Getting My Happy On continues ~ Grandchildren, a kind gesture, a gift in the mail and a win ~

Our darling Henry enjoyed exploring the "spare lot" on our street.

On this site we have some driftwood benches and a table,

a tire swing, rope swing and a wee lending library.

There are trees and a grassy meadow where children love to run.

Play is serious business...

first you need a plan

then you need to execute the plan

then organize all the pieces

sit back and discuss what will happen next.

Isla and Henry played together collaborating on the building of the tower

they decided on the roles of the players

and then they worked out the scenario...

meanwhile as I looked on

Mira sat on my lap and we played with the shape sorter.

The fellow who owns and operates the excavator that is working on the site next door

noticed that Grammy and three wee ones were at the window watching the action and the steady stream of trucks.

When we all went for a walk past the site he suggested that the grandchildren might like to sit in the cab of the machine...

he didn't have to wait long before he got an enthusiastic response!

My goodness that was a kind gesture and a wonderful highlight for our wee ones.

Smiles all round!

I received a thoughtful gift in the mail this week.

Earplugs!

These will help muffle the noise...

love the shade of green too!

Thank you R!

In other "green news"...

I purchased this organic Physician's Formula mascara awhile back.

I love the formula but cannot get used to using the spiky plastic brush.

It has been a messy and frustrating experience 

so I decided that I would give up and move on...

 Dr. Hauschka mascara is back on the job 

with a bristle style brush for an easier application.

I made a yummy prime rib dinner with Yorkshire pudding on Sunday 

we ate the leftovers on Monday

 Mr. HB made some beef sandwiches to take to work.

Probably the last roast for the season.

My back has been stiff and sore since Mom passed away.

(I will book a massage when the bulk of mom's estate is settled)

 Yoga is really helping limber up the muscles and the back seems to be on the mend.

Plus I am sleeping better since going back to the Yoga Studio.

(I love a decent night of sleep)

My Yoga mat is falling apart...

wee bits of the mat are left behind after my practise so I must find another one asap!

This is the mat that the cat scratched a few years ago

Swimming fish amid the lily pads...

I wonder if any of you have had a similar experience with your cats...

any thoughts on a thick good quality replacement mat?

We won a strawberry planter from the Garden Centre!

These planters are quite expensive so I have never bought one but when one gets the call that one is waiting to be picked up you waste no time and start the car!

Our neighbour across the street put this plant pot on the boulevard...

free for the taking so I grabbed it and planted a white hydrangea in it.

How is your week going so far?

Getting My Happy On

Oh my the overcast rainy days are getting tiresome...
almost everyone I encounter seems to be focusing on our wet Spring.
We are craving some sunshine and warmer weather
but until that happens, I believe in being proactive by making my own sunshine...

A pretty new brolly...

from France

a tasty latte sipped in a local cafe

Warm thoughts sunshine and yellow sunflowers...

a dear reader from Vancouver

sent me a card and a packet of seeds for sunflowers 

which we plan to plant 

in The Humble Bungalow Garden

that put a smile on my face!

Thank you R

you are a kind and thoughtful friend.

XO

With a passion for  French interiors and homes... 

 no plane ticket or holiday accommodations arranged

I'll be transported as I peruse these beautiful magazines.

The hunt for the illusive pink lipstick is over...

it is a bit darker pink than I thought would suit me but with help from the savvy gals at the pharmacy I bagged a winner!

L'Oreal Colour Riche #580 Peony Pink

It's frequently the little things that can help keep up our spirits.

a cheerful mug

(Emma Bridgewater)

a warm hug

a smile

perhaps an afternoon to relax and read

indulge in a pot of tea

nibble a square of good chocolate

maybe even have a nap

If things are not going your way

I do hope that they will get better...

This blend is divine...

what are your favourite teas?

Raindrops like wee diamonds sparkle on the stems of the snowdrops.

Your turn now to chime in and share with us 

what do you do to keep your spirits up?

The sun is out as I put the finishing touches on this post.

Wishing you a lovely week.

Hostess Shopping habits...Friday post.

I try to shop locally as much as possible.
This is especially important when it comes to food.
If we want the farms to survive as acreages
and the local farmers to stay in business we need to give them our business.

I opt to shop in smaller stores where I know the owners...
the big box stores do not offer much in the way of service
and one generally does not engage in the same sort of conversation with the clerks while conducting business as these stores are usually noisy and crowded and the line ups long
which makes waiting to get through the till a rather tedious exercise.

Having said that, there are a few exceptions...

Like linens...
Our kitchen tea towels are all made of linen.
I love how soft the linen towels get after many washings.
After years of fighting with the iron I have come to terms with the job, and I love ironing...
standing back admiring the stack of freshly ironed tea towels each week on laundry day is a just reward!

I'm not sure why ironing was in the category of "domestic drudgery"...
it never occurred to me that all I needed to do was shift the way that I thought about the job in order to embrace and enjoy the process...
after all is said and done, it is repetitive and very meditative.
Calming...

Patricia Hines designed linen towels from Western Australia

found in a local second hand shop

as new ~ unused

$7.00 each

Each towel has a bit of red in the pattern which is why I bought the pair...

I have a red tea kettle and some other red accents in The Humble Bungalow Kitchen.

Coffee for my morning cafe creme comes from Italy

served in my favourite bowl

from

Emma Bridgewater Black Toast pottery from the UK

Since retiring I have been quite frugal...

especially with clothing.

I have kept a book where I record the clothes that I purchase and how much they cost.

It has been a great exercise and I plan to keep up the habit.

I love to shop vintage and peruse the charity shops.

 This is rather like a hobby as it can take up quite a bit of time.

If one is pressed for time this is not the best way to shop.

We have quite a few good consignment shops in town which are fun to browse.

One of my favourites is Good Things on Oak Bay Avenue.

I have consigned many household things with them...

recently we took some of Mom's items to them.

 I have purchased many more items from them that I could ever list!

(no book itemizing these purchases exists!)

Other shops are;

Value Village, Salvation Army, WIN thrift, St. Vincent de Paul, Super Chance and the James Bay Community Closet are located in town.

The Beacon Hospital Thrift Shop in Sidney is a 40 minute drive

but has a good selection of housewares, books, and clothing.

Like any second hand shop one needs to go with an open mind and look carefully at what is in the store.

Do you shop second hand?

Do you prefer to shop online or in person?

How was your Friday?

Mine was busy, but relaxed.

Yoga class, lunch out with a friend, and a wee bit of shopping

tried to go for a walk in the gale force winds

wrote this post while drinking a pot of tea

next up I will prepare a healthy dinner.

For those of you who may be curious about the lot next door...

and those who aren't please look away now.

This is the view from my kitchen window...

there is a huge pile of dirt waiting to be trucked away.

I wonder if we will have a weekend of peace and quiet.

Hope that you have some fun things planned for the weekend.

Hostess

XO

Excavating the dirt and the pursuit of peace.

The Humble Bungalow is usually a quiet place.
We are fortunate to live in a quiet area not far from the city centre...
buffered by Beacon Hill Park and the seafront is a couple of blocks away.

Birdsong, wind, and some local traffic sounds are what we usually hear.

Our peace and quiet has been disrupted by the heavy equipment that is on site next door excavating the lot for the construction of two homes.

You can see our bungalow and the close proximity to the digger.

A steady stream of trucks come by to transport the dirt...

It is rather like a truck parade.

The streets are streaked with mud 

it has been raining so there are many muddy puddles.

I have been leaving home seeking peace and solace elsewhere.

Healthy lunch post Yoga today...

kale salad

2 egg omelette

Eaten in peace while the operator was on his lunch break.

Thank goodness for this timely gift.

The Yoga Studio

 where 

I am able to breathe deeply

sit on the mat 

close my eyes

perform restorative poses

follow through the fluid sun salutation movements

which

restore inner peace and help achieve a sense of calm.

For this I am grateful...

There is an abundance of beauty in our neighbourhood.

Despite the rain I am getting out for my walks.

The noise and chaos next door is a great motivator!

Sipping tea

Lapsang Souchong

a smokey liquid that has an intensity that awakens the taste buds.

This large Emma Bridgewater mug in the Black Toast pattern makes me smile.

You can see my Spring and Summer shade of Lipstick 

 L'Oreal Everbloom

Next time I go to the pharmacy I am going to try to find a pink shade.

I'll ask the gals on staff as they are super helpful

  it would be nice to have another colour on hand.

Hellebores are putting on a great display in The Humble Bungalow Garden.

So that's about all the news from The Humble Bungalow...

what's new with you?

I'll be back soon.

XO

Flowers, family, and food...some simple joys from this past week.

Parrot tulips are so beautiful...

their frills and variegated shades make them one of my favourite Spring Flowers.

They frequently flop as they open up and I regularly trim their stems and pop them into shorter vases.

This bouquet was an unbelievable price...

2 bunches at $2.99 each

I could not resist.

I took my Due Fratelli vintage leather bag out for lunch this week...

on the menu

Curried Vegetarian Wrap with chutney and a side of salad.

Its a treat having someone else prepare lunch and sitting in a vibrant cafe 

listening to the chatter of the diners reminds me of Spring when I was in Paris!

The trees are looking like frothy pink spun sugar cones...

Do you remember those cotton candy cones at the fairgrounds?

I loved watching how the vendors made it look like they were making magic 

it would be sweet and sticky and coat our teeth

somehow it didn't feel like a fair unless we had a cone of our own.

Took our grandchildren, Isla and Henry to the Garden Centre this week.

We bought some Spring flowers and planted them in pots.

One for each of them to tend.

I am hoping that they will love watching things grow and perhaps one day enjoy gardening.

My grandmother was an avid gardener and she showed me how to plant and propagate seeds...got me interested in weeding the beds and sharing in the harvest.

We would sit a shuck peas on her back porch in the sunshine...

such wonderful memories.

Isla is serious about watering her pink flowers.

Henry loves orange and he chose white and blue blooms as the accent plants.

A big yellow digger arrived on the scene...

this is the lot beside our Humble Bungalow!

Two homes are going to be built on this site.

I hope to have Henry over for a visit while this machinery is working so he can watch the action.

In other news we worked in the garden.

A new birdbath was purchased and installed.

Grampa's English peas were planted into pots and trellises were erected.

(popular with the grandchildren)

We dined on a tasty BBQ chicken with deli salads from the market

as the "cook" was knackered from all the exercise and fresh air!

With the leftover chicken 

I am making wraps tonight.

 ~ Corn salsa ~

Roast 1 cup corn and 1 diced red pepper in a bit of olive oil and a tablespoon of brown sugar.

bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes

add 1 chopped green onion

1/3 cup chopped cilantro

1 tsp cumin 

1 tsp chili powder

2 tablespoons lime juice

Cook 1 large onion in oil until transparent on medium high heat.

Add 1 tablespoon brown sugar and 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar.

Cook on low for 15 minutes.

On a warmed flour tortilla

serve with chicken 

(heated if you so desire) 

top with BBQ sauce

add the onions

 salsa

shredded lettuce or arugula

Dinner is ready!

Hope you had a great weekend!

Energy ~ Sleep and OOTD

A decent night of restful and restorative slumber is bliss.
It gives one an energetic start to the day...
often times we wake after a fitful night of tossing and turning...
this is more common for me.
When these nights occur I try to be gentle with myself and start the day slowly...
I have not tried sleeping pills and asked the nurse at Hospice if I should try some after Mom passed away and she suggested that I try Gravol.
I purchased a small package and have tried them on several occasions...
they do work, but I wake feeling groggy so I am not planning to use them often.

Coffee helps wake me up 

 a good book

 transports us away 

it helps to gain perspective

put our troubles aside for awhile.

Once I hit the shower I am wide awake...

ready to seize the day.

Dressing for more energy means wearing some of my favourites...

OOTD

Moto leather jacket ~ Danier

Hermes scarf

NYDJ boyfriend jeans

simple white Tee ~ Joe Fresh

my birthday shoes...

Ferragamo from darling daughter.

These shoes make me feel happy!

I wore this outfit to run errands and I had so much energy that I very nearly forgot to stop and eat lunch.

Parrot tulips from the grocery store...

spreading a beautiful energy 

into The Humble Bungalow Kitchen.

Home style meat loaf, mashed potatoes and carrots...

the ultimate comfort food.

Refuelling with tasty food provides me with more energy.

I made a double batch of this meat loaf so that tomorrow evening all I need to do is reheat the spuds and the meat loaf and boil some peas.

The recipe is from Best of Bridge...

here.

I broke the chipped Emma Bridgewater bowl I used for soap

when I was washing it the other week...

it just slipped out of my hands and smashed into a bazillion fragments.

Fortunately it did not damage our farmhouse sink.

Hooray the Hellebores are blooming!

Hope that your week is ticking along nicely.

What have you been doing?

Anything exciting to share?

Please don't be shy!

Hostess

XO