Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Preparation for Thanksgiving

Hello my friends!  For those of you who celebrate Thanksgiving, I hope you have a wonderful day full of family, friends, delicious food and happiness.  A new addition to our table decor is a pair of Pilgrims that Kristi found for us at a thrift store.  I love them!


I've enjoyed seeing my little display of Thanksgiving things on the table, but tomorrow I will put most of it away, put a fresh tablecloth on and begin to set the table with my turkey dishes, crystal goblets and silverware.  (I guess I should explain, we were going to our son's house for dinner, but his wife's father passed away a few weeks ago so we offered to host and they accepted.)


We picked up a pretty little bouquet for the table.. 


Yesterday we went over the menu that I had saved on my computer from last year and of course, we're making the same things... it's about tradition.  Then we headed off for lunch at Red Lobster -- clam chowder and a salad with grilled shrimp on top.. yummmm.  Then we girded our loins.. yes we did.. and headed to Winco, our favorite big grocery store.  We have 3 bags of things awaiting our cooking frenzy of tomorrow and the fridge is full of fresh ingredients.  


This fresh 21+ pound darling is awaiting Dayle's magic touch.  He makes the sage-y, veggie studded bread stuffing, stuffs the turkey and gets it in the oven after putting butter and herbs under the skin on the breast.



We needed butter, of course.  It goes on the turkey, saute the veggies for dressing, in the candied yams I make from scratch, on the rolls, etc.  I love that it's Oregon made butter.


Dayle also makes homemade orange cranberry sauce with a recipe I found a few years back.  You use orange marmalade and cook it down.  This also is Oregon produced.  Most of the ingredients we purchased are locally produced.  Funny story, Caleb wanted to eat a cranberry and although he was warned that they would be sour, I said, go ahead and give him one.  He chewed it up and with a funny look on his face said.. "It's not THAT sour!".  LOL!


I usually do a blog post AFTER Thanksgiving - but I decided that I wanted to say hello and show you a bit of what it takes to put on a big family feast.  Well, there will be only be 7 of us.  We've had 30ish people here in the past, but families grow and get too big and then separate out for their own dinners with their own kids and grandkids.  But I do treasure the times when both of my parents, all of my siblings, their spouses, their kids and our kids gathered here in our old farmhouse. 

Many years I wrote a poem when the whole family was coming for Thanksgiving and we would be using a table that I rescued from my grandparent's farm buildings -- please click and read it - you'll have to scroll down, it's under photos of the table and the kitchen Queen that I also rescued.  Click HERE

For those of you who don't celebrate Thanksgiving, I am asking a favor - will you close your eyes right now and give thanks for all the positive things in your life?  Don't think about the challenges you face, think of the home you have, the warm and dry bed, the food on your table and your friends and family.

((hugs)), Teresa :-) 

18 comments:

  1. I really enjoyed your poem Teresa. How fun to have Thnksgiving at your house. I'm afraid it will be pretty lonely around here tomorrow. I enjoyed the Cranberry story. Myself, I prefer teh jellied cranberry sauce from Ocean Spray! :-) Happy Thanksgiving my friend. I'll see you soon.
    Blessings,
    Betsy

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  2. LOVE the Pilgrim couple--perhaps they are my Pilgrim ancestors? :) Please send my condolences to your son and especially to his wife. Losing a parent is difficult. So nice that you were able to step in so quickly to host. Mmm! You chose my fav brand of turkey! Ah, yes, changing times. I truly wish all of our family could be here too...I do celebrate Thanksgiving of course, but I went ahead and gave thanks anyway. One of those things is my fellow bloggers:) Have a blessed Thanksgiving.
    Blessings, Aimee
    PS: I will try to get a pic of our koi pond once I get some yardwork done. I LOVE yours and wish ours was located on a hillside instead of a flat area.

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  3. Fantastic to came here early to show us all the plans and I WILL think of all I and my family are thankful for....A lovely post Teresa and now I hope I am heading off to pick up my mum from hospital....

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  4. Twelve of us hope to gather around our table tomorrow for which I am thankful, while like you, still wishing more of our loved ones could gather together. Pumpkin pies and an apple pie have been baked, and Elisabeth is planning to follow America's Home Test Kitchen tutorial for preparing the turkey :) ...a new tradition in the making? I too, am so grateful for the many blessings I know every day, and wish that all those around me and around the world will know those blessings as well. A new tradition in the making for me is that the parish I am a part of has a service on Thanksgiving so I am going to try to attend that. Happy Thanksgiving!!! xx

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  5. Very nice table decorations! Have a happy Thanksgiving!

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  6. Happy Thanksgiving Teresa - and to your lovely family too. Your table decorations are beautiful. Wish I had a Dayle here to cook a turkey for us. Can you send him over please? xox

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  7. That looks like a fantastic feast Teresa, enjoy your family time...they are such precious times and we must grab them with both hands whenever we can. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours xx

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  8. I've said it before, I'll say it again, that's a top husband you have there! Cooking and everything, he's one in a million. What a lovely post Teresa, and I really like the little pilgrims. I always try and remember to be thankful, we truly have so much here, and I try and explain it to the children as well. Wishing you and yours a very happy Thanksgiving. CJ xx

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  9. Hope you're having a great day. I'm always thankful for the wonderful blessings I have.

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  10. Happy Thanksgiving to you and Dayle and your entire family. Sending you lots of love for a wonderful day.
    Meredith

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  11. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family. We wish you the best and will be making many memories today. We are 20 today so there should be a lot of laughter and memories brought up.

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  12. Wishing you and Dayle and your whole family a very Happy Thanksgiving!
    Helen xox

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  13. Wishing you and your sweet family a most wonderful Thanksgiving. Loved your poem. :) I have many things to be thankful for...and one of them is you sweet friend. :)

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  14. Peace,peace,peace. May we all know peace . May we all experience peace. May we all experience eternal peace..... And heartfelt gratitude . Happy Thanksgiving to you and all your family xxx

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  15. I'm thankful for the love of my family and for everyday I wake up and breath in the air around me. There is nothing in this world that speaks more than the compassion given selflessly by a stranger. That is what Thanksgiving is to me.
    All the best this precious day to you and yours.
    (((Hugs)))

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  16. aww love your pilgrims. I am thankful for so very much. A cat on my lap. a warm fire, family, friends and an abundance of food

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  17. What a delicious feast you must have had! I enjoyed your poem as much this time, as I did the first time We are all stuffed, tired, and ever so thankful for our many blessings!!
    Hugs,
    Kris

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  18. Hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving Theresa! The menu sounds delicious! I like the colourful Thanksgiving display on your table.

    Happy weekend!

    Madelief x

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