A lot to be thankful for 2022

Thanksgiving was great mainly because someone else cooked. This year we went with traditional since we hosted our Ukraine family, and since I didn't know the first thing about cooking a turkey and was in the last week of NaNoWriMo, Tom did the cooking. Bless his little heart.

They started the day with the annual Turkey Trot. I set the table and got out the china, much to the girl's dismay. Madison slept in. 

While we ate appetizers, I taught football to Oleg's mother and grandmother. The kids played some games. Tom slaved in the kitchen. 

Oleg made the pies again. Wine flowed. Darcy invited two guests. We all went around the table and said what we were thankful for, and by the time Oleg and his family gave theirs, we were all crying.

I'm not into hosting big get-togethers, but I enjoy them, especially when I don't have to cook! Next up - Christmas!

Thanksgiving 2020

We opted to spend the holiday in our home with only the five of us. Before the big day, Darcy had a five-minute exposure to someone with COVID. She panicked, called us crying, and then spent precious time searching for (and getting tested) testing sites. She was negative, but she and Oleg opted to wear their masks for the first twenty-four hours of being in our home (and when around Grammy the next day).

A very chill holiday. We agreed it was one of our better holidays--very relaxed and zippo in the stress department. Here are some of the highlights:

• Virtual Turkey Trots were run by Tom and Oleg, who ran the route of what would've been our local trot had COVID not happened, and Darcy, who ran the neighborhood early in the morning. Madison and I ran ours in our dreams.
• Honey Baked Ham made our meat this year. We had a turkey breast and a half-ham.
• We watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade while we had a mishmash of breakfast items purchased by the runners on their way home.
• Oleg made pecan pie, Madison made pumpkin, and Darcy made a smores pie. This was done one at a time throughout the day.
• Football was not as exciting without the Steelers playing.
• I pulled a Connie and got out the china. My daughters pulled a Cara and whined and shouted and refused to do the dishes.
• Tom obviously ignored (or heard the ocean) when we discussed (Wednesday night) what time to have dinner. When he got hungry, he went into the kitchen and cooked. Oleg helped him. By the time I got to the kitchen to prepare our appetizers and cocktails, it was too late to stop them.
• We were stuffed far too soon but ate again as the evening progressed. 

Thanksgiving 2018

In preparation for writing my Thanksgiving post, I read last year's entry. It was a good one, and it said everything I would've said this year. Of course, it did. This is why I had gone to it in the first place because something told me as I wrote inside my head that I'd said the same thing every year. But then again, it is the same almost every year, isn't it?

Work and work and work in the kitchen preparing the turkey and all that jazz to devour it in twenty minutes? The same damn thing every year.

So, a quick recap of past Thanksgiving entries:

1. It's not my favorite holiday. 
2. I don't care for turkey that much. 
3. I definitely don't care for the preparation, cleaning the house, chopping food, standing, setting the table with dishes that must be hand-washed.
4. I enjoyed the holiday as a kid and love the traditions of the holiday. 
5. I like being with family and friends. 
6. I love football.

And this Thanksgiving:

1. I'm thankful. I try to be all year long, but today I spent extra time on the who, what, where, and why of being thankful.
2. I won't have to eat turkey because my only job is to bring Honey Baked Ham. I'll eat ham. Delicious Honey Baked Ham. It costs a fortune, but that's okay because it is worth every penny, and I'll make a split pea soup with the bone.
3. Hubby made breakfast. I didn't even make my bed. No other prep necessary because my SIL hosted and didn't require a thing from me but the Honey Baked Ham.
4. I'm no longer a kid, and the traditions of that time are nil because the older generation who saw that they continued, is now dead. Instead, the next generation began new traditions, and this year my hubby and daughter kept one of theirs by running the Turkey Trot. Then we watched the Macy's Day Parade, one of Tom's traditions, and we did it via Facetime with Madison who couldn't make it home from college. After that, I watched the Westminister Dog Show--a tradition started by my friend Kelly. I watched the last fifteen minutes. The dog I wanted to win did not. Traditions completed. Check.
5. I'm looking forward to spending time with my niece. She makes me laugh. Hopefully, I'll see my friends tomorrow. 
6. I'm watching football. Right now. 

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Thanks for reading about my nutty life. I'm thankful for all 12 of you! 

Happy Turkey Day 2009, part two

Scenes from Thanksgiving 2009

Kelly's turkey brined for several hours

Ready for the oven

In it goes

Cara's creation starts with an empty pitcher

A bottle of brandy (well just a shot)

A lovely bottle of Yago wine

Some 7 Up, maraschino cherries, and limes

And we have sangria!

A lovely table

Ready to eat!

Oh, and let's not forget the photographer

Potatoes anyone?

I don't know why I don't have a place at the table...

Let the eating begin...Thanksgiving 2009, number one

Thanksgiving came early this year in our house, or at least in my in-law's house. Tom's sister and his brother arrived with their significant others plus extras prior to the holiday, but due to outrageous airline tickets, their return trips were scheduled on Thanksgiving day. So we celebrated Thanksgiving the day before.

That morning started off with lots of rain and a huge BANG. A transformer behind our house blew, knocking out the power in our house and three others and leaving the wires on the electric pole loosely dangling in the downpour.

I got on my cell phone to report the outage at the same moment my neighbor's thirteen-year-old daughter discovered the reason for the outage: a dead but still smoking, squirrel lying in the backyard. Her screams in the background were enough for the power company to dispatch a truck immediately. Within thirty minutes power was restored.

The next obstacle came when we loaded up and prepared to make the drive to the in-laws for the big Thanksgiving feast. The battery in my van was dead. Because my husband and my car mechanic friend were both at work as their bosses did not get the early Thanksgiving memo, I contemplated several "fix it" scenarios, dismissed all of them, and sent for a limo.

We ate dinner in the early evening after filling our bellies with liquor and munchies. There was a huge turkey, Nancy's famous mashed potatoes with two and a half sticks of butter, green beans, asparagus, sweet potatoes, stuffing, rolls, and a choice between pecan or pumpkin pies.

The meal was consumed in ten minutes. Kudos to my sister-in-law for the hours of preparation and cooking.

The rain fell most of the day, but the six children and our dog didn't let it deter them from finding activities to stay busy. Tom was able to join us after work. Roger was out of the hospital and at the head of the table. So much to be thankful for.

And we do it all over again tomorrow with my family. Happy Thanksgiving.