our thanksgiving

The one brilliant part of having Canadian Thanksgiving a month and a half early, is that by the time I actually get around to posting about ours, all of my American readers are just getting ready to celebrate. We'll just pretend like I plan it that way. Our Thanksgiving this year was, as so many of yours will be, a quiet and intimate one. And while this was our first Thanksgiving away from family, my cousin and her husband recently moved not too far from us, and it meant that we were able to have some family over! I know that so many of our celebrations will look differently, but I've come to find that, for myself at least, keeping things feeling normal helps. I didn't need to set the table, or roast a turkey, or even bake a pumpkin pie, but I did. And in doing so, Thanksgiving felt as it should. I puttered around the days before, working on the table, arranging flowers, planning a menu. Then the day of was slow and lovely. The kitchen filled with all of the scents of onions softening and the turkey roasting and a pie cooling. It really was just a slow, lovely day. There was no rush to do anything. The guys watched football, and at one point, everyone but a couple of the boys had nodded off while I laid cutlery and ironed napkins. At the end of the day, as the sun was setting, we all sat down for a small dinner. We lingered until the last of the wine had been poured, the tapers low and dripping, and afterwards, since we weren't quite ready to be finished, we settled in to watch a movie with our pie. Save being able to enjoy the company of our family, it was the perfect day,

When it comes to decorating our house for Thanksgiving, I keep things quite minimal. I do always love my pair of pheasants, particularly during the fall. I also tend to add a few pumpkins here and there, as well as some potted cabbages and kale, but that's about it.

My parents sent me a beautiful bouquet (they know my tastes so well!), and I used that for my centerpiece. I hollowed out a squash and then rearranged the flowers in it. I added a few extra roses that I had picked up from the store, as well as a few foraged bits from down by the river. 

I stocked the bar in the Butler's pantry - a bottle of wine to sip on in the afternoon while I cooked, a couple ingredients for some simple autumn cocktails... It's just nice to have a couple options on hand.

Because the day was so slow, I really enjoyed being in the kitchen. There wasn't any need to rush. I put some music on, poured my glass of wine and settled in.

A pumpkin pie was a non-negotiable. I really didn't need to make it. It probably would have only been missed by only me, but it would have been sorely missed. I even took a little bit of extra time and did a decorative edge of little acorns.

To keep things easy, lunch was simply butternut squash soup (I kept it warming on the stove) and some cheese to nibble on. Everyone could help themselves as they were hungry, and I could continue doing what I was doing.

Then for the table. We sat at the round table in the family room because we don't often sit in there.

I kept the place settings fairly simple.

 I loved this mustard yellow fish set I had recently found, and I played off it a little with some golden velvet ribbon and matching tapers. I always love a little brown and white transferware this time of year, so I tucked one of my platters under the centerpiece.

As for dinner, a simple roast turkey with herbs from the garden, apple and sausage stuffing, buttery mashed potatoes, sautéed green beans with garlic and cranberry sauce (with cranberries from the bog down the road!). 

The next day, in true day after Thanksgiving fashion, it was pie for breakfast. We slept late and then wandered about the countryside on an afternoon drive. 

We discovered a beautiful new beach.

I still find it so interesting seeing the pine trees on the beach.

We drove through the village of Chester.

We even stopped for a hike to admire the foliage and stretch our legs for a bit. The boys ran wildly down the paths, stepped across stones in the very small waterfall, and climbed trees.

However you will be celebrating Thanksgiving, if you are, I hope you have a lovely weekend. It may be different, but it can still be special, because there's so much to be grateful for.

Wishing you all a Thanksgiving that's rich in gratitude and full of contentment, from our family to yours.

the first day of autumn

A few glimpses of what welcoming the first day of Autumn looked like today.

Usually I would have gone for a drive, but there were thunderstorms on and off today, so I decided to just stay home instead. Every now and then, the sun would break through and highlight the dark stormy clouds and everything would look so pretty.

I freshened all the flowers up with cuttings from the garden.

The leaves on the Chestnut trees in the front garden have started turning brown and are littered all over the lawn.

I've put away a lot of my blue pieces, but I left the pair of ginger jars on the mantel for now. I like the slow transition from summer to fall. When I'm ready to add some pumpkins and gourds to the mantel, I will find another home for these, but until then, they will stay.

Two really easy ways to add a little bit of coziness to a room? Some natural firewood by the fireplace, and some throws for chilly mornings or evenings by the fire.

This one conveniently hides my books and things. I learned this trick from my mother in law.

The first pumpkin has made it's appearance, along with a potted kale.

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I've washed and added warm weather clothes to the boys' wardrobes. It's no where near sweater weather right now, but at least I'm prepared. And in an unusual moment of foresight, I even ordered the needed snow pants and winter coats for the boys. That always sneaks up on me and by doing so early, I took advantage of a 50% off  Labor day sale!

It also looked like slices of peach pie after school. I made this one this weekend. I really only make pies in the fall, save cream pies with graham cracker crust in the summer. As Thanksgiving is not far off, at least here in Canada, I have to practice a few times before I make them then.

And while pumpkins have arrived, and I'm tempted to completely outfit the front entrance, I'm not  ready just yet to say goodbye to my simple Boxwoods in my urns, so they'll stay for a while longer.

I might however, see if I can sneak out once the littlest ones are in bed, to go sit with a Pumpkin Spice Latte for a while by myself. Maybe with a book? Hockey season has pretty much begun, so I don't think I'll be missed terribly.

A Lovely Weekend

The hyacinths in bloom.

I just had a lovely weekend. There seemed to be a few things each day that made it a little extra special. Little things that I was grateful for.

It started with date night on Friday night. One of the perks we often get to enjoy are some social events that come along with my husbands job. We were given tickets to an icewine gala which meant a fancy night out for a change. We were spoiled with tastings of various icewines from all of the major wineries in our region, as well as the most indulgently delicious food. Stations of intricately plated sample dishes from local restaurants and a dessert buffet that was nothing short of a sweet shop. Seriously. There was everything from candy floss wrapped strawberries, to shelves of truffles, miniature pots of creme brulle and even cheesecake on a stick. It was beyond heavenly! The best part of the night though? Feeling like we were back on one of our first dates, laughing our way through the evening and doing all those fun things you tend to forget to do after you've been married a while.

The next morning found us enjoying our Saturday morning greasy spoon breakfast over one of the best cups of coffee in town. However, this weekend, my son had spent the night at Nona and Opa's house. This meant that after an early morning breakfast (since Saturday is a work day for my husband), mummy got to go back home to bed and actually enjoy reading her book for a little while longer. Sometimes I forget just how much I love getting lost for a while in a good book - especially when it's a small blizzard outside.

Eventually I did drag myself out of bed. An auction was beckoning. I navigated my way through the wintry storm to a tiny community hall not too far away. It was a decent morning and I managed to nab 3 gorgeous glass cake stands to add to my collection.

Sunday was a lovely sermon, something I'm always grateful for and Sunday afternoon was spent catering a lunch for my sister's upcoming mission trip to Ireland.

Today was a lazy day that allowed me to catch up on some cleaning and puttering around the house. Since my husband is home on Monday's, he gets to spend some time with our son, and I get a chance to do some things I don't always find the time to do. Like leisurely bake a beautiful pie.

I love the smell of an apple pie baking. It's not near my favourite pie to enjoy, but there's something homey about it that I love. It's that sweet, cinnamon smell that fills your entire house and the way it looks sitting on your counter, cooling. It just says home.

And finally, throughout the entire weekend I was constantly stopped by the most fragrant smelling hyacinths! My entire kitchen is filled with their beautiful scent and I'm reminded of spring every time I walk past them. It's amazing how such a simple thing can bring so much joy.

I hope you all had a weekend that was full of things just as lovely as mine was.

Two of the three cake stands. Aren't the gorgeous?


The apple pie, right from the oven. My secret touch? Freshly ground cinnamon!