them sparkles

Looking to support local this holiday season? I've put together a list of friends with local businesses and/or side hustles you should check out while shopping for your loved (even well-liked) ones. Click on their business names to be taken to their page. Want to be included? Know someone else who should? Send me a message! CUSTOM/HANDCRAFTED Angie Dee's Custom Gifts Customized items like growth charts, Christmas ornaments, decals for cars and phones, t-shirts, glassware, etc.  Bearded Axe Leatherworks Custom leather items like wallets, purses and whatever other items you can imagine in leather. You can be sure your gift will be one of a kind. Silas & Ivy Gorgeous, small batch jewelry. Tons of items using natural stone. All of my favourite pieces are from here. Woon's Wood Custom wood items like bath trays, cheese trays and cutting boards. FOOD & BEVERAGE Roast Coffee and Tea Coffee beans roasted to order in Bragg Creek. She also makes the BEST french macarons I...

My heart has been broken before, a few times actually. But nothing compares to the magnitude of pain it feels now or how shattered it is. They say time heals all wounds but I don't feel like this wound will ever close.  It's been a week since Dad passed away. When it comes to the heartache, it feels like it just happened. In terms of time, it already feels like a lifetime. I can't imagine my life without him, yet here I am. He meant so much to me. He was one of my best friends, my biggest fan, my cheerleader, my coach, my counsellor, my sounding board, my teacher, my protector, my hero.  Growing up, I never had to question his love for me. He always called me his baby girl, no matter my age. He was always there when I needed him.  I already miss him so much. But there is so much about him to miss. He had an amazingly huge heart. You would never know by looking at him though, he loved playing the old, grumpy guy . But anyone who met him and got to know the real...

The world as we know it is a very different place today than it was just a few short weeks ago. Places all around the globe have to go on lockdown because of a rampant virus. I don't even know where to begin with this post. I just know I have a lot of feelings right now and writing has always been the easiest way for me to let it out. I can't seem to put in place the jumble of thoughts floating around my head into anything that might make sense but I'm going to try my best. To those of you not taking this pandemic seriously - please start. For those that are still going out and about in public because you think this is basically a flu - PLEASE STOP. You may feel fine but a number of people who have tested positive for the virus didn't show any symptoms. You could be a carrier and not even know that you're spreading it around. I'm pleading with you to think about how your actions may affect someone you come in contact with, their families and the people that ...

Friends, we made it. Made it into a new month, a new year, a new decade. I have, for less than ideal reasons, had a lot of time for reflection. The last couple of years have been challenging, 2019 especially. My health was poor. I had to say goodbye to a few loved ones, two of them within a day of each other. I was tested in many ways and at times, felt nearly broken. After the difficulties with my health in 2018, I set the intention that 2019 was going to be my year. I was looking forward to healing and getting on with everyday life. Turns out, 2019 was worse. I suffered a flare up that put me in the hospital in March. I received the necessary treatment and began to improve and I believed my healing could start again but unfortunately, that wasn't the case. I caught a bug in the middle of July that got progressively worse as the days went on. I was hospitalized for five days at the end of August before being released and told I was suffering from something viral and to wa...