Our Thanksgiving week

It's Thanksgiving Saturday and a very unusual one for me.  I'm home alone!  

Dick is deer hunting, and Destiny is working at Auntie Anne's in Lancaster at Park City mall this weekend.  Alex and Elizer went along since a hotel room was provided for them.  Our store here was closed this week since all the student workers went home for Thanksgiving.  

Winter has arrived!  We had snow flurries most of the time yesterday, and strong, cold winds!  Of all days I needed to fill up my van, and the pump at Sam's Club was having issues.  I looked at the temperature on my phone and it said 30, feels like 19.  BRRRR!!

It's beautiful and sunny now, but still cold.

And now going back, here are some pictures and videos from last Saturday.  It was a lazy start to the day, and Elizer thought it was so funny to smell my poo stinky toes!

When I was sitting here at my computer he was playing piano and discovered the church organ setting.  He loved it!  

That day in the mail I got this tee shirt from the company that my sister Barb's daughter-in-laws own in Idaho - Sister B's Tees.  I LOVE it - so soft and comfy!  I took this picture when I was trying it on at bedtime, thus my tired face.  

On Sunday after church Dick and Alex got some things done outside.  Alex cut down the tall grasses in the front flower bed.  They also cleaned up the dead flowers from the flower beds in front of the porch.  Then they got busy hanging greens and Christmas lights on the front porch, but when it started raining - a cold, raw rain, they had to stop.  

Elizer and I watched from the door.

Later, as we were relaxing, Elizer and Dick were "gaming."  Not really!  They each held a controller and there was a football game on TV.   I am sure Elizer thought he was controlling those football players, hahahaha!!  

In the evening Dick and I went to church again, this time for a community Thanksgiving service.  Part of the service was the hanging of a "Thanksgiving Tree."  We each received a colorful leaf on which we wrote things we were thankful for.  Then we hung them on the bare branches of the tree, symbolizing the life that is brought into situations when we have thankful hearts. 

On Monday I was so excited to get TWO envelopes from Sweden in the mail!!  I knew the contents would be very special and they WERE!

Please watch this video to see the amazing work and detail our daughter Miki put into making these cards.  My birthday card was late, but that's ok.  She MADE the card on my birthday and was thinking of me all day as she made it.  How special is that??

On Tuesday Destiny and I did our Thanksgiving grocery shopping.  But first of all we went to their storage unit so she could get some of their winter clothes.  I waited in the van with Elizer and cracked up when I looked at him in my rear view mirror!  His shoes and socks had come off and he was snacking on his toes!  This boy!  Sometimes he takes all his clothes off, including his diaper, before we even realize it.  Gonna have to wrap him in duct tape, hahaha!

He WAS the cutest boy in Sam's Club!

After we got home Destiny made our dinner - rice and beans, chicken, and fried plantains.  Yum, yum, yum!!

On Wednesday I took turkey off the bones - I had roasted it slowly overnight.  I also made pumpkin pies and oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.  

In the evening Dick and Alex finished up the Christmas lights.

Later Dick was showing some videos to Elizer and to our surprise, he fell asleep!!  That is very unusual!  But we realized that he hadn't napped very long that day.  I guess Great Grandpa's videos were just too boring!

On Thanksgiving morning the kitchen was busy as Destiny helped me to make food.  We made all our usual things - baked corn, green bean casserole, stuffing, sweet potato casserole with marshmallows on top, cranberry applesauce.  Lori has a three-pot warmer that is just the ticket for making lots of dishes at once.  I put stuffing in one of the crocks, green bean casserole in another, and sweet potato casserole in the another.  I was able to bake all three, plus the roasting pan of baked corn, at the same time!  After they're finished, the crocks go right into the warmer.  I had put the deboned turkey into my big slow cooker, and I made gravy in my electric kettle.  

This is a picture from the internet.

We went over to Anthony and Lori's barn for our Thanksgiving meal.  It was around 50 degrees when we got there at 3:00.  We set up the food on the lower deck.  Anthony had a kerosene heater on the deck and a roaring bonfire nearby. 

Inside the lower level of the barn was a very cozy pellet stove.  

Ray and his friend Leiana had arrived at our place earlier, then they and Dick went to Anthony and Lori's to do some target shooting. 

I was busy doing food set-up and eating and playing Scrabble on my phone with Austin and Hunter, so I did a TERRIBLE job of taking pictures!!  I can't believe I didn't get any picture of Destiny!!!  She took a long time to do her hair and make-up and I didn't even get a picture of her.  And no group photo, no picture of Elizer devouring the stuffing, or of those who ate on the deck and hung out by the bonfire.  UGH!!!

Our group was very small this year, but I was in touch with most everyone.  Video calls with Lisa, Jeremy, Sammy.  Messages from Sam, Bjorn, and Frank.

Back home again that evening and washing up all those Thanksgiving pots and pans was the absolutely worst part of the day as always!  Thankfully no picture of that, haha!

On Friday morning Destiny, Alex, and Elizer left around 9 am for Lancaster.  We were having some pretty big snow flurries before they left, but nothing was sticking to the road surfaces.  

What a quiet house I have had these two days!  I relaxed a lot yesterday, and am trying to catch up around here today.  

Till next time!