Life is Like a Box of Chocolates

Life is like a box of chocolates, Forrest was right about that. I also believe that love is as well. When love is new it starts off as a beautiful red velvet heart shaped box with a crisp satin bow tied around it that your lover gives you. You never know what you're going to get. Sometimes there's a guide that tells you how to identify all the different flavours, but even with that in hand they can be hard to tell apart. Once you have that beautiful box in your hand it's all you can do to not rip that bow off and devour the entire contents until your sick to your stomach. Once you have it open you find that some are filled with chewy toffee carmel that can be hard at the beginning and can get stuck in your teeth but the smooth gooey sweetness is so satisfying its worth the effort. Some are filled with pink fruit flavoured cream that leaves a funny taste in your mouth, but the flavour is sweet so you go ahead and eat it anyway. Then there are those few that are filled with smooth, creamy, melt in your mouth chocolate nougat, that you savour long after they are gone.

The trick is finding that magic chocolate box that never seems to empty; because if you don't find it, what you are left with is a box with nothing left to offer you. You hold onto it because it's still pretty and the lingering smell of chocolate reminds of all those delicsious little morsels that used to be nestled safelty inside the ruffle paper cups that are left crumbled inside. Eventually you will start to resent that box for it's empty promises as it sits on the shelf collecting dust. Ultimately it will end up in the trash.

If you are lucky enough to find that special box filled with your favourite flavours, practise moderation, don't be a glutton, don't forget to keep an eye on how many are inside, don't be afraid to share with the one you love and remember you still have to eat your vegatables. If you find the one you have is filled with chocolates that give you a stomach ache and hurt your teeth, don't feel obligated to finish it. If the first one leaves a bad taste in your mouth the last one will probably be worse.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Generally for me Thanksgiving isn't a big deal. Sure we always have the turkey dinner... okay sometimes I make a ham, but you know what I mean. Usually by the time everything is done and we are all sitting down to eat after a frenetic day in the kitchen I forget what the day is about. This year I'm not doing a big meal. My sons are are eating with their Dad's family and my husband is working nights. Strangely enough this year in spite of the mid afternoon meal of smoked turkey breast tomorrow with my hubby and our wee girl I am feeling more thankful than most years and in honour of that I have decided to actually acknowledge the things I am thankful for.

• I am thankful for being able to celebrate my parent's 50th wedding anniversary with them this weekend. It's been a rough year with both of them facing some medical issues but they are doing well and are still as wonderful and supportive as ever. And I have made a promise to myself that they will finally get to see their youngest daughter get her shit together.


• I am thankful for my children. They drive me absolutely insane each in their own way but without them there are days I probably wouldn't even get out of bed.


• I am thankful for my health and my family's health. I take it for granted sometimes but I am making a conscious effort to appreciate how fortunate I am to have a body that works the way it's supposed to and stop picking it apart because of the things I wish I could change about it.


• I am thankful for my long suffering and ever supportive friend Lori. She is always there for me when I need a shoulder to cry on , a swift kick in the ass or a evening of chick flicks and laughing fits. (en retard!!)


• I am thankful for Twitter. Without twitter I never would have gotten to know Erica Ehm the mastermind and heart & soul behind The Yummy Mummy Club who has in turn introduced me to the most amazing group of women I am now proud to call friends (Kelli, Sharon, Lisa, Nat, Maureen, Cheri-Lynn, Kathy, Racheal, Candace etc etc etc)


• I am thankful for Sharon and her Twilight obsession. It is because of her that I picked up that first book and have now been sucked into the the abyss. I am hesitant to admit that I now even check in on a website that gives me a to the second count down to the opening of New Moon.


• I am thankful that my family has food on their plates and a roof over their heads. While things aren't quite a dream come true I know that I am strong enough and fortunate enough to have the ability and the determination to make it what it can be. No more excuses.


• And finally I am thankful for my husband Steve. Even though we drive each other around the bend , we have both managed to hang on by the skin of our teeth, give each other a leg up over yet another hurdle and still have the strength and the desire to keep on moving forward. It's been a tough couple of years but I think we can help each other find that proverbial light at the end of the tunnel.

Everyday that goes by that I don't stop and think about all of the blessings I do have, and focus on all the things I wish I had or didn't have is a day lost. Life is short and at the age 0f 41 that means more to me now than it ever has. Life, family and friends are a gift. A gift to be appreciated because a gift taken for granted is a gift wasted.

Wordless Wednesday - Unintentional Special Effects

Monster Crane Fly "attacking" my friend Lori at the bonfire I had on Saturday.