Photo of the Day October 12th

My sister-in-law Mary and I made a run for the border today... no, not to Taco Bell, but across the river into Port Huron for some shopping. It's a bit early for a formal Christmas shopping trip, but I still arrived at the mall with a little list of things that I knew were on people's Christmas lists, and I was lucky enough to happen across a couple of things that will end up wrapped under the tree this year. The main purpose of the trip was to get new winter boots for both Sophie and myself, and to get more pants for Sophie since most of hers are showing way too much ankle at the moment. She's growing at an astounding rate: pants that fit her like a glove just two months ago are both hard to do up and an inch or two too short. How does that happen so fast? At any rate, I was successful right across the board (or should I say "right across the border"?) and came home with three new pairs of pants, new boots, "mary jane" style shoes and ballet slippers for Sophie, and a couple of much-needed essentials for me. If I can count lunch at the Olive Garden as an "essential", then I really was completely covered (yum!) It's been quite some time since I went on a shopping trip, and I must say it was a blast... I've told Mary that I'm up for another go whenever she is, but with Christmas fast approaching I imagine my focus next time will be on others instead of on Sophie and myself.

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Photo of the Day October 11th

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I know some of us Canadians celebrate the holiday on Sunday and others on Monday, but since we're getting together with Chris's family for the big dinner today our greeting goes out today as well. Our house has that holiday smell... the turkey's been roasting in the oven since this morning, we made two kinds of stuffing (one with meat, one without), gravy's simmering on the stove (again, both the standard and a veggie alternative), and a salmon & veggie pot pie is cooling on the counter. We'll be off to Mary's house shortly to spend some time visiting before digging into the big meal... I'm sure like most Thanksgiving revelers we'll all be in a stupor on assorted couches shortly thereafter!

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A partial list of what I'm thankful for this year (because really, I could go on for pages):

• That I'm married to my best friend, and that we've held true to our promise to always treat each other with respect no matter what the situation. I'm thankful that when I look ahead to Thanksgiving ten years, twenty years from now that Chris will be by my side asking "How do you think today went?", encouraging me talk through whatever craziness we've faced so we can laugh about it together.
• Everything about Sophie. Her crazy sense of humour and accompanying laugh, the way she tells stories, her love of being around other people, the hand gestures she uses when she talks, and her strikingly vivid imagination.
• My family, both immediate and extended. Family is the life and breath of me... they feed my soul and charge my battery, are shelter from emotional storms and a cheering section when I need one.
• That I'm able to be a stay-at-home-mom for the first, most vital years of Sophie's life. It's a difficult road, especially financially... but it's one I don't regret a single minute of.
• My health, and the health of those I love. So, we may not be the poster children for perfectly healthy living... but we're trying and making improvements each day to ensure we have many years ahead of being together.

As I said, the list could go on... but there are some of my essentials. If reading my little list got you thinking, I hope you take a moment to jot down what you're thankful for. Even better - show your list to the people you love so they know how much they mean to you... and have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

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Photo of the Day October 10th

When I reminded Sophie that we were going to the market today her first reaction was "Can we see the Treat Ladies???" Our weekly trips to the market make a big impression on her, and she's got a little list of favourite vendors that she wants to see every week. These purveyors of all things sweet and yummy are the latest addition to that list, so after stopping by to say hello to (and buy veggies from) the wonderful people from Joyce Farms we headed straight over to see Treat Ladies Anne and Missy. While I picked up a few more market staples, Sophie enjoyed every minute of her "cupcake decorating class", and although she didn't want to leave their booth when our time was up she's got some wonderful sweets to bring home and enjoy over the next couple of days. It's a treat for all involved!

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Photo of the Day October 9th

Yesterday afternoon after our visit with Uncle Alan, the kids and I had some energy to burn... we used up some of it playing in the yard, but with the clouds rolling in (again?!?!) we decided that being inside might be a good plan. When we were in Ottawa a few weeks ago we saw these sweet little gourds with painted faces on them, and I knew right away that they could serve as inspiration for a fun craft at our house. Luckily I had a bag full of gourds that Sophie and I bought at the Farmer's Market last weekend and had yet to do anything with - once we got out the paints and markers a fun seasonal craft was born. By the end of our painting time they may not have looked like the little gourds we saw in Ottawa with their perfect smiling faces, but I can guarantee that the "artists" who completed the project here had a lot of fun anyway!

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Photo of the Day October 8th

My Uncle Alan flew into Ontario from New Brunswick today, and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to spend some time with him before continued his journey on to Wallaceburg for Thanksgiving weekend with my Grandmother. It was great catching up; talking about everything from wine making to wiring generators (my Uncle's a real jack-of-all-trades!) and just enjoying his company. After a visit at our house in the morning, Uncle Alan, Chris and I, Sophie and our friend Rowan sat down for a special treat; a lovely lunch at Chez Cora. Visits with Uncle Alan always fly by and before we knew it he had to head out on the next leg of his journey, but I'm so grateful that we had a lovely morning and early afternoon together before he did!

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Photo of the Day October 7th

Sophie and I sat down at the dining room table this afternoon for some Play-Doh time, and somehow got making little snowmen (as if the seasons aren't flying fast enough!) Since I started this photo-of-the-day blog my camera has become my constant accessory, and I'm not the only one using it... While I was putting together a little friend for our festive looking green snowman, Sophie picked up the camera and snapped this picture. As usual I think she's got a pretty decent eye, and I love the fact that she's now suggesting what pictures we should use as our photo-of-the-day!

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Photo of the Day October 6th

I've been a fan of the Food Network since the first time I clicked on over to it's non-stop Chef-y goodness, and had been thinking about taking part in their monthly Cooking Club Challenge for quite a while now. Last month I decided that whatever came up this month I would do it, just for the experience... and several days ago they announced that the October Challenge would be Italian Meatloaf in the slow cooker. I found this amusing for a couple of reasons... I've followed the Cooking Club Challenges for the last few months (Chuck Hughes Ice Cream Sandwiches! Anna Olson's banana bread!) and my mouth has been watering thinking of what sinfully delicious dessert I might find myself making. Then there's the little fact that I'm a vegetarian. Ironic, no? But I had committed myself, and so ground beef and ground pork in hand I began my first-ever meatloaf experiment. While I wasn't able to taste the results myself my husband assured me that it was absolutely wonderful; "melt-in-your-mouth tender" were his exact words. Not bad for a first attempt!

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