Happy Thanksgiving

I hope you all had a happy thanksgiving with family, friends

and whoever else you spent the day with!

We are spending our usual Black Friday at home,

in pajamas, eating pecan pie for breakfast!

Feeling thankful.

Counting blessings.

♥

And Just Like That, It's The Christmas Season!

We ended our Thanksgiving weekend with getting the tree

up!  It was easier this year with this tree!  It came with

a storage bag and stays assembled in the garage during

the off season!  So putting up the tree was a matter of 

pulling it inside and unzipping the bag!  Yay! I tried to get

a boy or two to help with the decorations but nobody

was interested.  haha. 

 I'm always slow getting into 

the Christmas spirit....I mean, it's still fall outside!

Beautiful red leaves and cool but comfortable

temperatures!  We're finishing up pumpkin bars

and well, there are still pumpkins and gourds

on the front porch!

♥

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving, blog friends!

I started a little dinner prep today!

I'm going to take a little break this week as my 

To Do List is a little long! 

I'm driving to the turkey farm tomorrow, one of my

favorite Thanksgiving traditions!  Then it's back home to

start some fun in the kitchen with baking pies, bread,

stuffing and all those other wonderful things! 

I'm really looking forward to Taylor

and Lauren coming in for the holiday weekend and

several more family arriving for dinner on Thursday!

I hope your holiday is full of fun, rest, good food and

an extra dose of gratefulness!

♥

Random Thoughts

1. I love seeing the leaves on the ground.  I say stop the raking! haha Look how pretty that looks!
2. We had a parakeet die recently and then his little friend died a week later. They were both elderly so it wasn't surprising.  The second one going soon after the first happened to our original bird couple years ago!  I can't help but think that they are broken hearted and lonely.  Aw.  Hope they are reunited in heaven and happy again.  No more birds for us, though. The zoo has now shrunk to cats only. What a difference a year makes!  No more rabbit, no more bird song.  Sigh.
3. Can you believe Thanksgiving is just next week?  Time is FLYING!  
4. Speaking of Thanksgiving, most of you know how I feel about mixing holidays.  No Christmas creeping into the autumn holidays! Thanksgiving is warm hues, pumpkins, pilgrims and turkey.  I couldn't believe my eyes scrolling through Instagram and seeing ladies decorating their Christmas trees before Halloween.  What on earth!  They said they have so much decorating to do that they must start early.  I say they are doing too much decorating, then! haha.  
5. I don't decorate for Christmas before December but I do start my shopping! haha.  Online, free shipping, in my jammies.  My favorite way to do it!  Already got a good chunk of it done!
6. I haven't been to an auction since August!  Can you believe that? With my extra storage room turned into a guest room, I don't have the space for a lot of pending items waiting to be sold in my shop!  So I've taken a break to let things sell down to a more manageable amount.  I've still had a sale or two almost every day, so it's all been good.  Tomorrow I'm off to an auction again!  Should be fun! I wonder if they've missed me. haha.

Any random thoughts in your head today?

♥

Random Thoughts

Star

1. Today marks 6 months since Star came to us!  She is a remarkable rescue kitty story.  She doesn't look as beautiful and healthy as our other cats yet but she is still making progress and looks immensely better than she did! 
2. We have had a wonderfully lazy holiday!  Some of the guys had a cold so it was good they were able to flop at home and do nothing.
3. You know how you sleep awful when your spouse is sick...you wake up with every toss and turn, every cough, every sniff?  Yeah, that.  
4. Tomorrow starts a crazy time of year with my biggest gift basket order of the year, the etsy shop in full Black Friday swing and a calendar full of dinners, parties, concerts, our anniversary, auctions, shopping, wrapping, .....just like all of you, I'm sure!  I made out the full calendar today, planned some party menus and tried to schedule everything so I could do things orderly and not in a last minute panic.  I don't mind busy if I still feel in control. haha.
5. We put our tree up yesterday.  The boys immediately thought we were opening gifts and searched every nook, cranny, drawer, closet and cupboard for wrapped presents!  It's going to be a long month. haha.  I love the look of presents under the tree all month but we can't do that..they would be ripped open in a nano-second!
6. I've eaten pie for breakfast the last few days, among other fattening snacks and meals.  I'm actually looking forward to my usual granola bar for breakfast and my yogurt and fruit for lunch on Monday! lol....

♥

Today

haha....did you?

Not trample people...but did you go out and shop?

I did my traditional Black Friday....stay in my jammies

and shop online.  Quite a productive day, even with bedhead!

I got the majority of my Christmas shopping done!

Free shipping, great sales, no crowds...just like

a hermit would do it! lol....

Hope you had a great day, no matter what your tradition!

♥

My Plate

...and no, I couldn't eat it all! 

♥

Happy Thanksgiving!

...because we have so many blessings to count!

Yes, even when things aren't feeling so wonderful, you

 can always find someone who has it so much harder than you!

Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends...

and happy day to everyone else around the world.

I'm thankful for all of you!

This apple slab pie came out of the oven a little bit ago.

I tweaked a few recipes, used my own crust recipe, and decided

to drizzle it with salted caramel sauce just before serving.

If it's a keeper, I'll share the recipe soon!

Today I made cranberry sauce, stuffing, spiced pecans, a

cheese ball, apple slab pie, pecan pie, and a bacon corn dip!

Just mashed potatoes and rolls to go this evening!

After a pecan pumpkin cobbler in the morning for breakfast,

I won't want to cook for a week! (and I won't! haha)

My Cornish Game Hens are still thawing but feel like solid, frozen

rocks! haha.  Might have to help them along in the morning in a sink

full of water!  Oh dear! haha.....

♥

Around Here, Lately

1. We've had fun watching this little Nuthatch run up and down the trunks of the trees lately.  He's been joined by a beautiful Woodpecker who has evaded my camera so far!
2. The boys have yucky head colds so we just cancelled their day program today and the rest of the week so they could have an extended Thanksgiving break and time to recuperate.  And I admit it was nice not to pack lunches and sleep late this morning!
3. Thanks to The Mister for coming home early so I could do the big Thanksgiving grocery trip this afternoon.  I am always amused at how many bewildered people there are in the grocery a few days before Thanksgiving.  They are clutching a list, worried and lost, and it's obvious they don't know where anything is located beyond their usual Swanson Frozen Dinners. I helped a few find the sage, whipping cream and one man was desperate to find the Velveeta. haha.
4. I'm going to spend the day on Wednesday baking pies, rolls and a few other dishes that can be made ahead...probably like many other activities going on in kitchens all across the country.  The Cornish Hens are thawing in the fridge and I get laughed at every time I say how cute they are. :)  But they are!
5. We had our first dusting of snow this week!  Just enough to cover roof shingles and nestle in curly leaves on the ground.  It didn't last through the morning but it sure made me smile!  We had several inches this time last year.  In contrast, we're supposed to reach 60 degrees on Thanksgiving Day!
6. Along with my rebellious non-turkey Cornish Game Hens for Thanksgiving, I'm looking forward to a few other new dishes I picked out.  Stuffing baked in a whole pumpkin, Butter Pecan Sliced Sweet Potatoes,  and Apple Slab Pie. Yum.  
7. Some of our favorite dishes will be there as always, like my homemade rolls, mashed potatoes, homemade whole cranberry sauce and deep dish pecan pie (which doubles as breakfast the next day). ha. 
8. I'll be around to say hello and post again Wednesday night ...something brief....mainly because all work and no play makes for a very dull girl. haha.  

♥ 

Random Thoughts

1. Fern Fronds.  These little Curly Q's just make me smile.
2. The boys had the day off today, so we hung out at home...slept late, stayed in our jammies all morning, the guys had a movie marathon and Alex took a nap.  I puttered....gave the house plants showers in the kitchen sink and made a pot of soup.
3. During the summer and beginning of fall, it would take a week for the birds to empty the feeder.  Now it only take one day!  They must be bulking up for the winter.  And I must be the only one in the neighborhood putting out seed! 
4. It's Veteran's Day.  I hope you thanked someone in the military!
5. When I went to the grocery yesterday, I realized that I hadn't left the house since last week when I went to the grocery!  Seven days inside...what a hermit I am, especially when I didn't even notice! It was a nice, empty week on the calendar and I got a lot of stuff done around here!
6. Well, it's official!  I bought the Cornish Game Hens for Thanksgiving and they are awaiting their debut in the freezer!  I also found a few fun new ideas on Pinterest to do, too, like baking the stuffing in a whole pumpkin.  Gorgeous!
7. And speaking of pumpkins, I hadn't bought one yet this season, so I did that yesterday, too.  The perfect shape and size for it's purpose.  I remember waiting until the week of Thanksgiving one year and there wasn't a pumpkin to be found!  I guess after Halloween they go straight to the cranberries and poinsettias!
8. Anybody else watch the debate last night?  Politics are fascinating...well, at least I think so! lol...
9. A few of you are doing the 30 Days of Thankfulness on Facebook or on your blog's sidebar.  I've enjoyed reading all the big and little things that mean something to you.  Very inspiring!

♥

Thirty Days Of Thankfulness

It's a good thing to be grateful, isn't it?

And with the Thanksgiving holiday approaching,

November just seems like the obvious time to celebrate

that day in a very practical way.  So, I think I'll list one thing

each day of November that I'm thankful for and keep a running

list on my sidebar.  I've done this in years past and it's fun!

Things can be light hearted, serious, deep or shallow. haha.

If you want to join me, start a list on your sidebar, too!

♥

Random Thoughts

1. This is the first time ever that I haven't bought the Halloween candy early, eaten it all myself and then had to buy more for the trick-or-treaters.  haha.  Can't believe how good I'm being this year!  
2. I'm seriously thinking about not having a turkey on Thanksgiving this year.  What???  haha.... I know!  I'm thinking of having Cornish Game Hens.  Hmm....a big platter of those would look awesome and taste delicious!  And I could even have extras ones for leftovers.  We could still have all of our favorite sides and desserts, of course.  Yep, I'm seriously leaning toward this!  I'm just feeling like breaking all the rules, lately...rebellious, I know! Haven't run it by anyone that's going to be sitting around the table, though...haha.
3. You know those little squares of paper that are between sliced cheese?  I accidentally left it on the cheese when I made a sandwich for The Mister. haha...he didn't discover it until he was having a hard time chewing.  For some reason it was hard to convince him that I didn't do it on purpose! 
4. Happiness is when you're growing out your bangs and they are almost long enough to tuck behind your ear.  Yep, it really is the little things. lol.
5. Where did October go?  Anybody know?  Can we have a do-over?

♥

This And That

Well, here it is, December already!

The Christmas spirit hasn't hit me yet but we have a

business Christmas party happening here in 2 weeks,

so I need to get the place looking festive whether I 

feel festive or not! ha.  The first thing I pulled out

today was this 1940's Santa wall pocket I found in the

auction trash earlier this year.  I hung him in the kitchen

nook above my desk.  Surely he will send me some

spirit when I look at those twinkling eyes!

I did get the tree up!

No decorations on it yet and I'm tempted to leave it

with only white lights all over it.  Simple and elegant.  

I did get my glue gun out and give this little gold tree

a new look with some vintage ornaments .

I think she likes her new bling!

It's like a shiny petticoat!

These two girls were just happy the feeder was full!

The pecan pie is now just a pleasant memory.

I enjoyed it for breakfast, lunch and midnight snack. 

This week is my busiest of the year with my annual large gift

 basket order!  If I'm not around for a daily post you'll know why!

But blogging is the fun part of the day, so I'll try

to at least pop in with a photo or two

and visit you with a quick hello.

We have only enough turkey left for some soup tomorrow.

And I enjoyed a little online shopping.

Have you eaten all the turkey?

Have you shopped til you dropped?

♥

Friday

It wasn't really Black Friday, since we didn't shop.

We slept late, had coffee and cinnamon rolls for breakfast in bed.

Lazed about in our jammies with bed head.

 And ate leftovers.

Oh, and we watched this gorgeous sunset!

♥

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving, Friends!

If you leave a comment, tell me 3 things that 

you are thankful for today.

♥

The Thanksgiving Menu

I sat down today and went through my recipes and made

the big old To Do List for the week.

The Thanksgiving meal takes days to prepare and

only 15 minutes to eat. haha.  But then the leftovers

treat the cook to a few days of well deserved rest and yumminess. :)

I changed some things on our menu this year.

I'm excited to see how it all comes together.

Menu

Appetizers

A tray of cheese, crackers, sweet pickles

and THESE spicy pecans.

Dinner

Pear and Pomegranate Spinach Salad

Something cold and fresh with all that heaviness.  See HERE. 

Bone-in fresh, free range turkey breast

This works best for our small, white meat loving group.

Mashed Potatoes

Trying The Pioneer Woman's make ahead recipe.

Ree, don't let me down!  Have you made these?  See HERE.

Gravy

No recipe here...just pan drippings, turkey broth, and

corn starch to thicken it up.

Roasted Whole Carrots

I thought these looked lovely and autumnal.  See HERE.

Green Bean Casserole

A fresh twist on the old classic.

No canned soup or beans.  Everything is fresh.  See HERE.

Cornbread and Sausage Stuffing.

My own concoction.  I'll share sometime.

Susan Branch's Cranberry Sauce

The best and so easy.  See HERE.

Light and Fluffy Dinner Rolls.

I've posted these before.  Super fast and easy.  See HERE.

Desserts

Deep Dish Pecan Pie

my recipe which I'll share at some point

Assorted Shortbread Cookies

HERE and HERE

Apple Dumplings 

Pumpkin Bread

Beverages

Assorted Wines, Punch, Coffee

Hot Mulled Cider

***

The lovely Lauren is bringing the apple dumplings and

pumpkin bread.  She has a year of marriage and cooking

under her belt and I'm so happy she's bringing a few things!

Not only does it help me out (I got to scratch apple and 

pumpkin pies off my to do list!) but I just love to taste other 

people's cooking.  Always fun!

Tomorrow I make the annual drive to the turkey farm!

You can feel the festivity in the air when you get there!

And if the weather is nice, you can hear turkeys gobbling!

So fun.

Are you doing anything different this year?

♥

Thanksgiving Foyer Table

I'm a little late getting my November foyer table done!

I'm blaming it on the reno. ha.

I love changing up this table and trying to use what

I have on hand instead of buying anything new.

I did buy the grey pumpkin at the grocery, though.

Maybe it will turn into a grey pie?  Ew! haha.

The plate and bird figurine were in the auction trash,

believe it or not!  The dome and base were $1 at auction.

The little wood box was from the thrift store years

ago and the scale has been around for a while.

Can't believe in a couple of weeks it will be time

to change it up to Christmas!  I'm not nearly in

the Christmas spirit yet!

♥

Sending Guests Home With Holiday Leftovers

I did something a little different with leftovers this past

Thanksgiving and it turned out to be a great idea!

I filled Chinese take out containers and labelled them

right when we cleared the table.  Then I lined them up

on a wicker tray and slid them into the refrigerator!

When it was time for the guests to go home, I just handed them

a tray!  So much better than dragging food out and trying to

find containers while they are wanting to leave!

Chinese take out containers are easy to find these days...

in craft stores and supply stores.  But I got lucky and found a new,

 sealed package of 500 16 oz containers in the auction trash. 

That's a lifetime supply, I'm thinking. ha.

So, come over for dinner and I'll fill a few for you to take home! 

♥

This And That

1. noticing
2. decorating
3. creating
4. snowing
5. cooking
6. shipping
7. playing
8. charming

♥

The Day After

Not us!

We sleep late.

We eat pie for breakfast.

 We stay home all day.  

We putter around lazily.

We eat leftovers.

Then on Saturday we do it all again!

Because Thursday was too fun not to repeat a few more days! 

What about you?
Do you brave the crowds and go out for the deals?
Or do you stay home like a hermit and shop online? 

♥