Our Traditional Thanksgiving Dinner

I forgot to take a photo of the table before we sat down to eat.

So I decided to take one of my dinner plate.

Mashed potatoes - oh so creamy and buttery - and gravy, 

Sausage-Cracker Stuffing - I always make a double batch of this because everyone LOVES it,

Golden orange garnet yams (AKA sweet potatoes) slathered in butter,
Turkey,
Corn, also slathered in butter,
and juicy whole cranberry sauce.
Oh, yes, and fresh bread rolls,
but I never eat one on Thanksgiving Day, because I can eat bread any ol' day.
We also always have sparkling cider - oh yum.

The food is delicious, but the best part of Thanksgiving Day is having the family all together.
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Thanksgiving Day Has Arrived

~Thanksgiving Day Morning~

The day is just getting going.

We always have dessert for breakfast on this wonderful holiday.

Happy Thanksgiving Day!

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Thankful Eve

~ All the baking is done ~

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Time to curl up on the couch by a warm fire and enjoy an evening with the family.

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Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day!

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Getting Ready for Thanksgiving Day

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Today is baking day!

I'm baking:

Date Nut Bread,

Pumpkin pies,

Apple pie,

Pecan pie,
(Note: I will be using the
Pioneer Woman's
Perfect Pie Crust

for all of my pies.)
and my daughter is making her

Key lime pie.

There is a cozy fire in the fireplace...

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Oh what a happy day!

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It's Thanksgiving Day!

~5:00 a.m.~

Both of my older children came home to spend the night with us. What joy to have all five children together! We watched a couple of movies last night, and then enjoyed a bit of Brian Regan on Youtube. At 11:30, I headed to bed and left the children to their visiting. They did not go to bed until around 2:00 this morning. 

I got up at 3:30 to straighten up the house for our big day. I love the quietness of the early morning - enjoying the fire in the wood stove, morning coffee, and preparing for the day.

 ~Breakfast~

 ~ Thanksgiving dinner ~

O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.
1 Chronicles 16:34

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Sketch of Thanksgiving Day

~ A drawing I did nearly 30 YEARS ago ~

This was drawn from my own imagination.

I usually draw from some photo or picture inspiration.
My drawings tend to be SO two dimensional. 

You can see where I messed up - 

See the patch on my paper in my struggle to draw the father?

I don't draw men well.

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Tomorrow IS Thanksgiving Day!

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Thanksgiving Day Shopping

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Only ONE week until Thanksgiving Day! 

Do you have your shopping done?

♥

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Thanksgiving grocery shopping is so exciting!

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Actually, I did not buy my cranberries.
My sister sent me a box of Wisconsin Cranberries!

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What's happening in your house?

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A Thanksgiving Song

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Only 11 days until Thanksgiving Day!

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The Day Before Thanksgiving Day

This day, the day before Thanksgiving Day, is always my baking day.
Here is my list of things to bake:

• Date Nut Bread {Recipe}
• Apple Pie
• 2 Pumpkin Pies
• Pecan Pie
• Key Lime Pie

Actually, my daughter always makes the Key Lime Pie.
I have pie crust for 6 one crust pies resting in the refrigerator.
The Date Nut Bread is in the oven – I am making a double batch to last through the days after Thanksgiving. The Apple Pie will go into the oven when the bread is out.

I have never put up my Christmas tree before Thanksgiving Day. However, since my children will all be here on Friday, my husband wants to decorate the tree that day. Usually I rest the day after Thanksgiving. So, to make things easier, we put up the tree yesterday. I still need to add 5 strings of colored lights before decorating it. The white lights alone look nice for Thanksgiving Day.

Happy Thanksgiving Day!

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Happy Thanksgiving!

~My girls~

Source: flickr.com via Darla on Pinterest

 

Wishing you the happiest Thanksgiving Day!

There is No Place Like Home for the Holidays

My Thanksgiving Day Menu

Thanksgiving Morning:
It is just after 2:00 A.M. – I am having my first cup of coffee and spending a minute to visit you before I start my day. Here is a quick photo I snapped when I got up, to share with you.

I was so excited about today that last night I could hardly fall to sleep. I woke moments before 12:00 A.M. not feeling sleepy at all. I told myself that the next time I woke up I would get up, knowing that by that time I was sure to be waking from a deep sleep, which I did. Nevertheless, promises are promises, and now that I am up, I am delighted to be starting my day.

~ My Thanksgiving Day Menu ~

Turkey
Gravy made with heavy cream ~ (A special treat for the holiday)
Sausage Stuffing ~ (My recipe)
Mashed Potatoes
Elegant Scalloped Corn
Cranberry Sauce ~ (See Jessica’s Post)
Yams
Fresh Homemade Rolls
Fruit Salad
Served with: Sparkling Cider

~ Desserts ~

Date Nut Bread ~ (My recipe)
Apple Pie
Pumpkin Pies
Pecan Pie
Key Lime Pie

Served with: Coffee and Cream

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S’uthun Supreme Pecan Pie

On Thanksgiving Eve (which I like to call Thankfuleve as in - Thankfuleve I have a daughter to bake with me.), I always spend the day baking. Today, my daughter and I baked two loaves of date-nut bread, two pumpkin pies, a pecan pie, and an apple pie.

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I am trying a new pecan recipe: S’uthun Supreme Pecan Pie

“Ya’ll might have a hard time keeping this pie around. Best to double it!”

3 eggs
2 Tablespoons butter, melted
2 Tablespoon flour
½ Teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 teaspoon salt
½ cup sugar
1 ½ cups maple syrup
               (I chose this recipe because of the maple syrup.)
1 ½ cups broken pecan pieces
1 cup halved pecans

Beat eggs until light. Blend in the melted butter, flour vanilla, salt, sugar, and maple syrup. Sprinkle the broken pecans over the bottom of the pie shell. Gently pour the mixture in, and then make rings of pecan halves, starting from the middle and working out until the surface is covered/ Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes and then reduce heat to 325 degrees and continue baking for about 40 minutes. Let cool before serving.
Makes one 9” pie

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I am also trying a new piecrust: Alan Carter’s Pie Pastry – from Better Homes and Gardens.

Mix:
3 ¾ Cups flour
1 Tablespoon sugar
½ - 1 Tablespoon salt
½ Teaspoon baking powder

Cut in:
1 ¾ Cups unsalted butter, leaving chunks the size of peas

Combine:
2/3 Cups ice-cold water
2 Tablespoons sour cream
1 Teaspoon vinegar

Add liquid all at once to the flour mixture (This step is the reason that I Like this recipe.). Quickly stir to distribute. Do no overmix. The dough should be slightly crumbly. Let rest in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight. The finished dough should break, not stretch. Divide into three portions; shape into disks. Use at once or wrap and refrigerate up to 3 days. Or freeze up to 1 month. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator if frozen. Makes 3 single-crust pastries.

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So Many Reasons

Source: Pinterest

Many of us have abundant reasons to give the Lord thanks. I am thankful for warmth and food; the very basics are true blessings, indeed. I am thankful for the wealth of little blessing I enjoy each day, such as, a variety of breakfast choices, plenty of clean towels and linens, cheerful holiday lights adorning my windows, and pleasant company.

I pray that I am always thankful, even if I have no earthly reason to give thanks.

Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls:

Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.

Habakkuk 3:17-18

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I saw this catchy little linkup at

life with joys.
I have to admit that the vintage typewriter piqued my interest.

Linking up with:

A Time of Thanksgiving ~

Sandy @ HOB NOBBERS has a wonderful idea. She calls it ~

Thanksliving.

Sandy writes:

"Thanksliving this month! Instead of thanking God for our many blessings ON ONE DAY this month, let's thank Him EVERY DAY for all those things we receive, including those we often take for granted. Let's make this month a month of  THANKS-LIVING! Of living our lives in a moment to moment awareness of gratitude. It can change your life!

I'm going to post daily through the month of November expressing gratitude to God. Won't you join me?"

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I certainly look forward to hopping over to see her daily notes of thanksgiving and share my own reasons to be thankful.

Sausage ~Cracker Stuffing

This is our traditional family stuffing; I have been serving it for over 20 years. Thanksgiving would not be Thanksgiving without it.