a heart of thanksgiving

Yesterday we, in Canada, celebrated Thanksgiving. There is always something so refreshing and so wonderful about Thanksgiving. Of course, it’s necessary to have a heart of thanksgiving in our day to day lives but taking some time to stop – really stop – and think about our blessings is never a bad thing.

We traveled north to be with Evan’s family for the weekend. And it was good. So good. It had been far too long since we had visited Nana and Grandpa – Gwen’s first time, actually – so it was wonderful to be together.

There is just something about the fall season that brings warmth to my heart and reminds me to be content, joyful and thankful in all things. And it’s certainly not difficult to be thankful when these are the people I get to spend my life with.

 

On Saturday, we got together with the Big Ol’ family for a delicious meal. Can there be anything better than eating 685 pounds of turkey and 17 slices of pie while gathered around a table with some of your favourite people in the world? I think not. And, what makes a big family gathering like this even better and more enjoyable? When both of your kids have good, solid, long naps despite being in new and unfamiliar home. Thanks to that, the afternoon was stress-free and enjoyable for both Evan and I so we could have conversations (real conversations), play games and just have fun.

Now that Thanksgiving is over and we’re back home, bags unpacked, laundry finished… I’m making it a goal, challenging myself, to remember these feelings of thankfulness, gratitude and contentment amidst the chaos of every day life.

Happy Thanksgiving, eh?

Sometimes I Get Tired

Sometimes I get tired.

Sometimes I get tired of freezing my hands off from digging through the freezer to find the cherries I need to bake muffins, only to discover that I dug out sour cherries, when I needed sweet cherries, and have to go digging again.

Sometimes I get tired of having to walk out to the barn in the rain to get shredded zucchini from our "overflow freezer".

Sometimes I get tired of picking up the fabulous dude's dirty clothes, of putting them in the hamper, of washing them, of drying them, of folding them and then of doing it all over again.

Sometimes I get tired of menu planning, grocery shopping and cooking week after week.

Sometimes I get tired of taking 10 minutes out of a busy day to process the stale bread crusts to make bread crumbs.

Sometimes I get tired of working on my thesis day after day.

Sometimes I get tired of wiping up muddy paw prints off the floor.

Sometimes I get tired of life.

But then I stop to think.

And I realize how blessed I am to have such a vast assortment of chicken, pork, venison, shrimp, fish, fruit, vegetables and baked goods in the freezer that I literally have to dig to find what I need.

I become aware of how spoiled we are that we needed to make use of the extra freezer in the barn at the end of the summer because we couldn't fit everything we have into our regular freezer.

I think about how blessed I am to have a husband to pick up after, clothes to wear, and a washing machine and dryer that were given to us for free.

I think of how incredible it is that we have the means to eat new meals each week and how blessed we are to have enough food in our home that we could eat for weeks without buying a single item.

I consider how abundant our blessings are that we have enough bread that we can afford to let the crusts go stale to become bread crumbs.

I remember that the privilege I have to become educated is one that many do not have.

I think about how comforting it was when Nika cuddled up with me to have a nap when I wasn't feeling good, and when she came to check if I was alright when I burnt my hand with boiling water (even though I'm pretty sure she was trying to see if any ribs fell out of the pot). And I think about how nice it was when she licked the brown sugar I spilled off the floor so I didn't have to sweep.

I realize that I take for granted that I am healthy and blessed beyond compare.

And then I am no longer tired.

Then, I am ashamed for ever being tired.

Then, I realize how selfish I am.

Then, I am humbled.

Then, I am grateful.

A Cabin in the Woods

After all the confusion surrounding the Fabulous Dude's day off, he ended up taking the day anyway in lieu of some evening work he's going to have to do this week. We headed up to his hometown and out to his cabin in the woods to spend the night. When I say "cabin", I mean that in the loosest sense of the term. This is no luxurious chalet set amongst the trees. This is roughin' it. You pee in an outset, you get heat from a wood stove and you gain light from flashlights. It's roughin' it.

Apparently Nika wasn't really impressed with all the pictures I was trying to take.

We loaded up some snacks (cookie dough and potato chips anyone?) and set out for our adventure. I didn't like the idea of my bare feet touching the floor, so I wore my duckie boots the whole time.


We ate some snacks, played some skip-bo (I definitely won) and then called it a night.

I have no idea why this next picture is necessary to this post but I just had to share it. I have no idea what she is doing or why she looks so demented.

In the morning, the FD headed out for an early morning hunt in the pouring rain and I had myself a little sleep in. When he got back, he made us some breakfast and we relaxed and read for a while before heading back into town.

We spent the rest of the day together going out for coffee (I had a MAJOR espresso high going on) and doing some shopping. It was too rainy to do anything overly exciting. Then when his mom got done work, she and I headed into town with his sister and niece to get some dinner and groceries. I have to say, I was very pleased this weekend to discover that our 3 yo niece now thinks I am the coolest thing since sliced bread. She was all about hanging out with her Auntie L this weekend!

On Saturday, MIL and I began making some applesauce. I wasn't around by the time it was ready to be canned, as we had already left for my aunt and uncle's house for our Thanksgiving meal. I'll be making more applesauce later this month, so I will let you know how it goes then.

We enjoyed the afternoon with my family ... eating, playing, walking and having a great time!

My younger cousin's both have a Nintendo DSi and we had a blast taking pictures of ourselves with the "distort" feature. I really wish I had some of them. It was quite hilarious.

Little H loved Nana's Pumpkin Pie and was eager to sit close to whoever was eating a piece at the time. He plays like he can't say Nana but when she wasn't giving him pie quickly enough he was screaming her name over and over. And then, he meandered over to the FD and quickly made friends with him when he realized he also had a piece of pie.

Sunday was Thanksgiving dinner with the FD's family and, once again, we stuffed ourselves silly! Then we spent the rest of the day playing games, reading, napping and going for horsey rides!

The FD went back out to the cabin but this time I decided to stick to where the running water was and stayed home.

On Monday I did more relaxing and reading. Also, my MIL gave me a little sewing-101 class and helped me to make this baby blanket.

I am considering posting a tutorial, but since my blanket kind of sucks, I'm not really sure that it would be helpful. I really enjoyed sewing and I will definitely be trying some more projects!

After stopping for a short visit with FD's Grammie, we headed home. We took the scenic route and stopped to take some pictures of the fall beauty!

After a weekend full of food, our wonderful families and witnessing the beauty of Autumn, it is not hard to be thankful.