When I look back over the last year, one word comes to mind...thankful. I am so thankful for my family, my friends, my home, my community, just everything, including the mister! Thanksgiving is a time for giving thanks and this year, my parents joined us for Thanksgiving, making us even more thankful. My parents are in their late 80's and traveling for them is not easy - traveling for anyone these days isn't easy! As my mom likes to say, "If it were easy to be a tourist, everyone would be one!" I am so grateful they wanted to come visit us and that they were able to make the trip! It was a whirlwind of activity and while they were here a week it flew by and before I knew it they were back at the airport headed home! I wanted to post some of the highlights of our week, it will be one I will always remember (but given how my brain works, I thought I'd better have the backup of pictures to help with my memory!!)
I can't even begin to tell you how thankful I am for our Elsa. Not just because she is my granddaughter and she's sweet and wonderful and kind and practically perfect in every way but also because she is the best sous chef on the planet! Her mom? Not so much, but Elsa is right in the mix with me - helping every step of the way, always asking what she can do to help and she does help!
On Pie Day, the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, Elsa was in the kitchen with me mixing the pumpkin pies, putting the pecans on the pecan pies and keeping me on track - she can read and follow a recipe better than me!
Elsa is also very clever when it comes to decorating cookies...she managed to make these sugar cookies look like turkeys without a lot of work! (These cookies were served at our Turkey Bowl - more on that in another post.)
Eventually everyone got in on the act - dad wanted apple pie so he helped peel and mix...sadly, it was the one pie that didn't turn out as good as I'd hoped! But it smelled and tasted good, even if the apples were a bit under-cooked.
While waiting for the bird to cook, mom and I sat down for a bit. This was the only picture I got of the two of us...and the girl is a photographer yet we didn't get one group shot! Nothing! She didn't even bring her camera!!!!! I fired her as our family photographer...I think Elsa took this picture - that little gal can do it all!
While Elsa and Max were waiting on the feast, they put together their gingerbread turkey kit from Trader Joe's. I think they've done these for the last 5 years or so...when I brought them out both of them were happy and immediately went to work...and then it was back to crossword puzzles, Elsa and Grammy make a good team!
Finally!!! The food was on the table - and the Pilgrims were ready to dig in but we had to wait on people to take their seats...it was an agonizing 5 minutes from the time we sounded "the alarm" until they all sat down! Sheesh! The gravy was getting cold! I think they all thought if they staggered to the table then we would be so worried about the food getting cold that we would all just dig in and I wouldn't make them read the book...they were wrong...they all had to read a page of the little children's book called, The First Thanksgiving...the one I make them read every year...the one they all complain about yet when it's their turn to read they do so like they are in a stage production of King Lear! (Please notice the turkey shaped butter, mom brought 3 of them to me in her luggage from Salt Lake City, so thoughtful and mom knows I do loved shaped butter! Also please note the beautiful harvest casserole dish on the bottom right...Marsha gifted that to me right before T-day and it kept our mashed potatoes warm - I love it so very much - thank you Marsha!) I don't think we could have gotten one more thing on that table!
The book was read, the blessing was said, the dishes were passed and the food amassed! Rosie took her spot under the table, hoping for a crumb to fall her way...and notice the little book the mister dropped on the floor - no doubt hoping Rosie would chew on it, rip the cover off and destroy the pages. Silly man! It's a toddler's book - it is indestructible! (After T-day the little book is immediately taken to a safe and secure spot, hidden away so no one can find and destroy it!
After the feast we passed around the photo-props...mom and dad are always up for a few laughs. Once again, no group photo, because we had a photographer without her camera...I'm NOT over it!
Last of all, we all wobbled outside to the driveway and did our annual countdown to the lighting of the Christmas lights...it's usually anti-climatic as a fuse is usually blown or half the lights just don't turn on - something always goes awry but this year, they worked...for a full 5 minutes!! We heard the mister grunting as he ran from one plug inside the garage to the other, making sure they were all in the sockets and then we waited patiently as he ran from the garage into the house to the deck so he could plug in the last of the lights! I was beaming just taking it all in...the lights, my grandkids jumping around, my parents wondering why were were standing out in the rain freezing, and as we walked back into the house I noticed the lights flicker... I heard that familiar sound the mister makes...more like a growl than anything..."Sonofa$%*#!" The fuses had blown...Thanksgiving was behind us and now onto Christmas and Home Depot for help with the lights!
Recent Comments