Thanksgiving 2014

1. What is the highlight of your Thanksgiving weekend? Family, for me. I love that both of our moms work it to get the dinners on Thursday. so we work it so that we can do both & see everyone in one day. a peek at 2009
2.  Do you get the whole 4 days off or do you have to work through it? A few years ago, I started taking Friday off instead of detoxing everyone for one day just to do it again on Monday. Plus, by this time, I am in need of a good long relaxing weekend.  Last year, we upped the ante so to speak & started getting away for the long weekend. We rented a cabin about an hour away & loved being away from the chaos of the 'big shopping weekend'. (part 1 & 2)
3. Do you have any long standing traditions? I love to listen to & watch the parade on tv while I am getting ready to go to dinner.  This year, I may have to take over the tv after or during brunch to continue this tradition. 
4. Do you have any favorite dishes that with out them, it wouldn't be Thanksgiving? I don't. I just love it all. Turkey, ham balls, ham, scalloped corn, (the top layer of) stuffing, PIE, coffee, rolls, mashed or scalloped potatoes, veggie tray, fluffy salad, I am good with it all.  This year we are having a Thanksgiving day brunch at Tim's Mom's & I am so curious to see what everyone brings & how they work traditional dishes into a brunch.  I am taking a creamy fruit salad.
5. Do you shop or avoid the crowds?  I tried black Friday shopping ONCE. Never again. it was so incredibly not worth it! Cyber Saturday, shop small Saturday, those are way more my speed! Although, this year, I think almost everyone is getting Iowa Food Coop & Farmer's Market products. 2008
6. Do you do your Christmas decorating? I used to only to my Christmas decorating on this weekend, it usually took me all weekend but my Monday morning start of business, the totes were back in the cubby. Now, I have gotten so super relaxed about decorating, we haven't even done the big tree in the past few years... when I did do it, I sparingly hung ornaments dreading the work of un-decorating it in a short few weeks.  So, to answer my own question, decorating will be done next week. 
7. What do you do with the leftovers? Can you tell I am excited about the food this year? ;) Do you do anything special with the leftovers? We usually only bring home what we took plus single servings of specific dishes then just have them as meals later in the weekend.  Some people go to great lengths to make the leftovers into new exciting dishes, not us. 
8. What do you change from year to year?   This weekend has also been the time I took to address & stuff Christmas cards, start baking, & deep clean before decorating.  This year, since we will be away, I plan to do none of those. I will be assembling my December Daily book and other scrapping pages, I also plan to re-read Love Always, Kate as well as possibly start a new Debbie Macomber book a friend picked up for me. Yes, lots of good rejuvenating things for my soul but very little for the home. 

I wish all of you a joy-filled Thanksgiving weekend however you celebrate.  

Thanksgiving weekend - part 2

 The furnishings are ideal for the space.  This is us just hanging out on Friday night.

 <~~~~This is a new structure that appears to have another project happening in it.  Can't wait to see what it ends up to be!

                              This, ~~~>     my friends, is how I spend 'down time' even away from home. I pack scrapbook supplies every time I think there may be time & space for it.  I took over the dining table in front of an east facing window next to the fireplace & scrapped Friday while Tim hunted.

closing this post w/a selfie with the big pond & small side of the cabin behind me.

Thanksgiving weekend part 1

This year for Thanksgiving, we decided it was time for a long quiet weekend away.  So after our 2 family dinners on Thanksgiving, we loaded the pups up & headed south.  A mere 35 minutes from home & we were at our home for the weekend.  Doing little more than settling in, unpacking & having some late night Thanksgiving dessert leftovers that first night was peaceful.  Waking up to this sunrise the next day was beyond words amazing. My pillow gave me an amazing view every time I opened my eyes: Falling asleep gazing at the stars & waking up to a beautiful country sunrise.

Friday the sun warmed the temps to a beautiful level for a peaceful walk along the mowed paths around the property. Tim went further & off the trail to scout for someplace to deer hunt later in the day while the pups & I continued along the trail. These shots are on the return trip to the cabin.

 Have you ever heard of a dogtrot house or cabin? no, well us either until this weekend.  By design: A dogtrot house historically consisted of two log cabins connected by a breezeway or "dogtrot", all under a common roof. Typically one cabin was used for cooking and dining while the other was used as a private living space, such as a bedroom. The primary characteristics of a dogtrot house is that it is typically one or 1½-stories, has at least two rooms averaging between 18 to 20 feet (5.5 to 6.1 m) wide that each flank an open-ended central hall (via Wikipedia) . 

At first, it was a bit inconvenient for us 'city people' to go outside & leave the 'big side', which housed the kitchen/dining/living area (& loft sleeping area we didn't use), to go to the small side to use the bathroom.  After the first couple of times, it became less of an inconvenience & just a part of the weekend.  The small side housed the bathroom, along with another loft sleeping area, we didn't use & the main room complete with floor to ceiling shelves full of books, a work table & a futon (which is where we chose to sleep).  

 The details of this property are many.  The ponds, the quiet of country life, the fully stocked fishing gear, kitchen & bookshelves. 

 

Another amazing sunrise photo-this one from my phone:

 

 a daybreak shot of the pups finding new smells to sniff out on our morning trip outside.

Since Blogger isn't letting me shrink anymore photos, I will stop here.  I will work up another post for later in the week with more photos & details of the weekend.

So Much!

SO much to be thankful for! this month I focus my facebook statuses on thankfulness. Each day for the entire month I post something I am thankful for, whether it be big or little they are all honest.  Some examples are a warm house as the temps dip outside, a hard working husband, the child care families, the farmer's market for their goods that fed us thru the summer & now will continue thru the winter w/what I managed to freeze, & the beef that we get from Grandpa today to fill the deep freeze. 

SO much to do today! I like to defrost the freezer every year and because that beef is coming today, today is the day! I loaded a grocery sack w/last year's beef & moved it to the upstairs freezer, the bananas & some pumpkin into the childcare freezer, & a full grocery sack of pumpkin/squash to the upstairs freezer temporarily.  I do the lazy way of defrosting, I turn it off (duh) then fill a pan w/hot water & set it on the middle shelf w/a towel in the bottom of the freezer & leave the door open. if I am in a hurry I wll chizel & chip or spray it w/water but so far today, its just the steam doing the work for me.

SO much to do today #2!  I am making a new recipe for tomorrow's dinner @ mom's.  I am always nervous when trying out a new recipe but I have fresh sweet potatoes from the farmer's market so I volunteered, yesterday, to bring them along w/Tim's (requested) pumpkin roll.  Online I found Pioneer Woman's Sweet Potato recipe & it looks pretty easy & different.  I think I will start it today so Tim can have the kitchen tonight.  I love traditions but when it comes to food, as long as its the same main ingredient, a few dishes can be changed up from time to time. :)

SO much to organize!  Even if its just mentally, I must get (or atleast feel) organized going into this holiday season.  Decorating: in the past couple I have gotten blue while decorating & couldn't explain it but that put decorating @ a stand still for a couple of days.  I am swearing not to do that this year.  If something is giving me fits, it goes back in the box  & maybe even out the door. I told the kids we'd put the small tree up in the childcare this year & they are pumped! I bought a container of new cookie cutters @ Wal-Mart last Friday & will string them upon ribbons for them to use as ornaments for their tree.  Gifts: I have just a few more gifts to buy & am going to try to limit my spending on them. Then there are the neighbor/bus driver/mail delivery/garbage pick up gifts.. I want to do the (pictured) wisk+hershey's kisses & a note that reads 'we wisk you a merry kiss-mas' but will c where I can find wisks on the cheap :) Another provider invited us to particiate w/her childcare families to adopt a family for Christmas.  We jumped on it. I have been wanting to do this for many years but never felt I could do 'enough' to justify. This year I am thankful to be able to participate!  Cards: I have Christmas cards to decide on, am I making them or ordering?  Girl's Night In:  OH & I decided to host a Girl's Night In the Saturday before Christmas! GET OUT, I KNOW! what was I thinking?? I had a great idea & wanted to do it NOW & the soonest Saturday I had open was that one.  So far there are 6 signed up. Scrapping, drinks, snacks, chick flicks YES PLEASE!   seee.. so much ;)

pretty boring stuff but yet So Much :)
Hope you & your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend!!!

SO LONG NOVEMBER.

You were nice & warm, altho short & busy. See you next year. :)

here are some photos from Thanksgiving Day:

And the evening:

And later into the night:

then some irristable shots on Friday while Geo-Caching:

Then this was on my to-do list, believe it or not this is in order of years, next weekend I plan to actually get them into albums!

here's to a half over Monday!!! :)

Enjoy!

So thankful!

I missed the first few days but have been doing the facebook thankful list for a couple of weeks. Every day I change my status to something I am thankful for. Its usually something little -every day type things that we usually take for granted but its been a good exercise in being grateful! (linky @ left of post)

Today I am most thankful its my Friday as I went to bed & woke up w/a headache even w/600mg of ibu. I am ready to sleep in for 4 days IN A ROW! yes that means sleeping some of my time off away but HEY its my time off too :) We also have a pretty hefty to-do list for the long weekend. maybe even tackling the Christmas decorating!

Short & Simple today :)
Hoping you have a great Thanksgiving weekend!!

recovery day :)

I think I came across a new favorite tradition!! spending 'black friday' recovering :)

Yesterday was a FAB-O day!!! up @6 to raise the rolls, up @7:30 to potty Gus, up @10 to bake the rolls, shower & get card making things around.

@ the community center 11:45ish ...

not near as many photos taken as I had hoped but I got a few goodies! and speaking of goodies!!! YUMMMMMM

@ first glance I see the kids' table.. then looking deeper I realize I did a good job of getting a great group shot! YAY ME :)

the kids (term used loosely as they are all teens now *sigh*) played several games thru the day.. Uno Attack, Rumikub, along w/digging into the toy box meant for the preteens LOL magna doodles, coloring books/markers, slinky, etc.

after we ate Tim came home to nap & I stayed & made cards w/the girls. on his way to his mom's he picked me up & we went to visit while Supper finished up. some what of a group effort to get it ready. here's Aunt Sharon & Todd pouring the broth off for gravy making YUMMMM

awe & the newest family member even made an appearance.. Levi Michael.. oh so sweet & not yet a month old.

sad fact that my battery went dead while there so I have no photos of the GOOD TIMES we had @ Dale's after this dinner. :(

too much food, too much wine, meant I had nothing more important on my list today than recovery!! LOVED IT!! didn't leave the house until 5ish tonight to go to a gun show in Dm for Tim. on the way we stopped for supper @ the Roadhouse in Bevington YUMMMMM then decided to skip the gun show & just hit Home Depot for a few things. while there Tim decided he had finally lucked out & ended up w/the flu the kids have been passing around for 2 weeks :( so home we went, skipping my gathering of classmates @ the local winery I was so pumped about hanging out @ :( such is life right? so I came in, changed into some snugglies (swishy pants & tshirt), unpacked my card making supplies from yesterday, & put away the lake pics I've been scrapping for months. want to work on my december daily book but thinking I'll just skip it again this year :( since then I've had my tv on a CSI marathon that has now switched to criminal minds YAY as well as catching up on my blog list .. wow I am shocked @ & loving all of the entries on the holiday!!

thanks for letting me share MY holiday happenings.