Happy Thanksgiving

Today, I am thankful for beautiful weather on this Thanksgiving day. I'm also thankful to have a home where I can host Thanksgiving for my family and others. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

Until next time,

XOXO Amanda

Family Traditions

I didn't do a post yesterday. Shameful, I know. I've been prepping for Thanksgiving the past 2 days. And it's finally here! :) I wanted to make up my post for yesterday and then I will do my post for today (Thanksgiving).

I made all of the dishes for Thanksgiving (except for the turkey, stuffing, and gravy) ahead of time. I figured it would be easier and make today more relaxing. Boy, was I right! I'm so glad I did. I didn't even have to do much today. My hubby made the turkey and stuffing. :) He's so sweet and helpful. All I have left to do is heat the sides and make some gravy. Woo hoo!

Anyway, let's get to the giving of thanks. Yesterday, I was thankful for family traditions. One of the dishes I made is my Gran's famous asparagus casserole. This is the first time I've ever made it, so I called her last night to make sure I had all the details right. She was really excited I was going to make it and that made me happy. She has been making it for Thanksgiving, and sometimes Christmas, since the 1950s. :) It's a family favorite and I'm thankful to continue the tradition.

Get On Your Feet

Today, I am thankful for my GelPro Chef's Mat. It was a birthday gift from my Mom. I know I've mentioned it before, but I love to cook. This mat is a life saver. It relieves some of the pressure on my feet while I'm cooking/washing dishes. We have a smaller kitchen now, so one mat works fine, but in the future I plan on having a mat for every area in the kitchen where I stand for lengthy periods of time. Right now I just move it around to where I need it.

I spent all day cooking and preparing for Thanksgiving. Today I made: 1 pumpkin pie, 3 pecan pies, 1 batch (10) of Rueger treats, pizza rolls (for our dinner tonight - I will post about these later), mashed potatoes (from scratch), and 3 dozen pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. I was in the kitchen and on my feet, pretty much all day. The mat was my friend. My feet are a little tender, but I know I would be in a lot more pain if I hadn't of had my cushiony mat to stand on. :) Seriously, I cannot go on enough about it or describe how truly beneficial it is.

This was my first time making pumpkin pie, Rueger treats, pizza rolls (a Pinterest recipe), mashed potatoes (5 lbs from scratch), and pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. I really enjoyed all of the cooking/baking I did today, and will post more about the recipes and how everything turned out later.

Again, thank you to my Mom for getting me a GelPro mat. It has been a wonderful gift.

Thanksgiving Is Near

I forgot to do my thankful post yesterday. I know, it's unacceptable. Here's the deal. I spent all day researching recipes for Thanksgiving. See, the hubby and I will not be traveling to our hometown for Thanksgiving this year. It just isn't possible with his work schedule. I think I mentioned this in a previous post. We thought it was just going to be us, but a friend from college lives in the area and his son will be here. So, they are going to join us. The more the merrier!

Needless to say, I was excited to be able to cook for more people. When it was just going to be me and the hubs, we were just going to do a simple, yet traditional Thanksgiving dinner. Now that we have some guests coming, I made a feast - okay, not quite a feast, but a slightly bigger dinner.

After researching recipes all day (yesterday), I wanted to go to the store to get all of the things I need for Thanksgiving dinner. I didn't want to wait any longer and:

1. fight crowds of people

2. not be able to get what I needed because it was all gone.

So, I made a list of every thing I needed and was going to head to the store. My sweet hubby told me he didn't want me to go until later because it was storming, and if I would wait, he would go with me. :) So I waited, and we went together. It's not the thing I am thankful for today, but I am thankful he is always thinking of me and willing to help me with chores.

I am thankful that the hubby and I will be spending Thanksgiving together ( we were apart last year). I'm also thankful for the friends who will be joining us. It will be nice to have a "traditional" Thanksgiving!

Rain

Today, I am thankful for rain. I love rain. The sound of it, smell of it, look of it. I love every thing about rain! It's so peaceful and relaxing to sit and watch the rain falling down.

It rained (okay, sprinkled) here today. While I enjoy the rain, my little Rueger doesn't much care for it. He won't even go outside to potty when it's raining. We have to hold an umbrella for him, and even then it's not always a go. Today, however, he went all the way to the back of the yard, in the rain, and did his business. I was so proud. :)

Until next time,

XOXO Amanda

HTC Incredible

I have the first HTC Incredible. Would I say it's incredible?! Not so much, but it's a functioning cell phone. I read an article today about cell phones and whether or not they are a modern convenience or a social surge. Most of the time, I think cell phones are annoying. I can see how they are beneficial in many situations. 90% of the time, however, I think they are a pain. But, these thoughts are for a later post because...

Today, I am thankful for (the modern convenience of) my cell phone. Anytime I am missing or thinking about my Mom, which is pretty often, I can pick up my cell phone and call her. If I have a random question, want to tell her about something I just saw before I forget, or just say hi, I am able to at any given moment. With this being said, I do think there are appropriate and inappropriate places for cell phone use. I try to be mindful of others around me. But, I do enjoy that I can connect with my Mom often and easily.

A cell phone definitely helps with home sickness and missing those you care for!

Until next time,

XOXO Amanda

My Nanad

I was getting ready for bed and I almost forgot to do my thankful post. I did forget yesterday. :( So I'm going to do 2 tonight to catch up. This one will be for yesterday.

I am thankful for my Nanad. Although he is no longer with us, I have wonderful memories of him that I will always cherish. I was very close to both my grandparents and great grandparents growing up. All of my family lived in the same town, and we were always together. For that, I am also thankful.

Anyway, back to my Nanad. When I was younger, my Nanad worked for SPS (now Excel). He used to take me to work with him. I had my own little lunch pale and hard hat. I would color while he did his work. I loved being out there with him.

He was always willing to play with me. He helped me practice for softball -- playing catch with me, teaching me how to bat, etc. He even drilled a hole through a baseball and attached it to a rope. (He probably could have bought one, but I thought it was so neat he made it instead.) That was one of my favorite ways to practice batting. We'd also go fishing together.

In case you didn't know, I'm a Denver Broncos fan. I don't always keep up with the team, but I like watching them from time to time and I've got my Broncos memorabilia. (As I've mentioned before, I don't really enjoy watching any sport on TV no matter how much I like a team.) I grew up watching the Broncos with my Nanad and will always be a fan.

I miss him every day, but I am so thankful for all of the times we had together and the memories I will cherish for the rest of my life.