Happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a great holiday. The primary focus is to be thankful and to eat. What a great combinations that is. My parents are coming for a few days and we are having Thanksgiving Dinner at our house. Sometimes we drive an hour or so away and spend the day with other relatives. This year I have to work all weekend and so we've decided to stay in Huntsville. We will be having the traditional Thanksgiving meal that I have grown up with:

Chicken and Dressing
Turkey
Cranberry Sauce
Green Beans
Fruit Salad
Sweet Potato Casserole
Rolls
Pecan Pie

If you are unfamiliar with the dish, chicken and dressing, allow me to educate you. In most southern families the Turkey if prepared at all is roasted without any sort of "stuffing". Instead we serve dressing. Dressing is a mixture of breads (both white and corn) cream of chicken soup, spices, onions, and chicken baked until golden brown. The recipes and preparation vary from family to family. We tend to eat ours a little soupier than some. We usually serve it with a gravy made from cream of chicken soup. We also traditionally eat dressing at Christmas time and on occasion at Easter. When my Mama was alive and we had Thanksgiving dinner at her house she would make several large pans. There was usually enough for everyone to take home as leftovers. She made the most wonderful dressing and my mother after many years of practice is able to duplicate the recipe. We're not having a whole turkey this year for such a small gathering. Mother bought a Turkey breast from the Honeybaked Ham store. I am not that big a fan of the traditional roasted and usually dried-out bird.

Years ago while I was in college my parents moved to Pennsylvania for a few years. I flew up to join them for Thanksgiving that first year. We drove the four hours to my brother's in laws house in Olney, Maryland. Their Thanksgiving meal was quite different from ours. But the overall tradition of sitting down together for a family meal and being thankful for God's blessings on our lives remains the same regardless of the food served.

Thanksgiving at our house is a wonderful time of fellowship and family time with lots of eating. Regardless of your families traditions I wish all of you a wonderful holiday.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving at our house went well. We had 3 kinds of pie (apple, pecan & pumpkin). We had a wonderful honey-glazed turkey. We had my favorite: fruit salad. We did not overeat. What are we going to do with all these leftovers?

On Wednesday because the children were out of school and I was home we cleaned house in the morning. I gave my children the choice of an afternoon activity (as a reward for their hard work). I wanted to either go to the movies or go out to eat. My 8 year old son did not want to do either. In fact, he did not want to change out of his pajamas. He has 5 days off from school and apparently a lot of playing to fit it. No movie, no dining out, no McDonald's playland. Nada. I felt bad for my daughter (6yo) and myself and decided we would check out a movie on Saturday when Jordan can stay home with his Dad. What kind of child am I raising?

The radio station that I listen to at work and in the car (and sometimes at home) has started with the Christmas music. I guess that is to be expected and should be glad they waited until after Thanksgiving unlike the retail stores. I have long held to a tradition of not listening to the music until after my birthday (no hints to the date here). When you have a December birthday it sometimes gets lost in the shuffle. I also do not put up holiday decorations until after the first week of December and leave them up until at least New Year's Day. But, I have all of my holiday shopping completed and the presents wrapped.

If you are interested in hearing some delightful piano Christmas music please check out this link: http://theranch.org/Christmas.68.0.html

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a few days away. My mother wrote in her blog about being thankful and I though I would do the same.

I am very thankful for my family. I have a large extended family and they are very important to me. I love my husband of 12 years. My children are the light of my life. My mother is my best friend and I am very thankful for that.

I am thankful that we live in a country with so many freedoms and there are people willing to fight to secure those freedoms for others. However, I am not thankful the war has gone on this long.

I am thankful for the sunshine this morning and the blessings that God has given me in this life as well as the promise of an eternity in heaven.