giving thanks

So, yesterday was Thanksgiving for us Canadians. This holiday, like many often brings back memories, not of Norman Rockwell dinner tables, but of stress, tears, too much food and at the end some kind of let down and disappointment. It's just too much pressure!

So this year we decided to do something different. Our dear friend who lives down the street, who also happens to be Polish, came over and we cooked dinner together. Not turkey, not even Chicken, we made...homemade perogies! Yep, that's right, homemade perogies with Sauerkraut that had bacon, onions and mushrooms and I made my first ever homemade pumpkin pie (crust too!)

The day was fun. It was full of laughter, good conversation and really good food. We even stuffed some of the perogies with chantrelle mushrooms that Stefan had bought at the farmer's market. It was a lot of work, I think we started at 1:30pm and didn't finish until 5:30pm, but it was well worth it! And the best part, no tears, no stress and certainly no disappointment. This was one of THE best Thanksgivings I have ever had.

So, in the spirit of giving thanks I thought I would share some of the things that I am truly thankful for this year:

*a beautiful family, they really are. I couldn't be more blessed than to have these two amazing children and fantastic husband

*a beautiful home to live in. It's not fancy, but it's perfect for us and I am truly grateful that we live here

*our health. We have some friends that are going through some pretty rough stuff with health, and it really is true, your health is everything.

*good friends. I have some amazing friends, really. Women that are so full of light and laughter, intellect and creativity. They all inspire me.

*creating The Ruby Slipper Project. Being able to reconnect with my artistic roots has breathed new life back into me. There has been a very real part of me that has been in hibernation until now, it's really a gift to be able to do this work.

What are you thankful for this year?