Thanksgiving in Canada

What do I have to be thankful for this year?

Everything.

I want to dedicate this post to all the fabulous things that make up my sweet maple life. Some things are little, and some are big; but they're all beautiful to me and things that I am thankful for.

...The way the wind whispers in the trees.
...How leaves twist upside down to show silver undersides when a storm approaches.
...Watching lightning from a long ways off.
...Coffee!
...Hot tea and a cozy blanket on a chilly evening.
...My continuing, emerging awareness of myself and the universe.
...Being close enough to the city to not really have to drive anywhere, but living just outside all the noise.
...The privilege of being a foster cat mama.
...Google Maps.
...Friendship.
...The smell of rain.
...The smell of impending snow.
...My creativity that I can safely and surely let loose whenever I choose.
...Birdsong.
...The blue glow of the full winter moon.
...Being able to get out of the 'urbs sometimes and visit Ontario's fresh, green, peaceful countrysides.
...Having adventures. Some of them aren't good when they happen, but they make amazing stories afterward!
...Seeing things and places that I've never seen before.
...Continuing to look and feel like a kid full of wonder.
...My husband finding a good full-time job that he LIKES.
...Having cats who are excited and glad when I come home.
...Having a husband willing to cook an entire Thanksgiving dinner!!!
...Getting my butt into gear to lose weight and live a healthier life.
...Our apartment: not only a shelter, but a cozy, inexpensive home full of heart and laughter.
...Feeling capable and more like a woman.
...Coming into my abundant self.
...The incredible beauty of Ontario. I hope to see even more and explore further next year!
...My husband, my friends, my family.
...That we're living in a perfect spot, weather-wise!
...Being able to walk out our door and decide if I want to go to the city or go to nature, and have both options at my fingertips.
...Living in Canada.

...That my mom survived open heart surgery. She's struggling badly right now, especially with her mental health, but she's such a strong woman.

And the beauty of places like this:

Cheltenham's Badlands, northwest of here. We went there on a Thanksgiving drive and to see the vibrant fall colours. :)

Then we came home to an amazing, delicious turkey dinner made by my husband!!

So Happy Thanksgiving, Canada. I had a wonderful day, and I hope you all did as well. Tomorrow I'm going to share another Samhain's Sirens giveaway and show you some of the many haunted locations in Ontario that I'd love to go to one day!

What Autumn is to Me

Today's Samhain's Sirens post features a blog by I'm Not Hannah, and I ask that all of you go over there and read it! It's so beautifully written, a true analogy of fall!

I'm inspired to make a little list of things I love about autumn, and what this season means to me.

-Everything is bursting with colour, scent, cosiness, and a general sense of impending-holiday-business. Everything feels so festive and glorious. In her last wakeful days, Nature adorns herself in riches, from amethyst and garnet jewel-like berries, to gold and crimson and copper headdresses and robes, to ripe and delicious vegetables and grains. As Nature dies into another dark, cold, barren and white winter, she puts on a grand show for everyone to enjoy and love before her passing.

-The beauty and bounty that we are presented with this season gives me an endless supply of creative energy that is poured into drawing, writing, digital scrapbooking, jewellery-making, and my own personal style. I think it's safe to say that I feel happiest at this time of year, which reflects onto every aspect of my life. My depression lifts; a black iron veil that lets me see into lovely everyday happiness.

-The days are much cooler and lack the oppressive humidity that late spring and summer are notorious for. I can take long walks without piling on excess amounts of sunscreen or suffering mild heat exhaustion. I don't sweat myself to death, unless I'm walking for cardio, and then I welcome the sweat! I can wear layers, jewel colours, and let my inner vibrancy bloom. I love these temperate days, especially for going to see the pretty foliage! And I don't know about you, but I love being able to go out without a smog advisory being in place!

-Because the nights are colder, the blankets are thicker, the pyjama pants and socks warmer, and the tea and lattes hotter. Cosiness increases, and snuggling in bed or on the couch is an even more wonderful thing than usual, especially under soft fleece blankets!

-The veil between the worlds is quickly thinning this month. I find myself thinking about my Dad more, and quietly talking to him out loud when I'm home alone or on a solitary nature walk. I tell him all the things I wished I had told him when he was still alive. I can only hope that his soul hears and sees me somehow, and it seems I can feel his warmth on the blowing breezes that carry twirling golden leaves that stick in my hair and fall at my feet. I always think back to the evening walks he and I would take in the spring and summer, in those precious years before his massive stroke. It is as though I can feel him walking beside me again.

-This is the season where many of us sit down with friends and family and give thanks for everything that we have. I believe that we should be doing this every day, not just one out of three-hundred-and-sixty-five. I do my best to find five things to be thankful for every day, even putting a positive spin on otherwise unpleasant days (I'm down with a cold? I am thankful that I am otherwise healthy enough to only experience mild colds once or twice a year). But for me, Thanksgiving is a yearly ritual of culminating the entire years's gratitudes and simple joys, and preparing for a whole new year of gratefulness. It's a feast ritual, a prayer ritual, a nature ritual. I place my bare hands on the still-warm earth and give thanks for having this awareness, this utter joy at being alive despite severe mental health issues.

-Pumpkin spice lattes, whether from Starbucks or from this recipe that I tried tonight. That is all.

-Being able to get fresh air into the house while pumpkin bread is baking? Yeah, that's the good stuff.

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To close this entry: if you're a witchy gal or have a special witch in your life, don't forget to check out today's Samhain's Sirens giveaway, too! We have a festive besom/broom for your altar by Elegantly Enchanting.

Cute, huh?? Get your entries in, folks! This would make a great gift :)

Have a wonderful weekend, my friends! If you're in Canada, happy Thanksgiving weekend!! May your bellies and your hearts be full and your life full of gladness.

Autumn is here! Pic heavy!

It's that time of year again: fall fairs, harvest festivals, apples bright red on the trees, and leaves quickly beginning to turn brilliant shades of orange, copper, gold, and red. The nights are quite chilly now and I can't go outside without a jacket, and the days aren't much warmer any more. It's the time for pumpkin spice lattes, hot apple cider, and hot chili cooking for dinner. It's two weeks until Canadian Thanksgiving, and little over a month until my beloved Halloween. It's soon time to walk through tons of fallen leaves and smell their dry, pleasant scent.

Happy Fall, y'all!!

I forgot to post about the Thornhill Village Festival on the 15th, so here are some photos from this event that I greatly look forward to every year!

My MIL and I went very early to help set up Urban Cat Relief's booth.

Then I had Esther, our resident face-painting goddess, do up my face for the day!

Can't say I can sit in the middle of Yonge Street every day! :) A chunk of it was closed off for the festival and the parade.

One of the festival themes this year was the Diamond Jubilee, so that was pretty cool to witness and be a part of.

The festival always has reenactors for the Battle of York.

Trevor showed up and got his face zapped by Esther! :)

Our face-painting queen hard at work at the end of the day!

For people who live in this area, the Thornhill Village Festival is more of an official end to summer than the CNE. The very next day I hauled out all the autumn decorations and did up our apartment in beautiful leaves, cute scarecrows, and gourds and pumpkins. And this past Saturday, we went to a fall fair down in Ancaster, a small town near Hamilton.

The reason we were down there in the first place was because we wanted to go to the Personal Computer Museum in Brantford, which is a bit of a drive but our family friend Jeff loves to drive and have weekend adventures, so we were all for it! We'd decided to hit up one of the many fall fairs taking place that weekend, so when we randomly saw a sign pointing to the one in Ancaster, we went for it.

Looking down on Milton from the Niagara Escarpment.

Escarpment! The leaves are quickly changing now, so quickly that I think they will reach their peak by Thanksgiving.

I love seeing Ontario countryside!

This was my first REAL fall fair, with prize-winning crafts, crops, critters, and more.

This lady was a two-year-old Haflinger filly named Sparkle. Her mother was in the pen with her and her hooves were painted with glitter. Sparkle was very curious and happy, snuffling and rubbing on everyone with half-lidded eyes as they stroked her muzzle and soft neck. After I took this pic, she started rubbing her chin back and forth on the sleeve of my sweater as though enjoying the feeling, then she nipped. I now have a big black bruise on my forearm from her teeth. I think she really liked my sweater! LOL.

Sheep being herded out into a trailer.

It started getting very chilly, and because we weren't wearing jackets, we decided it was time to leave. We grabbed a bite to eat and some candy apples first, though! So we didn't get to stay for the horse show or the demolition derby, but we had a lot of fun all the same!

Besides, the sky went from pure blue to this:

The drive home was long. Jeff started going the wrong way and we nearly ended up going to Niagara Falls, but then we got back on the right track and headed back to Toronto :)

And there you have my weekend adventures for the past two weeks. There will hopefully be more this week and next, my friends, so stay tuned! I will post again before then, however ;) I've got a hankering to do another fashion accessory post and maybe outfit inspiration. Woohooo!

So until then, have a great day! <3

Weekend Blog Hopping

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Happy Sunday, everyone!

Not much has been going on this week, except that I've been very busy working on hand-made Christmas presents for my family. Since I've learned to crochet and there's such a clamouring for my open-work scarves and handwarmers, the gals of the family are getting those. I have just about everyone nailed down in terms of creating, and you know what? At first I felt really stressed out about not being able to buy anyone anything this year, but I realized how much I love to create for people. I'll be posting some pics soon!

And I've been scrapbooking. A LOT. I'll be posting a bunch of layouts over on my digiscrapping blog in a little while so you can check them out. I thought that I was starting to get burned out, but that's not so!

I'm so excited for Christmas already, and it's still autumn. Don't get me wrong, autumn is my favourite season and I fall in love with it more each passing year, but this year went right from hot to freezing and the foliage wasn't at all spectacular. It's left me feeling a tad disappointed, so I'm over it.

And besides, winter means that I'll be landing in Canada as a resident! I can't believe I'm saying this, but... HURRY UP, WINTER!

I discovered what is possibly the MOST sinfully easy dessert in the world. It's called a mug cake and you can find out how to make one here.

It takes just a few minutes to make, and it is HEAVENLY. A whole mug full of chocolatey goodness. What person doesn't love that? Well... maybe someone who doesn't like chocolate, but anyway ;)

Have a great week, everyone!