What I'm Loving In October

Here's how I'm making memories in October.

Making my travel memories last a lifetime. 

This is a sneak peak at one of the pages of our Mixbook!

Books and stationary have been the loves of my life even longer than travel has. I love to read, I love to write, and I love to share my adventures - which is why you're all here! But while my blog readers - that's you! - feel like extended family for me, I also have 'real life' friends and family who aren't big online readers. In fact, some don't use the internet at all! I needed a better way to share my trip photos and stories, one that didn't involve an endlessly boring slideshow. What better way than to bring in my book love!?!

We've had such a fantastic time turning our trip to Turkey into a beautiful memory book with Mixbook. It has been so easy arrange our photos and there's a ton of templates to chose from, just in case you're not feeling ambitious about customizing your own look. I also love how you can mix and match so many book sizes, shapes, and covers so you really get something that fits your photos and your style. But best of all is that there's option to import your photos over from social media sites like Facebook - a great option if your photos are spread out in several places or if you're making gift books for friends. 

I love having something I can physically share with the offline people in my life - as well as put proudly on display in our house. But I hadn't anticipated how much peace of mind I'd feel by knowing that the memories from a trip were preserved in a way that didn't involve computers and online storage. I know it might sound silly, but there's just something reassuring about having your photos in hard copy and knowing they're not just floating out in cyber space. 

Embracing autumn traditions

Through her character "Anne of Green Gables", Lucy Maud Montgomery said that she was so glad she lived in a world with Octobers and I feel exactly the same way! I love this time of year. In fact, autumn is my favourite season of all and it's traditionally a time when we do a lot of international travel, taking advantage of the still-nice weather and the low season prices.

Yet this fall, we're staying put. A number of things just didn't come together for our anticipated autumn adventure and so our next big trip is going to be in the spring.  But I don't mind that much. We're embracing the beautiful Canadian countryside and making our own memories and starting new seasonal traditions. 

A Thanksgiving extravaganza! 

My favourite seasonal tradition of all is Thanksgiving dinner! Remember, we're based in Canada so our celebrations happen in October. This year, I wanted to go all out and really make a spectacular dinner and, of course, that means ending on a high note with dessert. My plan was to go for one traditional treat and something that is a little out there.

I decided upon a classic pumpkin pie (and poured through recipes to find the best one) and a caramel apple-Snicker's chocolate peanut cake. They both turned out perfectly! I will definitely make the pumpkin pie again and again - this recipe is a keeper. The apple-Snicker's cake was a real scene stealer and tasted delicious but it was A LOT of work. I'll make it again.... someday!

We want to hear how you're making memories this fall!

Do you embrace seasonal traditions or march to the beat of your own drum? We'd love to hear from you!

In case you missed it, here is what 2015 has been like so far:
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September