Happy Thanksgiving!

There is always something to be thankful for every day of the year.

Happy Thanksgiving!

xo Annette xo

Thankful Thursday~Thanksgiving Edition

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Hi Friends,
As you know, every Thursday I share what I'm thankful for.  I have been doing this for over a year and I'm amazed how much there is to be thankful for when you choose to focus on the positive instead of the negative. We don't have to wait for Thanksgiving to be thankful for what we have.

This Thanksgiving I'm thankful for

     *   my family and the time I can spend with them.  Sean is not with us this year, and I miss him terribly, but I'm thankful that he is happy and not regretting the decision to move so far away.

     *   all that I have.  I have everything I need and then some.

     *   the soldiers in our family who are all home  this Thanksgiving.  I'm thankful for the men and women  in the military, who are away from their own families this holiday, who fight for our freedoms.

      *   the little things.  A cup of tea in the afternoon, sunglasses when I'm driving, the smell of pumpkin pies baking, Shylee's giggles, Annie dog's kisses, lunch with Michael.  The list could go on and on.

     *  all who read my little blog.  You each bless me in ways you don't even know.

I wish each and every one of you a very blessed and memorable Thanksgiving!

xo Annette xo

A Memorable Thanksgiving

Hello dear readers, and welcome back!  I hope everyone had a wonderful time over the Thanksgiving weekend.  This was one of the best Thanksgivings ever and also one of the most memorable.  It started with my son and daughter fixing a Mediterranean menu that was just one of the most delicious meals I've ever had!

It included lamb and orzo stuffed peppers, couscous with a butternut squash stew, sausage and fennel stuffing, roasted fingerling potatoes and a spinach salad.  It was just the best non traditional meal!  There was a pumpkin pie for dessert but we were so full we didn't have it til the next day!

While the kids prepared dinner, I kept my granddaughter entertained (actually it was the other way around), and my husband ended up going to the urgent care clinic.  He had an ear infection and a muscle spasm in his neck.  Poor guy just wasn't feeling that great.

On Friday my sisters came for a visit.  It was so much fun to just hang out at my daughter's house and get caught up.  We laughed so hard we cried and snorted and couldn't catch our breath!  After dinner we went to the hotel and stayed up half the night talking.  They left on Saturday morning and I miss them so much.

I planned to go home in the early afternoon Saturday, but Shylee took a tumble down the stairs and we ended up in the emergency room for three hours.  It was the most awful thing to hear a scream, see her legs in the air, hear the thump and tumble down wood stairs and see her land on her head.  But she is just fine except for a big bump and some bruising.

Now it's time to gear up for Christmas.  I'll be putting up the tree this week and doing some shopping and working on some custom orders for the shop.  It's going to be a busy week!

What was most memorable about your Thanksgiving?

Thankful Thursday

Today is the day set aside for reflecting on all that we are thankful for.  If you are familiar with this blog, you know I do this every Thursday.

Today I am thankful for:
     *my family and the time we are able to spend together
     *food, shelter, clothing...the necessities
     *the extras
     *pumpkin pie
     *friends who accept me and don't judge
     *the kindness of a stranger in the midst of a bad day
     *this country and the freedoms I enjoy
     *most of all, I'm thankful for a God who provides and keeps His promises.  A God who is the same yesterday, today and forever.  A God whose love is everlasting.

I wish you a wonderful and happy Thanksgiving!

Please join me for Thankful Thursday.  Grab the button or link back to this post and then link your post below.

Strange Customs

My kids have never been a big fan of the traditional Thanksgiving meal.  Over the years, we have eaten out or fixed steamed shrimp, because that's something everyone could agree on.  Last year I wanted traditional, so I fixed turkey and dressing and all the trimmings.

This year, we're going to my daughter's house, and she and her brother are going to cook the non-traditional meal of their choice.  The menu will include stuffed peppers with orzo and lamb, couscous with butternut squash, sausage and fennel stuffing, spinach salad, and I'm bringing pumpkin pie.  This is definitely something different!

Imagine what a laugh my husband and I had when we went out for Chinese food last night and this was his fortune!

What will you be eating for Thanksgiving?

Tickle Me Tuesday

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mini note cards

bowl fillers

I'm joining Sarah at Yes, Teacher for Tickle Me Tuesday

What's tickling your fancy this week?

A Most Un-Thanksgiving Thanksgiving

It was Thanksgiving of 1987.  We were living in Ft. Bliss, TX and had been there 2 months and would be leaving a month later.  The kids were two and three and I had a monstrous sinus infection that took three rounds of antibiotics to clear up.  Michael, being in the army, ended up having duty that day.  That meant he was manning the phones and checking on the troops.  In other words, he was not home!  He got to eat Thanksgiving dinner at the mess hall, and a nice soldier brought him a plate from her homemade meal.  The kids and I had a frozen pizza!  A Thanksgiving to remember!

What was one of your most memorable Thanksgivings?

Memory Makers

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend!  I love when my kids are here.  The house is filled with laughter and good times that make for great memories.  This weekend had it's share of memory makers!

Shylee had two 'firsts'.  I love having tea parties and I collect teapots and tea cups.  Erin and I were having a cup of tea and Shylee wanted a drink of the tea.  Erin gave her a drink and Shylee loved it!  This grandma was just thrilled that not only did she love the tea but her first try was from a tea cup and not a mug (which I use for just me most of the time)!

Hmmm....Shylee might get a tea set for Christmas!

Her other first was climbing the stairs!  She had made it up two steps when I found her and she was proud of herself and scared at the same time!  She could go up but couldn't come down!

Annie also made a memory this weekend.  She loves popcorn as much as I do.  Erin and I spent about four hours stringing popcorn to put on the Christmas tree.  It was 1:00 a.m. when we finally decided to go to bed and put the popcorn garland on the table.  We specifically made sure it was out of reach of Annie.  Imagine my surprise when I came down the stairs in the morning and found this....

I should have known something was wrong before I even came down the stairs.  She wouldn't come out from under the bed and when I finally coaxed her out, she wouldn't come down the stairs but laid down at the top and watched me go down!  She knew she was in trouble!  We decided the popcorn on the tree might not be such a good idea.  Never mind that I've done popcorn for most of the past 30 years!  I didn't do it the last two years because working retail this time of year doesn't leave time for such time consuming things!  We were doing good to have a tree up at all, so I was looking forward to my popcorn garland this year.  No, I'm not bitter....

What great memories did you make this Thanksgiving weekend?

Thanksgiving Gourmet Buffet

TRADITIONAL THANKSGIVING GOURMET BUFFET!

Carved Roasted Turkey, Glazed Ham and Tenderloin of Beef,

Crab Stuffed Flounder and Herb Crusted Alaskan Salmon.

Maryland Style Crab Cakes and Seafood Risotto

Sage Infused Cornbread Stuffing and Garlic Smashed Potatoes,

Maple Glazed Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Green Bean Casserole.

Maryland Cream of Crab Soup and Seafood Gumbo.

Smoked Salmon and Assorted Smoked Seafood Display.

Cranberry Relish and Mixed Field Greens with Condiments.

Macaroni and cheese, chicken fingers and fries for the kids.

Fresh baked breads and Gourmet Desserts

Coffee, Specialty Teas and Soft Drinks.

 
I'm not cooking the big feast tomorrow!  We are going to the Yellowfin Restaurant in Annapolis for our Thanksgiving dinner.  This menu was just too tempting to pass up!  Actually, my kids have never really cared for the traditional meal that I grew up with on Thanksgiving and the day usually ended up with the kids in a bad mood and me with a headache!  It was stressful all the way around.  When I finally let go of the traditional foods and just focused on the joy of being together and giving thanks, the holiday became much more enjoyable.  So tomorrow we will eat out and everyone can have something they like and we can all be grateful without the stress!
 
I will still make dessert to have later in the evening.  Probably Paula Deen's Gooey Pumpkin Butter Cake.  This will be the first time I haven't made pumpkin pie, even though this is the one dish everyone liked!   Now that I think of it, maybe I'll make both!
 
Whatever your plans and traditions are I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!