every year is different

and Thanksgiving 2019 was different

the guest list

the food

and even the beginning.

Yes !   Torches to light the path

Me, the hostess, in my pumpkin apron

Welcome
Christian, Anita, Tanner
( they co-hosted)
Damon
Asha and Arun
( they brought Karthik, but then took him back to his grandparents)
Jim and Shirley

Then  a little football...competition??   

Go Tannerteam !!

Family, neighbors ( now friends )

Did you notice the table?   Turkey,cranberry sauces,  ham, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, deviled eggs, Brussels sprouts, pineapple, spicy southern spinach delight,  gravy, pickles, olives,rolls, butter, jam, sparkling cider, coffee, pumpkin pie, pecan pie, whipped cream and ice cream.



Very special time 
Much to be thankful for
         beyond food
               It was great
                   But, fellowship is far above


Blessings abound 

Much to be Thankful for

Thanksgiving 2018

( Hi Marti..hope you had a wonderful thanksgiving )

 A little different this year. Well, each year is a little different

Oldest daughter always goes to her in-laws  ( unless next daughter is in town )
Next daughter lives out of state ( comes sometimes, never enough )
youngest daughter ...YES ( except that one time she went to in-laws in North Carolina )
favorite son...YES ( he used to find other options, but now, it is family, our family )

We often invite friends who do not have family in the area. This year we invited our new to us neighbors.
 ( They have lived across the street and up one house for two years..some people take longer to just go over and say Hi !  sorry, neighbors  )

Only verbal invitations for this celebration
And it was a special celebration
No party favors, but we like to have flowers

Little pilgrims were my Mother's 
sparkle pumpkins are new ...reminder of visits to Evergreen for treatments
Lessons were learned.   

Kitchen helper came early
and 

with plenty of time to play Uno 

When the meal is ready, there is more than the table can hold..

Not the best shot, but it is a memory.
and for the record
The man in blue cooked ham, southern stuffing, deviled eggs, yeast rolls and pecan pie. ( wife was under the weather )
His wife grilled Brussels sprouts with bacon 
They  also brought pickles  and ice cream  
( we will always include that family ) 
Neighbors brought wine and Merci treats 
Favorite son always brings plenty of sparkling cider 
That left for this hostess ...
turkey, sweet potatoes,mashed potatoes, gravy  cranberry sauces, fruit, commercial sweet potato pie, coffee 



Well, we sat for almost two hours and were happy to get better acquainted with our neighbors and with the tech industry WOW.  That  younger generation knows a lot.  

After the company took their little one home,
we worked on a puzzle  ( Norman Rockwell...so sweet )  and just relaxed with family.

A great time was had by all

Memories of Thanksgivings past:

Remember when Ruth fell in the gravy  ( a little book about Ruth and Naomi )

One year the power went out. Our friends from the Bay area, Akagi's  came...we BBQ'd the turkey and when the lights came back on,  discovered two extra pots of coffee.  ( for all who do not enjoy coffee, that is a good thing )

A couple years ago, favorite son offered to host. That was the year everyone else had other plans.  That was also the year that Mom made the meal and took it over to favorite son's house.  That was the last year for him to "host"

Many years we celebrated with my sister.  Before any of the cousins were married and Grandma Pitty Po joined us.  She had little gifts for everyone around the table.  It was a surprise, a big surprise when someone noticed the little bars of soap had pictures of naked men.     (sometimes it is best to wear those reading glasses when shopping  )



I live an exciting life
and I love it ♥

Thanksgiving started early

well, when I am hosting,  Thanksgiving always starts early.

This year a friend gave me a hint...some things can be made days ahead and frozen.
Done.

The table can be set, as soon as you know how many will be gathering
Done

But wait...someone brought a beautiful arrangement Wednesday evening....

  The table is looking even better

What do you think..... torches to light the path !! 

And our little man has made a thankful tree.
Each guest will take a card, write what he is thankful for 
and place it on the tree

like this

and I could never get everything made and on the table without help

And here she is..my youngest, very organized, energetic and adorable girl
After years of taking her week of  " kitchen helper"  she is very at home in our home

Sorry to say, this is the best group picture  ↓
Please note some guests are wearing crowns.
   The cutest is our friend on the left...white hair and blue crown. She is from Scotland and she is very familiar with the tradition of poppers.  Each popper pops ( sort of a loud snap ) and contains a crown, a surprise and a joke ( it varies ) 

Turkey, ham, dressings (3 ) rolls ( and biscuits )gravy, deviled eggs, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, brussel sprouts, cranberry sauce, sparkling cider, desserts ( 3 + ) and of course, coffee
( we do not do those Mid-west green beans )

This work of art was as delicous as it looks
the photo does not do it justice
you will have to take my word for it
( I can verify next week, our guest left 1/4 here and it's in the freezer ) 

a place to sit and be challenged - the only teenager almost finished this on his own
Also, he is the young man who answered the question
What is your favorite part of thanksgiving ?....
" the people"

This year we had guests who celebrated Thanksgiving for the first time as
      U. S., citizens ! 

In the end, a great time was had by all  (  no one complained, so we are quite sure )
and we ended up with other treasures

Yes the arrangement, also Autumn tea towel, Blessings ornament and dish with Scottish shortbread and much, much more 

So, assuming you have scrolled this far, you will be "rewarded" with the story.  You will have to use your imagination since I could not find my camera fast enough.
.

Here is what happened...

 I have been wanting one of those whip cream dispensers, for a long time. Then I found one on sale and tonight was the first time to use it.

 Whipped cream does look good on pecan pie.....Our dear and oldest ( he is 88 ) friend was ready for some cream and I was ready with my new gismo.
ready ! presto !...WWHATTT...it all happened so fast..in seconds there were splashes of cream all over Vern his glasses, his clothes, the sofa,  Christian to the left, Zena to the right, carpet, table and me ..

screams and laughter and

daughter came running from the kitchen
someone came with towels
It shot 360 degrees
If only I could have found my camera, but I think you can get a mental picture.
I really wanted to try it again
but
no one seemed interested in whipped cream
through it all, Christian continued to eat his pie, through his cream spotted glasses.
Why his wife asked?   I didn't want your mom to feel bad.
He is a true Southern Gentleman 

After everyone had gone home, we opened the container and poured the cream into a pitcher...it just kept bubbling and bubbling ....like this

There is still one more secret.  It is a secret until now. I have not told anyone.  It happened on Wednesday.   I had taken our turkey out of the freezer on Sunday, put it in the frig, and then planned to roast it on Wednesday. Well, when I pulled it out of the frig, it was not a turkey.  It turned into a ham.    For about 45 minutes I was nervous for the first time this season. That is how long it took to drive to the market where they still had some fresh turkeys.   I grabbed the biggest one and drove back home and never said a word.   Until now.    So that is our secret.  Pretty sure, it will never happen again.



HAPPY THANKSGIVING

MUCH TO BE THANKFUL FOR

I live an exciting life.