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| Grandkids and me Thanksgiving 2019 |
Tomorrow will be a week until Thanksgiving here. Ours will be a small, but memorable one... with just the 3 of us here. The boys will be celebrating at their own homes with their immediate families and my daughter, son-in-law, and grand daughter in San Antonio are planning to have Thanksgiving with friends there. This worries me some, but she assures me that they are retired friends whom they have gotten together with before and feel it is safe. I hope so.
Anyway today I'm posting about unimportant stuff that is going on here. I noticed yesterday when I was going about the house that almost every room has some project going on...
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| crocheting on the sofa in the den |
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| rock painting in front room (book sent to me by a cousin) |
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| making more face masks - also in front room |
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| tea in the kitchen (actually it's water, lemon juice, and honey) |
And these are only my projects. If we were to take pics of DH and grandson's projects (which I don't think they would like) you would also see puzzling, guitar playing, and various computer games set up throughout the house.
By the way, I know tea is not a project... but it is part of my day. I've been using just hot water, lemon, and honey to soothe my throat. I don't have any problem, but I've always coughed a lot (radiation cough I was told)... and a friend suggested this.
And I didn't mention the game "Animal Crossing" which I do play. This morning a friend who also plays, visited her son's island and brought back some beautiful blue pansies, hyacinths, and wind flowers over to my island. I love the blue and they are hybrids so not easy to get.
OK... all trivial information aside, I did get the results back from my genetic testing. All 84 cancer genes I was tested for came back negative. They even repeated the Brach test that I had several years ago. It came back negative again. So happily I can report to my kids that I cannot pass on any to them. The BC I have was not genetic. I've always suspected it came from taking estrogen for 20 years after my hysterectomy at 34.
Now this does not mean that my mother or father didn't have any genetic cancer genes. They just didn't pass them on to me. Both my sister and brother died of cancer. They could have passed them on to them.
Anyway, that's enough information for today... some important, some not so much.
Time to start thinking about the Thanksgiving menu. It really doesn't change much from year to year. I'm sure this is true at your house also... tradition!
We always have smoked turkey, jalapeno pecan stuffing (used to have oyster stuffing, but changed over the years - my mom made the best oyster stuffing and oyster pie), bourbon sweet potatoes with a brown sugar and pecan topping, green beans with garlic and almonds, cranberry sauce, and a special deep chocolate dessert with a cookie crust that the boys always request. We will have the same this year, but in much smaller quantities. Usually we are about 12, this year just 3. Other desserts we sometimes have are cheesecake (DH makes a mean cheesecake) and a bourbon chocolate pecan pie. We won't have these this year... way too much for 3 people.
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| past Thanksgivings |
Have a wonderful week! Stay safe...
Hugs (virtual),
Rian
Yummy feasts, those look. I don't seem so attached to these rituals any more. That's good.
ReplyDeleteJoanne, I may be becoming less attached as time goes on.
DeleteWhat a wonderful Thanksgiving feast you make! I just got through making a grocery list for our Thanksgiving dinner. It sure is getting here quickly this year!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to hear your genetic testing came back negative. I would like to have that done but I don't think my insurance would cover it. My Mother and brother both died from cancer and several other relatives as well so I've always wondered if I carry a gene. I enjoyed seeing all of your projects. You are a busy lady!
Your insurance may cover the genetic testing, Bonnie. The name of the company that did mine is Invitae.
DeleteHope you and yours have a wonderful Thanksgiving! Stay safe!
I'm happy for you and your family about the results of your genetic testing. Your Thanksgiving dinner choices sound wonderful. It's always interesting to hear what other people traditionally eat. Enjoy your little gathering. You can look forward to a big blow-out Thanksgiving feast next year. -Jenn
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jenn. It is interesting to see what traditional Thanksgiving dinners are for different people. And yes, this year's holidays are going to be a bit different.
DeleteThat's such terrific news regarding your testing. I imagine you're quite relieved!
ReplyDeleteI hope you'll have a lovely Thanksgiving, even scaled back. Canada's Thanksgiving is in October, so it's long over and done with for us.
Take care and keep well.
Hi Kim! Yes, I am relieved... imagined that there was something they would find... but happy to know that I can't pass any cancer genes on to my kids.
DeleteSince your Thanksgiving is over, I guess you are busy setting up for Christmas. Will you have a tree? My cats always loved the Christmas tree.
It sounds wonderful. We will be getting takeout from one of our favorite places, and noshing all day. And we will probably skip all flesh food and concentrate on veggies. I'm still not sure about sweet stuff. Maybe a pie, but it will pumpkin, most likely.
ReplyDeleteI know you will be having a wonderful Thanksgiving, DJan. You and hubby have a lot to be thankful for... as he is doing so well from his stroke. As for the pie, I do like pumpkin, but chocolate always wins out at our place.
DeleteKnowing the results of your genetic testing is a real blessing. I'm glad everything was negative.
ReplyDeleteI'm like you with projects all over the house. Crocheting, cross-stitching, sewing projects, and other crafts too.
Enjoy your Thanksgiving dinner! Take care and stay well.
Mae, I think crafts, hobbies, and projects keep our minds (and sometimes our bodies) active and alert. Plus it just feels good to accomplish things.
DeleteI hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving too. It's different this year, but there's always things to be thankful for.
That genetic testing sounds interesting and the good news should be a welcome gift to your children. I used to ask my my Irish (keep all secrets) mother what her mom died from. The answer was always “shortness of breath”. For years, I thought that was a disease.
ReplyDeleteThanksgiving will not be the same this year, but there are still things for which to be grateful.
I guess 'shortness of breath' could be Emphysema. My father-in-law died from that.
DeleteAnd you are right, despite it all, there are always things to be grateful for... Happy Thanksgiving!
I will have only three for Thanksgiving as well but I will also deliver a full meal to my daughter and grandchildren.
ReplyDeleteKudos to you, Olga for delivering Thanksgiving to daughter and grandchildren! Ours live 30 mins, 2 hours, and 5 hours away... it would be difficult. That's why they all usually come here on Thanksgiving and Christmas. But we've had many many holidays together... so one apart we can handle.
DeleteThe genetic testing has to be a relief. We don't mind passing down hair or eye color but disease markers would be hard to live with. You can all relax now.
ReplyDeleteSmart about Thanksgiving and hope most people are as careful. You menu sounds delicious. Enjoy.
Patti, I didn't realize how much it did worry me (passing cancer genes down to my children) until the results came back negative. It is a relief.
DeleteHope you have a wonderful safe healthy Thanksgiving!
Those past Thanksgivings look super! Guess we'll all make do this year as best we can. Otherwise, if you ever want to ace an exam, it's the genetic test. So congrats!
ReplyDeleteWe will make do, Tom. It's for the best. As for the test results being negative, it's a surprise... and definitely a relief. Thanks!
DeleteHi Rian...It all looks so inviting at your home. Yes, our past Thanksgiving here in Canada was very different this year but we still managed a wonderful meal. You will, too. Makes us really appreciate the traditions, right. I expect Christmas wont be much this year, either. We'll just have to make the best of it. Give all the kitties a hug for me and a virtual one for you, too. xo
ReplyDeleteThanks, Deb. Will give all the outside kitties a virtual hug, Deb. Our last inside kitty, Ghost, died not too long ago. We are still getting over that. She had a genetic kidney problem for 15 years, but it finally took her from us. Christmas will be strange without a cat to enjoy the tree, but we aren't ready for another... yet.
DeleteDear Rian, I so enjoyed seeing those pictures of your projects (and tea can be a project in that the making of it--or of a hot water/honey/lemon drink--demands a ritual!). You must keep yourself busy. I tend to potch (a convent word meaning to just lackadaisically move through the day).
ReplyDeleteI'm so happy for you about the info you got about your cancer genes. What a relief for you and your entire family.
I'm spending Thanksgiving alone, but one of my nieces has found a vegetarian "turkey" breast and is preparing it for me. She'll stop by and give it to me--as we stand outside the garage with our masks on--on Thanksgiving;g day alone with a rice stuffing she wants to prepare and some veggies. I am so blessed in my family. So much and so many for whom to be grateful. Peace.
"potch" - now that's a word I've never heard. But I think many of us tend to potch these days. My mom used words that I never hear (if they were actual words or just something she and her family used - one was something that sounded like "pin-erk" - and they used it kind of like an endearing quirky kid... 'like you're such a pin-erk'. They were French and maybe it's based off a French word?)
DeleteAnyway, I hope you have a wonderful quiet peaceful healthy Thanksgiving, Dee!
Oh friend, I zeroed right in on your rock painting project. I started painting rocks very recently and it is a lot of fun. I am adding decoupage and stamping words on the rocks. I would like to see some of your painted rocks. This is our fifth year having smoked turkey for Thanksgiving, isn't it delicious?
ReplyDeleteit is wonderful that you have so many hobbies, many of which we share. i just bought a bunch of rocks and will be painting them to leave at the lake i visit!! i need a book, can you let me know how that one is??
ReplyDeletemy youngest son mike has been home, i have been spending time with him, he drove all the way from north carolina so i did not want to be on the computer while he was here!! i am catching up now on visits!! thanks for understanding!!