Pumpkin Carving and Trick or Treating

Halloween this year was such a welcomed distraction. 

It was filled with happy children.

Wednesday afternoon, Willen and I carved our pumpkins. We even roasted the pumpkin seeds, though he wasn't impressed with how they tasted. He preferred his candy. That evening, we went to his Cubbies event at a local church called Hero's Unmasked. It's a fun fair where kids come dressed up and meet hero's of the bible. We came home and lit our pumpkins, and then sat and had tea while we waited for Ryan to get home from work and see our masterpieces.

Thursday was busy. It was Willen's first class party and Hudson and I were invited to come along and celebrate. Afterwards we popped into Tante 'Netty's house and Beams and Papa's for some early trick or treating before heading to my parents for the night. We only ever get one trick or treater. Every year we carve pumpkins and put out a bowl of candy, but only one comes. This year, we had five bags taken. I don't know if we actually had five kids come, but there were still a couple left so I'm hopeful!

At my parents, I made dinner for us as it was Ryan's birthday (he had to work his day off), and later we all went out trick or treating. It was raining and windy, but the boys still had a great time. It was the first time Ryan was able to walk around with us. They brought home a pillowcase full, and it was so fun to watch Willen excitedly go through it all the next morning and sort it all.

This year, Willen picked out his own pumpkin while on his first bus trip with school to the Pumpkin Patch.

He needed a little help from his big brother.

Yes, I had to bribe him with chocolate to try and sit for a photo. It still didn't work.

He was the cutest little lion I've ever seen. He loved his costume and enjoyed 'roaring' at the kids we passed on the street. Willen was a race car driver which was a welcome change as nearly every other boy in his class was a superhero.

Hopefully we'll get to spend some time properly celebrating Ryan's birthday one night soon.

'Til Then, My Dear Friend

I don't even know how to begin writing this post... My heart is heavy and I'm at a loss for words.

Last Thursday night, one of the most beautiful women in my life, and my dearest friend went home to be with the Lord.

Most of you know her as Jess, or simply my cousin. It was with her that I toured the countryside every Spring and Fall. Every December First for the past decade has been spent with her celebrating the arrival of the holiday season. Countless shopping trips, coffee dates, bible studies and afternoon teas...

She has always been a part of my life. 

Ever since we were little girls, all of our school holidays were spent at our Oma and Opa's. In high school, I spent every single first period spare on the payphone talking with her. In college she edited every paper of mine, and visited me on my breaks when I worked at the Starbucks across the street from her apartment. It was on her couch, by her scheming, that I had my first conversation with Ryan. Secretly we both knew then already that we would one day get married. All the while she was in bed down the hall, pretending to be asleep. At our wedding, she was my maid of honor and was there whenever I needed help adjusting to being a new wife out on my own. She was the first one we told we were expecting our boys and she spoiled them with stashes of jellybeans and toys to play with.

She has simply always been there.

She is in the middle, I'm on the right.

Her and I making French Toast for Oma with my little sister, Becki.

Her and I, right before I started dating Ryan.

Out on one of our adventures when I was pregnant with Willen.

Most of you also didn't know that she had Muscular Dystrophy. She was diagnosed with it at the age of six, and aside from her being in a chair, no one would have ever known by looking at her.

She always smiled. 

Her joy for life, and love for Christ radiated from her. It was addicting to those around her and never went unnoticed. She had learned something very important and her simple words will always stay with me.

"He is God, and I am not."

That was it. It was those words that allowed her the freedom to wake up each morning and live her life joyfully, and not caught up in her inabilities. They were her strength, and her comfort and her hope. Her life had meaning and purpose and it was for her greater good that she was were she was. And that was that.

Many of you also don't know that she wasn't only my cousin, she was also Ryan's. Here he is, the only boy at the tea party. She is front and center, and my sister in law, Rachelle, is front right. It sounds ridiculous, I know. She's had many laughs and has happily told people for years that her cousins are married. (Her dad and Ryan's dad are brothers, and her mom and my dad are brother and sister. So we share her as a mutual cousin.)

She was only thirty one, and it was so sudden I didn't even have a chance to say goodbye. Hours before we had been joking back and forth and she was only supposed to be having some tests done. 

And then she was gone.

There is only one consolation that brings comfort and hope. She is with her Savior and she has been transformed into His beautiful image. She is free from sickness, and disease and sin. She has an eternity to spend in the glory of God and until I join her, I am resting in Him, and on His promises for strength and comfort.

"She is clothed with strength and dignity; and she laughs in the face of the future."

Psalm 31:25

She won't be gone forever. One day we will meet again. And what a sweet, sweet reunion that will be. After all, we never said goodbye.

Thanksgiving Dinner

Between my pies cooling and basting my turkey, I took a few photos of our Thanksgiving table. It was a wet, rainy Saturday and therefore the perfect weather to be inside a warm kitchen.

Menu

Sage Butter Basted Turkey with Orange Bourbon Cranberry Sauce and Giblet Gravy

Sausage, Apple and Walnut Stuffing

Mashed Potatoes

Maple Butternut Squash

Corn 

Broccoli Bake

(This staple is Ryan's favorite, and something my mother in law brings just for him - I can't make it as well... I'm getting better, but it's still not the same.)

And for dessert I made Pumpkin Pie with Maple Cream and Apple Pie a la Mode.

As my family celebrated on Thanksgiving weekend, it was just Ryan's parents, my sister-in-law, and his two grandmas that came.

I thought purple and yellow seemed like a pretty fall combination. The arrangement is very whimsical with Sunflowers, Cabbage, Willow and even some Pine Cones and Lavender from the garden. Once we sat down for dinner, I moved it to the coffee table. It's nice to be able to see everyone at the table.

I kept the place settings simple with my vintage cutlery, linen napkins, and a white gourd.

I picked out this table cloth at Homesense for $15. It's a Ralph Lauren and it's nice and thick. Someone in my family will comment on all the color going on, I know it. I don't usually stray far from classic white or neutral table linens.

You can see that above my door there is a lovely dark spot waiting to be painted. This past week was fire safety week at school. With Willen's help, we replaced all of our smoke detectors and moved them to more optimal locations. We also replaced our carbon monoxide and natural gas detectors. We even came up with an emergency evacuation plan and picked a meeting place safely away from the house.

It was a lovely evening. I think the pie was my favorite. This year I used a real pumpkin and made my own puree. It's not quite perfect. I need to alter the spices to my taste. But it was still delicious, and the texture was perfect!

A Greener Clean

I have to admit, when it comes to cleaning, I'm not the first to reach for a green cleaning product. I've tried a few products and have been left disappointed with the quality of their cleaning power. The only environmentally friendly cleaner I really enjoy using is Mrs. Meyer's Window Cleaner in Geranium.

I am in love with this scent.

However, I had purchased it on a trip the the States and I've never found it again. I even looked on Amazon and just couldn't justify an entire case of toilet bowl cleaner. I finally gave up. That is, until Target came to Canada. I soon discovered that Target carries the Mrs. Meyer's line. But, still no Geranium.

Without wanting to commit to purchasing an entire collection of new cleaning products, I took home a bottle of her Lemon Verbena scented Counter Top spray. Now, I'm not obsessive when it comes with cleaning. I do not stay up long after my children are asleep to wash floors, and I rarely wake up early to scrub my bathrooms. But I did really enjoy the scent of this spray.

So I returned later in the week and purchased the line. I even took home a bottle of fabric softener.

I feel good knowing that it's mostly plant-based, and that it doesn't consist of any harmful chemicals like my previous cleaners. Plus it makes the house smell fresh. 

Now back to cleaning and getting the house ready for company.

PS. Did you know that Mrs. Meyer's had 9 children? Bless her heart.

Thanksgiving Dinner Preparations

In the midst of preparations for my sale, my house suffers. Laundry piles up, boxes are stacked all around, dishes remain in the sink and nothing really gets more than a quick clean.

With Thanksgiving dinner this Saturday, I've been spending my time trying to bring order back to our home.

Along with cleaning, there are some other preparations I'm very much looking forward to:

Baking my pies, setting the table, arranging a centerpiece, and of course preparing dinner itself.

Tomorrow I will be doing a deep clean of the house. Sickness didn't effect me enough to believe that my house will remain in such order until the weekend, but at least the morning of I know I will simply need to do a light clean.

I've also taken out my silverware to give it a quick polish, brought down my table linens to be washed, planned my menu and written my list for the market.

I know that a lot of people can't be bothered with such details. After all, they aren't necessary for a wonderful time together. But I personally enjoy the preparations nearly as much as I enjoy the dinner itself.

I feel much more relaxed as things start to declutter and return to normal.

I think this year I might include some of my brown transferware and use them as serving pieces.

My mom and I have been collecting silver-plated tea and coffee pots, as well as cream and sugar sets. They are planning on including a small tea room area in their shop and so we've been putting a collection of serving pieces together. These are my particular favorite.

On another note, last weekend I went to sale by Oliver and Rust. Meg, the proprietor, did a wonderful job! It's always so nice to find someone who chooses pieces that you yourself are drawn to. I found this antler and this beautiful framed watercolor painting. It's a cozy rural scene and it matches my other frames in my living room perfectly.

I also picked up another pair of beautiful brass candlesticks. These will be used in my table setting as well.

Our 3rd Annual Vintage Tag Sale

In hindsight, it's ironic to think that I stared at this chalkboard, with this exact message for the days leading up to my sale.

"In all things, remember to give thanks."

So how does one find thankfulness lying sick in bed, unable to get up the morning of a day that you have spent a year preparing for, and weeks and weeks of countless hours working towards?

By counting my blessings one by one, and feeling my heart begin to overflow with thanksgiving.

Thankful for family that worked so unbelievably hard to do what I couldn't.

Thankful for the ability to have every detail finished the night before.

Thankful for a husband who washed sheets, and made tea and toast, and entertained sick babies so I could rest.

And thankful for each one of you who came out and showed your support, and those who couldn't but sent their encouraging words.

I am truly grateful, and very blessed.

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. 

Luckily, my dinner isn't until this weekend.

I feel the need to include the fact that my mother baked 50 of these gorgeous pies the day before the sale! Then she sold out.

I did manage to enjoy a piece of her pumpkin pie the next day. 

It was delicious.