Monthly Archives

October 2015

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Pier 21

Last Christmas, Mom and Dad gifted every one of us the best kind of gift ever.  They gave us a ‘pass’ to a family day together at Pier 21, complete with gas money and lunch.  Now, for those of you how are unfamiliar with Pier 21, it was the landing place of many immigrants who left their homeland to come to Canada.  Both my parents came through as small children after they had left Holland, on their way to settle in Ontario with their families.

It was hard to figure out a weekend that all 14 of us could go to Halifax together for the day. Plus, Pier 21 underwent some changes over the past year, as well, which meant they opened for the season when everyone was getting into their busy season of racing…motocross, mountain bikes, road bikes or race cars.  Everyone was off in every direction until last weekend.

We carpooled and switched up children and somehow we ended up driving a childless car to Halifax….what a treat!  Somehow, I got deemed the driver of the lead vehicle, which was fine for the most part, until I ran into a slight hitch with a certain one-way street on the waterfront and my desire to turn left…..  Who knew Lower Water Street was one-way the whole length of it?!?!?  Thankfully, after a few detours and quite a few passes of the Historic Properties, we all found our way to Pier 21.

Pier 21

It was neat to hear stories first hand but also to see all the displays and hear other stories as well.  How brave of these families to leave everything they knew to set forth for a new land, a new dream and a new lifestyle.  I can’t even imagine it.

Pier 21

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The curators of this museum did a fantastic job of making it interesting and interactive for all ages.  This display got my emotions going.  To see everyone’s personal connection with Pier 21 was so amazing, the different stories, written is so many unique scripts, very neat, for sure.  I loved that even Hannah got into it and wrote her own name, along with Oma and Opa’s names.

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The thought of packing up your life in crates and trunks is overwhelming.  How would you know what you would need, what you would want?  How do you decide which treasures to take and which to leave….  Some of the people through Pier 21 were kids who were sent over seas during the war, who expected to be gone for 6 months but ended up staying for 5 years – how do you pack for that??

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Pier 21

Over and over we heard how people were so amazed that as soon as they had that stamp on their papers, they were allowed to go anywhere in the country, they were able to just walk out the doors of Pier 21 and start their new lives.  Our country welcomed them in and let them start living their new lives here.

Pier 21This is one of the exhibits that my girls enjoyed the most.  A store.  This store was stocked with canned goods, fresh fruit and breads, all pretend, but there for the children to play with, pack into shopping bags, ring through the till and hand to their customer.  I think they’d want to go back again, just to be able to play here.  This station allowed the grownups to study the other exhibits and do our own exploring while the littles were occupied.

Pier 21Pier 21Pier 21Pier 21The displays ranged from reading, to listening, to watching and to playing to learn about Immigration into Canada.  They truly had something for every age…whether it be the young or the young at heart… I learned so much about not only the time period of when my parents came to Canada, but also current immigration and the reasons for that.  So many things I never thought of before.

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When people immigrate, they are required to pass a test about Canada.  This was a lot of fun to complete…and fail, as the case might be for me…. Sadly, I didn’t know enough about this great country that I live in to pass the 20 question test.  One of the staff went over my test with me and told me some background information on the questions I got incorrect.  It was very interesting to learn more about Canada, things I should know.  Apparently, I should’ve paid more attention in school!  There was short quiz that some of the kids did, too.  Thankfully I was born here and didn’t have to go through the process of the test, but it makes me appreciate how much the immigrants truly do want to be here.

This day with my family made me appreciate my roots, the story of my parents’ journeys across the ocean, even more than I had in the past.  I appreciated getting to spend a day with my family and see the interactions between everyone, big and little.  And, now, I appreciate the history of this great country even more, and how everyone has a story about their connection to Canada.

I would highly recommend spending a few hours exploring Pier 21 and learning about our collective past.  Bring your kids, bring your parents, doesn’t matter who, just go!

To be continued,

Lori

 

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A Nova Scotian Fall

fall quoteFall in Nova Scotia is my favourite.  Ever.  There is nothing like it.

fallIt is a riot of colours.  Reds, Yellows and oranges fill the landscape and replace the expanses of green.  The roads and pathways glow with the brightness of Fall here.  When we aren’t in Fall, its hard to imagine that these colours exist in Nature in such great amounts.

fallI love the change of the season.  When you first notice that hint of something different in the air.  I get so excited.  I know most people groan when the leaves start to change colour and the mornings are crisper and Pumpkin Spice everything hits the stores.  But I love getting to wear boots, scarves and cozy layers.  I love the harvest.  I love loading the front step up with the fruits of our labour from the garden.  And watching a TV at night all snuggled under a blanket.  I also love wearing a toque.  Just ask my family….

fallThe sunsets in the Fall are something else, too.  Displays of rich colours spread out across the sky.  We do have nice sunsets throughout the year but there is something extra special about the setting sun this time of year.  It never fails to disappoint.

FallI love the smell of hot apple cider.  I love the urge to make hearty, tasty meals for my family and bake special treats.  There is a warmth in a home when it smells of home baked goodness.  I even did some canning this Fall, for the first time ever!  But, I’ll save that for another post.

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I love the quote from the book Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery,  I love this because it rings so true for me.  Fall is my favourite.

I hope the world around you is an explosion of colour today.  Enjoy, before long the naked trees will greet us each day…

To be continued,

Lori

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Thankful in Cape Breton

Normally, we stick pretty close to home to celebrate Thanksgiving with our families.  But with the handsome Mr. Byrne’s work taking him away from us for this holiday weekend, we decided to celebrate elsewhere….in Cape Breton!  When I first realized that Michael would be away, I thought, we should go to Cape Breton, and Janice was thrilled with the idea and so the plan was hatched!

The girls had an in-service on Friday so we hit the road mid-afternoon, taking a big pan of Shepherd’s Pie with us to feed the crew whose home we would be invading.  Janice and her husband have four boys which makes for a busy, hungry household!  I think all we did all weekend was make food and eat it! But, man, oh man – was it good!

After supper, we had a little bonfire, complete with marshmallows and sparklers.  The kids had fun running around with them in the dark and I tried to take a few cool pictures with them, with minimal success.

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Saturday dawned wet and cold.  Gross.  Yuck.  I’m not sure I’m ready for this……  I had hoped it would be a clearer, brighter day for taking some pictures of how gorgeous Cape Breton is when the hills are dressed in such lovely shades, but it wasn’t meant to be.  So, we hit a market in Baddeck, the fibre festival, along with a few other shops.  I got a little more Christmas shopping done, so that was great!  Then we headed home to have lunch and prepare Thanksgiving dinner.

We had hoped to do a little hiking but the weather didn’t seem to want to cooperate much, so when the sun came out at one point, we took a little walk to the river behind their house.  I was expecting a little river, not too major….but when we came out at the river bank – I was floored!  It’s a big river!!  The Middle River, to be exact and not at all what I was expecting!!  It started to rain again, so we headed back to the dry, warm house, but let me tell you, I can’t wait to go explore that river again!  Because it was so wet, it wasn’t safe for us to climb down, so next time I go, we’ll be sure to go when we can get closer! { And I can’t wait to go there in the summer and have some fun with the kids in the water! }

Cape Breton

As Janice slaved away in the kitchen, over the hot stove, I thought I would try to entertain the masses with a little craft session.  Little did I know what a hit it would be!  I figured I might buy a half hour of the kids doing a quiet project but they worked hard on their projects for close to two hours at the time. I was amazed how quickly they caught on and wanted to try something a little harder.  They concentrated so hard on their stitching and came up with some great ideas!

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{ Lena working on her name – Tiernan practicing his stitches – Tristan stitching his name – Hannah making the sun shine – Wyatt stitching his name }

Before supper was ready, we needed to stretch our legs again, so we walked down the road to the nearby bridge.  We do this little journey most trips, it isn’t a far walk and the kids love throwing things in the water.  Normally we hang out for a bit but the wind was so cold and damp, we certainly didn’t hang out long.  On our way back up to the house, Wyatt picked flowers for his mom and for me….Janice and Trevor are raising some boys who will be real fine gentlemen in the future!  Who can resist a bouquet of road side flowers from such a sweet boy!?!

Cape Breton

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When it came time to sit down to supper, my heart was overflowing.  The table was loaded down with tasty food, there were nine of us crowded around one so we could share the meal together, and I felt so welcomed and loved there, I hope my girls felt it, too.  We ate and ate some more.  Then the kids were keen to get stitching again so off they went.  Janice’s mother came down for something or other and sat down to visit for a bit.  Now, I love Helen – she has a quick wit which I enjoy, a kind heart and a big hug, plus, she did the dishes, so what’s not to love!

We also received a late night visit from Barbara, one of Janice’s friends from the area, who stopped by on her way home from work with homemade bread and a pumpkin pie for us!  She must have known how starved we were!!  We were fading away with hunger!  Hardly!!!  But the bread sure was tasty the next day dipped in my Curried Squash soup, let me tell you!

Sunday morning brought updates on flu-riddled Tristan and Trevor and so Sunday’s plans got shuffled a little.  And as someone in our group was feeling a little homesick, we decided to leave later that day, although we had left our stay open-ended, not knowing exactly when we would leave.  That meant our plans to hike the Sky-line Trail got put off for another trip and less people were heading to church, but sometimes you just have to roll with it. Before we went to church, we stopped at The Dancing Goat for snacks and Pumpkin Spice Lattes and then took the scenic route to church.

One thing I love about going to Cape Breton on a weekend is being able to attend church with Janice.  If the drive wasn’t so long, I’d go more often.  The pews are filled, there are so many young families and the worship is so uplifting.  Plus, Janice’s in-laws hand out Rockets during the service!

On our way home, we stopped at the Lake O’Law Picnic Park for some pictures.  The hills and water were so pretty, I had to ask Janice to stop!  These pictures don’t do the beauty of it justice, I highly recommend Cape Breton in the Fall!  Tiernan was the only Ross boy with us at this point so he got some pictures taken with his momma.  He is a heart breaker in that hat!

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Lena has requested one more walk to the bridge before we hit the road for the drive home. It was a warmer afternoon and I knew it would be good to stretch our legs some before the long drive home again.  This trip to the bridge was much more enjoyable, no cold, damp wind sending us home in a hurry!  The kids love to collect things to throw over the bridge and watch sail down stream, anything from apples and sticks, or a big rock to see who can make the biggest splash!  I love watching them cheer each other on, or help each get a stick from the ditch or race to the apple tree to collect some more apples.  They have so much fun there! Plus, it gives me a chance to doing some more snapping!! I mean, a lot…..cape bretoncape bretoncape bretoncape bretonIMG_3142cape bretoncape bretonWe had a wonderful weekend with Janice and her family.  It was the perfect way to spend the weekend and I’ll always look back on this particular Thanksgiving with joy.  I have so much to be thankful for in my life, but especially a friend who opens her home to us and makes us feel special and welcomed.  She spoils my girls with chocolate chips, bowls of whipped cream and hugs.  I hope the friendships our children are making are ones that last, too, and they look back and remember these trips to Cape Breton fondly!

cape bretonHappy Thanksgiving!

Lori

 

 

 

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Grateful

Grateful

I was asked to decorate our church for this coming Thanksgiving weekend.  So, I hit Pinterest, of course, to come up with some large scale projects.  It’s one thing to decorate a house, but it’s easy to have things get lost in a bigger space.  So, I needed reinforcements from Pinterest to lend a hand….

gratefulI found a cool project where people get to write the things they are grateful for on giant chalkboard letters.  I didn’t think I could swing giant plywood letters that sit on the floor { you know, space and my fear of the power tools… }, so I made letters out of foam core and hung them at the back of the church.  We won’t be in our church this Thanksgiving to write on the letters, but I still hope to get to photograph them before we take them down or the words get smudged.

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I also did two displays at the front of the church with old bits and pieces from home and some goodies from the garden.  I was quite pleased with how they turned out….nothing big and showy, but simple and rustic.  I hope they know what they were getting themselves into when they asked me!  If it’s old and chippy or covered in rust, I’m gonna use it!

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One of the benefits of having a garden is being able to use the produce for this kind of project.  It makes the garden seem way more satisfying and rewarding.  We had these out of our front step for a bit and then I hauled some of the pumpkins and squash into town.  The girls are worried about getting them back, I assume they’ll be safe at the church, right??

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I added a little bit outside the main door into the sanctuary so when you walk up the stairs, you can see this grouping, too.  Just a little something to make the foyer feel a little more festive and welcoming.

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This Thanksgiving, I hope you take some time to think about what you are grateful for….whether it’s your health, your family, the food on the table.  I feel as though I have been so richly blessed over the past year, and it doesn’t go unappreciated by me.  My girls are a continued source of joy, my handsome Mr. Byrne, my family, and my friends are such a huge part of  have my life and I treasure each one.  I am so thankful to be living in the house of my dreams.  And so thankful for everyone who entrusts me with their home,  I am honoured to be welcomed in.  The opportunities that I have been given this past year have been wide and wonderful and I am thankful for each one.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!
To be continued,

Lori

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Running from the Crazy

kicksWhile at BlogJam, I met a fellow runner named Amy.  Amy has a blog called Crazy Mama Runs and she shared some of her story in her presentation.  Her story includes a mental breakdown, an injury and the need to run to beat what she refers to as the ‘crazies’.

I used to run.  And I have a long list of excuses of why I barely ever get out anymore.  But that’s exactly what they are – excuses that hold little or no merit.  I’m also carrying around about 3-4 extra 10lb bags of potatoes, if you hear me….and when I do run, too much stuff jiggles.  Amy’s presentation really spoke to me and reminded me of the fact that I feel so much better when I run on a regular basis.  Not just physically, but mentally, too.  And I’m more inclined to make healthier choices when I’m active, too.

So, this morning I laced up a pair of kicks and headed out for a quick run before I left for work.  It was the perfect morning for it.  The sun was shining through the mist that was lingering, the trees are starting to turn and the air was filled with the sound of honking geese taking flight.  I sucked wind and I hurt, but I ran, not fast or far, but I ran.  It was a short road run, which is torturous to me, I much prefer the trail, but I didn’t curse every step on that broken apart, crumbling pavement underfoot.

When I was out running, it occurred to me that this was the first run I had done from our new place.  Never once had I laced up my sneakers and ran out of our driveway.  I’ve gotten in my car and driven to the mountain.  Or I’ve packed a bag and taken it with me to change and run somewhere with my running buddy.  But never have I done a road run from here.  And that really hit me.  I need to change that.  I need to make running a regular part of my life again.  For my sake, my family’s sake…..I gotta beat those crazies, too.

I recall a conversation with my wonderful family doctor that took place years ago.  I was totally stressed out at work and he questioned if I was getting daily exercise.  Nope, I wasn’t. He suggested I start walking or doing something.  And it worked.  And when ever I feel that I’m too overwhelmed or can’t deal with the curveballs life throws, I remember that conversation.  But, lately, I haven’t done much about it.

But that changes today.  I’m not going to make the latest tabloid with my weightloss or be a guru, but I will make daily choices to improve my health and set a good example for my girls.  And, if you don’t mind – keep me accountable, eh?

To be continued,

Lori