Ah… what a nice Thanksgiving! Because we did a LOT of cooking on Wednesday, today was completely sane. We managed to get dinner on the table by 4:45, which is a record for us.
Yes, this is for four people! My son says he’s not bringing any clothes back to school with him- he’s just going to fill his backpack with leftovers. I wonder if the mashed potatoes will make it through security?
Here’s my plate:
And here’s my son’s:
After he ate us out of house and home last summer, he went back to school and was too busy to eat all the time, so he lost 20 pounds. I think he gained half of it back today.
After we ate we went for a walk. It used to be so exciting to see the very first Christmas lights go up on Thanksgiving… this time lights were up all over the neighborhood! That’s what happens when Thanksgiving is on November 28.
Here’s our house- (JUST KIDDING. I wish this were our house because then our decorations would be up!)
Putting up our outdoor lights will first involve a trip to Target, to replace the lights I took from the outdoor stash to put on our tree… I have no idea when this is all going to happen.
But the tree is decorated!
After our walk, we had pie.
Here’s my sugar-free pie (sweetened with monkfruit.) It was pretty good! (Recipe adapted from Nora Cooks.)
The other two pies were another pumpkin pie (with sugar) and an apple-cranberry pie.
We watched A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, and of course there was football! In the afternoon we watched the Bears lose (sigh- someone should put together a montage of all the weird ways the Bears have lost this season) and now I’m watching the Dolphins.
It was such a nice day, I’m sad it’s over. I know not everyone was lucky enough to be surrounded by family today. Having my son home and the whole family together is a gift, and for that I’m truly thankful.
If you celebrated, did you have a nice Thanksgiving?
Are you shopping on Black Friday?
Top photo by Preslie Hirsch on Unsplash
23 Responses
I’m NOT shopping on Black Friday. But I’m not judgy if people do… anymore. (I learned that sometimes that’s when people can afford some big-ticket items.)
I had a very nice Thanksgiving… Thanks for the leaf coolie cutter tip, Jenny–I’m going to try it.
I’m not shopping either, but that’s mainly because I’m working. I don’t have an objection to shopping on Black Friday if that’s when the best deals are.
*cookie
Sounds like a great Thanksgiving, Jenny! Your tree looks amazing.
I’m not shopping today but I have taken advantage of a few of the “pre Black Friday week” sales or what have you that have been happening. Even in Canada! It’s not even our Thanksgiving! But I don’t mind some discounts. Hmmm. Now that I say that I wonder if I should check out Sephora.
I think you should definitely check out Sephora : ) But I do think “Black Friday” lasts a lot longer than one day now, so we have plenty of time left to shop.
Omg we were all yelling ‘call a time out’ at the end of the bears game. We were hoping they would win as that would put us in better position in the NFC north. That coach has got to get fired!!! They totally could have tied the game with a FG!
Ok, enough ranting! Paul sounds like Phil with weight. Phil can lose weight so easily and needs to lift to keep weight on. When I had Paul, he lost 5 pounds while we were in the hospital because he missed 1-2 meals during the long labor process. Glad you could help him out some of the lost pounds back on!
Our Thanksgiving was nice but did not get off to the best start as one of my brother’s harassed Phil about the election results… we are the lone democrats in our family. I was PISSED because politics should be able to be off the table on a holiday but I guess not… I never know who will read my blog so this won’t make my blog recap of the holiday so I had to rant about it here!! But on the positive side, my 10k went great, the food was really good, and the kids had a great time with their cousins.
Oh Lisa… I’m sorry about the politics. It makes me so mad- if the election had gone the other way, can you even imagine showing up to Thanksgiving and harassing people about the results?? NO! YOU WOULD NEVER DO THAT! Well… it’s over now and I hope overall the day was fun. Congrats on your race!!! And, it sounds like everyone was healthy enough to enjoy the day.
The end of that game… I couldn’t even believe it. I was rooting for the Bears because I’m from Chicago, and my sister and BIL are big fans. What a way for it to end!
Right? We would not have said a word if Harris won. Because we have manners and don’t discuss politics with my family because it is a poor use of time. Sometimes I am tired of being the party that goes high when they go low. This family member is coming to taco’s party tonight. If he says something again I will lose it!!!
We saw the coach was fired today. I think he’s had some other really terrible calls this season. It was nice to see the Lions struggle a bit. But I feel like they have a good shot at the superbowl. Which I would be fine with – I don’t think the Vikings are consistent enough to make it far into the playoffs but we shall see!
Was he really???? That was quick. And yes… we go high, they go low. Is it really paying off? I guess we can at least feel better about ourselves.
My plate looked like your son’s and I didn’t run…
We ordered food for 10 and we only had 5 (due to illness)
Have to work so no shopping… that’s a good thing.
Me too Darlene! I always work on Black Friday, and I figure earning money is better than spending it. Sounds like you’ll be eating leftovers for a while!
Happy Thanksgiving!
We hosted this year, and all of the in-town family came. We had 12 people and three dogs. There was some challenge in keeping the food out of range of the dogs’ counter surfing abilities, but we figured it out and everyone had a great time. Somehow things worked out so that most of the leftovers are desserts, and I’m good with that.
That sounds fun! I would be kind of upset if we ONLY had dessert leftovers, because then the family would be asking for more food today and I AM NOT COOKING AGAIN.
Oh, that apple cranberry pie looks amazing. My BIL brought a sugar free pumpkin pie that he bought at the store. I’m not sure what sweetener was. It tastes good, but has a bit of an after taste.
We had a lovely Thanksgiving, 6 of us. Tonight we are going to make chili with some of the leftovers, and my daughter is going to her 10th HS reunion. WHAT? 10 years already? Crazy.
Time flies, RIGHT??? And, sugar free stuff is iffy. There’s always a tradeoff.
I’m jealous of your vegan feast! I’m the only vegan in my family but my sister can’t have dairy so my mom makes sure all the side dishes and the dessert are vegan so everyone can eat them, which I appreciate. The apple cranberry pie sounds really good!
I did do some online shopping today, mostly for running gear, including a new pair of trail shoes for under $100, which is a deal considering most pairs are $160+ nowadays! I also helped my parents decorate their trees and then went for a 6 mile trail run in the afternoon, and it is so NICE to be able to run at 3 pm and not melt in the heat!
Looks like a great spread. Something for everyone. We had a very nice Thanksgiving and managed to get our Christmas card photo done before we left the house to go to my SIL’s house. I did go to the mall with Mini, and Curly met us there. We went shopping because we had the time, not because it was Black Friday. We were a bit bummed it was black Friday, because we wanted to avoid the crowds – but the crowds were tolerable.
Happy Thanksgiving! There are a lot of lights up in our neighborhood already too (before Thanksgiving). I am not sure when we will get ours up though.
I follow TSA on Threads and they have all kinds of tips about which holiday foods you can take through (its a snarky account, so if you’re on Threads they’re worth a follow). I’m guessing mashed potatoes would be OK, but cranberry sauce might not make it through. 😉
Happy Thanksgiving!
Look at that feast. The food looks delicious and it sounds like you had a wonderful family day. That makes me so happy.
Since we had an early Thanksgiving with my MIL, when she was visiting over the weekend, our actual Thanksgiving was really low-key and laid back. I hung out in front of our fireplace in the morning, went for my own Turkey Trot in the early afternoon, and watched a documentary later. We also cooked a stew for dinner.
What a lovely Thanksgiving! It looks like it was a great time with delicious food – and that’s the most important thing. What was NOT GREAT was the m-f’in Dolphins. On my birthday even! Gah.
YUM!! That salad is BEAUTIFUL. We had roasted Brussels and steamed green beans, plus crudites, but no salad– next year!!
We celebrated again with our friends who moved to Las Vegas. We did do our Black Friday shopping the day before Thanksgiving. It seems like most places have pretty good deals ahead of time. I don’t really need anything right now and neither does the rest of the family.
I love the Christmas lights up and your tree! We still have to get a tree and pull the lights out from the basement. We will get there eventually..
Your dinner looks sooo good! And those pies!!! I need to make one just to feel the spirit of the season.