Thanksgiving - Stuffing Results

In "Thanksgiving Eve," I told you that I was going to be making the Stuffing for Thanksgiving dinner. I was so tired Thursday night and did not post anything Friday. So, I wanted to give you an update today on how my Mom's/Nana's stuffing turned out. 

Everybody really enjoyed it. My mother-in-law had nice things to say about it as did my wife. However, the biggest compliment I received was from my mom. She said, "It tasted just like mine." Success! 

Thank you for the help Nana. Oh, and I should note, that the stuffing is all gone. That is always the first of the leftovers to be eaten up.

What are you Thankful for?

On Thanksgivings past, I never really focused on what I was thankful for. This year started out no different. My son, whom I love very much, cried out at 6:15 am. Typically, when he cries like that, he is up to stay up. This time, however, he decided to go back to sleep. I was optimistically thankful.

The way I figured it, he wasn't going to stay down for very long. I was half right. About two minutes, literally two minutes, after I had hunkered back down into my bed, my dear, sweet Jillian decided to wake up. My thankfulness quickly disappeared. Just as quickly, it was back again.

I was holding Jillian in the kitchen while her waffle was toasting, and I knew I needed to get out of my funk. It is one thing to be grumpy on a normal day off. But, to be in a lousy mood on a Holiday is unacceptable. To get help myself out, I asked Jillian what she was thankful for. Without hesitation, she responded with a smile that would brighten anyone's day, "my famiwee (family)." That got me thinking about how I would answer the same question were someone to ask me.

I am truly thankful for all of my family. God blessed me with an loving wife, the best children, parents that love me, a big brother who has always looked out for me, and in-laws who I do not think of as "in-laws" but as family. Thank you to my former boss for laying me off, otherwise I probably would not be working for the great company for which I am working today. Finally, the friends that I have are the best kind of friends I could ever ask for.

These are just a few of the things on my thankful list. What is it that you are thankful for?

Thanksgiving Eve

Tomorrow is the Big Day - Thanksgiving Day. In tonight's post, I am going to focus on the food part of the day, and tomorrow, I will focus on what Thanksgiving means to me.

This is the second time that my wife and I are hosting Thanksgiving Dinner. The first time was when we lived in Harrisbrug and had my dad and Shannon's mom and dad. That was when we were a family of three and a half - Shannon was pregnant with our second, Jillian. This year, we will have my wife's mom and dad and my mom, brother, and nephew, plus the five of us. You may be thinking we are crazy for bringing two families togehter on a holiday; but, it is not that way for us. Our families get along.

I have to say thank you to my mom for relinquishing dinner at her house. Most of our married life, my wife and I have been going to my mom's for dinner. We asked my mom if we could give turkey day a shot this time around. She graciously agreed. However, just because it is at our house does not mean that we will not have my mom's stuffing. I will be the care taker of that dish. Fortunately, I have made her recipe before just not on Thanksgiving. I should note that I found out tonight that the recipe is actually my grandmother's recipe. I am definitely feeling the pressure now. I cannot let those two wonderful ladies down. Nana, if you have some time tomorrow, can you give me a little guidance from you place from in heaven?

I did take some of the pressure off of myself by cutting up my celery, onions, and bread tonight. With three little ones, we have to get that prep work in when we can. That is why Shannon and Molly already baked the Carmel Apple pie. Shannon is also prepping the mashed potatoes and Sage butter (for the turkey), and she made the "kid's dessert" - a pie sized sugar cookie with Pumpkin pie orange frosting. Get it, it is a Faux-Pumpkin Pie.

We are also going to have Brussel Sprouts picked straight from our garden. I am really excited about those too. I planted two of the plants from seeds in May and they are finally read to harvest. The entire family has been waiting six months to sink our teeth in those beautiful little green orbs.

Everyone in my house is on pins and needles waiting for tomorrow to come. We still have a good bit of work to do; but, I think the prep work we did tonight will help ease some of the stress tomorrow. Besides, my wife and I make a good team. Remind me to tell you about the year we hosted Christmas about ten days after moving into our current home. Yes, I know that was crazy. Like I said, we make a good team.

With that, I am going to enjoy a glass of wine with my wife and talk about our game plan for tomorrow. Good night to you all. May you have a happy and safe Thanksgiving.

The Holidays are Coming

I cannot believe we are just two weeks away from Thanksgiving. That also means we are only two weeks and one day away from my official Christmas music listening time. And the time when I accept that the holidays are upon us. It is hard to believe that we are approaching that time of year already.

I am extremely excited for the holidays this year. I cannot put my finger on why though. Maybe because the kids are getting older, and they get really excited about Christmas. I do not know. I also anticipate it. After all, it is my favorite time of the year. But, I try and hold off on celebrating until after Thanksgiving. Anymore, it is so hard to avoid any signs of the Holidays before then.

All of the stores start putting Christmas stuff out before Halloween. It is crazy, and it drives me bonkers. Although, I have a confession to make. I did buy Christmas supplies this past weekend. Technically, they were Advent supplies. In two weeks, I will be making Advent Wreaths with my Faith Formation (CCD) kids. Advent starts the Sunday after Thanksgiving. I needed to get my wreaths and bows in advance to give my wife time to tie all of the little bows that I need. (Hey, she volunteered to help.) It did bothered me to see all of the Christmas decorations in the store. At the same time, I started to get excited because I know what is coming right around the corner.

I am doing my best to contain my excitement. Watch out though, because the days immediately following Thanksgiving,  I will be decking the halls of my humble home. Until then, I am focused on our family hosting our first Thanksgiving dinner. To say I am excited would be an understatement. These next two weeks are going to go by in a flash, and I cannot wait to dig into an awesome dinner.