to all my American friends and family :) One of my favorite Thanksgiving memories was the year I celebrated Thanksgiving TWICE! I had Thanksgiving dinner with my family in Canada and then a month later, went to Philadelphia to visit a friend of mine. I was included in his family's celebration. It was amazing to see how similar, yet how different the two holidays are! We both had similar menus of turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin and apple pies. In the states they had something we don't have here: BISCUITS!!! Hot, melt in your mouth, biscuits! Yum!

One of my uncles is from Florida and he tells me that Thanksgiving is sometimes even more important than Christmas. He says that Thanksgiving is a time when all the college kids go home to be with family and that it's a really big thing there.

Another thing I noticed when I was in Philly was that almost every house on my friend's street and in his neighborhood had the American flag prominently displayed in front. My friend had the U.S. flag throughout almost all of the rooms in his house too. I sometimes wonder how it must be to feel so unified as a nation and to feel so patriotic. Many Canadians are patriotic too, but in a much different way.

Anyway, Happy turkey day! May you enjoy the company of close family and friends, and copious amounts of good food and good times :)

I just realized that I have not cooked supper at all in the past week and a bit (which is odd, because I love cooking). Ever since my aunt and uncle came up to the Island from Montreal, all our suppers have been made for us. We've been spoiled with all the dishes I miss from the city (because we don't have the ingredients for them up here). We've also had a meal at my MIL's house since Hubby's sister was here on the weekend from Barrie. Tonight we're dining with the boys. The hunters are cooking Hubby and me a spaghetti supper. Tomorrow we're off to supper at our friends' house. Hubby and I don't get to go out much, so this is the most socializing we've been able to do in a long time. When you live on a farm, it's hard to get away and visit friends.

I'm going to miss my aunt and uncle when they go back to Montreal on the weekend :(

I don't know about you, but I'm the biggest chicken when it comes to being alone at night. I've always been this way. I try to muster up my courage, but my imagination always gets the better of me. Every little sound just gives me the goosebumps! (Why do you think I own a dog? lol)

Many of us have heard those urban legends about serial killers scaring unsuspecting babysitters at night. I used to babysit when I was a teenager, and these stories just sent my imagination into overdrive!

The movie When A Stranger Calls (2006) is the adaptation of the classic tale. Imagine getting settled in your routine babysitting job and as soon as the kids are in bed, you get some unsettling phone calls from some stranger telling you to "check the children"??? What's even worse is that the phone calls are traced and they're coming from inside the house!!!

Yeah, I admit it, I'm chicken. This stuff is just too creepy for me! lol

Okay, I was caught! I mentioned a few months ago how much I hated reality TV shows and thought they were just plain stupid and a waste of time. Last week, my hubby came home from a meeting and caught me crying (yes, crying!!) as I watched America's Next Top Model. In this particular episode, The Girl Who Breaks Down in an intense acting challenge, Caridee reveals something traumatic about her past. The girl who expresses herself the best in her acting ability lands a role on the TV show, One Tree Hill.

Out of all the models in the running for America's next top model, I'm quite partial to Caridee. There's something about her that I really like. The story she told and her breakdown on stage just sent me reaching for the box of tissues! I know, so sad!

Anyway, I have a feeling that the judges' decision in the end with be between Caridee and Melrose. My husband thinks it's funny that I cry even for stupid reality shows and sappy TV commercials. Oh, and you don't want to sit next to me if we're watching a Disney movie! The Lion King and The Little Mermaid...Bambi, Cinderella...oh boy! Whenever someone is hurt or sad (even if they are fictional characters), I end up weeping too! lol

After many attempts to attach this photo to my last entry on children's books, finally I was able to upload this (unfortunately in a new post though). Forgive me, but I'm slightly technologically challenged! :)

Anyway, Shel Silverstein's The Giving Tree is a story about a tree who loved a little boy and through the years, the tree kept giving the boy everything she had until she had nothing left to give. The parable challenges readers to try not to take loved ones for granted. It's a wonderful story for readers of all ages.

I grow seeds of compassion, love, understanding, and hope. I’ve also planted kindness, tenderness, forgiveness, and care. Certain plants like tolerance and respect command a bit more work sometimes. Sometimes my garden gets the occasional weed like anger and frustration. Pests also infiltrate the garden and I try to limit them from ruining all the flowers, vegetables and fruits. These pests are misunderstanding and fear.

It’s sometimes difficult to nourish a garden. Sometimes the weeds and pests try to take over the growth and rob the flowers, fruits and veggies from the nourishment they require. Sometimes I feel like I don’t have what it takes to maintain my garden. Then, I look at my seeds compassion, that have blossomed into something larger than I ever could have imagined. I see my saplings of love and understanding and how they have formed into a loving household, a wonderful marriage, a fantastic group of close friends and phenomenal family.

Then I see the weeds and pests and wonder how to deal with them in order for them not to disrupt the harmony of my garden. Weeds of anger and frustration can sometimes cast a shadow over the garden, blocking it from the sunshine and stunting their growth. When I see weeds like these, a wave of sadness washes over me. Weeds, like other plants, can start out as beautiful creations as well. They can be full of life, and wonderful to look at sometimes. The only problem with these types of plants is that they crave attention and often dominate the garden. I naively let them stay, because they are life too, after all. Then these plants just take over the garden. They grow into those people you don't wish to have around because they sometimes seem bi-polar, or manic depressive, or even just plain unintelligible.

In university, I nourished a weed but the price I paid was horrific. The weed was obsessive, possessive, needy, bi-polar, and despite all the nourishment and attention she received, she ended up sleeping with my boyfriend at the time. I pulled both the weed and my then boyfriend out of the garden and made room for other plants. I sometimes wonder what happened to that weed. I truly cared for her, but I think in some ways, her not being in my garden makes my garden a less complicated one.

There was another fun plant in my garden for a while, and I spent lots of time with it. Truly, I didn't see the thorns...or maybe I chose not to see them. One minute things would be perfect, the next minute this plant would behave in a way that was so scary. It would blow up and get emotional and say the oddest things. As time passed, I began to not like the way this plant made me feel. It brought on more weeds of anger and frustration. I started to take more care of the other plants in my garden, and this particular plant would spring up again. This weed was insecure, hypersensitive, domineering, and agressive. This weed would poke and pry its way through the garden. I used to think it could co-exist with the other plants, but it couldn't. The other plants just shriveled up and bore no fruits nor flowers.

Other gardeners I've spoken to have said that we don't need these kinds of plants in our garden and that I shouldn't always feel like I need to care for all living things. The weeds and pests just block all other living things out. My problem is that I often want to keep the weeds because I see that they too have the potential of beauty and they too are living things, but then I realize that my garden will not flourish with the weeds suffocating all the other plants. Sometimes one has to eliminate certain elements of one’s garden, in order for it to be a healthy one. Now my garden is starting to look good again, and it's not so difficult to maintain.

Mom: Where's that book you wrote and illustrated in college?
Me: Ahhh...I don't know.
Mom: What? I love that book and I want you to give it to me so I can read it to my grandchildren!
Me: You don't have any grandchildren.
Mom: I know, but when I do have some, I want to read them that book! Where is it??
Me: *sigh* I really don't know. Somewhere in a box, maybe?
Mom: Arrrgh. You really should have had it published!

Yes, I did write and illustrate a children's book many moons ago. My college prof told me she wanted me to get it published. I was never confident in my own work and though I loved this creation of mine, I never went for it. I admit, I am a wimp and I cannot take any criticism even if it's constructive. I suck.

Mom wanted my book, so I decided to look for it. Leafing through my book collection in my library upstairs, I came across a few of my most beloved children's books. Though our nieces are now at the age where they are reading short novels, we still indulge in some all time faves.



LOVE YOU FOREVER by Robert Musch is a book I used to read to my little brother when he was a tot. Every time I read the story, it makes me happy and sad at the same time. I realize how 'mortal' my parents are and that one day they will get older and weaker, but the cycle of life continues with the next generation.


THE GIVING TREE by Shel Silverstein is more of a parable of the gift of giving. I tried to upload a pic of the front cover of the book, but I'm having problems getting the pic up on blogger :(

My wonderful aunt and uncle are up from Montreal for the week. This is their fourth visit to the Island this year! They love this place so much that the 9 hr drive from Montreal doesn't seem like much to them. I think we've seen them more since we moved up here than when we lived in Toronto!!

My aunt and uncle came bearing gifts of empanadas, amaryllis bulbs, Swiss and Belgian chocolates, Thai spices and noodles, clothing for Hubby, and all kinds of other goodies. Yes, we are spoiled! Empanadas are my favorite Filipino/Spanish food. It's a stuffed pastry type dish in the shape of a half circle. The pastry is stuffed with meat, potatoes, carrots, onion, but there are many variations and many recipes. You can bake them or fry them. You don't have to put meat in them either, but generally ground beef or chicken is used.

I've introduced Hubby to a myriad of ethnic dishes and empanadas are amongst his favorites! Prior to meeting me, he had never had filipino, Spanish, Caribbean, Indian, or Thai food. He was raised on meat and potatoes, so he's really excited to be able to taste all these exciting new types of food!








My Amaryllis, a beautiful addition to my greenhouse!





Yummy empanadas! I can't believe they brought us two dozen of them! Hubby sure is spoiled!!! He loves spending time with my family (and not just because they feed him)!

Hahaha!!! I think we need to clear up some misunderstandings, as tonight, as I helped serve at the annual Fowl Supper at the hall, several people were very concerned and told me not to "work so hard" as I was "carrying an extra passenger and need to be careful." Stunned, I flashed them a surprised grin and tried to think of the best way to tell them that no, I'm not pregnant. At least not yet...and if I am, that's news to me! Seems that someone had spoken to my mom, who said she is going to be a grandma soon (note: my brother and his wife are expecting their first baby in March) but everyone naturally assumed it was me who was pregnant. News around town is that I am expecting. LOL...oh dear! How quickly news travels in a small town...even if it's not true :) Maybe I'll just play along with it and if they don't see a baby in 9 months, they'll wonder ;p

My friend at Our Manitoulin has introduced me to the wonderful world of Watkins. Forgive me, but I absolutely had to post about this stuff. The products are first rate and very reasonably priced. The following are some of the items I'm adding to my "must have" list:

Every girl needs some really good cinnamon in her pantry! At $6.99 Cdn a tin, how can you possibly go wrong?



Some of you may recall me mentioning that Hubby's and my niece has food allergies. Apparently, she can have the black pepper from Watkins because it's so pure and has no other fillers. Yay, Watkins!! When I cook for Toad and Pook, I can't use regular store bought stuff because all the additives.



I would really, really love to get me some of this Lemon Creme Body butter, but I noticed that it contains nut products. Phooooey!! Hmmm...would it be very bad and irresponsible if I got some and only used it when our nieces aren't around???


My MIL actually told me that she and my SIL have used the toilet bowl cleaner from Watkins and they both swear that nuthin' gets their toilet bowls cleaner than this stuff. No lie! (Seriously, these ladies never lie!!!!)

Anyway, take a peek and see what Watkins has got. There's a US catalogue for any American readers out there.