cocoon"
laying low 
reading, knitting and taking tea.

One advantage of these blustery days is that I prefer 
 staying close to home...
I did go to bridge lessons and play bridge and I made a Grand Slam!

I have baked several dozen batches of sugar cookies 
sprinkled with red and green sprinkles.

I wrote out our Christmas cards while sipping tea by the fire.
Picked up and worked on my knitting project, 
the large lap blanket that is quite large and awkward to manoeuvre.

Of course there has been some reading...
cooking
laundry and ironing.
There is always a lot to do here in The Humble Bungalow.


The newest book is by Mary Lovell 
who also wrote The Mitford Girls 
a book that I devoured and savoured reading...
so I will be expecting the same quality and interesting subject matter.

I broke one of my dental crowns
it fell apart as I was nibbling coleslaw.

There is a temporary on my tooth right now as I wait for a replacement crown.
The crown was 2 years old and apparently they come with a 5 year warranty
so I am relieved that I do not have to pay for another one.
Must say that this was a welcome surprise...


Evenings we have been sitting by the fire in The Humble Bungalow
keeping warm and cozy
which 
makes me appreciate our tiny home so much more.

The dark wood in our bungalow glows with the lamplight
it looks best 
during the Fall and Winter months.

Drafts seem to disappear when the fire is roaring
lovely to hear the sounds of the crackle and pop 
as the wood burns.

Comfort foods and the cold weather seem to go hand in hand.
Soups, Stews, Roasted Vegetables, Mashed Potatoes
all have been cooked and eaten this past week.

Craving warm dishes, 
I have been eating oatmeal for breakfast most mornings.


French inspired...
yogurt with a tablespoon of jam stirred into it, 
a quick and easy bedtime snack.

The sun popped out one day
my spirits lifted
it was so good to see some colour.


Green moss encrusted pillar


close up of the moss 
with the Garry Oak Tree in the background


Lichen and moss on the trees near the Swan Lake Nature Sanctuary.


Our small tree on the front porch
dressed up with white lights
a few festive touches are slowly being added...


I wonder if I am experiencing some of the melancholy that frequently surfaces at holiday time when one is missing a recently departed family member.

It has only been 8 months since mom passed away
I do not weep as often but she is in my thoughts every day
many of her things are here
I am wearing her cashmere sweater
her pearl necklace and using some of her kitchen gadgets.

This Christmas may be more painful than I am expecting...
I know in my heart that she would not want me to be sad 
but how can one not think about the love and the memories
after spending 62 years together?

I try to be positive and optimistic.
No point being gloomy, 
but I do have days
where the sadness is more acute than others...

In the meantime I do not ignore the feelings 
they will ease with time.



I always feel rejuvenated when I get outside on my walks.
The shin splints are less painful so they must be healing.
 I should be able to resume my usual route soon, though I plan to walk slower as I want to avoid exacerbating those pesky shins.

What is new with you?
Are you reading something fabulous?

Have you started to decorate for the Festive Season?


Dewdrops 
lovely as they hang tentatively from the branches.

Thank you for stopping by The Humble Bungalow Blog.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Thursday, December 29, 2016

In Holiday mode for a wee bit longer....

Greetings from The Humble Bungalow.
I am still very much in holiday mode but thought I would share a few of the holiday snapshots with you.

Our faux tree with simple white fairy lights.


Boxing Day 
before the gifts were opened...
(most of these parcels are for the grandchildren)


Fraser Fir candle adding to the ambiance with the scent of a real tree.


Our tiny living room


Dining Room 
lunch table set 
food prepared 
we are ready for the family's arrival.

We had a fun filled day and the grand children were such fun to watch.
We had a small turkey with all the trimmings and a kale salad.
 Grammy's home made macaroni and cheese as the wee ones seem to like it!

This Hostess is quite pleased as Santa decided it was time to replace our 15 year old Volvo with a newer one!


That's Kyle, the salesman at Volvo of Victoria, standing beside me.
The staff at Volvo of Victoria are very knowledgable and helpful.
They made our purchase experience so relaxing and easy...


V60 Cross Country


The car has so many wonderful safety features...
and is a quiet and comfortable car to drive.

It's a fun ride.

If we are lucky 
it should be another 15 years before we need to buy another car...
Volvo's are made to last a LONG time.

So that's it for now...
I'll be posting more soon.

If I don't manage to write another post until after New Years...

Wishing you a healthy
and 
Happy New Year!


Thank you for reading my humble blog.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~


Friday, December 23, 2016

Seasons Greetings...


The Humble Bungalow is dressed up with twinkling white lights.
We are ready for the Holidays.
Food has been purchased, presents have been wrapped, the baking is finished.

This year
Our Christmas tree is a faux one.
 (blame the naughty cats who climb the tree, drink the water and munch on it)

The faux tree came with lights and has a handy foot pedal that turns it on.
There are 11 different programs for the lights,
 I prefer to have them on old school style rather than waving on and off or pulsating!

We have been enjoying casual seasonal get togethers and creating some new family memories.


Baking 


Gingerbread Men for the grandchildren to decorate.


We had fun decorating the cookies!


Many of the candied decorations were munched before they made it onto the gingerbread cookies...
This Grammy had such fun...
we will have to arrange to do this again next year.


This week a friend and I met for morning coffee in town.
Later
we went to a book store and this book tree caught my eye.


Many of our neighbours have dressed up their gardens with lights and baubles.
The holiday spirit is very much alive in our neighbourhood.
Walking along our street I noticed that more homes are decorated 
than those that are not.
I love that people take the time to participate in making our street a wee bit brighter.


Colourful lights look so pretty strung up in a tree...
a simple idea that really adds ambiance.

Our holidays in The Humble Bungalow focus on the things money can not buy.

It is not all about gifts, but rather the memories...
those that we create today and those we remember from years gone by...
the people who are no longer with us always have a way of popping up in our minds at this time of year.

We toast to their memory...

stories follow
some are funny, some sad
the stories are not all "happy" 
but 
they are part of our history


our festive season is made brighter by 
 connecting with friends and family...

 if your family is far away
unable to get home
you can give of yourself 
with so many opportunities out there 
it fills ones heart to help the less fortunate

or 

you can invite a group of other friends whose families are unable to get together this year and celebrate with a simple meal
it could be a pot luck event
keep it simple.

Festive food and feasting...
treats, baking, chocolate.


Friends, who now live in France, sent us some chocolates.
We nibbled a few last night and they live up to their tasty reputation.
BETA5 is one of the top 5 chocolate makers in all of North America!


With all these extra treats I will need to be vigilant and keep up with my walking,
perhaps walking longer and farther to compensate for these delicious seasonal indulgences.
Weight Watchers will still be there for me after the holidays!

This post is a bit discombobulated and I am trying to rein it in,
 in a cohesive way,
 but I think it has gotten away from me so I had better close.

I am grateful that you are my audience and that you visit and listen...

Thank you so much for reading The Humble Bungalow blog.
Your comments and emails throughout the year are really appreciated.

Wishing you a Joyous and Festive Holiday. 


~ Be Well and Be Kind ~