Thanksgiving This Year

Our daughter and her family flew home for Thanksgiving again this year. Travel is more challenging with three children. 

 

Normally we would meet them at Detroit airport with a borrowed van, help collect their luggage then all pile into the van for the drive to London. This time they had to manage on their own renting a vehicle big enough for a family of five with three little ones in car seats. It is a logistical nightmare. We were impressed with how well they managed.

They arrived on Thanksgiving Saturday around 10 p.m. a little later than planned as the border crossing was busier than expected. We didn't take pictures. It was late and the kids were tired. After a quick bath and story, they were happy to snuggle down to sleep in their lovely new tent.

This year we delayed closing our pool hoping our grandchildren would be able to use it when they visited. Thankfully we awoke to warm sunny weather perfect for swimming on both Sunday and Monday. It was fun unwinding in the pool before everybody arrived for Thanksgiving dinner. 

We loved swimming so late in the season with our grandchildren. 

Instead of swimming, our newest grandson enjoyed cozy cuddles.

This year we hosted Thanksgiving dinner for the first time. My husband cooked both a turkey and spiral cut ham outside on his new Kamado ceramic smoker and grill. I prepared mashed potatoes, baked vegetables, cream corn and stuffing inside. My Mom brought pies (pumpkin and lemon meringue) and butter buns. My mother-in-law made salad. It was a fantastic feast with enough leftovers to last all week.

Our newest grandson slept through most of the festivities ... so sweet.

We managed to squeeze everybody around two tables in the dining room.

I love how our grandson was mesmerized by the flickering lights.

Our grandson was also entertained by ceiling fans and smiling faces too.

Thanksgiving Monday, we spent the morning swimming before heading to my brother-in-law's cottage near Bayfield. They call it "Lasting Memories Cottage" aptly named as so many happy memories are being made there.

 

 

It was a perfect day for a walk on the beach ... collecting stones.

Stones gathered from the beach were used to construct an Inuksuk back at the cottage. I think our son did a good job with a little help.

With tired kids, we left for home before the sun had set. Our sister-in-law sent us this photo ... a perfect end to a special Thanksgiving This Year.

This year, my husband and I both worked while our grandchildren were here. He was too busy to take time off and I have used all but three days of my vacation. I am saving those days for when they visit at Christmas and New Years. It wasn't a problem as they had planned activities with our parents every day.

In the mornings before work, our grandson would play and chat with me while I relaxed with a green tea latte in the living room. I learned to step carefully as Lego "disappeared" on that carpet. Our granddaughter woke up early enough only once to join in on the fun.

I managed to get a few snapshots showing how they spent their week while we were at work. They kept busy with lunches out, parks, visits to great grandparents' houses plus a trip to Stratford ... so many things.

My Mom (aka GG) joined the kids for story time one night ... so much fun.

In Stratford, they visited an "old" family friend Zibby and Gus where they posed for a group shot. I heard they enjoyed fresh baked treats.

Thursday night, they visited our niece and her husband to meet Pippin their kitten and play Wii.

Cuddles with the baby ... never get enough.

On Friday, we got off work a little early. My husband made good use of his Kamado smoker and grill making pizza for dinner ... very tasty treat.

Our grandchildren enjoyed another swim before dinner.

Our niece and her husband joined us for 'games' night Friday. Actually I sat and chatted while the 'kids' played Pictionary ... lots of laughs.

Saturday was a warm day, but rainy. Instead of going to Kustermans Berry Farm as planned, we went to Adventures on Wonderland - an indoor play area. Although it was crazy busy and noisy, our grandchildren loved it.

Our grandson loved these shakers. I could keep him entertained for ages.

On Sunday, my husband put his Kamado smoker and grill to work one more time preparing beef brisket for dinner. It was a relatively warm day so I went for one last swim with our grandchildren before finally closing the pool for the winter. 

As he often did, our littlest grandson slept through our 'good-bye" dinner. Our son had to drive home later that night while our daughter and her family started packing and preparing to fly home the next day. 

We enjoyed our week with the little ones and look forward to seeing them again at Christmas. They have not been home for Christmas since forever. I can't even remember when. This year they will be joining us for two weeks. I am super excited and already feeling more interested in decorating for the holidays. Only 60 more days ... yes I'm counting.

Be the first to comment - click on No comments: below

Special Surprise

Our grandchildren arrive Saturday from Boulder. They will be staying for a week. As a Special Surprise, we set up a tent in our gym where they will be sleeping. I can't wait to see the looks on their faces when they see it.

It is a large family size tent with a double mattress for our grandson plus a single size foam pad for our granddaughter. There are two cozy sleeping bags and colourful warm blankets in case it gets chilly at night. 

The front door is currently tied open, but can be zipped shut for privacy.

The back window can be zipped open to form another door.

A basket of books, a bear and their favourite stuffies (little brown puppy and green chameleon) sit ready and waiting for story time and cuddles.

All the doll things sit in one corner nice and tidy for now.

The dolls have been dressed and their extra outfits washed and folded ready for play time. Our granddaughter loves all things "Doll".

The Lego and toy cars sit in bins in the opposite corner patiently awaiting release. Our grandson loves all things "Lego". They both like all the toys.

I even have enough space left to exercise if I feel like it.

Usually my daughter and her family stay in our basement suite. There is a bedroom, a bathroom and an open area with a sofa bed plus enough floor space for a sleeping pad. 

Now that they have a third baby, they asked to stay upstairs where there is a queen size bed (big enough to fit the baby if necessary) plus a separate room for the older two so they won't be disturbed if when the baby cries. I hope my daughter and her husband are comfortable enough on our son's old queen size mattress.

The last time they visited we bought a new more comfortable mattress for the bed in the basement and moved the old mattress up to our gym as a spare. It fits perfectly in the tent alongside a smaller padded exercise mat. Our grandchildren should be quite comfy and cozy.  

I expect our son and his dog will be quite comfy too on the nice new mattress in the basement. 

Setting up the tent was a genius idea. I am as excited as I imagine our grandchildren will be. Hush ... don't say a word. It's a Special Surprise for our grandchildren.

Be the first to comment - click on No comments: below

Weekend at Blue Mountain

We spent this past Weekend at Blue Mountain to celebrate my husband's birthday on Friday. We drove after work arriving at 8 p.m. in time for a late dinner at Tholos Restaurant. We love their authentic Greek food and their entertainment ... a very enthusiastic and talented belly dancer.

We stayed at the Westin Trillium House in a deluxe guest room on the third floor with a view of the mountain. It was very nice and comfortable.

Mountain view is the side you approach by car. This is the other side of the building with a view of the Village across the pond. There are boardwalks encircling the pond which lead to the Village in either direction. It is very picturesque.

After breakfast and a matcha tea latte, we headed out to hike up the mountain. It was cool enough for jeans and jackets. Once we started climbing and sweating, we wished we had worn shorts.

The skies cleared by the time we reached the top. The views were definitely worth the effort.

My husband took a picture of this plaque commemorating Ontario's First Chairlift. He thinks he remembers riding this lift back in the day.

This sculpture at the top of the hill caught our attention ... very cool.

We rested a bit in the sun at the top of the hill before hiking down ... no open air gondola ride for troopers like us.

After our hike, we drove to Collingwood to browse the shops where we ran into an old friend (at a bike shop of course) who now lives in Collingwood. She had hiked Nottawasaga Lookout trail that morning and recommended it. We thought Nottawasaga sounded perfect for Sunday.

We had made reservations for 7:15 p.m. at our hotel restaurant for dinner. Since we had time to spare, we decided to check out the little town of Thornbury nearby. We both love Thornbury cider so when we saw the Thornbury Village Cider House we stopped for a visit and taste. From this flight including 2 oz each of the following apple ciders - premium, cranberry, spiced apple and honey - I preferred their premium apple cider. Cranberry apple was good, spiced apple smelled better than it tasted and honey apple was just too sweet.

We made it back to our hotel in time for dinner at Oliver and Bonacini Cafe Grill. The food was delicious and, as luck would have it, they carried Beaver Valley cider (another local award winning cidery). It was good, but I still prefer Thornbury apple cider. 

After all that good food and cider, we slept well despite wedding celebrations late into the evening two floors below. I mention it because the music carried to our room like it was right next door. We had requested a room at the end of the hall to avoid excessive noise. Next time we will ask for a room at the other end away from the banquet hall. 

On Sunday we woke up to sunny skies and warmer temperatures. We were looking forward to hiking at Nottawasaga Lookout trail. We could not find any maps but figured we could head out and back without getting lost. The main trail was well marked in white with side trails in blue. The main trail was mostly single track and relatively easy with enough roots and rocks to keep things interesting.

We decided to take a blue side trail heading towards the caves on the way back. We had passed it on the way out but I thought it looked too troublesome to climb down. From this direction it looked easy enough.

Easy enough until we reached the caves and big rocks.

We had to clamber over and under rocks and fallen trees. The blue markings didn't seem to follow a proper trail, but we carried on anyway.

This climb was particularly challenging. My husband had to go ahead and help hoist me up the last bit. I could get my knee on the next level up, but then I was squished between two rocks, so had to twist to stand on a very tiny ledge plus I'm not really comfortable with heights. My heart was thumping and legs shaking by the time we made it to solid ground only to discover we had to go back down to pick up the trail at the bottom of the crevice. We were guided by other hikers who had come up the other way. 

The way back down was a little easier than where we had climbed up, except we had to leap (my husband might say step) over a deep crevice to get to it. Did I mention I'm not comfortable with heights? Thank goodness my husband was there to hold my hand.

We made it down safe and sound and carried on along the bottom of this crevice following the blue marks painted on the stone walls.

I loved seeing all the rocks covered in brilliant green moss. These tiny ferns were particularly pretty.

At the end of the crevice we climbed up and back to the main trail.

This was the sign we had passed earlier on our hike where I thought it looked too challenging to try hiking down. I was right ... climbing up and out was relatively easy though. 

Like the sign says "Hazards Exist" and, like we've all heard before, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger".

In the end, I was happy to hike the Standing Rock and Caves Side Trail. It felt like an accomplishment. 

After our hike, we headed for home stopping for lunch along the way. We got home fairly early with enough time to unpack, eat dinner and prepare for another week at work. 

If you're looking for a fun place to visit, consider a Weekend at Blue Mountain. We plan to go again ... perhaps this winter to ski.

Thanks to our parents for taking care of our pets Maggie and Sadie while we were away ... we truly appreciate it.

Be the first to comment - click on No comments: below