What I Did This Past Weekend

Miss Marple 2

Our host is Gattina. Come join us and tell us what YOU did this past weekend! After all, you never know when you will need an alibi!

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I was busy almost the entire time from Thursday until Saturday night cooking! Now I like cooking, but somehow being on my feet all this time and cooking like a crazy chef, has me very tired!

Hubby went out on Black Friday and he got a great deal on a new electric razor! His old razor was dying a slow death, and he really needed a new one. This he got with a $50.00 off coupon! What a great deal!!!

And of course, my best news, the fact that Mandy is expecting her first child in June!  Yes, I am simply over the moon with happiness!!!

Have a great week everyone!!!

So Much News!

Today is a very special day in my life. It’s the day I can finally announce to you all, that I am going to be a Grammie!

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My daughter, Mandy and Matt wanted to wait until she was through her first trimester before we announced it. I have to tell you, I have been so excited I have hardly been able to keep it to myself!

Their baby (too soon to know what it is), will be born in mid June! I think we’re all walking around with the biggest smiles on our faces. Oh, how blessed our families are to have this little one on the way!!!

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Congratulations Mandy & Matt!!!

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My next piece of news is that today my cousin, Janet and I are going to Connecticut to celebrate my sister’s 40th Wedding Anniversary! They met when they were 13 years old at summer camp and back in those days, the only way to stay in touch was writing letters and occasionally a very expensive phone call. Yet, even though we lived on Cape Cod and Ron lived in Arlington Massachusetts, their love blossomed and they married right after High School. I was her maid of honor, all those years ago and Janet was a bridesmaid. I tried to find a picture taken back then, but couldn’t. Instead, here is a picture of Mel and Ron taken at their son, Mike’s wedding.

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Happy 40th Anniversary you two!!!

Friday? Saturday?

So, I was sitting here thinking that it was Saturday and it was, in fact Friday. This means I still have Saturday to live through tomorrow before getting myself ready to drive down and pick up my cousin, Janet and take a road trip to my sister’s house to celebrate her 40th wedding anniversary!

I so wish we had more time, but we will go down on Sunday, attend the dinner to celebrate, sleep and return Monday morning. Janet has work and I have a meeting to attend that I can not miss.

Life. It certainly keeps you on the go!

I made the most wonderful turkey stock for soup. I boned the turkey, placed all the bones in my crock pot with an onion, celery, carrot and a little sea salt, and enough fat free chicken stock to cover the bones, and I put the control on low. I then proceeded to simmer the bones for 24 hours. I’ll skim the fat off in the morning and then make the turkey soup.

I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving, or a nice Thursday! And an equally good Friday. I somehow feel that all that turkey has made me very sleepy! LOL!

Turkey Overdose

Hubby and I finally were able to sit down at 4 PM and eat dinner, on Thursday. My turkey took five hours to cook. Now the bugger wasn’t all that big, so I am thinking that the regulator in my old oven is not working worth a darn! Eventually the bird cooked and it was moist and yummy! All was not lost.

Anyway, while the turkey cooked I worked on the side dishes. I braised pearl onions.

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Then sauteed brussel sprouts, onions, garlic and bacon.

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Mashed the Yukon Gold Potatoes.

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Heated up the butternut squash from our garden.

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Before taking the chestnut stuffing out of the bird and into this serving dish. I did an outstanding job on the stuffing this year. I think it was the fresh herbs from my garden!

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I set the table, then placed the food on it.

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Lastly, here is my plate.

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Once we ate, we had to clean it all up. Somehow I managed to use every pot and pan in the place and way too many dishes! Once I got them all washed and/or in the dishwasher I waddled into the family room and watched “Charlie Wilson’s War”. It was okay, but not one of my favorites. Still the acting was good.

So, another Thanksgiving is over, and once again, I am feeling very happy with sitting down and eating my favorite meal. There is nothing like a good Turkey dinner!!!

Thursday Thirteen

Being Thankful

Here are thirteen things that I am thankful for this year.

Please remember that there are many more people and things than I could possibly put in one list!

  1. My wonderful husband. There are so many things he does for me each and every day. Yesterday he plowed our driveway and got the mail for me. He also peeled and sliced all the apples for today’s apple pie.
  2. Mandy. From the moment she was born she has brought me so much joy. I am so proud to be her mother. I give her so much credit for becoming the wonderful woman that she is.
  3. My dogs. You know, they make me a better person. I feel so loved and so cuddled when they are near. I want to make them happy. I hope I do.
  4. I’m thankful for my sister, Melodie. She has always been there for me and even took care of me as I grew up.
  5. My cousin, Janet. I nearly lost her a couple of years ago, to cancer. Good treatment, and a lot of prayers cured her.
  6. And the love of a wonderful man, who comes in at #6 on my list. Dave knew Janet when they were both teenagers. They were really kindred spirits and now he is part of this thing we call family!
  7. Dave’s kids and grand-kids! Love you guys!
  8. Uschi! Oh, how lucky I was when we met and became friends! She is like a sister to me and in so many ways, a soul mate!
  9. Matt, Mandy’s very special fiance! Soon he will be my son in law!
  10. Facebook. Okay, it is infuriating at times, but I love the fact that we are in touch with people that we really liked from our past now in our present.
  11. The friends I have made at WW. This small group of women have been with me for four years. I do not know what I would do without them!
  12. My friends around the world. I love you all, and wish you a Happy Day!
  13. Lastly, Dark Chocolate. Yes. I’m thankful for Dark Chocolate!

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. Let’s start with something controversial…dressing or stuffing? What’s it called at your house and what’s included in your recipe…cornbread? oysters? sausage? chestnuts?

Nothing controversial here, Although we know what people mean, we both call it stuffing, and not dressing. Although Hubby came to me liking a sage stuffing he quickly (and me too) adapted my chestnut stuffing into a chestnut/sage stuffing.

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2. Who do you sometimes compare yourself to?

I really don’t. I have never thought of myself as being anyone, but myself.

3. When were you last inside an airport?

When I went to Germany in 2010. I think it was in June. But we will be going on a trip in March 2012!

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4. What is one side dish that absolutely must be included in a turkey dinner?

Mashed Yukon Gold Potatoes and Mashed Butternut Squash. This was last years dinner!

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5. What Christmas song do you dread hearing?

The grandma getting run over by a reindeer one. I hate that!

6. If someone approaches you and asks for money do you give it to them? Do you drop money ‘in a tin cup’ that belongs to a person on the street? Do you have a specific charity you support during the holiday season and/or year round?

I always have money in my wallet for The Salvation Army. It is the one charity that I know does good for a large group of people!

7. Share a favorite Thanksgiving memory. If you live in a country that doesn’t celebrate Thanksgiving share a favorite memory associated with food.

All the family Thanksgivings that I have shared, first with my birth family and cousins, then with my children and then with Hubby. One thing always was that my cousin Janet, who is close in age to me, always managed to sit next to me and we shared the food and usually managed to get into mischief! My older sister, Mel, was usually in charge of the Kids Table!

I do have to say that Thanksgiving is my favorite Meal of the Year. In my family people got to select what they wanted for their birthday meal, and not once would my mother cook turkey for me, as my birthday was the week before Thanksgiving! But, my sister gave me a surprise party a few years ago, and cooked turkey with all the fixings!

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Here we are. Me, Mandy, My Uncle George (who is no longer with us, but whom I adored!) and my mother. My cousin, Janet is in the background.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I have so much to be thankful for this year and I feel blessed. Everyone is in good health, they are happy and life, more or less is good.

I wish for you all, out there in blogger land, a very Happy Thanksgiving, and should you not be an American celebrating this day, I wish you a peaceful day.

Prepping For The Big Day

So, I’m in the planning stages for Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is my most favorite meal of the year, and even though it will just be Hubby and me, I still plan to cook a complete meal.

Today, I started planning out the menu and making a grocery list. Oh, I can taste the turkey and stuffing already!

Here is the menu:

  • Turkey. Fresh and roasted to crispy skinned perfection!
  • A fabulous home made chestnut stuffing. I roasted chestnuts on Monday and they are the key ingredient to my stuffing! I wait each year for this and I am never disappointed!
  • Mashed Yukon Gold Potatoes.
  • Mashed Butternut Squash, with butter, cinnamon and brown sugar.
  • Brussel Sprouts, with bacon and onions.
  • Yummy turkey gravy.
  • Cranberry orange relish.
  • Fresh apple pie and vanilla ice cream!

Can we say, yum, a yum, a yum, a yum!!!

Today I will finish the shopping and on Wednesday I will do all the peeling and chopping. Then, on Thursday, I just need to cook everything up.

What are you all planning to do for the holidays? What are your “have to” items for Thanksgiving?

What I Did This Past Weekend

Miss Marple 2

Our host is Gattina. Come join us and tell us what YOU did this past weekend! After all, you never know when you will need an alibi!

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Oh what a weekend I had! The longest birthday celebration ever, wrapped up on Saturday night, when my daughter and her fiancee came up for a visit and a great meal at Canoe!

I love visiting with Mandy and Matt. I always marvel at the wonderful woman that she has become. It seems that just the other day she was a little baby and now she is all grown up. Even if she wasn’t my daughter, I would want to be her friend.

I worked this weekend for my friend, helping her take stock of the supplies in her shop. I learned something very valuable. I do not like taking stock! I’ll do it again for her, because she is my friend and I love her, but oh, it was back breaking work.

Saturday night Hubby and I watched “The Shawshank Redemption”. I do not know how I missed that one, but somehow I did. In any case, it was a fantastic movie. There are two or three episodes of violence, but nothing that was dewelled on. It was all character study. Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman Jr. were wonderful.

Sunday was a kick back and relax day. I’m glad I had that. I watched some Public TV shows about the British Royal Family, and sipped some hot tea. Seems appropriate, don’t you think?

Well on Monday it’s laundry day and then I have a meeting to go to in the late afternoon. Tuesday we will go and get our turkey and the last items needed for Thanksgiving, and Wednesday I’ll go to Weight Watchers and hopefully get the inspiration I need to be “good” during this holiday!

The Day After

So, what did I do the day after my birthday, where the day seemed to be one wonderful day? Well On Friday, it was back to reality, laundry, dusting, bath room cleaning and vacuuming! I also took my slip covers off and washed them up, before starting our dinner.

Oh, it was a special meal, that is for sure! We’d gotten a beautiful roast beef and I made it basted with poupon mustard, and then pressing a mixture of herbs into it and then roasting it.

Hubby also wanted mashed potatoes and asparagus. Anyway, it was so good, and I felt good I could chalk up another “good meal” because I’ve got just as many “bad meals”.

Tomorrow I’m working again for my friend, and then Mandy and Matt are coming up. I can hardly wait to see them!