HAPPY THANKSGIVING

WEDNESDAY HODGEPODGE #579

Thank you Joyce.

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1. Talking turkey...are you cooking the turkey this year? Does ham belong on a Thanksgiving day menu? When it comes to gravy do you pour it over your whole plate, skip it altogether, or land somewhere in between? Cranberries-homemade or jelled right out of the can? Do you look forward more to the main course, the savory sides, or the desserts? 

I know there are at least a couple of bloggers who participate here who live outside the US and won't be celebrating Thanksgiving. If that's you feel free to adapt this question to your December (or any) holiday meal.

No, I am not cooking a turkey this year although we did a small bone in turkey breast a few weeks ago that had been in the freezer for awhile. 

I know people like ham on Thanksgiving but I'm not a big fan. I do love gravy on the turkey, dressing and mashed potatoes. 

I will usually use canned jelled cranberries. I took one over to Adam and Gabby's on Saturday. That's where we will celebrate Thanksgiving. 

I have to say that I look forward to all three of those. 

2. Holiday movies...tell us your favorite and what it is about the film that makes you love it. Is it the film itself or a memory it stirs? 

I always watch "It's a Wonderful Life" on Christmas Eve. I'm not sure if it stirs a memory other than watching it for as long as I can remember. My dad managed a movie theater and I may have seen it there around the holidays. 

There are other favorites I have too and I will be watching them closer to Christmas. 

3. A favorite way to give back and help others? 

I like to donate money to St. Jude's Hospital. 

4. Name a place or setting you encountered this month that made you feel grateful. 

I was grateful to be at James' school for "bring a loved one to lunch" day. 

5. Knowing what you know today, if you could redo yesterday what would you do differently? 

I'm drawing a blank here. 

6. Spill your own random thought here. 

I had mentioned last week that we were celebrating Mark's birthday (18th) this past weekend. We had a lovely dinner out and some delicious coconut cream pie. 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Hope you have a lovely day. We will be going over to Adam and Gabby's and celebrating with her family. We are bringing Green Bean Casserole and Sweet Potato Balls. It should be a fun day but of course traffic will not be fun! They are getting a bouncy house for the kids. 

Very old recipe....

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY

TUESDAY 4

Welcome to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4 .

Let's talk about the Thanksgiving Feast.

1. Do you celebrate with family, friends or by yourself?

We will be celebrating with Adam, Gabby and James along with Gabby's family. We are all bringing dishes to share. I would say that over all the years of being married we have always celebrated with family. 

His Thanksgiving PJ's....

2.  Do you watch the Thanksgiving Day parade from Macy's in New York City?  The appearance of Santa at the end signals the start of the Christmas season.  What does the day hold for you?

I usually record it and try to watch it. 

The beginning of the Christmas season is wonderful and stressful. I love it! 

Thanksgiving day I love to gather with family and enjoy a delicious turkey dinner. 

3. What foods are the hit of Thanksgiving Day for you?

Turkey, gravy, dressing, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes and some rolls. 

I am bringing the green bean casserole and sweet potato balls which is a very old recipe and the hit of the party. 

4.  We say grace before and after meals. Is grace a part of your Thanksgiving meal?

No it is not normally part of our Thanksgiving meal. 

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GIVING THANKS

Love, Debby

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Take care, stay well and God Bless

CATCHING UP

We had a lovely Thanksgiving over at Adam and Gabby's. As soon as we walked in the door James went right over for Gramps to pick him up. They are best buddies. Of course we had rain and it poured there and back which wasn't fun at all. 

 His first turkey dinner! 

On Monday we picked up James at Gabby's sisters house. Adam and Gabby planned to go away for the weekend but since we had rain they cancelled their trip. However Denise still wanted James to come over so they dropped him off there on Saturday evening. 

They planned on going away for a night but as it turned out their dog Roxy got sick and had to go to the emergency vet at 2 am in the middle of the night. So they didn't go away but we still went on Monday morning to pick him up and take him to their house which was the original plan. Roxy has kennel cough. 

It was fun to be with him for a few hours and we ended up ordering in lunch with Adam and Gabby.  These two photos are from  Monday. 

 Peek a boo!

What James really wants to be doing here is slamming the door, his new favorite thing, however they now have guards up that protect him from doing that. 

I still haven't put up my decorations but I have gotten most of my Christmas shopping done and need to get the out of town gifts mailed around the 16th. I just haven't been in the mood at all to decorate. It will come. 

I'm going to change things up this year and not put some things out because there are other things that I definitely want out but need to set them up in a higher place now so James can't get at them. So the items that are normally in a higher spot will wait until next year. 

We also have a nice pretty new white gate to keep him away from the tree! 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Wishing you and your family a beautiful day along with a delicious meal. 

We are heading over to Adam and Gabby's today for a Thanksgiving celebration. We are bringing Green Bean Casserole and Sweet Potato Balls. I can't wait! 

GIVE THANKS

~BLESSING TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY~

Today we will be going over to Adam and Gabby's house and having Thanksgiving dinner with her family along with Jason's family. 

In case you missed this, Adam married his best friends sister in law! Gabby's family and Jason's family have hung out together for several years now on the holiday's. So not only is Jason Adam's best friend since 5th grade, he is also his brother in law now.

We are bringing green bean casserole and I'm making sweet potato balls, a recipe from the 80's!

TRUTH BE TOLD

Sometimes you just need to be open and honest. I'm not asking for your sympathy, you don't need to read this and you don't need to comment. I just feel I have to put this out there. I always tell the truth but that doesn't mean I share everything. 

I found myself starting to get angry as my Thanksgiving day started. I started with the turkey to make sure it was thawed completely and figured out the time we need to get it into the oven depending on what time we decided to eat. Then I got all the side dishes ready and put them in the refrigerator until they needed to go into the oven.

I found myself feeling sorry for myself that my kids were not here with us this year. Mark was outside doing pruning and I was feeling so alone. Nothing to look forward to except for the meal. After the turkey went into the oven I had some time to myself. 

I started giving myself a pep talk. Snap out of it Debby!! Your going to cook this dinner for you and Mark being thankful for the fact that your children are alive, healthy and happy. Don't we all want that? So I put a smile on my face, took my shower and continued to work on our dinner. 

I felt a little upset that Mark never offered to help with anything but that's nothing new. That's when I get mad about having two chronic illnesses. Because I look normal on the outside no one really ever knows what your going through on the inside. 

Anyway dinner was delicious. We had turkey, dressing, gravy, rolls, baked sweet potato, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole and scalloped potatoes. (bought those at Costco and they were amazing) I decided not to make fresh mashed potatoes.

Dinner was done, leftovers were put away, kitchen was clean and the dishwasher was running. I decided to sit down and watch some football with Mark. Then the other ball dropped. I got a message from my niece in Florida that her daughter Amber was pregnant. 

Now don't get me wrong, I am thrilled for my niece, my great niece and of course my sister who will become a great grandmother. But there I was thinking to myself, my niece gets to become a grandmother before me. My sister has four grandchildren, the oldest being 22, and now she is going to be a great grandmother. 

My heart flooded with jealousy. I'm not supposed to feel this way. I'm supposed to trust in God's plan for me but sometimes it just gets the best of me. 

My mother died when Adam and Amber were very young. Amber was only 10 months old. They never got to know her. I feel like I'm following in her footsteps only I have lived 10 years longer than she did. I want to be known. I want my grandchildren to remember how much fun grandma was and have beautiful memories to carry in their hearts. 

I know there is still time but look what my sister has had for 22 years. I want that! My body isn't what it was even ten years ago. How much time do I really have left. I was always thankful that my mom got to at least meet all of her grandchildren before she passed away but I want more than that. 

I am well aware that what I am feeling cannot be compared in any way to what other people have suffered through and are going through right now. I am thankful to God each day for his generosity to me and my family. But what I am feeling is real for me and I'm allowed to feel sorry for myself. Thank you for listening.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

A THANKSGIVING WEDNESDAY HODGEPODGE

May God bless you and your family in 
abundance on this Thanksgiving!

Volume 287

Thank you Joyce....

1. What's something you might say runs in your family? 

We are worrier's.

2. I read here a list of ten things you should do before 2017 arrives (in less than six weeks!)...which tasks on the list might you do? What would you add to your own 'before the year ends' list?

visit your Dr. or dentist, deep clean your home, donate unwanted items to charity, look someone in the eye and tell them you love them, write an honest letter to yourself, clean up your inbox-desktop-photos, travel to a place you haven't been, compliment a stranger, watch the sunrise, think ahead to your goals/plans for the new year

That is a great list. I might donate unwanted items and compliment a stranger. 

3. What's something other generations (not your own) misunderstand about yourgeneration?

How much we love the country we live in and grew up in.

4. Sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes and gravy, cornbread dressing-which would you miss the most if it weren't on the holiday dinner menu?

Probably stuffing but it is Pepperidge Farm stuffing that we love and I have to have gravy! 

5. What are you overthinking right now?

Everything you could possibly imagine. My mind is working overtime. I keep having conversations in my with a doctor I am seeing December 20th. I keep telling myself to STOP.

6. Your favorite slang word lately?

I'm not sure, maybe "no way" or "for real"

7. Write an acrostic for the word grateful.

God

Red wine

Appetizers

Turkey

Extra stuffing

Family

Unconditional

Love

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

WEDNESDAY HODGEPODGE

Volume 246

Thank you Joyce! 

1. Did you watch The Charlie Brown Christmas special Monday night? Who's your favorite Peanuts character and why?

I didn't watch it this year. I like Sally. I'm not sure why other than she has blonde hair so I probably related to her when I was younger and I was the younger sister.  

"Most psychiatrists agree that sitting in a pumpkin patch is excellent therapy for a troubled mind."~Linus  

Would you agree?  
I agree, it sounds like a good place to unwind! 

2. Describe a sound from your childhood. What does this sound bring to mind? 

I've thought hard about this question but a sound is not coming to mind. So I asked Mark and he said the ice cream truck bell or the sound of the truck that sprayed those awful chemicals for the mosquitoes!!!! 

3. You've won a trip to a winter wonderland...would that excite you? Which one of the following would you most want to experience (or which one would you dislike the least)-see the Aurora Borealis in Norway, stay in Sweden's Ice Hotel, go dogsledding in Lapland Finland, take a winter wildlife safari in Yellowstone or celebrate Winter Carnival in Quebec? 

Yes, a free trip would excite me.  Take me to Norway to watch the Aurora Borealis. Dogsledding sounds like fun too!

4. Who or what keeps you humble? 

I'm going to say that doing my handkerchief ministry for the last six years has kept me humble. We might complain about our children not listening or driving us crazy but nothing compares to having your child pass away. 

5. What part of preparing for Christmas do you like the most? Explain. 

Decorating the tree's and the house is what I like the most. I love living in my Winter Wonderland for 6 weeks or longer depending on my mood. 

I am however having a hard time getting into the mood right now. Also I do enjoy gift giving!

6. Gingerbread-yay or nay? Is making a gingerbread house part of your family holiday tradition?

I do like gingerbread. We have spent the last few years decorating gingerbread house's as a tradition but we didn't do it last year. Not sure yet about this year. 

7. What's one thing you want to start, do, or complete before the calendar rolls into a new year? 

I am embarrassed to say this but I did mention before in a post earlier this year. My goal this year was to see a dentist because I've neglected going. I only have 29 more days to accomplish this!

8.  Insert your own random thought here. 

Thanksgiving dinner was awesome and of course the best part was eating the leftovers. I spend most of my morning in the kitchen preparing all the food so by the time we sit down to dinner I am usually exhausted. I end up eating a small plate of food. However I make up for it eating the leftover's for a few days!!! 

We had Turkey, Stuffing, Gravy, Rolls, Olives, Cranberry Sauce, Parmesan Roasted Butternut Squash, Green Bean Casserole, Mashed Potatoes, Baked Sweet Potatoes, Corn, Deviled Eggs, Pumpkin Pie and a Pumpkin Cheesecake from Trader Joe's. 

WEDNESDAY HODGEPODGE......GOBBLE GOBBLE

I haven't blogged since last Wednesday.....
 

Volume 245

Join in the fun.....

Click on over and visit with Joyce!

~Wishing Everyone A Happy Thanksgiving~

1.What's something you wish you knew how to do, but feel like it's too late to learn?

Maybe to speak another language and I know it's not too late to learn but I'm just too lazy to try. Also I would have loved to have been a dancer.  Okay cross that out, I would love to help people by being a motivational speaker or counseling people through the Red Cross after a disaster. 

2. Your least favorite thing to shop for? Why?

I guess that it would have to be clothes. They make so many loud and obnoxious patterns in clothes for fluffy people! Also they make so many sleeveless items. Unless your very young few fluffy people have nice upper arms.

3. How has the celebration of Thanksgiving today changed from when you were growing up?

We all live far away from each other today. Gatherings for Thanksgiving were awesome back then. Now this year we will not have Adam & Tristen over. I miss the good old days!!!  

4. What's something that when other people see it, reminds them of you? Explain.

Maybe a giraffe and probably pizza.

Aurelio's Pizza North Las Vegas

(A Chicago Pizza Chain)

5. If you could guest star in a TV show, what would it be and why?

That's an interesting question. I love so many shows that I am not sure I could pick just one. I would love to be a talk show host because I love asking questions, the ones that everyone wants to know!!! 

6. Have you ever farmed or spent any time on a farm? Are there farm stands in your little corner of the world and do you make it a point to shop there? If so, what item do you particularly like to buy from a roadside stand or farm shop?

I have never farmed. Did spend some time at a farm which Mark's grandparents owned but it wasn't being farmed. Great farm house with a barn and that is the reason I want to buy a farm someday! In some areas you will find a strawberry stand. 

7. What's something you've experienced recently that made you feel a sense of awe or wonder?

I'm not sure. I did think it was amazing to see snow on the side of the road about 10 miles before we crossed the state line into Nevada. All these years of traveling to Las Vegas we have never ever seen snow on the road. 

I guess the Bellagio Fountain was a sense of awe.....

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

Gobble, Gobble....Enjoy The Food!!!