Holiday Pause: A Spring Refresh for Home and Mind
Over the Easter weekend I took an unusual approach to holiday time: I spent the early part working intensely on camp planning, then allowed myself to fully rest. I worked non-stop in the camp kitchen—planning menus, taking grocery inventories, meeting sales reps, and thinking ahead about the months to come. Those tasks occupied my mind day and night, but now I’m deliberately stepping away to recharge.
Right now I’m enjoying a quiet day in a lovely home in White Rock, BC. My husband is out for a seminar with friends, and I’m taking the opportunity to relax and savor the stillness. Tomorrow we’ll slip across the border for a few days of R&R in Washington state, but for today I’m soaking up the calm.
I have a long list of camp-related tasks I could be tackling, but I’m trying to set them aside and get the most out of this restorative break. Slowing down feels well deserved after such an intense stretch of preparation.
My mother had a tradition of cleaning the house thoroughly before any trip. “It’s always nice to come home to a clean house,” she used to say, and I find myself following that instinct whenever time allows. After weeks of menu planning and logistical thinking, I turned my attention to our own home and gave it some overdue care.
We’ve made steady progress on the bathroom renovation, and for the first time in months the dining room cleared of its paint cans, drop cloths, and scattered tools. Removing the clutter and dusting the furniture felt like a genuine reset—small but meaningful. The dining area finally looks orderly again, and that sense of completion is remarkably satisfying.
With the heavy winter décor tucked away, I added a few spring touches: delicate white blooms from the yard, a few sunny accents, and lighter textiles. The small changes brought a fresh brightness into the rooms and reminded me how much seasonal details can lift a space. The shrub that produced these tiny white flowers looks like a bridal veil shrub to me, though I’m happy to be corrected if that’s not accurate.
The living room shelves were buried under a noticeable layer of dust, which proved to be strong motivation. After a thorough dusting I introduced some bright yellow accents and a few summer-themed touches that hint at easier, sunnier days ahead. I also moved several framed photos that had been part of an entryway gallery wall back into the living area; they anchor the room and connect different corners of the house with familiar memories.
There’s a quiet pleasure in restoring order to a room that’s been under renovation and cluttered for some time. The act of cleaning, rearranging, and adding seasonal accents is both practical and restorative—it helps me shift from the intensity of work mode back into a mindset of rest and enjoyment.
Our bathroom renovation is approaching its finishing stages. It’s not fully staged yet or ready for its final “reveal,” but the progress is promising and visible. Small details are being completed, fixtures are going in, and soon the space should feel polished and well earned after months of effort.
I’ll share more on the bathroom and other updates once everything is fully finished and photographed. For now, I’m savoring a clean, refreshed home and the calm that comes with a short break before diving back into work. Small seasonal touches, a bit of elbow grease, and a deliberate pause have made this holiday feel both productive and peaceful.
