Everyday Joy YYC

  We had the best season for growing sunflowers this summer. The staycation allowed me to visit with them daily and observe the hourly changes. These pictures were taken within seventy-two hours. It is amazing when the sunflower starts to open and slowly shows its blossoms. We probably had about ten sunflowers in our garden and each of them had its own personality and rate of growth and yet all the seeds came from the same package. I love how I was able to capture the sunflowers at different stages of growth and appreciate each for being its own plant! Watching the sunflowers grow brought me joy. What do you do repetitively that brings you joy?  Grab a notebook and please join me on this journey to discover what brings you  everyday joy ! Sunday

This summer was full of road trips to explore small towns in Alberta and a drive-by last-minute visit with family in BC! I grew up in a small town and appreciate the local bakeries and art galleries. Valemount by far was the most surprising and beautiful city I visited. Surrounded by mountains, blue skies, and quiet streets to mention a few things I enjoyed and brought me joy. This town reminded me of visiting Interlaken, Switzerland many years ago.  When was the last time you took a road trip that brought you joy? Grab a notebook and please join me on this journey to discover what brings you  everyday joy !  Thursday

Reflection...what is it and why is it important for us to do it will be my focus in this post. With summer coming to an end and having my first staycation in many years, I was thinking about what has brought me joy and how is that different from past summers. In the past summers, I have spent weeks in British Columbia visiting family and friends as I was born and raised there. I consider BC my home and my heart as my parents still live in the house I grew up in! Driving past the hospital I was born in, revisiting my primary and secondary schools I think about all I know today and what is the constant in my life. What I know today is change is the only constant we have in life. Due to COVID we stayed close to home and explored our own city and province. What brought me joy was seeing my city through the eyes' of a tourist. Even though I have lived in YYC for the last decade it was nice to branch out to eat at new sushi restaurants and explore new parks instead of our usual go-to pla

Hockey in the summer has been great! Vancouver Canucks have yet to win a Stanley Cup in their franchise and this might be their year (fingers and toes crossed)! I am a Canuck at Heart. Born and raised in BC I grew up watching this team. New coaches, new players, and new strategies for success have led us to this year. We have successfully defeated the defending champs in Round 1! What a confidence booster for the team and organization. What hockey team or sports team brings you joy? Grab a notebook and please join me on this journey to discover what brings you  everyday joy !  Sunday

To cool off from the summer heat, I came across this recipe to make Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Bites. The best part of this recipe is you do not need your oven! 4 ingredients: bananas, peanut butter, melted dark chocolate with coconut oil. You can use milk chocolate and sprinkles but I kept it easy breezy! Thinly slice your bananas and top with peanut butter. Put the parchment-covered tray with the banana slices in the freezer while you melt the chocolate and coconut oil. Wait 15-20 minutes to ensure the banana and peanut butter slices are frozen before dipping into the melted chocolate. Work quickly to cover the banana slices and put back in the freezer for the chocolate to harden (or you can enjoy the banana bites)! What treats are you joyfully indulging in to keep cool this summer? Grab a notebook and please join me on this journey to discover what brings you  everyday joy !  Thursday

Over the last couple of months, I have been working on my nature photography skills. From taking pictures of my sunflowers, neighborhood planters, or wildflowers in parks! I like taking pictures because it makes you stop, pause, and breathe in the moment. Flower pictures are the best because of their color, texture, and size. These photos were a lovely and joyful surprise as I was changing from filter to filter without editing to capture the back and front of Sunny (see prior post). When I went back through my photos I landed on these and thought "WOW" I can't believe I found the best filter to capture the Sunny's beauty! When have you flipped through your camera photos and thought I was joyfully present in the moment? Grab a notebook and please join me on this journey to discover what brings you  everyday joy !  Tuesday

Public art adds color and diversity to a street. When exploring the city I am usually impressed by the artist's work and effort in putting together an artifact for everyone to enjoy! When I walked by this painting I had the most joyful feeling of seeing all the bright colors that remind me of summer. I was especially attracted to "Hello" as it was nice to be greeted in an unfamiliar part of the city! I know we are all getting used to wearing our masks and keeping our physical and social distances and sometimes we can forget to use our voice. When is the last time you said "Hello!" to a stranger in the Starbucks line or grocery store? Grab a notebook and please join me on this journey to discover what brings you  everyday joy !  Sunday

My photography skills are slowly improving with time. I like using filters to get the correct light exposure on a photo. What brings me joy is when I can capture a shot in natural light and show the beauty of the moment. In this picture, I was trying to capture the tree branches with the blue sky background! The sunshine in the corner was a surprise! Summers are too short and seeing the green trees is a reminder nature will take its course and soon Fall will be here! What season brings you joy? Grab a notebook and please join me on this journey to discover what brings you  everyday joy ! Thursday

Cooking is not my thing! If I could eat chocolate chip cookies or banana bread for dinner every day I would! I would prefer to bake and clean prior to cooking! It just isn't my thing! In my quest to find joy at supper time I have been trying to find new and simple recipes that I can make with ingredients in my fridge or pantry! I am not a fan of buying one-off spices or items that I can only use in that one recipe. Bruschetta Chicken and Bow Tie Pasta met the criteria of a simple and delicious meal! When have you tried a new recipe that brought you joy from your kitchen ingredients? Grab a notebook and please join me on this journey to discover what brings you  everyday joy !  Tuesday

  Travelling is one of my favorite things to do and I have put Japan on my bucket list! In looking for a weekend destination I came across Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden "Experience the Friendship" in Lethbridge. This round trip from YYC is about five hours and it was one of my best experiences this summer. The weather was beautiful and the sun was shining to explore acres and acres of land! I learned about "soundscaping" how sounds change in the waterfall. Listening to the ripples and watching the water flow was magical - not seeing how the waterfall started or ended and yet it was continuous! The friendship bell was built in Kyoto, Japan and reassembled in the garden. It weighs seven hundred and fifty pounds and has an initial tone of approximately 15 seconds. The ring of the bell is said to represent the friendship between Japan and Canada. I will always remember the peaceful and quiet nature of my garden walk. I look forward to revisiting the garden in another seaso

I love baking! In times of stress and chaos, I find baking brings me joy! There is nothing like finding a new recipe, gathering the ingredients, and using the Kitchen Aid to bring deliciousness to the kitchen! I have my go-to recipes for banana bread and chocolate chip cookies (every human should know how to make homemade chocolate chip cookies - I will share my recipe in another post! ). I love this recipe for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip muffins as you only need 3 ingredients. Ingredients include: 15 ounce can of pumpkin puree, chocolate cake mix (I used chocolate but you could use vanilla or spice), and chocolate kisses (you could use mini-chocolate chips, milk or dark chocolate chips - any chocolate is good chocolate ). Mix all ingredients and bake in a pre-heated 350 degrees oven for 20-25 minutes! When was the last time you made baked goods for joy? Grab a notebook and please join me on this journey to discover what brings you  everyday joy ! Thursday

My favorite thing about summers is staying up late and watching the sunsets. There is something magical about the sun setting and leaving behind colorful skies.  I usually try to pick a spot that is easily accessible and reliable to bring about the evening hues. In this picture, I captured the sunsets over a period of couple of weeks. There is an unspoken joy of standing and observing the sun's movement far away and getting a glimpse when it disappears. Where is your favorite spot to see the sunset? Grab a notebook and please join me on this journey to discover what brings you  everyday joy ! Tuesday   

Watching this sunflower grow has brought me joy in words I can not describe. When we planted the seeds we hoped Mother Nature would work her magic to bring our garden bright blooms! The sunflower survived hail storms, lightning, and thundershowers! The leaves have holes but the blooms are beyond perfect! Say hello to Sunny! Do you have a green thumb? What flower brings you joy?  Grab a notebook and please join me on this journey to discover what brings you  everyday joy ! Sunday