While visions of her to-do list danced in her head

Who else opened their eyes at 6 am and saw their to do list complete with timeline flash thru their head? A lot goes into a single meal doesn't it? But of course at the end of the day we'll say it was worth it.

Yesterday the sun was shining so we drove up to Highpoint in hopes of taking a picture for our Christmas card. It was cold and windy up on the mountain and someone, not naming any names, wanted to chase birds as opposed to sitting still for a picture, so it was a little challenging.

We laughed a lot though and that's always good. fyi-that is not the picture going on our Christmas card. As soon as we got home the girls and I donned our aprons and started in on phase one of the meal preparation for today's dinner.

We also made spaghetti and meatballs for last nights dinner so the kitchen was a-hoppin. Daughter1 made the angel pie...

Daughter2 made the cranberry relish and then chopped a lot of celery and a lot of onion that will go into our dressing and then helped me finish up the meatballs for last nights dinner...

This child has focus. Just sayin'.

Hubs spent the afternoon getting our patio heaters working. Yes, just in time for winter but still, they are finally working. We got them in the UK and the regulators have a bayonet style connection which you do not find anywhere in the US. We know this for a fact because hubs has been on a mission for the past year and has spoken to no less than 827 propane companies, electricians, plumbers, hardware stores, and hearth and home shops. Finally someone directed him to a farm and tractor store and they had a solution. Hurray! Not that we will be sitting on the patio anytime soon because, hello, winter is looming, but by golly he was going to get those things converted or go crazy trying.

We had a nice dinner last night and it makes me happy to see my whole little family around the table. After dinner hubs and daughter1 were sent to the market for some vanilla ice cream. We decided our spaghetti feast would not be complete without one of our favorite Italian dessert concoctions...Affogoto. It is so easy and so delicious-

Make a pot of espresso or super strong coffee.

Put vanilla ice cream into a mug and pour coffee on top.

Fantastico!

And its even better if you eat/drink it while lounging in your pjs on the couch watching Beauty and the Beast with your family all around. It does not matter one iota that there is not a soul in your house under the age of 20. It is still sweetness and perfection.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wednesday Hodgpepodge Vol 3-Don't be a turkey...come play!

Were you around when that expression, 'Don't be a turkey' was popular? I think it was the late 70's. The 70's were their own special kind of wonderful and if you missed them I feel sorry for you.

On to this week's Hodgepodge...a few people said they thought the questions this time round were hard. I like to say they make you think. It makes for more interesting reading to have a few questions with substance as opposed to the yes/no variety, yes?

Okay, here we go...don't forget to link your post where it say's "You're Next" at the bottom of mine today...

1. If you had known what they knew then, would you have boarded the Mayflower?

My friend Deb came up with this question and the more I've thought about it the harder it is to answer. I think the most likely scenario in my case would be my hubs would nudge and cajole and encourage and finally talk me into getting on board. I think we can all agree he would have been first in line when they asked who wanted in. I don't think I'd have gotten on the ship without some friendly family pressure. And I'd have been green around the gills the whole way to America. They didn't have Dramamine back in the day, did they?

2. How far have you traveled on a boat and how do you feel about boats in general?

Ships, eh. I've never been on a cruise partly because traveling with thousands in a confined space is not my idea of a holiday, but mostly because I have serious motion sickness. I know, I know, people say you don't feel the motion on a great big cruise ship but these are the same people who tell me I'll love roller coasters.

Now boats are a different story. I love to be out on the water in a boat and I'm okay on a lake or river. We owned a power boat before we moved overseas and I absolutely loved it. I would wear the accupressure bands if we were going to be in the Bay but if we were just out on the river I was okay. I like the beauty of a sailboat but what I really love is speed so power boats are my preferred method of travel on water. Oh, and I also like canoes. They're boats, right?

3. What traditions have you kept, acquired thru marriage, and/or tossed? If you're single what are some of your family's favorite Thanksgiving traditions?

Thankfully hubs family and my family have always celebrated Thanksgiving and Christmas in similar fashion. The very first year we were married we spent Thanksgiving with hubs family and it felt pretty much like home. Except for the dressing but over time I've successfully converted his family to my recipe so that's all good now. Hubs family makes a dessert called Angel Pie which I've mentioned a time or ten on my blog and that is one tradition acquired thru marriage that's a keeper. I also remember my mother in law asking me that first year if I wanted any particular dish that was traditional to my family Thanksgivings and I made my mom's fruit salad. I appreciated her asking and will file that away for my own future in-law children.

4. What time is your dinner and how many will be round your table? And what is the one side dish you cannot do without on Thanksgiving day?

It will just be our little family of four on the actual day but I'm still making my normal hundred and ten sides because leaving any of them out would surely make somebody unhappy. I'm planning to eat a little earlier than we normally do this year, somewhere between 2 and 3 PM, because I'm hoping we can all take a walk before dessert and also before it gets dark.

Friday my brother and his wife will drive up and spend the weekend with us which will be fun. I love the left over meal on Friday almost as much as I love the original meal. We will not be with my family for Christmas this year so I'm happy to have visitors over the Thanksgiving weekend.

The ONE dish I cannot be without at Thanksgiving is cornbread dressing. It wouldn't be Thanksgiving without it and its my favorite part of the meal.

Go ahead and say it...you didn't think I could do just one did you?

5. Have you ever used a fire extinguisher? Do tell...

I guess all this talk about cooking brought the question to mind. I have never used a fire extinguisher although my sister and I did start a small fire in our kitchen when we were about 10 and 11 and a fire extinguisher would have been handy. My brother was supposed to be keeping an eye on us while my parents were out and he was on the phone when the 'incident' occurred. Since no real damage was done we put our collective heads together and decided it was best not to tell mom and dad. Hey kids! Parents know stuff! They just know. Especially when soot drops from the living room drapes and a certain pan mysteriously disappears. Tell the truth.

When we lived in the UK I was involved with Girl Scouts in our school and I had to be fire extinguisher trained. Sometimes we used candles and unless one of us went to the training we could not use candles. So I went to a half day workshop run by a company who dealt in fire extinguishers and I learned about all the different types and had to demo each kind.

In this house we have a fire extinguisher attached to the side of a kitchen cabinet. In our corner of NJ there must be smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors and a fire extinguisher in the kitchen along with a certificate proving such before settlement on a house can move forward.

6. Tell about a situation that caused you dreadful trepidation and much feet dragging only to realize later it was a true blessing.

Did I ever tell you about the time I was going along happily thru life and my hubs came home and asked me how I'd feel about moving to England and a couple months later there we were? Living in England. I thought so.

7. Baked, sweet, mashed, hash browned, or french fried...which one's your favorite?

Mashed. But I rarely ever have mashed potatoes or potatoes of any type because they are not on my approved list of foods to eat when trying to look svelte. I actually love all of the above but mashed are my favorite.

8. Insert your own random thought here...

Have a happy and blessed Thanksgiving!

A taste of Thanksgiving in the Hodgepodge

Today is the day my chicks come home to roost for a few days and I'm more than a teensy bit excited. I'm going to try really hard not to make my hubs wish he'd gone to work so he wouldn't have to listen to my incessant chatter because when I'm excited about something I chatter. More than my normal chatter I mean. See, I'm doing it now.

This week's questions are sponsored in part by my real life, but too far away friend Deb, who in the spirit of Thanksgiving, fed me many of these this week. If you're not sure how this works see the page with instructions in my sidebar.

1. If you had known what they knew then, would you have boarded the Mayflower?

2. How far have you traveled on a boat and how do you feel about boats in general?

3. What traditions have you kept, acquired thru marriage, and/or tossed? If you're single what are some of your family's favorite Thanksgiving traditions?

4. What time is dinner and how many will be round your table? And what is the one side dish you cannot do without on Thanksgiving day?

Yes, I know it goes against all I believe in to ask for 'just one', but I made up for it by asking three questions here.

5. Have you ever used a fire extinguisher? Do tell....

6. Tell about a situation that caused you dreadful trepidation and feet dragging, only to realize later it was a true blessing.

7. Baked, sweet, mashed, hash browned or french fried...which one's your favorite?

8. Insert your own random thought here.

See you back here tomorrow with my answers and the link to share yours with the great big world wide web.

It takes more than a village

Today is November 21st. November. Last night we looked outside and saw the tree in our neighbor's front yard all lit up for Christmas. And if you want to get technical yesterday was only November 20th. Is it me or is it all starting up just a little bit early this year???

Here's the deal...I am not in the Christmas spirit. There. I said it. I look around and see the lights and the decorations everywhere I go and I'm feeling sort of eh about it all. Our little town put up their lamppost wreaths sometime last week which look nice and add a little sparkle to the village but still. It's November. I can't decide if its me and I'm just not feeling it this year or if its because its way too early.

I did suggest to hubs that he put the outside lights on the trees this weekend because it was relatively warm and there was no precipitation. We won't be turning them on until after Thanksgiving though...doing so even one minute earlier is against house rules here.

Last year I hosted a big crowd of family for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. This year I am not. I'm cooking but it will be a much smaller feast. Last year was also our first Thanksgiving in the US in many years, our first Christmas in the states in three years, and our first Christmas in a new home, all of which helped fuel the holiday spirit. I think it kicked in somewhere around early September and was still hanging around mid January.

This weekend I tried to jump start things. I finished menu planning for Thursday, did a big shop to get most of the essentials for preparing the meal, ordered my fresh turkey from a local market, and I even set the dining room table with my china and crystal which usually makes me feel oh so happy.

Still... not really feeling it.

Sunday afternoon I decided to pull out my Snow Village. Some people leave pieces of their village out year round but I am not one of those people. The snow village only comes out around Thanksgiving (usually after) and gets packed up sometime in January. I have quite a few pieces and they're all in boxes within other boxes which are stored in the basement which means much lugging up and down stairs and also much unpacking and sweeping up of the Styrofoam storage mess. Just getting it out and ready to display is a big job.

I like to put most of the pieces on top of my kitchen cabinets but hubs had forbidden me from standing on the counters with electrical wiring and fragile ceramics without him there to act as spotter so I put it all on the kitchen counter until he was finished with the outdoor lights.

Here is most of my snow village...

Are you thinking what I was thinking? Because I looked at the table and honestly my first thought was, 'Why did I get all of this out today???' Now that its out of the boxes it pretty much needs to be put in place for the holidays.

And if I want lights in my village, which I do, then this must also be faced...

Let's be like Scarlett and think about that tomorrow shall we...

I was looking back at some of my posts from this time last year and there was one just before Thanksgiving where I listed all the things I was looking forward to in that next month. We had many things planned including re-visiting holiday traditions and decorations we hadn't seen since moving abroad, a show in the city, New Year's Eve in the city, and more. While this holiday season will be very different from the last there is still much to look forward to including...

daughters in the house, baking and eating an angel pie, cooking with my daughters, my brother and sister in law coming for the day after Thanksgiving meal, seeing the Smoky Mountains in all their winter beauty, a family road trip, corn pudding, the smell of turkey, a walk after the meal on Thanksgiving day, watching Elf, Home Alone, and White Christmas, daughter2 playing Christmas carols on the piano, cinnamon scented candles, cranberry bread, playing games, new pajamas, a fire in the fireplace, hikes in the woods, Christmas Eve, butter creams, and most especially, the story of a Baby who changed everything

So...what about you? Are you already playing Christmas music and decorating your tree(s) or are you still trying to figure out where October went? If you're like me and are feeling more of the latter no worries..I'm pretty sure there's still plenty of time to find your Christmas spirit.

Turkey Talk ala Flashback Friday

Today's Flashback Friday prompt is all about Thanksgiving traditions and memories. Thanksgiving is my favorite of all the holidays and I love everything about the day...the family time, the foods, the season of autumn, and the feeling of thankfulness that this day stirs up inside of me.

My mother has always been an excellent cook and I remember Thanksgiving as a happy day filled with wonderful smells and a delicious meal. My grandparents and other extended family lived mostly on the other side of the country so we typically didn't have relatives sharing the meal with us. And I don't think we ever traveled anywhere for the holiday. Quite often though, we'd share the meal with another family, longtime friends who also had four children like my parents.

One of the things I remember especially looking forward to on Thanksgiving Day was the shrimp cocktail. As a family we did not have a lot of meals in fancy restaurants or even a lot of meals out so many things were considered a treat to us kids that may not be perceived as a treat by kids today. Shrimp cocktail was one of those things. My mother made spicy cocktail sauce and mixed it with the shrimp and then put it all into beautiful long stemmed crystal glasses lined with lettuce. She set each one on a plate on top of our dinner plates and this was our starter. I remember feeling very grown up eating shrimp cocktail this way.

This picture is in a scrapbook my mom made for me. I guess my dad was taking the photo which is why he's missing. You can see the shrimp cocktail on the plate in front of my mom. Fyi-I'm the one on the left with the long hair. Growing up we always dressed for Thanksgiving dinner (no sloppy jeans or t-shirts at the table) and I've carried that tradition on in my own family too. Usually my sisters and I put on dresses and my brother and dad put on collared shirts and dress slacks. My mom also has a knack with flowers and she'd make a pretty arrangement for the table and light candles. It made the day feel extra special.

I have vivid memories of my dad making a production out of carving the turkey. He liked to save the carcass and make something called carcass soup the next day. The name lacks appeal but essentially it was a turkey broth soup and it tasted good. And my sister and I always got to pull the wishbone apart which was a big deal to us as kids.

I prepare a very similar meal to the one my mom made throughout my childhood. I think Thanksgiving dinner is one of those meals nobody in the family wants messed with too much. My mother's cornbread dressing is my favorite thing about the meal and that's the recipe I use. My own family would rebel if I changed up the dressing in any way shape or form. Our favorite sides are corn pudding, creamed onions and in recent years I've added brussel sprouts cooked with pancetta which are totally yummy. Dessert is pumpkin pie and fruit salad and I've added hubs family's angel pie too which I could personally eat in its entirety.

My mom always had a fruit salad as a dessert option on Thanksgiving Day. It consisted of red grapes, diced oranges, diced apples and crushed pineapple and was topped with whipped cream. That may not sound like anything really special but there is something about the combination that is just right. This is another tradition I've continued in my own family because sometimes a bowl of fruit really is better than pie after a big meal. As kids, my sister and I were given the task of pitting the grapes for this salad and I remember so clearly sitting at the kitchen table pitting grapes while my mom got the turkey ready to go in the oven. Nowadays I just look for them already pitted which is kind of a shame.

As a kid I might have watched some of the parade in the morning and we usually had our big meal in the mid-late afternoon. I like to do this in my own house now too because I love to drag it all out for seconds later in the evening. My dad always said grace before we ate and we always took a family picture somehow around the table. In my own family we also like to say some of the things we're especially thankful for each year before we say grace.

Thanksgiving feels like the hush that falls before December barges in with all her lights and colors and sounds and most of all, her expectations. Perhaps that is what I love best about Thanksgiving...it's a day whose only expectations are good food, sweet family, and a heart filled with gratitude for blessings too numerous to count.

Eating and Sleeping...it's a vicious cycle

It seems like a lot of my posts lately have revolved around the hodgepodge so I thought I'd take today to talk about this and that. You know, as opposed to random stuff. Its not really that there is anything too exciting to talk about, yet talk I will.

I cooked dinner Tuesday night. That sounds so lame but honestly we haven't had too many home cooked meals around here lately. Hubs has had dinner out 11 of the past 21 nights. I've been with him for a few of those but many were work related...like tonite. Tuesday night I made meatloaf which is one of his favorites so he was a happy camper.

A happy tired camper. We got into bed Tuesday night and I looked at the clock which read, are you ready...8:58. I suspect many of you had not even managed to get your toddlers into bed at that hour. Quite often we're having dinner at that hour. Somebody needs a vacation in the worst way. Thankfully he will be taking all of next week off.

Some friends invited us out to dinner this coming weekend but we're going to have them come to our house for a cook out instead. I hope we can stay awake.

This past Monday night we met some other friends for dinner. Are you seeing a pattern...we eat and we sleep. This has been our life in recent weeks.

Anyway, these were not just any old friends. These were special friends. Friends who came all the way from England to eat dinner with us. Okay, not really but still, they were in a nearby town so we met for dinner in a lovely Greek restaurant. The restaurant is known mostly for its seafood dishes and the fish are kept on ice for you to peruse and select. For the record, I don't necessarily need to see the actual fish that will be cooked prior to its appearing on my dinner plate. We had a lovely evening catching up and comparing notes on our college aged children and life in general. Incidentally, hubs had grilled octopus for a starter...a few people in the Hodgepodge this week said they wouldn't touch it but I say don't knock it til you've tried it. It's tasty!

My neighbor and I carpool to a Bible Study on Tuesday mornings. When I pulled into her driveway this week she showed me the spot where, just a few nights before, she'd seen a bear lay down and go to sleep. Yes. In their driveway. They really do make themselves at home in our neck of the woods. There's going to be a bear hunt for the first time in five years in our area this December. I hate to think about it but the female population is out of control, especially right where we live. Incidentally our dog will be staying indoors and she'll be donning a bright orange vest when we have to take her out of doors. Wouldn't want someone to mistake her lovely black coat for a potential living room rug.

Speaking of bears, did anyone watch Sarah Palin's Alaska on Sunday evening? No matter your feelings about her I've got to think the Alaskan tourism industry will be booming after the series ends. The scenery was spectacular and there is such a sense of adventure there. I'd love to go to Alaska but hmmm....do I want to go with my hubs? We are not always on the same page when it comes to outdoor adventure.

In other exciting news, I discovered today that I've been driving around without my license. I put it in an evening purse the weekend before I went down to my moms and I never put it back into my wallet. I drove all the way to my moms and back without it. And then around town here for a few days too. Oops.

This time next week we'll be preparing fabulous turkey dinners...our dinner will be followed by a power nap. I told you people...its a vicious cycle.

Wednesday Hodepodge aka Button Button Who's Got the Button

A couple of bloggers last week mentioned they were having problems seeing the Hodgepodge button on their blogs. I did try to visit everyone who participated last week and the button seemed to be working everywhere. Can you let me know if you still can't see it? Daughter1 has a Mac and thinks it may have something to do with the way she saved it or some such technical nonsense...anyway, she'll get right on it and hopefully by the time you read this all is tres bon.

Hey, I told you I was going to throw some French into the mix every week.

This blog is nothing if not educational.

On to this week's Hodgepodge...answer the questions on your own blog then come back here to add your address to the Linky list at the end of this post. Don't forget to include the button in your post so readers will be directed back here to all the other blogger links. The button code is on my sidebar and I think I'm going to also add a blurb there regarding the Hodgepodge so I'm not giving out the directions every week. You're welcome.

Here are my answers to this week's questions...

1. What is the most amazing weather you've ever seen?

A crystal clear sunny day in London.

That isn't what you were expecting is it?

Truly, there is nothing like a crystal clear blue sky day in the UK.

Its amazing.

And rare.

And experiencing one of those picture perfect days makes you feel happy just to be alive.

I don't think any other weather affects me in the same way.

2. What is a sound or noise you love?

a baby giggling

my daughter's sweet voices at any age

a British accent

the ocean

3. Do you like seafood? What's your favorite seafood dish?

I love seafood-all kinds. Of course I haven't tasted everything, but what I have tried I've loved. My absolute #1 favorite is steamed Maryland Blue Crabs.

Trust me...they are blue before they're steamed. And they must be eaten while sitting with friends at a picnic table beside the water with several rolls of paper towels nearby. Picking crabs is not for the faint of heart but the reward is huge.

There is nothing better. The end.

4. What part of your day requires the most patience?

My days are pretty much my own but I guess I'll say right around the dinner hour. My hubs generally calls and tells me when he's on his way home and I play that whole guessing game as to how much traffic there will be on his end vs. how much cooking time on mine. Plus I like to tell him about my day and pepper him with questions about his when he gets home. I know he needs a few minutes to get in the door and hang up his stuff and look at the mail and that sort of thing. Believe me, holding in all my many words at the end of a day requires patience y'all.

5. What's your favorite shade of blue?

In the decorating department it would be navy blue. My living room and dining room are both painted navy blue and I have many navy accents in my home. But in the clothing department I like to wear more of the brighter blues...turquoise and sapphire are probably my two favorites.

6. Do people underestimate you?

I have always looked younger than my age. Well, except for now. And the last five years too I guess if I'm being totally honest. But prior to that I looked young for my age and I think sometimes that caused people to underestimate me. I think I'm pretty much a what you see is what you get kind of girl these days.

7. When was the last time you had butterflies in your stomach?

If we're talking nervous butterflies then I'd say it was the last time I flew which was the end of October. I always get butterflies when I fly. Just ask anyone who has ever had the misfortune of sitting beside me on an aircraft experiencing turbulence.

If we're talking excited butterflies then probably the day before my daughter came home to visit in October. My stomach always does flip flops in the days leading up to a visit with my girlies.

8. Insert your own random thought here-

I was going to say something along the lines of how lately my hubs and I have been wondering why construction crews can put up a 15-story hotel in China in six days but the little bitty bridge in our town that is seriously about three cars long has been under construction since August and is still no where near being completed. Hubs sits at that light every single day. I sit there many days too. We do not get it.

Instead I think I'll just say that thinking about being in the kitchen this time next week, cooking a holiday meal beside both my girls, makes me incredibly happy.