Thanksgiving: Prep and Execution

We started yesterday evening prepping for our feast today.Ethan was very excited about making turkeys out of pine cones. We had been collecting the pine cones this week after school as we walked through the park.

I found the idea from another blog that I enjoy reading.

Next on the agenda was prepping our turkey. I bought a breast since I was sure we couldn't eat a whole turkey and found a recipe for a brine here.

I tweaked it slightly since we were only doing a breast.

And baby loved helping.

It was by far the best thing I could have done for the turkey. It was so incredibly juicy and flavorful. I feel like I have just been introduced to the secret of a good turkey.

After we put the turkey in the refrigerator to bathe over night we decided to plug and unplug the Christmas lights over and over.Talk about wild......we know how to cut loose over here. Watch out!

And then this morning, our Thanksgiving really got started.

So what was on our menu: Turkey, Cornbread Dressing (Courtesy of Grandma Dottie), Cranberry Sauce, Sweet Potato Casserole (Courtesy of Aunt Jan), Green Beans (Courtesy of Grandpa Lewis), Mashed Potatoes, Gravy and Rolls.

Turns out when I throw all the low cholesterol, low fat stuff out the window - I am a really good cook. I rocked this Thanksgiving. Everything tasted awesome. Chris even said "do you know why I wanted to have lunch instead of dinner?" I, of course, said no. He replied "so I can eat it all again for dinner." And those of you who know Chris, know he hates leftovers if that tells you anything.Before we started eating, Ethan said "I think we should all say something we are thankful for." He was thankful for mommy making his Thanksgiving dinner. Owen, well he was just thankful for mommy. I am doing something right. I just know it. Stay the course, mama.

And to top that off, he asked me if he could say his own blessing without the "God is Great" bit. It was perfect. For dessert, I made a pecan pie with whiskey maple cream sauce that will make you want to slap your mama. Whatever that means. It was a-mazing! The sauce is what put it over the top. I think I could have just ate the sauce by itself. Chris said I should make this and try it on lots of different things - mainly cheesecake. :-) I was thinking bread pudding would be good.
It wasn't long after we sat down to eat that baby started fading on us. Chris put the little to bed and we finished a wonderful meal together. Wonderful indeed.

I plan on printing out each and every recipe and keeping them together because there isn't one thing that I will change. My children are happy. My husband is upstairs puttering in "his room" and I am getting ready to look at all the black friday ads. To say I am thankful just doesn't quite explain it. A better description would be to close your eyes, take a deep breath, feel the tears of joy just beneath the surface - exhale and know God is Good. God is so Good.

Happy Thanksgiving!

A Feast for All

Owen's class held a Thanksgiving feast yesterday for all the parents to attend. We each brought in an item to share and the school provided nuggets.The children filed into the gym singing and signing a song of praise to God for all that they were thankful for.

Owen was so proud of his tunic and his feathered headdress.

And I just love

these beautiful

brown eyes.

Thankful: Day 7

While I was waiting on dinner to finish cooking tonight I laid down on the couch and honestly thought I wasn't going to be able to peel myself up. Owen still didn't sleep last night. The medicine they gave him, which by the way is the same narcotic that I took after having 3 c-sections, doesn't work for him nearly as well as it did for me. Granted, I am sure the dosage is slightly less, but still. Finally last night at 4am he settled down enough, or wore himself out enough, to go to sleep until 10am. I am hoping tonight will be a little better. You can't blame a girl for hoping.

Needless to say, there were no pictures taken today. So here is a sweet one of Owen from a couple of weeks ago.

As for our thankfulness, here ya go!

::Chris: Our friends.
::Owen: God making my dad and my brother.
::Ethan: Thankful that daddy cleaned up my milk that Eliza spilled at dinner.
::Tricia: A close family that loves my children.

Here's to a full nights rest.

Thankful: Day 2/2 of 5 and Day 6

We have had a rough 18 hours in our house. Turns out Owen broke his leg last night.

After no sleep for either of us, I called his pediatrician to see where I should take him this morning without embracing the chaos of the emergency room. She recommended an urgent care that is connected to Wake Med because they have x ray capabilities so off we went.

Diagnosis: He broke his tibia and praise God it reset itself perfectly. They put a temporary cast on his leg and wrapped it just to stabilize it. He will see an orthopedist on Monday for a permanent cast. He has been in a lot of pain over the past 18 hours but is finally resting comfortably with the help of some Lortab.

So without further ado; we are thankful today.

::Ethan: Camping trips with daddy and making smores.

::Owen: I took the liberty of doing his for him today since he is out of it. He talks about his new school all the time so I said he is thankful for his new school.

::Chris: Lazy weekends with my family and our health.
::Tricia: Good health care benefits.

Ethan and Chris are off again for swim lessons this morning. Poor Owen will have to drop swim lessons and basketball for the winter. We were told he will probably be in a cast for 6-8 weeks. Definitely through Thanksgiving and potentially Christmas. Poor baby.

Thankful: Day 1/2 of 5

Ethan and Chris didn't do their feathers today because we were scrambling around to get their camping stuff together so today will just be Owen and I and I will post theirs tomorrow sometime.

::Owen: Thankful mommy helped me clean up the play room.

::Tricia: The change in seasons.

We stayed around the house today so that I could get caught up on laundry, vacuuming and other such torturous activities. I hate housework. Hated it when I worked full time. Hate now that I am home. Not very Proverbs 31 of me, is it?

If you look closely at the Misses eyes you can see that they are red. That is red because she was tired and refused to nap today. Which made for a pleasant afternoon for all of us.

She is practicing going up and down the stairs. Going up is a breeze, coming down takes more concentration. Although it should be noted that she only breezes up the stairs when I am not watching her and she is getting away with something. If I am there with her, hands usually full of something, she will just sit on the bottom step and look at me as if I am her personal escalator.

She is getting it.

Always dragging a blanket with her.

When she is in her crib and won't go to sleep she will often throw her blanket out of the crib, I imagine because she gets mad and is really "going to show me." But what ends up happening is it only makes her more angry at herself because then she is without her blanket and still stuck in her crib. Tough life this one has.

Note dark circles under her eyes. I have them too. Only I would love to be getting more sleep. You won't catch me throwing my blanket out of the bed and screaming for someone to come get me. Quite the opposite, I may scream if someone does come and get me.

I was talking to another mother the other day at school pick up and she said something to the effect that motherhood is so joyful - and sometimes it is even more joyful than others. Insert sarcasm. No nap days are the more joyful days of my life.

We went out to Chris and Ethan's camp site for a little while tonight and Owen was playing on a teeter totter; I am not sure what happened but something did and he was screaming. I ran over to him and had to carry him to a chair. I looked at his leg and nothing is protruding. It isn't bruising yet. But he still can't bare weight on it and continues to cry and whimper. He iced it for a bit and is laying next to me now. We will see how it is tomorrow but it won't surprise me if I end up taking him in for an x ray.

That's it from where I sit.

Thankful: Day 4

I knew it was coming, I just didn't know how long it would take Ethan to get there.

::Ethan: I am thankful for video games.

::Owen: I am thankful for my family.

::Chris: Everything Tricia does for our family.

::Tricia: Our church family.

A few more pictures from our day.

Mimi gave her this outfit and I happened to have leg warmers and a flower headband that matched perfectly. Sometimes getting dressed up on a rainy day makes the day a little brighter.The Christmas toy books are coming in the mail and there is a lot of circling going on.

Big, beautiful brown eyes and scrapes on the chin.

Cleaning out drawers so we can sit in them to eat our snack. Chris just said "What is it that you like to call her? Princess?" And my reply? "No, that is not exactly the word that comes to mind."

"Can somebody get her?"

"Mommmmmmyyyyyyyy, she's on my head!"

"Hold on honey. I am taking a picture. This blog content doesn't just come out of thin air ya know."

And this precious little has his first camp out tomorrow night with his Y Guide tribe. This is his vest and Chris has one just like it. He is very excited about it. We will see how excited he is when it gets down to 35 degrees tomorrow night. Better them than me. Owen and I will be snuggled up close in my bed.

Thankful: Day 3

::Ethan: I am thankful for mommy making dinner.
::Owen: I am thankful God made Owen.
::Chris: Mommy making dinner.
::Tricia: An amazing husband and wonderful father to my children.

Chris has taken the boys to church, Eliza will be getting in the bath soon and mama will be off duty. So much to be thankful for.....

On a different note, I received an email today from our worship leader at church asking if Chris and I would be willing to do a cardboard testimony for the church Christmas program this year. I told her I would talk to him and let her know. What would your cardboard testimony be?

Thankful: Day 2

::Ethan: That my daddy plays in my playroom with me.
::Owen: That God made my mommy. (I can't make that sweetness up, y'all.)
::Chris: My job.
::Tricia: My family's health.

30 Days of Thankful: Day 1

I am going to try to post each day about our Thankful Tom Turkey and what each of us are thankful for. He is still pretty bare right now since we have only added 4 feathers thus far but I will take pictures of him periodically so you can see how he is changing.

Ethan has been very excited about what he is thankful for this time around and really wanted to start last night with being thankful that mommy made a dinner that he liked so he could eat and go trick or treating. But I convinced him to wait until November 1 and then we would have the whole month to talk about what we are thankful for. So to kick things off..........

::Ethan: Thankful for daddy helping him make his Y Guide vest for his meeting this weekend.
::Owen: Thankful for mommy making him toast this morning for breakfast.
::Chris: Thankful for his family.
::Tricia: Thankful to be able to stay home with my children.

I think our feathers are going to be more meaningful this year since the boys are a bit older and they understand being thankful a little more. That's not to say that they won't be thankful for Mario Brothers or pop tarts occasionally though. They are children after all.

So what are you thankful for today?