happy thanksgiving
it’s been a while since i had a substantive post …sorry! things have been ultra-busy and there just hasn’t been time. first off, my work is busier than ever, with no let-up in sight. over the course of november, we have increased our weekly sales by 25%!!! this has been accomplished without any new staff being hired on—in fact we let two people go. (this is not as bad as it sounds, as they were the two least productive people there.) the customers have really been working with us, too. they seem to understand the unique concept of our store at this point. even as we continue to get new customers, they are happy to be there despite the crowds. it’s an awesome experience!
my parents have arrived and are finally living in their new home. yesterday, the work crew put all the furniture into the correct rooms and assembled the beds. now the unpacking can begin. there are 160+ boxes, so this is gonna take awhile. fortunately, my mother is very organized and has had a ton of time to create a plan as to where all of their stuff will go. so as each box is opened, she knows exactly where the contents will end up. they’ve moved so many times over the years that she has it down to a science. it’s quite a relief to have them here before the winter sets in. it will be good to have them so close again!
things with tony have been wonderful, too. he and i went to a thanksgiving potluck for his spirit clan at church. the announcements at the end of the event included our commitment ceremony date, along with the promise that the ladies of the group would make food for it. this sounds great to me! one less thing i have to worry about. i could easily get myself wrapped up in all the details of planning the food and drink for afterwards. given that i have already committed to making the cake, i think I have enough on my plate. we’ll see how it all plays out, but this could be such a blessing. how wonderful it would be to just show up at the church and know that the rest is being taken care of!
last night we went with some friends to see the movie SIDEWAYS. i found it to be excellent. i thought the acting was spot-on, the scenery was beautiful, the food all sounded and looked delicious, and the camera work was different and interesting. i would highly recommend it for your holiday viewing. it’s long…about 2.5 hours, but it went by quickly. go see it if you have the time.
i am home today, roasting the turkey for the thanksgiving dinner. that part is my responsibility, along with the stuffing and the desserts. my sister brined the turkey for me and delivered it cold and flabby this morning. it’s been in the oven for two hours now and it looks much better already. the stuffing will include cornbread and white bread, celery, onion, mushrooms, herbs and, for the separate grown-up portion, oysters. for afters, i put together a pecan tart, a pumpkin pie and an apple galette, as well as a pan of seven-layer bars. i always want something chocolate, so i thought those would be a good addition. my sister and mother are making sweet potato casserole, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, haricots verts, cranberry sauce, rolls and gravy.
this last is my mother’s domain. she makes the most phenomenal gravy. i have gotten into the habit of providing her with extra ingredients for it each year, so that we are sure to have lots extra. to that end, i made a gallon of turkey stock earlier this week (using some necks and the usual aromatics cooked with chicken stock). some will be for the stuffing, but most of it is for her. i also long-roasted a turkey thigh the other day, producing many brown bits in the pan. deglazing this with some of the stock, i created a cup of fond for her to start with. this will be in addition to what ever we can work up from the roasting pan today. and then there are the giblets. we have a pound of extra livers, hearts and gizzards. all these will be poached in the stock and then diced into the gravy. the goal here is to end up with a gallon of stock. that way there is a copious amount left for turkey hash tomorrow and for my freezer. then i don’t feel bad cooking off plain turkey parts later in the month, knowing that i have her gravy to serve with them.
i have many things to be thankful for today. having my family altogether is a big one. having a successful job that i love is another. knowing that i am surrounded by friends is a special joy to me, even if we are separated by many miles and don’t necessarily speak that often. being healthy is certainly an important thing to be thankful for. obviously, a huge part of my gratitude to the universe goes to having found tony. however i got to here, i am everso grateful that the forces conspired to send me to this place and time and mindset, which has allowed me to bring this man into my world. i am truly blessed.
as you celebrate this holiday season, please keep in mind an important statistic that was shared with me last week: THREE BILLION PEOPLE ON THIS EARTH LIVE ON LESS THAN TWO DOLLARS A DAY. so whatever it is you have, consider yourself extremely lucky. here’s to hoping that puts everything into perspective.
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my parents have arrived and are finally living in their new home. yesterday, the work crew put all the furniture into the correct rooms and assembled the beds. now the unpacking can begin. there are 160+ boxes, so this is gonna take awhile. fortunately, my mother is very organized and has had a ton of time to create a plan as to where all of their stuff will go. so as each box is opened, she knows exactly where the contents will end up. they’ve moved so many times over the years that she has it down to a science. it’s quite a relief to have them here before the winter sets in. it will be good to have them so close again!
things with tony have been wonderful, too. he and i went to a thanksgiving potluck for his spirit clan at church. the announcements at the end of the event included our commitment ceremony date, along with the promise that the ladies of the group would make food for it. this sounds great to me! one less thing i have to worry about. i could easily get myself wrapped up in all the details of planning the food and drink for afterwards. given that i have already committed to making the cake, i think I have enough on my plate. we’ll see how it all plays out, but this could be such a blessing. how wonderful it would be to just show up at the church and know that the rest is being taken care of!
last night we went with some friends to see the movie SIDEWAYS. i found it to be excellent. i thought the acting was spot-on, the scenery was beautiful, the food all sounded and looked delicious, and the camera work was different and interesting. i would highly recommend it for your holiday viewing. it’s long…about 2.5 hours, but it went by quickly. go see it if you have the time.
i am home today, roasting the turkey for the thanksgiving dinner. that part is my responsibility, along with the stuffing and the desserts. my sister brined the turkey for me and delivered it cold and flabby this morning. it’s been in the oven for two hours now and it looks much better already. the stuffing will include cornbread and white bread, celery, onion, mushrooms, herbs and, for the separate grown-up portion, oysters. for afters, i put together a pecan tart, a pumpkin pie and an apple galette, as well as a pan of seven-layer bars. i always want something chocolate, so i thought those would be a good addition. my sister and mother are making sweet potato casserole, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, haricots verts, cranberry sauce, rolls and gravy.
this last is my mother’s domain. she makes the most phenomenal gravy. i have gotten into the habit of providing her with extra ingredients for it each year, so that we are sure to have lots extra. to that end, i made a gallon of turkey stock earlier this week (using some necks and the usual aromatics cooked with chicken stock). some will be for the stuffing, but most of it is for her. i also long-roasted a turkey thigh the other day, producing many brown bits in the pan. deglazing this with some of the stock, i created a cup of fond for her to start with. this will be in addition to what ever we can work up from the roasting pan today. and then there are the giblets. we have a pound of extra livers, hearts and gizzards. all these will be poached in the stock and then diced into the gravy. the goal here is to end up with a gallon of stock. that way there is a copious amount left for turkey hash tomorrow and for my freezer. then i don’t feel bad cooking off plain turkey parts later in the month, knowing that i have her gravy to serve with them.
i have many things to be thankful for today. having my family altogether is a big one. having a successful job that i love is another. knowing that i am surrounded by friends is a special joy to me, even if we are separated by many miles and don’t necessarily speak that often. being healthy is certainly an important thing to be thankful for. obviously, a huge part of my gratitude to the universe goes to having found tony. however i got to here, i am everso grateful that the forces conspired to send me to this place and time and mindset, which has allowed me to bring this man into my world. i am truly blessed.
as you celebrate this holiday season, please keep in mind an important statistic that was shared with me last week: THREE BILLION PEOPLE ON THIS EARTH LIVE ON LESS THAN TWO DOLLARS A DAY. so whatever it is you have, consider yourself extremely lucky. here’s to hoping that puts everything into perspective.
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