Nothing so sweet as home

We are home! We had a wonderful time!

Travel was fine with no flight delays of consequence, a happy flying child who would like to request that all planes be blue, pleasant flight attendants, and just enough time in the airports to find our gate and get the wiggles out.

Our visit was a treat, we got to see so many of the special people in our lives, and had a great time. (More details to come)

I realized that aside from people, most of what I miss most about Canada can be fit into the categories of season changes, things I eat, and things I wear. So we stocked up on all of it, and introduced Miss Pear to the joys of jumping in piles of leaves. On the plus side, the leaves were nicely mulched and compacted for raking (a snow shovel skimmed along the grass works great too!).

As much fun as we had, it was a special joy to return home Monday afternoon.

So far we have:

• Finished all but one load of laundry - new red sweatshirt and dress need special handling
• Attended BSF this morning
• Picked up the milk and fruit (along with free yogurt, toilet paper (at my target price of $0.50 a roll) and toilet bowl cleaner (below my target price of $1.50).
• Planned a menu exclusively from the pantry and freezer
• Unpacked all the suitcases - bit of organization still needed

To Do list for the week in no particular order:

• Last load of laundry
• Ironing
  
• BSF lesson daily along with quiet time daily!
  
• Sort all clothing into fits now and is too big for Miss Pear
  
• Baking bread, muffins, cookies, granola and granola bars (we are out of stock from being too hot and then sick!)
• Plan Thanksgiving Menu for Canadian Thanksgiving (Monday)
  
• Canning Pears (they were too green before we left but are now just right)
• Making pear butter (same excuse as above for not being done before)
• Find top of desk - it likes to disappear on me.
• Purchase and organize binders for: BSF, BSF for Miss Pear, Gardening, Homeschooling Resources for Future, Homeschooling things to be working on now (Children's Catechism, BSF memory verses and hymns, guess this can be with Miss Pear's BSF binder)
  
• Type up recipes still waiting to be typed
• Sort through Christmas present purchases already made and make shopping lists (we start the official Christmas shopping season with Canadian Thanksgiving, even though much shopping has been done throughout the year, and wrap it up for American Thanksgiving so we do not have to brave the crowds and can focus on enjoying the season!
• Write tons of thank-you notes for gifts, hospitality and wonderful kindness from our trip
• Restore general order to house including some extra cleaning
  
• Start new daily schedule
• Update cleaning schedule to include zones
• Finally organize the guest room closet
• Update crafting lists
• Finish the afghan for my parents for Christmas (shh, it's a secret, and will not likely be done this month, but I keep putting it on the list so I work on it!)
  

I am not confident that this is a complete list, but it does get me focused on getting moving!

So I am back, but playing vacation catch up.

But oh, it was worth it!