Greetings Pixies!
Today is Thanksgiving Day for our Pixies in Middle Earth Canada as well as more populated Northern regions. The sacrifice of the turkeys has begun, potatoes are peeled and swimming in the sea (well, the water is salted) and the cranberries are at the ready.
US pixies can think of it as a dress rehearsal for their big day next month. So join us at the table!
If canned cranberries are the order of the day, which do you prefer, whole cranberries or the Big Tube of Burgundy Jelly?
What goes in your stuffing?
A colleague in ministry had a funny moment yesterday. In the prayers of the people she thanked God "we give thanks for those turkeys that we're going home to...the ones that didn't come to church!" - hahahahaha!!!! LOVE that. Yes, folks laughed out loud - because it was hilarious.
I'm thankful today for my family. It's so good to have all of us around the table for a holiday dinner again!
Whine: My fave jeans are too tight. Wah.
Please share your Thanks and your Whines!!
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63 comments:
AW: What a nice thanksgiving weekend. We had a lovely turkey dinner with Mr. Q's family + extras yesterday, and E had a blast (even though she skipped her afternoon nap!). My parents are up in Northern Middle Earth this weekend, and so my siblings and I are getting together today for curry soup and sandwiches.
AW/W: today, we're going to meet my brother's gf for the first time! (His wife died of cancer at the age of 27, almost exactly two years ago, and this is his first gf since. And, for understandable reasons, he's been really gradual about exposing her to the whole family.) This is a W only because I'm feeling a little melancholy, remembering my beautiful SIL, and trying to figure out how to be warm and to welcome the new gf without overwhelming her. (This is the first new person in twelve years, and so I'm feeling rusty.) What if she doesn't like us? What if we're socially awkward as usual? Aaaaaa!
Sorry about that. Needed to get that all out of my head. Now I'm going to try not to think about it so much, and practice being cool and friendly.
AW: bringing a baby along will act as a good social buffer. I'll just focus on being silly with E.
Grandma Pete died this morning. We are all relieved. Now a bit stressed about scheduling the service.
(((Esperanza)))
Thanks, QWP.
I feel like you are in on my secret. "bringing a baby along will act as a good social buffer." Yes, that. And I'm sure girlfriend will like all of you just fine. She is probably more nervous that you are, anyway.
W: have you ever looked under your washer and dryer? Ew.
oh, and thanks Liz. You posted while I was griping about the dead bugs under the appliances.
W: Also, Sue, the image of the Big Tube of Burgundy Jelly just might send me over the edge today. YUCK. If I'm going to eat cranberries, I don't want canned ones at all, only the fresh or frozen kind.
((( Esperanza )))
Happy Thanksgiving to our Canadian Pixies!! My dad always insisted on the canned jellied cranberry, cut in slices. He called homemade cranberry sauce "sticks and stones," and refused to eat it.
QWP -- it will be fine with the girlfriend. Your brother may feel the most nervous of all, taking the big step of bringing the GF to meet the family.
Uck, I try not to think about what is under appliances. Or heavy furniture, for that matter.
W/AW: had to go to the dentist today. Things are pretty good, except a crown that must be close to 30 years old needs replacing. On the up side, don't have to do it until after the holidays.
I like both homemade and the canned kind, but I don't like fancy flavors in it. No cranberry chutney for me, please.
I like to add just a touch -- maybe use some orange juice to cook the cranberries, perhaps a dash of cinnamon and ginger.
The only acceptable additions are OJ and sugar.
Grandmother Pete made cranberry relish...raw cranberries, whole orange (peel and all), significant amounts of sugar, and pecans (national nut of Texas--unless you're counting GWB). I imagine we'll make that this Thanksgiving.
We make Grandma Pete's version, canned cranberry ... Jello-like-stuff, and this, which should really be dessert: http://www.marthastewart.com/319188/new-england-cranberry-duff
But it gives us an excuse to have dessert during dinner :-)
Esperanza, Grandma Pete's sounds wonderful! And OMG, JenR!
I'm totally in favor of several varieties of cran! But I stand behind the bits of cinny yum and ginger, even though my good friend Liz and I have a principled difference of opinion on this issue.
Esperanza for Mullet: "national nut of Texas -- unless you're counting GWB)." I grew up with walnuts, but my best friend when I lived in S.C. was from Texas, and she made me a complete convert to the glorious pecan.
I doubt you can get the native varieties commercially, because they are much smaller and MUCH harder to crack. But they are also much tastier. I substitute pecans for any recipe containing walnuts.
Holy cow, JenR, I'm making that...tonight, if I have cranberries in the freezer. That looks sooo good.
Esperanza, my Texas friends actually had their relatives mail bags of pecans from TX! (Also tortillas.) I'll still go for commercial pecans over walnuts, though.
Hammers -- I'm getting this memory of needing hammers to crack the Tx pecans. Then you needed to pick out the shell.
Well, I use a nut cracker/sheller, but lo, it is tedious. Sometimes I take them to a pecan orchard nearby and pay them to crack them in their machine. Then pick out the shell and innards to get the meat. Some of the commercial varieties, called "papershells" can be cracked just by squeezing two of them together in your hands. Sometimes they crack if they fall onto concrete rather than grass.
There may have been some alcohol involved with the hammer/pecan events i was remembering... All before kids!
QWP - it will be fine, I'm sure of it. And I love the image of the baby as social buffer. That'll work.
(((((Esperanza)))) so sorry for your loss. Grandma Pete will be missed and fondly remembered. I hope the service planning goes well. Will you be participating?
Ick on the bugs and dust buffalo under heavy appliances and furniture.
JenR - wow. When we all recover from our turkey-coma, I'll share that recipe with today's chefs. *burp*
AW: Our son who is visiting helped winterize the balcony for us (cleaned up, covered the BBQ, put the outdoor chairs away). It was nice to have help!
W: We're ready for winter. I think that means summer is over.
I am trying to work up the courage and motivation to write cover letters. Well... I have the motivation, but a severe case of writers' block. I am mostly using recruiters, but there is one job I really want that a recruiter can't help with. That just adds to the pressure for the perfect letter :-(
Sue, no, I don't think I'm going to be leading the service. Pete's pastor was very accommodating and offered to let us do any part we wanted, or she would read something we wrote, etc. But...I know I couldn't keep it together enough to speak, and I'm not wanting to write anything right now. We'll see. We think the service is Friday, but not sure yet.
((( Esperanza ))) There will be things you want to say, even if someone else speaks them. It will come to you. xoxoxo
JenR -- just pound something out, and work from there. And you probably have others willing to review and edit, but if you'd like some extra un-judgy eyes, let us know. My email is kathy with cats [all together] at ghee mail dot com. Go, Jen!
JenR: sometimes when I have writer's block, I write my general gist and ideas in square brackets, or write it out as an email to a friend, explaining what I think I ought to say. That way, the pressure is off of me, because I know that what I'm writing is just provisional, and I can edit it afterwards. I remember one blogger (StyleyGeek?) even included swears, to indicate to herself that it was provisional, although the fear of accidentally forgetting to delete all the bad language added a different kind of stress!
AW: it went well today! E was a brilliant social buffer, befriending the gf immediately. I like her.
Yay for babies! And glad the ice is broken with the GF, QWP!
Good thoughts on breaking the writer's block, also. (For pieces that need development or fixing, I use ***'s and bold/italic notes to self, also highlighted so that I don't accidentally include the editorials in the final.)
So, is there a parenting achievement badge that says "My Baby Woke Up With a Black Eye, And I Have No Idea Why"?
Update: My sister just came over and informed me that, when Mr. Q gave E her bath last night, she fell and banged her eye in the tub. Mystery solved, but :(
QWP - I'm glad it went all went well with the new gf! Sorry to hear about the black eye - poor E.
Great ideas re: writer's block!
W/AW: I sent an article to our denominational magazine on a Christmas holiday topic. The assistant editor liked it but I'm too late for this year's December edition. She will hold onto it and take another look next year. Live and learn.
Wah about the timing, Sue.
QWP, sorry about the black eye. These things happen.
Big fat global whine: I am so fireplacing done with the hostage-taking and the jackasses. What the fireplacity fireplace is wrong with them, deliberately trying to crash the entire country [and global economy] and thinking that's a good thing? THOSE VOICES TELLING YOU WHAT TO DO -- THEY AREN'T REAL! A NICE NAP WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA!
Oh my goodness, I just read the details of the conscience clause "compromise" and possibility of defaulting on the land. What the fireplace? Are they really determined to burn the country to the ground, all for some political grandstanding? This is far beyond what I thought was possible.
QWP, Mini had a self-inflicted black eye around 18 months or so. The more cautious Sweet hasn't had one. Come to think of it, neither have I. Glad you figured out the mystery, though.
W: Funeral planning by phone.
AW: Pete's minister is one of the good kind.
W: Head exploding with logistics. We're leaving Thursday morning for funeral, which is Friday. Returning home Saturday. Big and busy day Sunday (they all are, for us). Leaving Monday afternoon for previously-planned conference for clergy families and staying there till Thursday.
AW: Skipping, joyfully, the meeting I should be at the following Friday-Saturday.
W: skipping it partly because of insanity of that much travel with Baboos, and partly because "someone" arbitrarily decided to have no childcare available for the first time in anyone's collective memory. Cluesticks needed.
No childcare at a conference for clergy families? That's fireplacing stupid.
oh, oops. Conference has childcare. Meeting does not. Two separate events, one planned by people with brains, the other not.
W: no sleep.
kathy a - I just don't understand this mess. I thought it was a disaster when the Canadian parliament was prorogued again. I can't even my mind around your situation. Gah!
esperanza - No child care!! WT..???? See, then they will wring their hands and ask "Why aren't there any young clergy families here??"
That is the sound of my head banging against the wall.
W: Son headed back to Middle Earth West of Here this morning. Wah.
I know, Sue, I know. And it's a Presbytery meeting, so there won't be any young elders either. There is a group considering a screaming baby sit-in for the meeting. I may or may not have encouraged that. I did write a snippy email that has not gotten a response. Another friend is working an end-around the roadblocks to get childcare set up anyway. Posse, saddle up!
((( Esperanza ))) Lotta traveling around.
The childcare whoopsie makes no sense, especially since they have had it before. Cluesticks!
Sue, glad you had a good visit with the faraway son!
This THING is really unbelievable. You expect a few random nutjobs in Congress, and that they will say and do peculiar things -- you do not expect the random nutjobs to have the ability to wreak such destruction. This bunch seems genuinely apocalyptic -- protecting the functions of government and doing the most good for the most people, those things are not even on their radar. This is not how the process is supposed to work. Sorry for the rant, but I find this anarchy and chaos terrifying.
This thing is nasty and rotten and horrible, but OH is it ever doing nice things for challengers in my region.
I'm in the news today! Read all about it on my campaign site My name for delegate dot com
Go, Liz! And other challengers of the rational persuasion.
AW: Today is my fabulous aunt's 75th birthday! We had a long wonderful chat yesterday.
AW: Daughter had a very good interview yesterday! And another is tomorrow.
New national nut of Texas nomination forthcoming. We're sorry.
The cluestick posse can hum, "if I had a hammer...."
A/W! I ordered something from the @m@z0n, and the darned package disappeared. @m@s0n tracking says the stuff went to the shipper, and F3d3x says that @m@z0n never delivered the goods to them. But kudos to @m@z0n customer service -- which features a Live Person (no phone tree), and then they fixed it! Replacement on my doorstep tomorrow.
hooray, kathy a! (But your comment *almost* looks like spam!)
esperanza - I am so sorry to hear about Grandma Pete and glad that you can simply grieve and not have to work at her funeral.
AW: It looks like I'm going back to work this week...
W: Oh, yeah. Work. Such dull, dull, madness.
AW: Paychecks! Hooray!!!
GF pumpkin chocolate chip cookies for all.
Thanks for your support this week, Pixies. We are off to the Great Big City with Lots of Concrete tomorrow. I'm not taking the computer this time, so don't have too much fun without me! The service is Friday, and we'll have to come back home Saturday.
I hope your trip goes well, Esperanza! Many hugs.
Many hugs friend. ((esperanza + family))
((( Esperanza )))
Miranda, I wasn't actually expecting it to work out after these recent weeks, but yay paycheck!
AW: You guys! The end of the shutdown!
The final vote in the house was 285-144. Seriously, when they got to vote, the vote was strongly in favor of sanity.
Hugs esperanza.
Yay Liz! Nice press coverage!
Happy b-day to your fave aunt kathy a!
Miranda those GF pumpkin choc chip cookies sound amazing!
Yay for paychecks and the end of the shutdown.
Lexicon note: GF means girlfriend, but also gluten free! Context, as always, is everything.
Lol! Context, context, context....
Family joke about "favorites": any relative is a favorite, if you put them in a category of one. That's easy with my aunt. Things get creative with other relatives. My favorite cousin with a kayak! My favorite aunt-in-law! My favorite ___ in ___ city!
Ah, yes. I can see where the context would be important. ;)
Here is the recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/george-duran/pumpkin-chocolate-chip-cookies-recipe/index.html
I use N@m@ste Flour Blend cup for cup for the wheat flour. We are nutfree home too so I use a whole bag of semisweet chips.
Yum!
kathy I like that description of "favourite" - it works!
AW: We are having four guests for a special Newfoundland-style feast tomorrow night. It's been fun planning it. Today I picked up all the food (cod, potatoes, cabbage, brewis, partridge berry jam to put on the cheesecake) AND I made gift bags for each couple with savory (a delightful herb) and peppermint knobs). I bought special ribbon to tie up the gifts - almost like a craft! Eeeee!
Sue! Sounds like a lovely feast and celebration! And gift bags!! Just be careful in the kitchen, ok? ;)
Miranda, those cookies look scrumptious. Hope the first day back was all right. It must have been a little insane -- getting things running again, catching up on backlog, yadda.
I think I logged in close to 13 hours today with a quick break to shower and all eating was done while on conference calls. I'm going to the Home Office next week for the first time in two years and I think it going to be super busy. Plus, I meet my team in person for the first time AND I am doing reviews.
Yikes! Let's hope tomorrow is a little quieter.
Oh wow! Yes, I really hope today is quieter than your 13 hour day.
We're heading up to Northern Middle Earth tonight, so that Li'l E can attend a couple of birthday parties.
W: the five and a half hour drive
W: Mr. Q coughs at night this week, and his coughs are the loudest I've ever heard. (He was trained to cough HARD as a kid, because he had croup frequently.)
Related W: we'll be sharing a room with E, who sometimes wakes up when her father coughs in the next room!
Miranda, I hope today is better than yesterday's 13 hour marathon! Are you alone in an office for the conference calls? If so, those are great opportunities for grabbing moments of sanity. Stand up, stretch, take off your shoes and wiggle your toes - anything that gives you a little energy boost.
QWP - sorry about the long drive. Sigh - we should change the anthem to O My, But Canada is Big. Sorry also about taking the cough with you to the b-day parties.
Fingers crossed for a calm day, Miranda!
QWP -- sorry about the long long drive, and the cough! Hope you have fun anyway.
Late-breaking AW: daughter's interview with a vet this morning ran more than one hour! Daughter.Loves.Animals. She has dealt with sick pets, and ones who can't survive -- which sounded like the hard question. Fingers crossed! Another phone interview this p.m.
Oooooh fingers crossed!!!!!
--Neighbor Lady
Fingers and toes crossed!
awards later today - keep whining/anti-whining pixies!
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