Thanksgiving 2018 - food, family, and friends

Thanksgiving 2018 Food!

Thanksgiving 2018 Table

I don't decorate too much for Halloween or Thanksgiving... mostly put out a few pumpkins, but I do start sneaking in our Christmas decor here and there (if you can see there are a few stockings hanging by the fireplace... and if you could see further up, there's Christmas candles, etc.) It works.

Besides, the traditional holiday food is the main attraction. Each family is different, but mine want Turkey, Ham, stuffing (used to be oyster, now it's Jalapeno Pecan), bourbon sweet potatoes, garlic mashed potatoes, green beans with bacon, cranberry sauce, broccoli/cauliflower casserole, and rolls. I occasionally try something different (last year I added stuffed artichokes - my 5 year old grand daughter loved them!) And our desserts differ some. Most want a family traditional favorite - a chocolate pudding with a pecan cookie crust... but DH makes a fantastic cheesecake that everyone likes too. This year my DIL even brought a delicious apple crumble to add to the mix. 

In general, I make all the food and they all come here... but last year we went to my daughter's in the hill country and one year we went to my son's (before they moved to Hawaii). I love doing it here, but it's getting to be difficult getting it all done on my own. It may be time to 'pass the baton' or find a good restaurant. It won't be the same, but time passes and things change. As long as we're all together, it should be fine.

Here are a few pics we took - mostly of the grands:

4 grandkids - outside by the house
(hard to corral that youngest for a pic)

grandkids by well

grand daughter on top

in tree

with her friend

daughter on left with her best friend

Our daughter lives in the Hill Country around San Antonio, Texas and her best friend now lives in Colorado Springs - but they get to see each other either at Thanksgiving or Christmas when each comes here to Texas to visit family.

I guess that's about it. Everyone left for home yesterday. It's been fun, but a bit hectic. Giving myself some 'downtime' this week... 

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! 

Wednesday ramblings... tea, Ghost, and more pumpkins!

Sitting here on my bed drinking a cup of peppermint tea and multi-tasking... meaning I'm also reading a mystery novel, knitting, and texting with a friend who is house-bound due to ankle replacement surgery. Ghost usually keeps me company...

DH and I were up early Tuesday morning in order to run a few errands. We went to the cleaners, dropped one car off to be inspected, went to vote, then did our *walk about* at the mall... yes, the mall with all the pumpkins I mentioned in my previous post. Here are more pictures of the abundance of pumpkins there:

I told you... they're everywhere... all colors and sizes! DH and I were wondering just what they did with all of them after Halloween??

In this last picture you can see one of the ponds where there's usually ducks and/or turtles. Right now there are turtles (Red Sliders I believe).  Most were in the other pond that is connected under the bridge you see on the far left of this top picture.

We also received NEWS yesterday about a new Ebola specialty facility that is being created at one of our area hospitals. I don't know much, but from what we hear it is is to be another one of the CDC Special  Ebola Centers... similar to the ones in Atlanta, Maryland, and Nebraska. Since it is basically  *in our backyard*, we naturally have mixed feelings. First feelings were OMG, then... well,  we certainly need more hospitals that are trained and equipped to care for Ebola cases.

Since it seems that we may have things under control at the moment in Dallas with the first group of quarantined and self monitoring persons deemed well, we are only waiting for the second group to have the same outcome. So possibly we're on the right track in our ability to contain this issue. Let's hope and pray that this is true.

An abundance of pumpkins...

Pumpkins at Central Market

Pumpkins at the Mall

Pumpkins, pumpkins everywhere!  Everywhere we go lately there's a profusion of pumpkins... all sizes and shapes. Luckily I like pumpkins. They aren't scary and they make great pumpkin custard pies!  I was dearly tested when passing these displays in the Mall last week to *pocket* a tiny one or two. Of course I didn't, but when DH and I were walking by, I commented (out loud) "Wow! look at all those tiny pumpkins!  I would love to steal one or two." (And of course I said this just as inadvertently we were passing a uniformed Mall security person. DH and I looked at each other sheepishly and started laughing. But the truth of the matter is that the groceries and nurseries want $1.50 to $2.00 for each tiny pumpkin... and although that doesn't seem like much, it's still too much for me... especially when you can get a good sized one for 3.99.

And this advertisement was in this mornings paper... making little crescent mummies with hot dogs and crescent rolls. I thought this very cute.

Halloween cookies

These were creative also - Halloween cookies using chocolate chip cookies, marshmallows, and almonds!

Last year we found this serpent shaped pumpkin and added it to our outside display. This year we didn't come across any of these. But our front porch display is still a work in progress. We added another smaller pie sized pumpkin this week. It still needs something... but I don't know what. Any suggestions?  Maybe some multi-colored corn to give it some yellow?

...and of course we put our favorite crow in tree that we had last year and left out all year because we liked him there. Of course crow #1 had to be replaced this year as due to the cold winter and rain, he was looking a bit shabby.

We also used to have a sign that said, "black cat crossing"... which is very suitable to our feral sanctuary. Don't know where that sign went. Shall have to look for it.  We do close all the gates to our yard so the outside cats  have a place to stay safe on Halloween. And our inside cats are restricted to one part of the house while treat-or-treating is going on. Our Ghost does not like ringing doorbells.

And last pic of the day is this sign that has been on our kitchen wall for years. One of the kids gave it to us. And of course it is very appropriate... except that it should say "cats" never just "cat" and we're all well trained, not just me.

As I write this, Julie is lying on the trundle bed in the computer room next to me and *snoring* loudly! Do your cats snore?

Have a wonderful weekend!