It’s been a full year since I’ve moved in and I have to say.. I love my Big Little Life and my Little White House. Lately I’ve been thinking of it as a beach cottage even though it is nowhere near the ocean. I love the colors of a white sun, rough sand and turquoise water.

Even the organic feel of my pottery dishes (Doug Andrews) reminds me of the beach.

If you’ve been following me for a while, you know I love peonies and the color pink:)

I suppose it would be more fitting to call my home The Rose Cottage because I have a little row of Morden roses just outside my back door. I’ve been madly planting since early May, I take after my mother that way.. she is an avid and accomplished gardener.

I was surprised by how many perennials didn’t make it through the long winter so I was really excited to find these two Mock Orange shrubs, their fragrance is heavenly! I planted them right next to my front door so that visitors can enjoy them as well. My lilacs survived and are just starting to bud. I was so happy to discover a mature lilac bush blooming in the backyard even though its blooms are a little out of reach.

Across the back of my shed I have planted a little row of herbs and veggies and next to the house two rhubarb plants, zucchini and sweet peas, I’m hoping the rabbits don’t discover them! Every spring my dad and I would plant sweet peas along the south side of our home in Charleswood so these will be a wonderful cutting flower to bring into my own home.

I have the most amazing canopy of trees in my backyard, freshest of pale pink petaled crabapple and bright pink cherry blossoms. They have since matured so the prettiest pink petals have fluttered down and my yard is now a blanket of soft petals.

There is the perfect spot to sit in the sun in my front yard. I’ve found a handmade natural willow chair (Kijiji) and love to curl up with a book, blanket and a glass of wine. This is what I’m currently reading..

I’ve also sourced this willow love seat with a heart center on Kijiji and can now cuddle Bella while I read. I love sitting out front so I can chat with my family and my neighbors, just like sitting on the front porch with my Dad growing up. Bella recognizes many of the dogs (Tucker and Penny!) that walk past on their way to the off-leash next to my home and runs to greet them. I’m a bit of nerd, so I also love watching birds at my little bird feeder, bath and house.

I attended a Steer Skull workshop on the weekend and love how it looks out front. Apparently these skulls represent strength, courage and protection.. so it is perfect to hang on the front of my home. I want to make one for my daughter as well.

This little cottage has been my nest, my refuge, my home to love.. where I can finally remember who I am. I have had help from friends over the years getting branches taken down, trim painted, lawn restored and so much more. Whenever I feel sadness, anxiety or stress I find a new project to take my mind off of things. This week I borrowed my neighbour Ted’s hedge trimmer and am so happy with the difference this has made. I believe that one way to find peace in life is to be creative or productive.

This past weekend was spent painting the floor of my art studio (aka front porch). While I was painting, I reflected that there are areas in my life that I can control and some that I cannot.. that is the crooked road. I am in the process of learning to be gentle with myself when I’m feeling vulnerable and am learning to let go and trust that everything is unfolding as it should.

I saw a beautiful rose quartz grid online and visited Earth Gems to pick up a few crystals and made my own. I found a tiny rose quartz pendant for healing as well.

I have had so many people knock on my door, hoping to find a homeowner that wants to sell. There is just something about this place that is so magical.

Last week a woman and her daughter came by hoping to buy this property. After a moment I realized that she was the interior designer my former partner and I had hired to create custom furniture for the lovely home my family had lived in for 15 years. Her daughter had discovered my cottage while out walking and so I offered to tour them through.

I was subsequently shocked when this interior designer explained to her daughter that I had once lived a really “Big Life” and that she’d hoped I’d kept some of the beautiful and expensive custom furniture she’d designed. I quickly assured her that, while I didn’t have any of that oversized furniture, I did indeed have a very “Big Life”, one with so much joy found in living an authentic life. I’m amazed that there are those who still think the size of a home matters more than the life one can create and the people you surround yourself with.

Now I have almost everything my heart desires: my beautiful children and our puppy Bella, friends, a prettiest little Cottage with a yard to garden in, a sun porch painting studio, an off-leash park that surrounds my home, views of the city, walking/biking paths that take me into the heart of Kensington for coffee or dinners, my health, work that I love that is lucrative and so much more.

My word for this year is Blossom and I’ve seen so much change within myself that reflects this word. Life has brought me so much joy but has also brought loss and loneliness. Yes, this is the crooked road, the life and the lessons that shape me. It’s at times like these that I need to be able to dig deep and find courage, truth and gratitude.

Most importantly, I am starting to find some peace in my life, moments of stillness in the morning when I awaken to the song of birds and some of the most beautiful memories in my heart that I will always cherish. I am surrounded by the beauty of nature even though I’m in the city. In a perfect world I’d be living in the woods, but until then…

I am blessed with a very Big Little Life indeed.

Love and blessings,

Barbara