Monday, October 10, 2011

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!

Today is Thanksgiving Day in Canada. I actually never knew until this morning why Canadians celebrate it in October and Americans celebrate it in November...then, while I was making homemade macaroni and cheese to take to my brother and sister-in-law's for dinner tonight, I heard on the radio that it has to do with harvest. In Canada, the climate is colder, the seasons change a little quicker, and our crops are ready for harvest in October, but in the States, harvest comes later, hence celebrating Thanksgiving in November. See, it's true you learn something new every day. ;-)

Yesterday, my mum, brother (Jamie), sister-in-law (Amanda), nephews (Noah and Logan, 9 and 20 months respectively), and I went to one of the local orchards. We went last year - minus my mum - and we had so much fun, we decided to make it a tradition, and my mum was able to go this year which made everyone really happy. The orchard is massive - I wouldn't even hazard a guess as to how many acres - but they grow tons of fruits and vegetables, sell baking, stuff from local artists, etc. 

We went on a hayride through the fields and got to stop to pick apples and pumpkins. They had this deal on pumpkins where it was $10 for all you could carry, so we loaded my brother with 4 huge pumpkins...and out of the 136 pictures I took, THAT was the one I missed because I had mud all over my hands - ugh! I had planned to do the all-you-can-carry too, but there were no small pumpkins, so my limit was 2. Anyway, it was a gorgeous day, hard to believe it was autumn and not summer, and we had a lot of fun.

Logan and Noah

Noah

Logan...check out the My Aunt Rules shirt hehe

My beautiful mama

It's the great pumpkin, Charlie Brown! No wait, that's just me...and Noah to the right

Family picture except poor mum got cut out!

Amanda, me, Logan

Logan and Noah...Noah has his hand on the baby's head - could they be any cuter?

Me, Jamie, Amanda
If you want to see my blog post about our orchard fun last year and see pics (big difference in the kids, especially Logan who was just 8 months old at the time), you can find it here. :-)

So, as I mentioned, today we're doing dinner at Jamie and Amanda's. Usually, we have them over here and spend part of the day with my Grama, but she passed away 9 and a half weeks ago, and we didn't want to be alone, so I told Amanda that if her sister wanted to have dinner at Amanda's, mum and I would like to come and I'd help her with the cooking. It all worked out, and we're doing a huge family dinner. This will be my first big Thanksgiving ever...we have a fairly small family, but Amanda has a big family (2 siblings, their spouses, 7 nieces and nephews, plus other assorted family members). There'll be 20-25 people altogether, and it should be a lot of fun. 

***** 
I've always been someone who's really grateful for everything in my life. I know that I'm lucky to have a roof over my head, clothes on my back, and food on my table. I have an incredible family, and we're all healthy and happy, which is a blessing. My mum is my best friend, and I don't know what I'd do without her. Up until 9 weeks ago, I had the most amazing Grama in the world, and she was one of my best friends. She had her health issues, but she was sharp as a tack, had an amazing disposition, and she taught me so much. My dad and Grampa passed away when I was young, and although I miss them every day, I know I was lucky to have them at all. My brother and sister-in-law are incredible, and together we're the 3 musketeers, all for one and one for all. My nephews are like my own kids, and they're the lights of my life. 

I'm also incredibly grateful for my wonderful online friends. You guys have been so helpful, supportive and encouraging. Becoming a book blogger was one of the smartest things I ever did because it's given me the opportunity to meet a lot of like-minded people who want to share their love of the written word. I'm also really grateful for the people who have supported me in my journey as a writer, and who have shown interest in my book. You all mean so much to me, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

5 comments:

  1. Yep, happy turkey day! :D We had our big family meal yesterday and it was pretty fun. :) After we ate we sang karaoke, too. I hope that your time with your family is full of fun, food and laughter. Have a great day!

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  2. Happy Canadian Thanksgiving! Those photos are so precious... You're lucky you get to have Thanksgiving in a place that looks so traditional. I live in Southern California, so we don't really have those beautiful fall colors everywhere...

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  3. We don't get lovely autumn things in Texas, either. In the summer, everything just kind of dies from it being too hot with not enough rain, lol. I hate it! Can't wait to move back East.

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  4. Happy Thanksgiving! I didn't even know Canadians had a Thanksgiving, so you learn something new every day...

    It looks like you have a lovely family - thanks for sharing the pics. It's sad you lost your Grama - but it sounds like she left a huge part of her spirit with you.

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  5. Happy Thanksgiving! I hope life always gives you much to appreciate and be thankful for.

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~Marie

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