Thanksgiving 2016

I love Thanksgiving.
I love the turkey, dressing, and pumpkin pie.
I love the visit with the Mr.'s cousins, who just happen to be great cooks.
I love the Black Friday shopping when I don't need a thing, but get to spend time with the girls.
I love the fact that there are Christmas lighting ceremonies and Santa visits all over the state.
I love playing Christmas music in the car on the way home from Thanksgiving dinner.
I love that even 25 years later, I still can't find a dressing that I like as much as Mom's.
I would say that I love putting the Christmas tree up, but actually, I just like it when it is up. The putting up...not so much.
I especially love that I have a 5 day weekend/vacation from school.

Happy Thanksgiving from Easy Street.

The Rest of Thankfulness Month

I've had a month of thankfulness on Facebook.  I shared the first week and then promptly forgot about sharing it.  Today's post is the rest of the thankful status updates.

Day #8- I am thankful for the Mr. He only has to be gone for a couple of days to make me realize just how much I miss my husband, best friend, and personal chef! (And Baxter misses someone who will play those wild games with him.)

Day #9- I am thankful for our community: good people who care about each other.

Day #10- I'm thankful for brisk fall mornings lit by a full moon. I'm also grateful for the little dog who drags me out to see it.

Day #11- I am thankful for Veterans Day and the sacrifice of our soldiers and their families.

Day #12- I am thankful for weekends that allow me to catch up on all the things I am behind on!

Day #13- I am so grateful that my phone has a memo pad feature; I have a hunch that this week it will get a workout.

Day #14- I am thankful for all the people in our world who go above and beyond--no matter what their job or circumstance.

Day #15- I'm thankful for my colleagues. They are helpful, funny, and always there when I need them. What a great bunch of people work at Tiny Town High!

Day #16- I am grateful for all the people who have put in the time to pull the show together: cast, tech, and assistants. 

Day #17- I'm thankful for the patience people show me--sometimes when I least deserve it.

Day #18- I am thankful for youthful enthusiasm. They drive me crazy sometimes, but mainly, their energy and joy are contagious. (That--and it's a short drive!)

Day #19- I am grateful for celebrations that call for flowers and champagne! 

Day #20- I am so grateful for all the support and love I have received in the past 50+ years. Since birth, I have been blessed with a lot of wonderful people in my life. You can't get more blessed than that, and I thank God every day.

Day #21: I'm so thankful for a two-day work week. It is the most wonderful time of the year: all the things I love about Christmas without the decorating or gifts to fuss with!

Day #22- I'm thankful for the lives of the previous generation- the example they have set and the love they have shown.

Day #23- I am thankful for home: the home of my childhood and the home of today; for the shelter, the food, and the voices I hear when I walk through the door. It has always been my favorite place in the world.

Day #24- I'm thankful to live in a country that sets aside a day to be grateful for our many blessings.

Day #25- I am thankful for little traditions: holiday movies, Santa coming to town, and Black Friday shopping trips with the girls. (Even when I don't buy a thing!)

Day #26- I'm so thankful for the guy at Menards who carried a pretty heavy box two blocks for me. They didn't have any carts left, and I wasn't even parked in their parking lot. Let's hear it for retail workers who work ridiculous hours this time of year and still share joy and kindness with people who probably don't deserve it. 

Day #27- This Thanksgiving weekend I am sooo thankful that the Mr. and I didn't have to decorate the deck for the trailer at school. The new school is absolutely wonderful!

Day #28- I am thankful for people in a small town who have Christmas lights on at 5 in the morning for the early walkers/joggers. What a beautiful way to start the day!

Day #29- I am thankful for technology. It sometimes drives me crazy, but it allows me to keep in contact with a lot of people I love.

Day #30- I am grateful for music--that there is a song for every mood and every occasion.  I'm also thankful for its ability to remind me of old times.  I know there is a soundtrack running through my life.  Someday, I'll get it put on paper.

Yes, life is pretty good on Easy Street.  I don't have to hunt too hard for reasons to be thankful.

A Thankful November Part II

Here is the 2nd part of daily thankfulness on facebook. 

November 15th- I am so thankful for extended family: aunts and uncles, crazy cousins, terrific nieces and nephews, and loving siblings. I am especially thankful that I genuinely like/love all of them and that I look forward to spending time with them. When family also happens to be people you would pick for your friends-- you're lucky, and I'm very lucky!


November 16- I am thankful for teenagers, and their ability to horrify me one minute and then turn around and amaze me the next!

November 17th- I am thankful for great paras and teacher's aides. I couldn't survive without them!

November 18th- I am so grateful for music and its ability to worm its way into our hearts!

November 19th- I am thankful for the authors and their books that have ignited a whole generation and turned our kids into readers again!

November 20th- I am thankful for Saturdays: morning shopping trips, lunches at coffee shops, and evenings with friends. Throw in a son-in-law who makes Saturday morning breakfasts and days don't get much better!

November 21st- I am thankful for life's plateaus-- knowing there will be both peaks and valleys sometimes, too.

November 22nd- I am so thankful for old friends. I had a phone call from a high school classmate who has been MIA from reunions, ran into several friends at the craft sale Saturday, and then saw some at the Union Thanksgiving Service last night. How great is it when parents of former students feel like old friends? They are so much a part of our lives for a few years that we miss them when their kids graduate!

November 23rd- I'm thankful that at 3:25 today our Thanksgiving break begins. Home for the holidays! Kind of makes me want to break out into song. I'll spare you!

November 24th- I'm so grateful for my family--for the family of my childhood and adulthood, for those who are no longer with us, and those we have added along the way. My cup runneth over--and it spills into every area of my life. I have been blessed.

November 25th- I'm thankful for a holiday that celebrates counting our blessings! "If we pause to think- we have cause to thank."

November 26th- I'm thankful for any good excuse for quality time with the girls. Black Friday Shopping at 3:15 AM...coffee, Christmas carols, and crowds! (L, you have to be here next year!! This every other year plan kind of stinks!)

November 27th- I am so thankful that I am a morning person. The best part of my day is usually before 8:00. There is nothing like the quiet stillness of a small town in the morning. No dodging traffic or other pedestrians. Today at the end of the morning run, I heard and then watched a flock of geese flying over.

November 28th- I'm thankful for friends that seem like family and family that seem like friends. I have a lot of good people in my life, and I'm so grateful for each of them!

The last two days will be coming!  Man, November has flown by!

Thoughts for Thanksgiving 2010

Just to be is a blessing;

just to live is holy.

Abraham J. Heschel

If the only prayer you say

in your entire life is

'Thank You,'

it will suffice.

Meister Eckhart

Happy Thanksgiving!

The Holidays- Thanksgiving

I was thinking about the Thanksgiving holiday this weekend.  This is my favorite time of the year, and I was trying to figure out exactly why.

Several things come to mind.  I like the leisurely start to the weekdays.  I like lingering over the coffee pot, the early news, and the morning paper. 

The food during the holidays is all of my favorites:  turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, dressing, and pumpkin pie.  Best of all--turkey sandwiches!

We usually make time for holiday movies.  A favorite is "Home for the Holidays."  We break out the Christmas music, and almost always spend an evening or two playing cards.

The girls and I have made a tradition of grabbing our coffee and doing some Black Friday shopping.  We leave the house at 4:30 AM, turn on some Christmas tunes, and mainly enjoy the atmosphere.  (Two years ago, a light snow was just the magic we needed.)  If we find a great bargain, we might buy; but mainly, we soak in the atmosphere and laugh at the craziness of the serious shoppers.

These holiday weeks at school are fun, too.  The kids seem a bit nostalgic and pretty creative, too.  (Just finishing up "Our Town" may be responsible for part of that.)  They look forward to the break from school and most look forward to days at home with their families, too. 

We're still 10 days away from Thanksgiving, but it seems like the spirit of the holiday is already here.  Think I can make it last all year?? 

How I Know It Is Thanksgiving Weekend

1. Turkey sandwiches are on the menu. More than once.
2. The fridge is full of leftovers, and there isn't room for another thing.
3. Boxes of Christmas decorations are decorating the living room.
4. Black Friday shopping with the girls-- a tradition we didn't start until we quit buying family gifts. Makes no sense, I know. (When I actually had to shop, I didn't want to face the crowds! Now that I don't have to be there, it's fun.)
5. "Christmas Vacation" is playing. Everyone needs a little Clark Griswold for the season.

Happy Thanksgiving '09

"If the only prayer you say in your whole life is 'thank you,' it will be enough."

All My Blessings

I'm out of school today.
I left with my papers graded and lesson plans ready for next week.
We had an early birthday celebration for K last night.
Her sister and her roommate came bearing gifts.
Oh, and the boys were here, too.

This morning:
Coffee and the morning news.
Martha Stewart and Bon Jovi in the morning.
After the 2nd cup, the house cleaning will begin.
The Mr. is at work.
I love a quiet house.
I love a clean house.
I love a full house.

This afternoon and evening:
The girls and their friends are returning.
Miscellaneous tasks to complete before tomorrow.
Veggies to cut. Relish trays to locate.
Wine to purchase and sample.
Cards? A movie?

Tomorrow:
An early alarm for the turkey.
Macy's Day Parade.
Off to the brother's and then to the farm.
Hopefully, a long walk after dinner.

Thanksgiving?
The secret is to make it last all year.
I have too many blessings for just one day.

"One single grateful thought raised to heaven is the most perfect prayer."

Black Friday Shopping

I have never been much of a shopper, but K, L & I got up at 5 and headed out in a snow shower like you wouldn't believe! It was wonderful and really put me in a holiday mood. We got to Target at 5:55 and the line was 5 or 6 abreast and all the way around the store headed back to Famous Dave's. I've never seen the mobs before, so we got out of the car to watch what happened when the store opened. It was all pretty orderly, until some guy got impatient waiting for the line to disperse so he could get in. Security ran him and his woman out for cutting in line. The hot item seemed to be Guitar Hero. There seemed to be a pretty good crowd in electronics, but other than that I have no idea where all the mob was. We bought a few videos and didn't even have to wait in line at the checkout counter. The only other place we hit was the mall where just a few stores had opened early. Again, no wait at the cashier's stand. If what we saw was any indication--people were out, but not buying much. And I have to confess, we didn't buy much either. But we sure had a good time people watching and enjoying the Christmas weather.

Happy Thanksgiving

I love the idea of a 5 day weekend stretching before me. I especially love that this year Mr. E has a 4 day weekend. Since he is working on Wednesday, I am headed to the girls for a Starbucks run with them and then having K help me shop for a pair of Pumas, her birthday gift. Then, the girls will be home this afternoon for movies, chili for supper, and a trip to the Lumberyard to see old students. (Last Thanksgiving, I had taught everyone in the bar but the bartender. I guess that is what age does to you.)

On Thanksgiving we are headed to decorate Mr. E's mom's apartment. She wanted lights outside this year, so all four of us are taking her breakfast and hanging her lights before we take her with us to see the cousins for Thanksgiving Dinner. We will come back in the late afternoon and after dropping her off, we'll head to the farm to see my family for dessert and coffee. I love Thanksgiving day, but it is a lot of driving and kind of hectic. I miss the days when I was kid, smelling the turkey roasting and watching the Macy's day parade on TV.

Last year, for the first time ever, K & I got up early and hit the Black Friday sales. It was kind of fun. No showers, no make-up, just ball caps and coffee! K, L & I are thinking of doing it again this year, even though we don't have much shopping to do. (I'll save that for my Christmas post.) When you don't have to be the one snatching up the bargains, it is kind of fun to watch it all happening. The clerks could use some unstressed people going by their cash register.

Saturday is K's 28th birthday. I'm not sure exactly what the plan is, but her HS is in the State Football Championship game, so I know that is where we will have to go if we want to see her. If the weather is nice, I'm sure we'll go to the game with the girls.

By Sunday, the girls will be back home. Mr. E and I will probably spend the day decorating the house, inside and out. It is a lot of work, but I love the way the house looks during the holidays. And while Mr. E pretends like he is Scrooge, he loves Christmas as much as I do.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays: lots of family time, great food, and no stress of decorating or shopping for gifts. Last year our family had a Turkey Cookoff. Team Mr. E went against Team L. We even had T-shirts. Mr. E smoked his outdoors, and L followed a recipe she heard on Kidd Kraddick in the morning. A tie was declared, but actually... L & K won. The winning recipe is a snap to make and delicious!! So if you're hunting the perfect turkey recipe for this year, I'll vouch for this one.

Kidd Kraddick Turkey
Ingredients: Turkey (any size), onion, carrot, celery, garlic clove, and olive oil. You will need a brown paper bag without ink and a stapler.
First, take everything out of the inside of the turkey. There will be a giblet bag and some other stuff. You don't want to leave that in there.
Next, add vegetables to the inside of the turkey. This is easy because the veggies are just for flavor...you're going to throw them away later.
You don't even have to peel anything. Take an onion and cut it into quarters. Roughly chop a nice long carrot. Do the same to a couple of stalks of celery. Add several cloves of garlic that you mash between a broad kitchen knife and the counter. Throw it all inside the turkey.
Then rub the turkey all over with olive oil. . . not butter because butter usually has salt in it and that will dry out the turkey. Salt is the enemy of a moist turkey! Make sure the whole bird is covered!
Put the turkey in a roasting pan and cover it with a large brown paper bag.
Staple shut. If you have a huge turkey, use two bags, sliding one end of the turkey into one bag and the other end of the turkey into the second bag. It won't stick to the bird because of the olive oil. Sprinkle the bag all over with water. Place into pre-heated 375 F oven, ON THE MIDDLE RACK.
The bag won't burn because paper burns at 451 and we're at 375 degrees. The advantage of the brown paper bag over the Reynold's cooking bag is that the paper breathes so the turkey roasts. In the Reynolds bag the turkey steams, giving it a different taste. Also the brown paper bag retains the same advantage of the plastic cooking bag...no splatters all over the oven.
Roast for 13-15 minutes per pound. When you think it's ready, shove a meat thermometer through the bag and into the turkey and give it a minute to register. Make sure it doesn't touch the bone. The thermometer should register between 163-170 degrees.
Remove from oven, cut away the bag and remove from basting pan.