December 4, 2011

• Thanksgiving

  Helloooooooooo!!!

  Is there anyone out there?

  Is there anyone who still reads? 

  I rarely get any comments and I’m beginning to wonder if I should quit blogging and just keep a journal for myself.  I used to write on my Blog daily and since I quit, the comments have dwindled down to next to nothing.  I try to include pictures of my family, but my blog is mostly one about home decorating and the projects I do around the house.

  But, here I am, today, back at story telling about my life and adding tons of pictures “this” time!  A good thing, since I went through a long period (recently) of taking NO pictures!

  Maybe when we have neat events happening in my family, I need all my brain power to function, rather than playing photographer, too!  I remember a day when I used to “do it all” AND help others at the same time.  That girl no longer exists!!!!

            

  Thanksgiving was so nice.  Jesse’s step-mom, his dad’s sister (his aunt), and his youngest sister’s two little children visited us for most of the week.  I had to warn my mil that there were times when my energy and resolve crash to the ground, and those are the times I disappear to the bedroom ~ to regroup!

  I love having company, but I want the company to understand when I disappear it means nothing personal about the person/people.  Many times, I have to take a breather in a quiet space.  I probably should have been doing that all my life, but I have this newly discovered “trick” for recovering from overload and I’m loving it to pieces!  I have come to recognize the pain in my upper back, the swirl of too many things to remember, and too many noises in my ears.  Rather than letting it go on any longer, I excuse myself, go to the bedroom (or the bathroom in our bedroom, if I REALLY need to get away) and bathe in the quietness.

          

  I had more than enough little helpers for Thanksgiving and things were doable and much more fun, this year.  I could breathe (due to my many mini-deaprtures) and was able to enjoy everything and “taste” the food.

  Does anyone else know what I mean about tasting your own food? 

  So many times I have hustled and bustled around the kitchen,, creating delicious menus, only to sit at the table and feel too tired to enjoy my food.  The leftovers, the next day, always tasted better.  It was because I was relaxed and able to savor each bite!

  Like I said, everything was done in little pieces this year.  The pies were baked Tuesday (by Rissy) and kept in the cold garage. 

               

  The marshmallow fruit salads were made Wednesday morning after breakfast and stored in the garage refrigerators.

                  

  Wednesday evening, after dinner, Rissy began to make the stuffing for the turkey.  We bought a turkey over 20lbs this year!  She had her Nana’s help, but, with recipe in hand, Rissy made our dinner plans much easier for me!

  We stuffed the turkey with some dressing, made a huge foil tent and put the rest of the dressing in a dish to be cooked the next day.  The turkey went in the oven VERY late, before going to bed on Wednesday.  I was nervous at 4am when I woke up and didn’t smell it cooking.  I turned the oven up a bit, went back to bed, and awoke at 7:30am to the delicious smell of Thanksgiving turkey and dressing!

        

  After breakfast, we kept the oven open for baking the ham Jesse wanted.  My mil did it her way (new to me – she stabbed it all over with a butcher knife so the seasonings would go deep inside the meat) and it turned out wonderfully seasoned!

  Someone peeled white and sweet potatoes and they were boiled ahead of time.  The sweet potatoes were over boiled, so I mashed them with 1/2 & 1/2 and orange juice, seasoned them with nutmeg, cinnamon & sugar and heated them back up when we cooked the dish of stuffing and the ham.  VERY tasty!

                

  We set the table Wednesday night.  That turned out to be a HUGE time saver.  All of the silver I was going to use was polished Wednesday night, as well as wiping out the glass and china bowls we intended to use.  My mil redid the table decoration to a size that stretched  the length of the table.  I handed her a bunch of little glass candle holders and white votive candles  The whole thing turned out really nice.

            

  When people arrived, they were directed to the relish dish in the kitchen . 

             

  Everyone was asked to think between last Thanksgiving and this Thanksgiving of everything they were thankful for in their life.  There were many leaves available and once written on, they were placed face down on the children’s table, which only held a small basket of pine cones in the center.

       
   
                            

  Since the food was nearly ready except for heating peas, corn, and some dinner rolls, we had the perfect chance to talk and relax before dinner was served.

               
  Everything was hot and ready; and we were just waiting on those silly rolls to heat!

           

  Finally, it was time to eat.

  We gathered around the children’s table and Jesse prayed.

            

    I rarely take pictures while people are praying.  It sort of seems invasive, or something.  But I couldn’t resist the bowed heads of the children!

          
  Do you see my little niece in the right corner?  Do you think she was caught sneaking a peek???!!!!   LOL

          
               (see the menu and lists of things to do on the refrigerator door?!)

  We fixed the children’s and Jesse’s elderly aunt’s plates first.  Everyone carefully chose exactly what they wanted.  Stretched necks and pointed fingers show the seriousness of the decision making!!!

  The fact there were two tiers of food, and a dinner AND salad plate at each place setting, made it all the harder for the little ones to make up their minds.  “You can always come back for seconds,” fell on deaf ears!

         
                   Some “people” were VERY well behaved after witnessing this:

                        
                               I wonder why these are so blurry?

  We were a little later than intended when we finally sat down to eat.  (I’m sure I’m not the only family!)   Thankfully, there was nothing else to do the rest of the day and no one was rushed to eat quickly, nor thinking about what they needed to do next.  Especially me!

                       

  Afterwards, we waited for some other guests to arrive and the children played and worked off their full tummies.

          

                         
  This is our oldest daughter, Stephanie, and our granddaughter, JanaLyn.

    
  Stephanie wondered about the shiny forehead, and I don’t know why it photographed like that.  She didn’t look like that in person??!

    
  Once satisfied that everyone who was coming had arrived, we did the annual “reading of the leaves.”  We asked that each person sign their name on the back of their thankful leaf.  I read them out loud. The children who were too young to write had help from a “trusted” grown up and older children were helped with spelling!  Everyone takes this tradition quite seriously in my family.

      

  Some were funny and some were solemnly serious.  They will be saved in a zip-lock bag and labeled with this year’s date.

       

  Today is Jesse’s birthday.  I’ve been sick (in bed) since the Sunday night of Thanksgiving weekend.  I got hit hard with body aches, then a sore throat, then vomiting and a VERY swollen throat, and finally the tail end of it left (if you get my drift).  Today is the first day I’ve felt like I had some real energy.

  Jesse and the girls went to church without me and I managed to bake a birthday cake for Jesse and hide it.  I was too sick to get out and buy a card or a gift and I feel horrible.   He does so much for me and has a history of growing up in a family with rotten birthdays and I always try to make his day special.  This year was nothing, nadda, zip!  But, I WILL make it up to him when I’m able to get out and about, again!

  I’ve managed to clean up the Thanksgiving stuff.

         

  The girls collected everything and put it on the coffee table, and I put those things away while everyone was at church.

  The dining room table looks naked, but is ready for the next holiday decor!

      

  I have some new ideas, this year.   Easy and cheap!   Yay!  That’s my kinda decorations (the easy AND the *cheap* part)!!!!!

  I’ve enjoyed looking through Pinterest and this is my link but I don’t have much under my own link, yet.  I don’t browse on the computer that often to locate sites where I want to save a picture of this or that.  But, I’ve really enjoyed seeing what my friends have pinned on their walls and just the whole Pinterest site in general.

  I love to find expensive things and duplicate them myself for a fraction of the cost.  If not for my creative abilities, I’d have nothing at all.   I’ve found out that I have VERY expensive taste!!!!!!!!

  I will take pictures today when Jesse gets his cake and opens the cards he’s received.  I encourage him to go to lunch if anyone invited him and, sure enough, he is eating with his good friend’s (Camilo) family.  He took two of the girls with him.

  I will try not to take another long break to post, but I warn you: I have the Christmas/winter decorating to do.  I want to finish it so that I can sit through the rest of the month and enjoy the coziness.

  Meanwhile, I’ll ask you this:

             
                                                       Is this a “bird” dog?

  Be blessed ~

  • 4:14 pm
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