Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is typically a pretty quiet holiday at our place, and this year was no exception.  B's parents come each year and this year we also invited the missionaries over.  I cooked all the food - from scratch - but had a bit of help from my Mother-in-Law which was definitely appreciated during those times when I had to go and nurse Q.  This year I was a bit ahead of the game though because I started all the prep work for the meal on Tuesday.  If you're curious about the menu, it was:  Turkey (as usual, but I did try a new marinade this year which was a HUGE hit), mashed potatoes, green beans, rolls, and homemade macaroni and cheese.  For dessert we had apple crisp and cherry pie (made completely from scratch, no store bought pie filling!  I'm very proud of this fact if you can't tell) both served with vanilla ice cream.  Dinner was great...dessert was even better!

Here are some photos Nana B. took while I was hard at work in the kitchen!

We headed out to go do our Black Friday shopping at 9:45pm - Walmart opened at 10pm - and Walmart is definitely one store I will be skipping in the future, at least until later in the day.  I've been to Walmart on Black Friday before but this was the first year I was there when the sales first started.  Let's just say it was an experience that I don't care to repeat again...and I did it all for a Bissell 3-in-1 Stick Vac!  After Walmart we headed to Kohl's and waiting outside for 15 minutes until the store opened at midnight.  This was the first time Nana B went with us on Black Friday so we left the girls home with Grandpa P.  While in Kohl's our strategy was to have B wait in line while Nana B. and I did all the shopping and periodically dropped things off to him...it worked and we were out of there in just over 2 hours.  Our next stop, JCPenney wasn't going to open until 3:30am so we had just over an hour to spare so we headed back home so I could nurse Q which would hopefully hold her over until we were done.  Our timing couldn't have been more perfect because she was awake sitting on the couch with Grandpa P. when we walked through the door.  She was sitting there quite peacefully with him and he said she's only woken up about 10 minutes prior to us arriving home.  I nursed her and we chatted for a bit before heading out again.  We finished up at JCPenney and were home by 5:45am.  I was in bed by 6am and almost as soon as I laid down Q woke up but I was so tired by that point I just nursed her in our bed while I slept.  But by 8am she was bright eyed and bushy tailed and that was the end of my sleep.  It was crazy and it was exhausting but all of our Christmas shopping is done!

30 Days of Thanks - Day 30!!!!!

I am grateful for the health and happiness of all those that I hold dear.  You give me so much strength!

30 Days of Thanks - Day 29

I am grateful for hooded sweatshirts and warm, comfy socks.  I swear I am always cold these days!!!

30 Days of Thanks - Day 28

I am grateful to only have a few more days of this...I didn't know what I was getting myself into! There will most definitely NOT be a repeat performance next year!

30 Days of Thanks - Day 27

I am thankful for all the lights and Christmas decorations and Christmas music!!!  This really is "the most wonderful time of the year."  And yes, I did just sing that while I typed it!

30 Days of Thanks - Day 26

I know you all saw this one coming...

Today I am thankful for all the great deals that I am about to get.  I am also grateful to all those people who work in retail and have been dreading this day for the past 365 days.  Those individuals who get up in the wee hours of the morning just to assist me in making my purchases.  I am also grateful for those who I will hold a conversation with as I wait outside in the cold to get inside a building where the item I am looking for is probably already sold out - you really do make the time go faster.  I am grateful for my MIL and FIL who will stay here and watch Y as I spend the first part of the day shopping and the second part of the day sleeping!

30 Days of Thanks - Day 25

Today I am grateful for turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green beans (or string beans as we call it in the south), macaroni and cheese, bread, apple crisp, pumpkin bars, and vanilla ice cream!  I would also like to express my thanks for Collard Greens but I don't have any.  Mama, can you mail me some?!?!

30 Days of Thanks - Day 24

I am thankful for my dad.  Yes, I said my dad.  As odd as it may seem, I owe a lot to him.  No matter how much we struggled, he always made sure we had whatever we needed.  We never missed a school field trip, he always found a way to earn a little extra money to pay for it.  We always had clothes to wear, they weren't the most fashionable or desirable and most time they were purchased at a stock yard or flea market, but we were always dressed.  I'm not gonna pretend that he's the most moral man (though he never broke the law, or at least not the laws of the land) or that he was the ideal father, but I'll put it this way:  it is because of my dad that I married the type of man I married.  And for that, I couldn't be more thankful!

30 Days of Thanks - Day 23

Today I am expressing my gratitude for my Mom. She has been such a strength to me throughout my life and has always been my biggest cheerleader and my biggest reality check. She is also one of my best friends and she loves me in spite of me! I don't think that I could have gone through many of the things that she has and still have so much faith in people, through everything she always looks for the good in people. I could stand to learn a lot from her!

30 Days of Thanks - Day 22

I am thankful for all the struggles of my life, more specifically, my life before the age of 18. We weren't the poorest family but we probably weren't too far from it. There were times we when struggled, in fact most of the time it was a struggle. There were winter months with no electricity, we used kerosene heaters to keep us warm, we ate cold sandwiches every day, we had to make sure our homework was done before dark or we wouldn't be able to see to do it. We would heat water on the kerosene heaters in order to mix with cold water and have a bath each day, if you happened to add too much cold water...well, you had a cold bath. There was one occasion when we were fortunate enough to only live a few houses down from my grandma so we were able to extension cords through the backyard of the vacant houses between our house and her house and have some power.


I was ashamed, but more than that I was afraid. Afraid that if anyone ever found out that we, my siblings and I, would be taken from my parents - so we went on with life and we never said a word about it to anyone. The funny thing is, now when I look back on those times I can see that they were some of the best times of my life. We had so much fun together during those times, it brought us closer together, it made us stronger. Those experiences have molded me into who I am today. I feel more humble because of it and more compassionate towards people who may be going through similar situations. And most of all, it makes me all the more thankful for everything that I have now. In fact, sometimes I even find myself wishing that everyone would have to live through such things at least once in their lifetime.

30 Days of Thanks - Day 21

I am so grateful that the holiday season is upon us.  I often reflect upon past years and the time spent with family.  It's been several years since I've celebrated Thanksgiving or Christmas with my family in NC but I long for the day when I will be able to do it again.  I love this time of year, not only for the shopping and the gift giving/receiving, but also for everything that it represents.  For the love and joy of family, for the birth of our Savior, for the random smiles and well-wishes from complete strangers!  I could go on and on...Tis the Season!!

30 Days of Thanks - Day 20

Today I am grateful for Dora The Explorer and Netflix!  We do not have cable, so the only real children shows that Y watched were on PBS.  And then we discovered Netflix which streams through our computer, Wii, and my iPod!!  It has proven to be a life saver and a time saver.  I don't like the idea of just sitting her in front of the TV all day but it does come in handy when I have a lot to get done.  And now that it's cold again in Michigan, it'll provide another option for when she's bored of me and all her toys.

30 Days of Thanks - Day 19

I am so grateful for a sense of humor, both my own and that of others.  I love to laugh!

30 Days of Thanks - Day 18

What would I do and where would I be without prayer?!?!  I am grateful to be able to have an open communication with my Heavenly Father and receive guidance and direction in all things, great or small.

30 Days of Thanks - Day 17

I am grateful that 32 years ago today my parents got married.  It hasn't been the easiest 32 years for my Mom (my dad is a hard man to live with) but their marriage motivated me to do better.  And if you ask me, that is A LOT to be thankful for!

30 Days of Thanks - Day 16

Today I'm thankful that it hasn't snowed here yet.  I dunno how long that will last but we take it one day at a time, right??

30 Days of Thanks - Day 15

I am thankful for my friends, both near and far, for their love, kindness, patience and understanding.  Because I am sure if you are my friend then you've definitely needed to use those four towards me many times (probably patience more than anything else). 

30 Days of Thanks - Day 14

Today and everyday I am grateful for the atoning sacrifice of Christ and the blessings that I have because of it.

30 Days of Thanks - Day 13

Today I am oh so grateful for Naptime!!!

30 Days of Thanks - Day 12

Today I am thankful to have a home which is ours and which holds a lot of stuff!!!