This and That

 Whoa! How did that happen? It's been over a week since I've checked in here.

I won this Thanksgiving box from a raffle at my bowling group. A lot of nice stuff.

I guess I've been busy transitioning from Thanksgiving to Christmas. Thanksgiving with Ward's family was nice, but alas, we had no leftovers since we didn't host. Any food that was left from what we took, we left for Ward's father. 

The next day, I promptly changed the fall wreath on the front door to a Christmas one. And the next day after that, I realized that I still had two pumpkins on the porch. It was time to retire those, which I did by roasting and freezing them as puree. But, gosh, those things are messy from slimy seeds to stringy pulp. I found orange strings around the kitchen for a few days, and a few pieces in other rooms as well. Pumpkins are sticky!

Seeing pumpkin stuck to various things reminded me of when Wally and Theo were young and decided to play boomball in the dining room (which was really a toy storage room with no dining table). Boomball, for the uninformed, involved a cantaloupe and two excited boys in their own version of handball. Even though we made them clean up the mess, we were finding seeds and cantaloupe for months after that--on the walls, the chandelier, etc. Where were Ward and I while this was going on? Not sure, but I think we were upstairs doing something. Wally and Theo were definitely old enough to be left alone at that point. At least we thought so. :)

And pumpkin wasn't the only thing that has been loose in our kitchen recently. When I was cutting open a round, net bag of cranberries, they all spilled out and went everywhere. They were in the sink and rolling all over the floor. For the next couple of days, I was finding them under things, and one ended up in the knife drawer. Not sure how that happened.

But all is well, and after my adventures in the kitchen, I moved on to Christmas cards. I write some form of a letter every year and usually just send it out on holiday stationery without a card. But this year, I decided I wanted to include the card. I had a few, but needed more. And what a surprise, Walmart only had a handful to choose from. I remember when they took up an entire aisle. I know the way we communicate has changed vastly in the last few years, and fewer people are sending out cards, but I was surprised all the same. Despite this, I am mostly done with that task. 

And Ward, bless his heart (meant in the nice way, not the mean way), has almost finished the outdoor lights. He braved the cold, so I didn't have to. Next up will be the tree, mantel, and other indoor decorations. I'm not sure when those will come out, probably in the next week or two. 

In the meantime, I have a friend visiting from out of town, and we've been having a lot of fun. A couple of nights ago, we went to an open mic night where her son sang. He was good! Very good. I wish we didn't live on opposite coasts.

It soon will be time for bed, so I'd better wrap this up. Hope everyone is staying safe in whatever kind of crazy weather is happening where you are. We're on a winter advisory for tonight and tomorrow.

Until next time...

Wednesday Afternoon

Anniversary flowers

I just made my cranberry relish for tomorrow. It's best if it sits overnight, so it's resting now. Ward is going to bake a ham in the morning before we head off to my brother-in-law's house for Thanksgiving. Most of Ward's family is gathering for a crowd of around 25-30. It's always a lively time. Theo is making a sausage, apple, and sauerkraut dish, and Wally is bringing a pecan pie. They will join us for the ride, which is about 1 1/2 hours away. 

This morning I went to the dentist. They have moved into a newer, bigger office, and everything was shiny and new, including the TV overhead of the chair. My cleaning passed by quickly as I watched an episode of Tiny Houses. Luckily, there were no further actions needed at this time.

Besides the new office, there were new rules for taking X-rays. No lead chest protection needed. Because the X-rays are done digitally now, they are using a much lower dose than before. They said that even in some hospitals, they aren't required to use shields anymore. 

Sunrise yesterday morning

And speaking of new technology, at least new to me, while I was waiting for Ward the other day, I was checking out my blog on my phone. I saw an option for listening to the blog, and I played it expecting a text-to-speech reading of a post. Nope. It was an AI chat about the posts between a "man" and a "woman". It was freaky! AI advancements are amazing and offer many useful possibilities, but, as with any new technology, finding the right balance of when to use it and when not to is difficult. But it's here to stay, and I hope sooner rather than later we figure out how to best utilize it. 

Back to the concrete world, our bow window is still leaking. While Ward's caulking may have helped, it didn't solve the problem. We have contractors who are supposed to call us back next week to set up an appointment to look at it. After the problem is solved, there's going to be a lot of work to repair the damage that has been done. But such are the joys of home ownership. :)

Tomorrow is my wedding anniversary. We're going out to a nice dinner to celebrate this evening. We got married as soon as we finished college, and both of us have changed a lot since then. I feel very blessed that over the years, we have grown closer together. I could easily understand how people could grow differently and no longer be compatible, but we were lucky that it didn't go that way for us. When I came home from the dentist, the flowers you see at the top were waiting for me. Yep. Ward's a keeper. :)

Wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving, whether it is with a large family gathering or a quiet day watching the parades. 

Until next time...

A Cold Holiday Catchup

Ward got a combination of Thanksgiving and anniversary flowers. (Our anniversary was on Wednesday before Thanksgiving.

Good morning! It's a chilly 21 degrees F outside, and I am so happy. to have a working furnace. I don't like being cold and am ready to hibernate for the next few months. It's a real chore for me to go outside in the cold, even when I'm dressed for it. However, the hard freezes we've had recently have finally killed all the plants, so some bed clean-up is in order—at least in the front where the neighbors can see. 

Also, it's time to put up the outdoor Christmas lights. Last year, we simplified and put them only on the front bushes instead of along the roof line. I don't do tall ladders, and I convinced Ward he didn't need all the ladder work either. However, the cold is discouraging this chore right now—even for Ward, who usually describes cold weather as invigorating. But perhaps, more than the cold, we are avoiding untangling and testing all of the lights. We have slowly changed all of our lights to LEDs, which are supposed to last for years and years. Has anyone else had problems with the wires to the lights? The bulbs seem to be doing well, but the wires are shorting somewhere along the line, causing problems. Good bulbs with cheap wiring are not a good combination. 

Anyway, I'm not immediately ready to jump with both feet into the holidays, as many are right after Thanksgiving. I like to give Thanksgiving a little time to simmer before switching gears. We had a low-key Thanksgiving here with a dozen people. Ward smoked a turkey while I baked a ham, made a pie, and a couple of sides. Others brought sides, and Wally and Theo helped with the setup, where we got one long table set up in the living room for everyone to sit together. The entertainment for the day was the 15-month-old with a sense of humor that only a 15-month-old understands. :) We have just about finished the leftovers, so we may have to cook today. Oh, well, it was fun while it lasted. 

Over the weekend, we attended a 90th birthday party for a dear friend. It was at a fancy restaurant, and Ward and I dressed up for it. Putting on our fancy clothes was a rare event, but it was one we could do more often. Anyway, a good time was had by all on this momentous occasion.

Work keeps chugging along, and I am struggling to keep up. Hopefully, I can play catchup today, so I better get going.

Until next time...

Thanksgiving - How It Went

I was too busy to take any pictures until afterward.
This was the only thing left before I remembered.

Some of you have asked how the big Thanksgiving dinner for 30 people (and two babies) went. In a word, WELL. We had a good plan for both before and during that minimized the hitches.

Here are some of the details. These are probably more than you want to know. It's more of a brain dump for my benefit.

Parking: We reserved a space up front for my FIL and told others where to park to minimize the effect on neighbors. We also contacted the neighbors to let them know that several cars would be at our house. Luckily, they were all going somewhere else for the day.

Coats: We cleared out two closets for them and stocked them with ample hangers. This kept the guest room bed free for diaper changing, etc. 

Tables and Chairs: Among banquet tables and table tops fashioned by Ward, we had four tables that comfortably sat 30 people. We had two upstairs and two in the basement. Miss Landers loaned us enough white tablecloths for them all, and Aunt Martha helped by lending us things to help decorate them. We borrowed chairs from 4 different people to get enough for everyone. We had planned where a few extra people would go if they showed up, but we didn't need to use the plan.

Name Tags: Since this was a diverse group of people, several of whom had never met, I printed up nametags ahead of time. In the beginning, I was able to introduce everyone and explain the relationships, but as time went on, I was too busy for that.

Food and Drink Staging: We put all the drinks on our porch. Luckily, the temps were in the 50s, so some people stayed outside on the porch or explored the yard for a while. Afterward, we made coffee. However, we forgot to offer the tea we had prepared for. I don't think anyone missed it. 

Ward fashioned a tabletop for the washer and dryer, where we put all the desserts. The food was served buffet-style from the kitchen counters. I had wrapped silverware ahead of time that was on the tables. We left the kitchen table clear for a drop spot, which was handy. We had tags available for people to label their dishes since the crowd had some dietary restrictions.

Food: Ward smoked two turkeys the day before and sliced and picked the meat. We reheated them in the oven the next day. This resulted in some tasty turkeys, but I underestimated the amount of time it took to reheat them. Dinner was about 1/2 hour later than intended, but that wasn't a problem. However, the minimal appetizers that we put out were almost gone. I had made 15 lbs of make-ahead mashed potatoes that I put in two crock pots. The rest of the guests brought dishes. If anyone asked (and almost everyone did), I suggested what they could bring to round out the meal. It was a typical Thanksgiving with plenty of food.

The craziest part of the day was trying to get everything hot when it was time to eat. Luckily, we have two ovens that we had going with reheating stuffing, baking rolls, etc. Aunt Martha was a big help as she ran the oven in the basement while I ran the one upstairs. We also had two warming trays from Aunt Martha. And luckily, we have two fridges to keep things cold that needed to be. I think most of the food was served at the desired temperature.

People continued to mingle over dessert, and a few set up in the living room with guitars and mandolins to play some music.

Overall, I say it went well. We had many comments about the good time people had and what a good party it was. We didn't think of it as a party, but I guess it was. :) 

The next day, I was tired but had to go to work. Ward started the clean-up, and we finished yesterday (Monday). 

Would I do it again? Maybe, but it was a lot of work. However, as usually happens, it forced us to clean up some things we had been putting off - especially since people were all over the house. We couldn't just shut off most of the rooms or the garage. So now the house is in order, and we're enjoying the clean-up we did beforehand. 

Now, onto Christmas preparations.

Until next time...

Procrastination

The Thanksgiving cactus is blooming right on schedule.
 (If you look carefully, you can teeth marks on the leaves from the cats.)

The morning is shrouded in fog, but yesterday's blustery, rainy day has passed. Tomorrow promises to be clear and in the 40s. A good travel day for all who are coming here for Thanksgiving. And a good day to put the drinks outside.

The current count for Thanksgiving dinner is 30, and it's time to kick it into gear. So what am I doing? Talking with you all. I can procrastinate with the best of them. :)

But we're reasonably under control. We have figured out enough tables and chairs for everyone, and this was no small feat. We've done some cleaning and hope to do more today, but we shall see. This may be an area where good enough is good enough. Silverware is wrapped, and nametags are ready. Quiet rooms are ready for the two newborns and their parents, who might need some time away from the crowd. Emails have been sent about parking. And last night, I made 15 pounds of make-ahead mashed potatoes. 

Today, Ward is smoking two turkeys, which will be reheated in the oven tomorrow. He did a test run a few weeks ago, and this method worked well. Tomorrow, we will bake the ham. And we need to get ice, figure out hot water for tea, decorate the tables, figure out staging for all of the food, how we will reheat the dishes people are bringing, etc. Quite frankly, I'm not sure what all needs to be done today. Thank goodness we made a list a couple of weeks ago. 

So before I'm off to be distracted by something else, I am wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving, whether you spend it by yourself watching the parades or with others and a big meal. And it may sound cliche, but when I count my blessings they will include you. I am genuinely thankful for the friends I have made here in blog land. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Until next time...

Thanksgiving

Early anniversary flowers

Holiday excitement is in the air as we prepare to join Ward's family to celebrate this day of thanks. The smell of sausage is wafting by as Theo browns it for the sauerkraut dish he is making. I have 10 lbs of mashed potatoes heating in the crock pot, and Wally just cut up the brownies he made last night. Ward made a fruit salad and is adding the last bit of fresh fruit to it. The kitchen has been bustling over the last 24 hours, but it has been gratifying for me to watch the dance that has been going on. There seems to be a perfect coordination between staying out of each other's way and offering to help. It makes me happy to see my family working together this way, and for that, I am very thankful. 

Wally and Ward are putting extra chairs in the car, so I'd better go help get everything else ready.

However you choose to spend your day, whether it be spending it with family, taking a nap, or reflecting on all who have left us, I wish you a Happy Thanksgiving. 

Shopping on Saturday

and Other Things

So Ward and I lost all of our common sense and went shopping Saturday afternoon. We knew it would be crowded and tried to get into the right frame of mind to handle that before we set out. And our expectations were met. There were people everywhere getting ready for Thanksgiving. Parking lots were full and check-out lines seemed to stretch for miles. Despite all of that, we were able to maneuver through the crowds with success. 

And why did we not choose a different time to go out? Well, we've been waiting for extended family to figure out whether or not they would be joining us for Thanksgiving dinner. There were many moving parts to consider before deciding that we won't have any extra guests for that day. So as soon as we knew how many we'll be feeding (4) and what our menu was, we headed out to shop before the shelves were empty.

Our menu started out featuring smoked ribs, but that got changed when Theo was given a big turkey at work. We are going to try a new-to-us cooking method for it. Basically, you heat the turkey for an hour at 500 degrees and then turn the oven off and let it sit in the warm oven for the next 5 or 6 hours. There is almost a cult following on the internet for this method. We'll see if we're able to produce the browned skin, meat falling off the bones everyone is raving about. I think the hardest part will be not opening the oven or lifting the lid on the turkey to see how it's doing.

Back on the homefront, we have had a few surprises in the yard. Our camellia tree is blooming! We planted it last spring and it is a variety that is supposed to bloom in the fall. However, we didn't expect it to bloom the first year, so when it hadn't shown any signs that way, we weren't surprised. But we were surprised when after several frosts, we saw our first bloom.

There are a couple of other things that are braving the cold weather and still flowering. What a treat for this time of year. 

Camellia

Spirea

Cosmos

Dianthus

Until next time...

Tuesday 4, November questions

 Today's Tuesday 4 asks questions about the month of November. Join me if you'd like.

We're having a warmer fall than normal, but we're getting frosts most mornings now like we did this morning.

1. Besides Thanksgiving is there anything about November you like/dislike? As for likes, November is the time of my wedding anniversary. I got married the day after Thanksgiving so there's a lot to celebrate at the end of the month. As for dislikes, we changed the time at the beginning of November this year and I don't like that it gets dark at 5 pm. That means it's harder to find time to do things outside and there's more night driving.  

2. How is November weather where you live? Does it suit you? November weather is not great. It's colder with regular freezing, and when it rains, it's a cold rain that chills you to the bone. This month marks the final transition from fall to winter and I begin my winter hibernation under a fuzzy throw with a cat on my lap. 

3. When do you plan for Thanksgiving? Eat home or out? Menu? This year, like last, Ward, Wally, Theo, and I will have a small celebration without extended family. The menu is still undecided. I think I'll have everyone pick an item for the menu and we'll go from there. While everyone enjoys the traditional Thanksgiving menu of turkey and dressing, no one is married to it. Ward may smoke some ribs.

The Charlie Brown doormat goes
out right after Thanksgiving.

4. When do you begin your decor and plans for Christmas. It "officially" begins after Thanksgiving and the Macy's Parade when Santa arrives at the end. I start thinking about Christmas in September. I think about any gifts we might want to make and how much time they will take. However, we don't draw names for gift giving within the extended family until October, so it is in the planning stages until then. I start working on the Christmas letter and card in November, so they can be mailed out in early December, and we put up our outside lights on the first good weather weekend after Thanksgiving. The inside decorations usually wait another week or two. 

What are your plans for this November?

Until next time...

Lists

 Remember the Book of Lists by the Wallechinski-Wallace family? It was a big hit when it first came out in 1977 and contained lists of all kinds of obscure subjects like the breeds of dogs that were most likely to bite to people suspected of being Jack the Ripper. They have published four more list books since then, although it's been years (maybe decades) since I've seen one. I like lists as a way to help organize my thoughts and as a way to remember things. So today, I'm going share some random lists that are bouncing around in my head.

When I wasn't making lists, Ward and I took a walk at a local
Audubon bird sanctuary yesterday.

What we had for Thanksgiving Dinner:

1. Smoked turkey

2. Make ahead mashed potatoes

3. Cuban cranberry sauce

4. Ward's stuffing, June's stuffing (Ward and I grew up with very different kinds of stuffing, so we made some of each.)

5. Roasted butternut squash and peppers

6. Green bean casserole

7. Apple pie

The names of all of the Tawney-Shreve kids:

For a few years when I was growing up, we had a large family living across from us who had nine kids. Just for the heck of it, I've been trying to remember all of their names in birth order.

Jimmy of onion-eating fame. June Ann
liked to eat them that way, too.

1. Sissy (Shelia)

2. Sheryl

3. Jimmy (Rhonda, who liked to eat raw onions like they were apples)

4. June Ann (skinny, cross-eyed girl who later became a model)

5. Sharon

6. Billy

7. Bobby

8. Richard

9. John (named after his dad).

The mother, Opal, was living in her mother's tiny house with her second husband. I didn't understand it all, but I knew that they were all afraid of the first husband/father. I am so lucky that just across the street, I lived with a very stable family and no one was afraid (except maybe when we didn't do our chores or do something we shouldn't have). 

Countries I've visited outside of the US:

Wally celebrated his 1st birthday in Guatemala 
with his great-grandmother and others.

1. Canada-during a trip to Niagara Falls

2. Guatemala-visiting Ward's relatives

3. The Netherlands-with with Ward on a business trip, The first Gulf War started when we were there and getting a plane back became iffy, but obviously it worked out.

4. Brussels-an excursion from the Netherlands, a lot of good French cooking there

4. Japan-visited Miss Landers who was working there. 

I think travelling outside of the country is very important because it gives a different perspective on how the rest of the world lives. It has helped me realize how thankful I am that I was born in the US. With all of that being said, I don't have the travel bug and am a happy to explore what is around me close by. 

On my To Do list for today:

This picture is from a couple of weeks ago when there were still
some flowers around that had survived the frosts we'd had. 
Now they're pretty much all dead.

1. Clean flower beds, collect seeds for next year

2. Pick turkey carcass and make soup

3. Help Ward put up Christmas lights

4. Start writing Christmas letters

5. Finalize gift list

Well, these lists are not nearly as interesting as the ones in the Book of Lists, but it is a post to let you know that I'm still alive and kicking.

Until next time...

Happy Thanksgiving

or A Trip Down Memory Lane

For the last couple of weeks, the topic of what someone is doing for Thanksgiving has replaced the weather as the general conversation starter for friends and strangers alike. "What are you doing for Thanksgiving?" "Are you traveling for Thanksgiving?" "Are you cooking a turkey for Thanksgiving?" and so on.

The answers have been varied ranging from huge traditional dinners to a turkey breast alone with the parades on TV. All of this talk has me thinking about the different ways I have celebrated Thanksgiving in the past. Bear with me as I take a trip down memory lane.

When I was a kid, Thanksgiving always coincided with deer hunting season which was the week of Thanksgiving and the week after. My father would spend the week at a friend's house and they would hunt together, meaning he wasn't home for Thanksgiving. That also meant that we didn't have a big dinner until he came home on Sunday or sometimes not at all. And that was okay. In fact, it was relaxing and fun. We would have things like spaghetti and pizza, that were not favorites of my father's, and watch the parades and old movies on TV.  It was a chore free day, the best kind in my opinion when I was a kid (and maybe now).

The background of not always having a traditional Thanksgiving carried with me when I had my own kids. When they were little, we lived in Texas at least 1000 miles away from the closest relative. We often traveled at Christmas, so we stayed in Texas for Thanksgiving. We did a variety of things from spending the day with friends to having a traditional dinner at home dressed as Pilgrims and Indians. One year we went to a historic park and learned about local history, and for another we rented a hotel room downtown and watched a parade complete with big balloons. And sometimes we spent the day relaxing around the house eating pizza.  It was all good.

When we moved away from the Gulf Coast to the the east and became closer to relatives, we had more traditional Thanksgiving observances with extended family. The houses changed, but there was always a turkey dinner. While we enjoyed our times in Houston, having family around for these special times was wonderful.

Many of our recent years were spent sharing Thanksgiving with my parents. We took food to cook at their house-sometimes a big turkey dinner, sometimes not. During these visits, my sons helped their grandmother prepare her Christmas cards after the task became too cumbersome for her to do by herself. As time went on, they did more and more of the job, but they spent time with her and I know that was appreciated by all.

Which brings me to this year. Today, I will eating my third turkey of this season. An abundance of turkey wealth, you might say. Two weeks ago, Ward's family had a traditional Thanksgiving meal and gathering because some of his family are now traveling. Last week, Theo cooked a turkey because we found it in the freezer and decided it needed to be roasted before it got any older. We didn't have that one with all of the fixings, but he did make a traditional pot of turkey soup last night from the carcass. Today we will be spending the day with Aunt Martha, Uncle Billy and his side of the family with a big traditional dinner. We're bringing the pies.

So for Thanksgivings, past and present, and the families they bring together, I am thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving to one and all!

Gone for a few days

Over the river, and through the woods to Grandmother's house we go...

 

Grandmother and Grandfather in their early years.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

 

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!

This is the time of year we are reminded to give thanks for all that we have. It goes without saying (but I'm going to say it) that I am thankful for my family, friends, health, and the dawning of a new day. But I'm also thankful for a few other things.

I'm thankful for:

1. Trixie Belden books. I've loved these books when I was growing up because Trixie, the main character, had to do chores like I did before she went out to solve mysteries. After my chores, I didn't go out and solve many mysteries, but I did spend time looking for secret passageways in my attic.

________________________________________________________________________________

2. This pencil. Clever Ward attached a magnet to this pencil so it would always stay by the list pad on the refrigerator. No more frustrating searches for something to write with when I need to add to the list.

 

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3. This computer game. Miss Landers introduced Flip Words to our family that is a cross between hangman and boggle. The whole family has gotten a lot of enjoyment out of it. And when I say the whole family I mean mostly me.

________________________________________________________________________________

4. This mended remote. Luckily, this remote could be fixed easily with a rubber band after the back fell off. I don't want to say that I don't know how to work the TV without it, but I don't.

________________________________________________________________________________

5. This rice cooker. We have had this for several years and I have not burnt any rice since we got it. Thanks to Miss Landers who recommended it after her stay in Japan.

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4. This clean lawn chair. We borrowed a power washer and look what it did for this lawn chair. Not only do we have a chair that we can use now, Wally and I had a lot of fun blasting the dirt away.

___________________________________________________________________________________

5. A rechargeable battery for my camera.

(Picture to follow when the battery finishes charging.)


HAPPY THANKSGIVING!