i'm saving time in a bottle...

through the photos of this past week of our newest grandbaby.

today she is already a week old.


she was born on july the 22nd and brought instant joy into our lives.

with big sister grace it is a whole new level of excitement.

garnet has been visited by so many wonderful family

and friends....all willing to cuddle with her for a few moments.

here she is with great grandma and grandpa....gigi and papa chuck.

g~pa takes a turn in the hospital on the day she was born.

we are so blessed to have this new little addition to our family.

right now it is a busy time getting to know her and caring for

her needs , her mommy and her family.

blessings to all!

beyond my boundaries

there is something amazing about staying on the water.

it is serene, beautiful, fulfilling, magical...so many things

rolled into one.

it makes me feel complete.

my family and i just got back from discovering beauty

in my hubby's home country...canada.

we stayed in the muskoka area on the lake he went to cottage

as a boy with his family....lake stewart.

the lighting is always different on the water with the reflection.

it gives off the most beautiful amber glow.

we have enjoyed many wonderful vacations

and family visits to canada and this was no exception.

this was a restful time to be together and do nothing or plenty.

so we took plenty of photographs.

did a lot of fishing.

many beautiful flowers were in bloom while we were there.

there was also lots of down time to just sit...relax...talk...observe nature.

plenty of time was spent in the water...

canoeing

watching sunrises...

more fishing...

observing the natural beauty and wildlife around us...

playing in the sand...

and watching sunsets.

we did our share of exploring local places.

here we were checking out one of the charming local towns...bala.

there are so many lovely old churches

and quaint places to shop.

keeping an eye on nature was one of our favourite past times.

we took buster along and since he is a chesapeake bay retriever

he felt right at home in the water.

this is just a peek into our weeks on vacation.

many days were spent at the cottage playing games, swimming,

telling stories, reading....well you get the idea.

we picked plenty of wildflowers too.

spent time around the firepit talking, roasting marshmellows

playing cards.

we did lots of jumping...well at least the kids did.

canada is a beautiful place to spend some much needed

down time with the family.

abbey made friends with this little guy at a garden in toronto.

all in all we had a lovely time away from the real world

in our own little paradise on the lake in the cottage.

i love being at home but if you have to go somewhere

canada is a beautiful place to spend some restful days with

your family.

i am glad to be home but am off again on wednesday for a week to

see the gardens in buffalo with meems.

happy july everyone.