Thankful

On Thanksgiving Day I was thankful for many things...

• my husband for going to the store for me when I burnt the entire first batch of croutons for the stuffing...
• my Grandma for giving me so much Pampered Chef that I had an extra bar pan in the garage when I sat my hot pan of burnt croutons by the open window and it cracked the pan...
• my cousin for helping Grandma chop fruit for her salad since she has a broken wrist...
• my mother-in-law's homemade rolls...
• sweet memories of my Mom since her absence is always heavy on my heart during the holidays...
• my nephew for being so dang cute when he says my name I can't even stand it...
• Martha Stewart cast iron cookware...
• my sister-in-law for helping me during the chaos that always consumes the kitchen right before we eat...
• the Traeger grill which allowed us to smoke the turkey and free up our oven...
• my father-in-law for helping carve the turkey...
• getting to use my Grannie's china allowing her love to entertain her family live on...
• on-line recipes which make holiday recipe planning and sharing all the easier...
• my Aunt for catching all the great photos...
• my husband for doing all the kitchen clean-up AND sending everyone home with leftovers...
• having a mixture of families together ... AND
• my dining room table!

The night before Thanksgiving we went to Brad and Deana's. Jordan was in town so we had cake for his birthday. The boys posing for a picture - Bill, Casey (stepbrother), Jordan (brother) and Brad (biological father).

The boys and me.

It was a great dinner. I had more guests than I'd anticipated - which was a pleasant surprise.

Mmmmm... Turkey on the Traeger.



We couldn't find the whip attachment for the Kitchenaid and the whipping cream wouldn't "whip" without turning it up really high. That makes spray everywhere as you can imagine so we covered it with a towel. My nephew, Carson thought it was really funny that Auntie was making such a mess!



Serving up dinner - cousin Anthony, Uncle Robert and cousin Robbie.



Same as above, but with Robbie's kids (Shane and Peyton) at the bar and Uncle Scott and my brother, Corey.



My father-in-law, Fred, with Uncle Robert and Corey.



Some weirdo, mother-in-law Francie, Aunt Mary Ann and Grandma Jo.



More eating. That's what we do.



My honey.



Uncle Robert and Grandma Jo.



Grandma Jo, Uncle Robert and Robbie.



Silly Robbie - love it.



Corey.



My sweet nephew, Carson.



Grandma Jo and me.



He's being camera-shy.



Cutie Peyton.



Daddy and daughter.



Scott and Anthony.



Aunt Sue and Robbie.



Little cheesers.



I always enjoy taking pictures of the aftermath in the kitchen.



Carson totally spied me in the kitchen getting him a pumpkin bar. He was so happy!



Now that he has it, he was checking it out.



It was all about the whipped cream.



The end... I stayed up until 12:30 Thanksgiving Eve making desserts and back up early Thanksgiving Day cooking and getting everything ready. I was zonked on the couch at 8:30 p.m.

It is always a lot of work, but very worth it. Somehow hosting these events makes me feel closer to my Mom. Thanks to everyone who helped make the evening so great. Love to you all. Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Recipes '09

It is that time of year again. Thanks again to Pioneer Woman - again she's behind many of my recipes for Thanksgiving.

I got a head start tonight - chopping, cutting, food processing some of the ingredients.

Here's the line-up of recipes for this year's Thanksgiving Dinner. Thanks to my Grandma, mother-in-law, Aunt and sister-in-law for filling in the gaps. Here's what we're doing.

Smoked Turkey - Traeger Style

Apple-Cranberry Stuffing

Cranberry Sauce

Trader Joe's Green Bean Casserole

Deliciously, Creamy Mashed Potatoes

Sour Cream Apple Pie with Streusel Topping

Caramel Pumpkin Pecan Gingersnap Cheesecake

Not-So-Sinful Pumpkin Pie Bars

Enjoy your Thanksgiving preparations - whatever that looks like. Baking a pie, making your favorite side dish - or just bringing yourself. Happy Thanksgiving!

New Moon Weekend

I joined the ranks of Twilight fans in 2009. I watched the movie for the first time and late this summer I ordered my first book on Paperbackswap.com. I read all four books in a matter of weeks. I finally got it. I was hooked. I found the books to be very different from my normal book club selections, but a fun, quick read and a great diversion. They're reminiscent of my younger years of falling in love - the overwhelming emotion, excitement, stress and oh, the drama!

Marcie and I made plans weeks in advance to watch the movie premiere together with her daughters and their friends. Taryn was so cute. She wore her Dad's Forks High School letterman's jacket and matching flannel.

For those of you who have seen the movies, didn't this gal sitting next to us remind you of Alice?



We couldn't all sit together since there were so many people. This was a Cinetopia theater so, Alisha and her friends sat down in front with all the pillows. We had booked the 21 and over showing. They had a full menu plus wine and beer, plus large footrests and reclining seats. We were set!

The movie was fun, held true to the book, full of great romance and cute boys. What more could you ask for?

Afterward, the whole crew went out to dinner. It was a fun night!



Next up - June 30. Eclipse! Yippee!

Kentucky!

I'm back from Kentucky visiting Carin. It was so great to spend time with her - she is a wonderful friend.

My fun welcome gift!

We went to Churchill Downs - home of the Kentucky Derby. My friend my high school, Jono, met us there. He is a huge fan of horse racing and helped explain all the details. First, you watch the horses come out and make your pick.

Such beautiful horses.

I always chose number eight for some odd reason (smile).

Another number eight.

Twelve is pretty too.

Now, on to the race. You'll notice there are no racing photos. I'd need a much better camera to capture that action. Plus, it just would never do justice what it is like to see, hear and feel them roar past you. Wow.

I do like how they water them down after the race and walk them past. After all the cracking of the whips during the race, it is nice to watch this.

It is a great experience, but my one complaint? Ugh - the smoking - cigarettes, pipes, cigars - SICK! Even outside it is awful!

Isaiah did pretty well.

He's a cutie.

I had him pose for me on our way out.

Check out what I had him climb to get that picture for me. He was happy to oblige.

Brace yourself. It is the one picture of Carin and me. She is one of the most beautiful people I know and she is awful about getting her picture taken! This really isn't a great one of either of us. But, I'm still posting it since it's the only one I've got.

We had dinner one night at a Buca di Beppo. They have great food and we ate the leftovers for two more nights! This salad was great.

A basil mojito. I had to try it - not bad!

Brief interruption. I shot this photo because I want to do two of these on my front porch (minus the tulle).

We had a day of shopping and I got my eyebrows and makeup done at Ulta.

She did a nice job overall, but I'm not used to wearing that much makeup. You can't really tell in the photos, but I felt like a stripper! I couldn't wait to watch some of it off when I got home. Sorry, Monique!

My last night... Isaiah cuddling with his Mom (notice she won't look at the camera). Stubborn girl!

Mika. She is such a good dog!



Getting back rubs and tickles from Mama!



Thanks for the wonderful visit Carin! It was so great to see you! Let's plan the next get-together!