Faces!

Today's tasks...


Rearranging the family room today for optimum Christmas tree viewing...

Putting candles in the windows...

Pulling all the hundreds of Christmas bins from the basement crawlspace...yikes!

And about crawl spaces...we didn't even know what that was until we moved here!

Our basement is kind of big but on one side there is a sort of window like opening...you literally need a ladder to get inside...when we first saw it we thought it was a mistake! But now we are used to it...every Christmas I climb up into it and slide the very heavy bins over to Den...he puts them in order against another basement wall and we haul them upstairs....again they are very heavy and some are very fragile...and it is exhausting...but we do it as we listen to Holiday music!

Ho! Ho! Ho!

That's our day! Yummy dinner out tonight...it's date night after all!





Happy Reading!

What To Do Today?

Perhaps a movie? Too crowded!

Clean? Too boring!

Take a walk? Perhaps later!

Shop? No!

Cuddle up on the sofa and read and watch a movie? Yes!

I am lethargic today...can I blame the turkey for that? Ours was yummy! And we didn't really have dinner until around six. That might have been too late. We didn't even have pie until breakfast this morning...oh my!

Actually we are doing laundry all day in order to not feel totally lazy.

Perhaps the day after Thanksgiving is meant for relaxing, munching on leftovers, reading. Yes!

After dinner yesterday...this is called a "Tonk Pile" plus one! I would be the plus one!






Reading this...fun mystery!



And just started this...dystopian yumminess!



Happy Reading!

Thoughts...

How can I not remember other Thanksgivings...driving or flying back to Ohio from all of the other places that we have lived...packing, scheduling, bringing us and kitties back to Illinois Avenue in McDonald, Ohio. And now that house belongs to people I don't even know. When we are in town to visit my sister it's still hard to walk or drive by...sigh!

Setting the table for my mom...bringing out the olive and celery plates...which are now mine and my sister's.

My mom would put Libby's black olives and crispy ice cold celery on hers...I am using more exotic artisanal olives, cheeses and salume...but it's still the same feeling.













I woke up early this morning and came downstairs quietly...I thought I was alone but Roxie and Lucy were right behind me. From the family room sofa I could see the pond and hear the ducks and geese. I sipped my steamy mug of coffee and thought about the times when packing up to go home was so inconvenient. I would make a million excuses in my head about why we should just stay put...but once we got there...and saw the sweet faces of my mom and dad...who were so happy to have their "Patty" home...now I am so thankful that we did. All my parents ever wanted to do was to be with us...kids, cats, dogs, birds...they took it all in and loved every minute.

That's enough retrospective for me...I need pie! Den and I decided we would eat pie for breakfast...not the pumpkin one but the apple crispy one! Yum!


















Reading this...while watching the parade...






Happy Thanksgiving to all of my friends and family!





Happy Reading, too!

Relaxed...Rested...Reading!

Reading this...


And finishing this...



Just back from here...we are stocked and loaded...



Den is here with Lucy...



Roxie is in the study...on a chair covered with a fuzzy blankie over a heating pad...apparently she needs some "alone" time...



I am up and down...I am boiling sweet potatoes and then making them the way my mom made them. When they are cooled you peel them and sautée them in butter and brown sugar...but not until tomorrow. Cranberries are done and later Den and I are going to tackle stuffing. Yikes!

We are on Season 6 of Doctor Who...I can't believe I never watched this before...I love it...it's the perfect fantasy for me!

Happy Reading!

Time To Clean!

I have been saving it up...the cleaning...for today! Den is doing bathrooms and floors...I am doing dusting and arranging...lol...sounds fair to me!

Reading this...


Excited by these...I love these covers!





Off to dust!



Happy reading!

Planning For Thursday!

Cooking for two is something I have mastered. Thanksgiving dinner is out of my area of expertise...totally!

However...this year we are staying here. We usually go to my sister's but...we aren't yet ready to leave Lucy, the weather looks frightening...there is a ton of snow where my sister is...and tons of rain and perhaps ice here.

Den is taking off the rest of the week. We are going to see Catching Fire tomorrow and we will pick up Thanksgiving foods on Wednesday...everything is ordered and lists are made. Everyone has a job...lol!

I ordered pies from our fave little artisanal store...Janssen's...pumpkin praline and crispy topped apple...I have no clue why I ordered two...I am hoping I can freeze slices! I also hope they are tiny. Sweet cute tiny little pies! Cute little pies! Sweet little pies! Hmmm...this is from their FB page and it looks huge! Uh oh!






Now to the turkey...

I ordered an already cooked organic free range one. The smallest was 10 to 12 pounds and again...I have no concept of what that means. I am sure we will be shocked Wednesday when we pick it up. I only have to put it in the oven for two hours to warm it! Easy peasy! I think I can freeze some of that, too!

Next...

Den is in charge of mashed potatoes, I am making my mom's sweet potatoes,
I am still looking at stuffing recipes and Den wants either just plain corn or green beans or roasted brussel sprouts. We are thinking of making homemade rolls on Wednesday. I have to make homemade cranberries. It sounds like a lot but everything is in small amounts...except for those darn pies!

Lucy is in charge of watching Roxie and Roxie is in charge of watching Lucy!

Lol...sorry...I could not resist! They look so excited!





Still reading my cozy knitting mystery...it's very relaxing!

Happy Reading!

Sunday! Sunday! Sunday!

I have this thing about threes...arranging things in threes, buying things in threes, planting things in threes...and obviously titles...I was compelled to say Sunday three times...I also checked everywhere at least a hundred times and I do not need an apostrophe in any of my threes...lol...just in case you were wondering!


Of course it's a football Sunday...with the start of an awesome holiday week. We are making carnitas for dinner...the recipe is on Simply Recipes...and it is so simple! You simmer the pork roast in stock and salsa for about 4 or 5 hours. Then you shred it and sort of toast it in the oven. You then eat it on corn tortillas with chopped sweet onion and cilantro. You can add slices of avocado if you want. The best part is the iceberg lettuce salad on the side...it's lightly salted and sprinkled with vinegar...yum!



Reading this...it's so much fun and so cozy, too! I have this to review but I just checked and there are tons of these out there...same town, same knitters, new murders! What fun! Lol...



Off to watch a Doctor Who...Den wants to nap for an hour because the Broncos are on tonight!

Happy Reading!