One of the very fun perks of writing this blog has been Cuisinart sending me several products from their line. I've particularly enjoyed the Smart Stick Hand Blender, which has sent me into a pureeing spree. It also was fantastically timely, since I blew up my blender about a month ago and my poor children had been deprived of their rightful smoothies.
Hey, it's Thanksgiving! We're mid-way through our obligatory attendance at all of our parents' dinners; this year they've mixed things up significantly by inviting each other to each meal, which means that it's going to be the same faces from last night at tonight's rather sedate Bacchanalia. The Baby has also decided to further liven things up by having a nasty, snotty cold, which isn't making her feel that bad but IS causing her to suddenly exclaim "I has a booger in my nose!" in the middle of an otherwise reasonably civilized meal.
Canadian Thanksgiving is a funny sort of holiday - American Thanksgiving marks the start of the Christmas season, while Canadian Thanksgiving just sort of marks October. I personally use it as the weekend when I start taping construction paper jack-o-lanterns on the kitchen cupboards, which is as far as I'm really willing to go in terms of Halloween decorating. But Canadian Thanksgiving does get to be rather meaningful within my personal canon and this particular Thanksgiving marks the 17th anniversary of when I met my husband.
It seems unlikely, now, that we managed to make any relationship at all out of who we were then - such callow, childishly mean adolescents with big plans for artistic fame - he was going to be a sculptor/painter and I was going to be the enfant terrible of Canadian literature (sadly, I am now much, much too old and I was never all that terrible, just sort of sarcastic. But I had DREAMS.). Our competing egos - and the fact that we were jerks - capsized whatever fragile love we had.
Six Thankgsivings later, we met again and that was it. You know how the rest of this story played out - the marriage and ALL THOSE BABIES and two Thanksgivings ago we had our very Baby christened on this day, holding her fragile and sick and wearing her father's Christening gown. And this very Thanksgiving, I am writing and listening to her shriek lustily at her brother and run about the house and my grandmother is still in the hospital but doing SO much better, and I am feeling all at once very thankful for this undeserved and unearned grace, these gifts that love has brought me.
Happy Thanksgiving y'all! It's great when you have the kind of life attitude that can make you thankful every day. Sounds like reason to celebrate to me.
Happy Thanksgiving! Or, for us, happy Columbus Day. No mail! No school! Yet most people still have to work! Whee....
I love the very idea of this holiday: the expression of pure gratitude. Oh, and the pies.
Happy Thanksgiving! I'm so glad to hear that your grandmother is doing better. Holidays remind us so much of the way things once were, how much we have changed, and how fragile it all is.
Oh, and I love stick blenders. I really do.
Happy Thanksgiving! I'm so glad to hear that your grandmother is doing better. Holidays remind us so much of the way things once were, how much we have changed, and how fragile it all is.
Oh, and I love stick blenders. I really do.
Happy Thanksgiving! I'm so glad to hear that your grandmother is doing better. Holidays remind us so much of the way things once were, how much we have changed, and how fragile it all is.
Oh, and I love stick blenders. I really do.
You had me at Smart Stick Blender! You had me at Smart Stick Blender!
*sniffle*
Oh, and Happy Anniversary of being in love. I think being the enfant terrible sounds great though--don't give up on that dream. How about you be the enfant terrible of literature IN YOUR NEIGHBOURHOOD!? I mean, that's doable, isn't it?
It's hard to always feel thankful. And I must admit that I wasn't feeling very thankful exactly one week ago today when we were saying our final farewells to my Husband's Father. Then there was that other sudden phone call about my Mother being in the hospital. But there is something about Thanksgiving that makes one really stop and think about things - take another assessment. Of course I am thankful for the same things I always have been - the love of a wonderful spouse, our health, and family. But what really hit me was that I should be thankful for the fact that I'm part of TWO wonderful families - maybe it has taken me 27 years to really wake up to that! Better late than never.
So today I am sitting here with a crantini in hand and although we're still mourning my Father-in-law and worried about my Mother - there is still so much to be thankful for. A toast to Thanksgiving!
You have both families TWICE? Ouch. Uh, I mean, how perfectly lovely! If we can weasel them into inviting the other set, then we only do ONE gathering. Or else my head goes BOOM. Neither of them serve wine, maybe that is the problem?
You get goodies for this? Awesome!
that hand blender sounds like something i need!
sounds like thanksgiving has brought you many blessings. have a happy one today. hope the baby is better soon.
Happy Thanksgiving and a beautiful rememberance of everything that you have to be thankful for!
Oh that blender sounds like a must-have.
And Happy Thanksgiving to you and your blessedly lusty Baby and everyone else.
It's so sad that "American Thanksgiving is the start of Christmas..." I could scream! I love Thanksgiving for what it is, but you're right, it has developed a reputation for second best. It wilts in the hot spotlights. Around here, Christmas trees are already up in the malls, competing with Halloween costumes. WHAT ABOUT THANKSGIVING? The problem is... it's not commercial enough. evidently. Which is why I love it. Sigh.
Happy Thanksgiving to you!!!
All of this talk of Thanksgiving makes me all excited for our Thanksgiving. Which for me, means a FOUR DAY break. Which I really look forward to. A lot.
Happy Thanksgiving. Happy Meet-Your-Hubby-versary.
You've got me wanting that stick blender thingy. Would it puree steamed veggies? Have you seen Seinfeld's wife and her new book about sneaking veggies into stuff? It's a post waiting to happen over at my place, maybe tonight.
I like that. I like that she is running around shrieking and making you crazy...
i love my stick blender. LOVE IT.
this post made me all excited for american thanksgiving which is FAR away.
While I don't use it a ton, whenever I use my stick blender, I'm unnaturally happy.
Happy Thanksgiving to you! Glad it was such a nice weekend, minus the snotty cold of course.
Happy Thanksgiving, Beck!
We love you just the way you are. Sarcastic is much preferable to terrible...in my humble opinion.
You know, there are many reasons that I love your writing, but the fact that you know (and use!) the expression "enfant terrible", is right up there.
Happy (almost over)Thanksgiving!
OH MY! hehe we need a new hand blender in a bad way. Ours is literally falling apart. That one looks so cute (and when it comes to hand blenders looks matter!)
Can not type. Have turkey belly. Must. Nap. Now. You is good writer and are not terrizzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
how neat that you get to try products from Cusinart!
Glad to hear that your grandmother is doing much better! happy Thanksgiving to you!
your words are just lovely as always. What wonderful things to be thankful for. Family and love and (relatively) healthy offspring.
Personally, I am just thankful for any holiday!! But basically, I feel thankful everyday for having a good and loving family and for living in such a beautiful country. And that I'm able to enjoy such good writing as yours, Beck!!
Okay - you're part way there with inviting both families... now you just need to alternate years for hosting!
Thanksgiving is my favourite holiday. It's quiet and understated and full of family and relaxing. I like it right where it is in the middle of October.
Tomorrow marks the nine-year anniversary of when I met hubby. Seventeen years is a lot.
Beck you wrote so beautifully of what Thanksgiving is really all about. Being thankful for undeserved and unearned gifts. I need a tissue!
I personally love our Canadian Thanksgiving. I cannot imagine it being just a kick off to Christmas. Because we are some time away from Christmas, we do have the time to pause and reflect and think on all those gifts of love that have been handed to us.
Happy Thanksgiving! I think I shall have to get one of those stick blenders! Hope you feel better soon.
You get free stuff!!!!! Lucky! :)
I like our Thanksgiving where it is...gives one some breathing room between turkeys, if nothing else ;)
I am always a little teary eyed after reading your posts. You write so beautifully about the very things I too am thinking. I think what you are referring to is "youthful arrogance" and I know I had it. It may have made me a jerk but some days I miss that feeling that everything lay ahead unexplored and possible. I guess with time comes perspective but don't you miss the big dreams just a bit?
I just love your writing Beck. I'm taken back to when I met my husband and how fragile our love was in the beginning. And how delicate my little boy was at birth, and how tall and boyish he is now. God love ya, girl...I'm thankful to be able to read your thoughts.