Our time of ThanksLiving

The morning began with Justin busy in the kitchen making his dinner rolls for our feast. When I ventured out to see how he was doing, I had the privilege of cleaning up the mess left behind. I am all about it, enjoy the task of putting everything back to right in my kitchen. Justin came up with the idea of using the little tool from Pampered Chef for cleaning the stone baking sheets to remove the residue on the counter from rolling out his dough. It worked to get the big stuff off but the somewhat gummy feeling the counter was going to take some work. I wiped it several times in the course of the day to try to get it smooth again. 

The fresh baked rolls didn't turn out quite the way Justin wanted them to but I liked them. He is going to keep trying recipes until he finds one the fits the bill.

Much of the prep was done the day before for my foods and I spent the time before worship to dish up my cranberries and relishes, etc. and get them ready for the table. Justin and I sort of waited until the last minute to start getting ourselves ready and we both got showered and ready for church in less than 20 minutes. Time in the kitchen flies by! We looked nice for church, not the least bit rushed. 

Dee had offered to pick up the turkey for us. Justin and I were responsible for some of the foods. I had mixed up the green beans casserole, mixed up a corn souffle using a new recipe, prepped the ham for cooking, brushing a brown sugar glaze over it, plus mashed the potatoes. They gave me a terrible time----wanting to climb up the beaters and out of the top of the bowl. As my niece once described my mashed potatoes:  "sticky, but good!" All things were ready!

When we got home after church I got everything out (forgot to mention my cranberry Jell-O made yesterday) and what needed to be baked went into the oven. Justin had done his rolls ready but needed to prep his mini-apple pies. There was no room in the oven for them until all was on the table so he got them ready and popped the pans in when we sat at the table. When the folks started arriving, it was a flurry of food and folks, pies and wine and gifts!

Justin took this photo of us at the table, minus Donald who was in the kitchen carving the bird. From left are Martha, Dee, Helen, Matthew (married to Martha), Michael, Donald's chair, me, Justin's chair, Julia (married to Michael), Jacko (Martha's son), Nadia, and Lorese. The three younger ladies are sisters. There mom and other sister cancelled due to the youngest sister being ill. Our number went from 14 to 12 to 13 and then to 12. This way all the plates were the same which for some reason meant a lot to me!  

We enjoyed our feast, with me being thanked for hosting about a dozen times. Part way through the meal my corn souffle finally set up enough to serve and we made a dent in it. We also had sweet potatoes with marshmallows on top and a squash casserole which Dee made, and Michael made two types of stuffing, one with oysters in it. We had three types of pie plus Justin's hot- from-the-oven individual apple pies made with crescent rolls. I think that's enough food, right? 

We sat around the table until about 4:30, so for 3 hours we enjoyed each other's company. In between Justin and I cleared away dishes and our guests followed my request to remain seated while we did so. My kitchen is too small to accommodate many people and I wanted them to just enjoy their time together. Dee was impressed with how neat everything was in the kitchen. That's the way I like it!

Ready to cook!

This morning I ventured to the Island to start our shopping for the holiday feast. We didn't have Bible study this week so my Monday a.m. was free and I needed something to motivate me to get up and dressed. Publix did the trick! Justin and I compared the ads from both Winn Dixie and Publix to see which had the best prices, etc. They were pretty much a horse apiece and my choice was Publix. I know my way around there fairly well and had my list to avoid missing anything.

It wasn't crazy busy in the store and it seemed that I had a brand-new shopping cart. Was so pleased it rolled easily and went the same direction I was going. The soda was on special too which was icing on the cake. Justin and I had picked up some of our meal prep stuff last week when shopping the big sale at Target so I just had to fill in some blanks on the menu. A nice young lady helped me get my stuff to the car, and laughed she tried to fit 4 more cases of Diet Coke into the back of my already loaded with DC car. Yes, I have a problem and so does Justin!!  

We had a nice day today of 86 above zero, but up in WI my family and friends are enduring a snow storm. Linda was not able to watch The Five with me tonight because the snow accumulated on their satellite dish. She was waiting for Tommy get home to use their long-handled brush to clean off the dish. My sister who works at a state hospital reported that their pager system for communication went down which is NOT a good thing. The wards and such need to be able to contact each other and her in case of emergency, etc. Glad it came back up again for them. Justin came home from work sapped from the heat and humidity but at least he didn't have to scrape anything!

Tonight was a Board meeting here at our building. I wanted to be sure to attend since a civil engineer was going to present some ideas for our garage leaking problem. Yes, more water problems, but at least it's outside this time. Al, the engineer, was the first person 'we' met upon moving to FL. He was a classmate of our partner, Curt, and showed us around on our exploratory visit to OP. It was good to see him again, and brought back some fond memories for me. He told me once, upon seeing me in a restaurant, that he usually heard me before he saw me, my tell-tale laugh gave me away. I reminded him how his oldest daughter used to baby sit for Justin...wow, we go back a long way!  And now he is nearly my neighbor and might see each other more often. I don't mind that one little bit!

A long day for me

It was a long day for several of us, with me just a short while ago getting home from a worship meeting at church. Apparently we are in a time crunch now to get our 'Vision' stuff ready to be presented to the leadership before the next quarterly meeting. I would personally like to talk this stuff to pieces, it's so very important, and fear making a mistake in our determinations. Sigh...We have one whole 'big idea' we haven't touched on yet but hope to do so in the New Year. It's about Bible studies and I am all about that!

I am envious of Linda and some of my family as they have up to 5 opportunities, depending upon the week, for Bible study. Linda goes on Sunday morning, Monday nights to help with the Hmong class, Tuesday afternoon with a lay leader, Thursday evening with the same lay leader but different subject matter, plus every other Friday and Saturday mornings, one with Pastor and one with a lay leader. Mom and Lynn join her on Sunday, Friday, and Saturday for those classes. They are so blessed with study opportunities!

Back to my day---It began with Bible study and worship on this Christ the King Sunday. It's hard to believe we are facing the new year already---Advent! Justin was able to join our regular group, minus Terri and Betty, for lunch at Chili's this week, watching the Jaguar game once home. It was hard to watch but at least the Packers won. Gretchen didn't come to church today. She rides now with Ethel and Darwin, and since they were staying for the soup pot luck which was after worship, she knew she wouldn't get home in time to watch the game. Oh, that Gretchen!

I had my homework done for the meeting tonight but took the time to try to organize the paperwork so I know what is what. In speaking earlier in the week with Kristi, we shared our being buried in papers for this project, and not being sure of what to keep and what to toss. I think I got it figured out. Print outs of other reference materials I collect have been marked with post-it notes so I can pull out what I need to help with my case. Didn't get to do much of that tonight as much is already pretty cut 'n dried. But, I encouraged Kristi, our official note taker, to make sure she wrote "let the record show..." as I stressed that my name is going to affixed to this final document. When I was leaving the church, I texted Justin to let him know, telling him I'll just have dessert and a strong drink when I got home. I gave it my best!

Fabulous brisket

Oh, my goodness, such great brisket! Nancy W and I went to the newly opened 4Rivers BBQ place which opened where the Quincy's used to me on Hwy. 17. Justin and I had gone there on Wednesday but it was too busy, lines snaking around the building, so we went home to eat the beef roast I'd made. This time the line was shorter and the weather more pleasant than Wednesday evening. It was well worth the wait!

The way the meat is ordered and served is somewhat unique. The customer orders at the counter and the server writes the order on the brown paper lining the food tray. One orders the brisket either moist or dry, and I chose moist, which means the opposite of dry. My choice came with three sides so I had green beans, mac 'n cheese, and cole slaw. I could have other items but was mostly concerned about the brisket. The meat is just plunked down on the brown paper from which one eats from, but the sides come in foam cups. We got covers for the sides right away, especially me, knowing mine would go home with me. 

The dining room is lined with rows of tables with some booths around the perimeter, and seating outdoors as well. We found a place at a table and got settled in to devour our meals. Nancy took the chicken and was delighted with it, taking half home with her. I, however, ate every morsel of my brisket plus some of the paper it came on!!  Wow, words cannot express...I remember when Justin went the first time to the store on the Southside with Will and Bethany. He sat here in my room and simply gushed about it. Now I see why! 

Because this is the first week they are open, the manager was walking around, making sure we were all set. She told us this was the smoothest first week store opening they've ever had which is good news. I told her that I should have bought a double order because I loved it so much, and was told it is possible to order a second portion for a few bucks more. And she gave each of us a card for a free sandwich for our next visit. Can't go wrong with that! I cannot wait to go again!!

A day of remembrance and encouragement

Today is my dad's birthday, or would be, if he was alive. He would be 92 years old, something I cannot even imagine. He passed away from complications after a stroke when Timmy was about 5 months old. I remember talking to my sister, Lynn, on the phone, getting a report from her on Dad's condition. The doctor had told her Dad was doing better, showing improvement, that type of thing. A few hours later she called to report he was gone. What in the world? How could things have changed so dramatically in a few hours' time? Bob was 74 when he died and he never got to see Timmy. I'd send him letters and cards with pictures, some of which were still in his room at Shady Lane where he lived. Lynn did the lion's share of taking care of business for Dad and I am so thankful for that. 

When I was young, I used to spend lots of time with my dad in his workshop and on projects around the house. It was my job to put the nails the right way in the box, all the heads on one end, easier to grab and use that way. Now it all makes sense about my wanting things organized...my dad taught me that! This might also be why I like the smell of fresh cut wood. 

This afternoon I got a message from a friend from high school, who commented on my blog posting about dreaming of Timmy. Steve said, "Come on, Kimmer, quit spending time on the blog and finish your book!" Another friend, Judy, also from Manty, chimed in with her encouragement. Both seemed to think what I have to say will be valuable to others so I told them I'd make a New Year's determination to work on the book again. I know I've said that several times before but perhaps this time it will stick!  I am thankful for the encouragement and also thankful that Steve remembered my article in our high school's alumni newsletter back in 2005. Whew, that is a long time ago!  

Weather or not

Storm reports are coming in from all around the US indicating freezing temperatures and/or feet of snow being deposited. Poor upstate New York! Here in N. FL, we are among those with the below freezing overnight temperatures, with two nights in a row showing at 28. First of all, that is far too early for us to be this cold. Secondly, that temperature is always too cold for us! It doesn't seem to be going very far south so the hopefully the crops won't be affected. Justin and his buddy, Ray, each purchased insulated jackets a couple weeks ago from Wal-Mart, so they are ready to face the cold. At least, I hope the jackets do the trick. 

Connie has covered the plants along our walkways and property, including using a set of old sheets I had offered her as drop cloths. Glad to see them pressed into service already. The property at The Club once again looks like a bunch of ghosts as the shrubs and greenery are dressed in white sheets. I'm sure they have extras since they use them in the hotel (not the same ones, I am sure). Yesterday it warmed to the mid-50's and today it was in the low 60's for the high temps. 

What a week of goofy weather it's been. Monday, as we ladies had our sad lunch at Longhorn, after being told we wouldn't meet again until 2015, people all around us were having their phones going off. Our waitress came to tell us that Duval and Clay counties were under a tornado warning. They weren't sure if we should stay or go but most of us were in favor of heading for home. I called Connie to let her know, so she could button things up on the property, but Rose had already alerted her. Connie told me the elevator man was there greasing the cables in anticipation of the freeze but hoped he'd be done by the time I got home. Thankfully he was, and he took me up to my floor for his test run. Whew!, no steps to scale with the storm behind me.  

I took this picture when I got up to my courtyard, looking west as the storm headed our way. Justin was in the house, aware of the storm because his phone also alerted him. He suggested we make sure our devices were charged because a couple times our electricity blinked, and he brought me an extra charger for my phone to speed the process. First the winds came, and the sideways rain, and then, it was over. The temperature had dropped from 82 above to the 60's, and only went down from there. Perfect night for us to go shopping, right???

The worst part of the storm occurred on the Southside and Arlington areas, and downtown. Some of my friends posted pictures taken from the taller buildings downtown, and reported feeling the buildings swaying in the wind. A tornado was sighted but did not touch down, thankfully, but damage from the high winds was evident. Gas station roofs torn off, trees down on the wires, 6000+ without power for a while, and trees through people's roofs. November is not the month for tornadoes nor for freezing temps! We object!  

My friend, Pat, lives a few miles south of me along the river and experienced for the second time in 2014 the loss of multiple trees on her property, taking with them her power and other connections. I feel so badly for them having to go through this again, and hope she can get some help with the clean up, and get her connections all restored quickly. The utility guys will have a few extremely busy days getting things back up again. They are heroes when they do!

Shopping like rock stars

Last night Justin and I went shopping at Target, primarily to take advantage of the soda sale going on. Secondly, they have a deal where the purchase of $50 worth of groceries earns the shopper a $10 gift card. That is not hard to take!  Each of the us had a cart and we took eight 12 packs in our carts. Right there we each had $22 worth of groceries before any real food went into the basket.

Many food items needed for the ThanksLiving feast were 'on sale', or should I say 'highlighted in the ad',  so it didn't take long to reach the required purchase amount to earn the gift card. I guess it's similar to the deal Kohl's or Beall's offers, to entice the shopper back an additional time. Justin bought himself a Thermos bottle to use for coffee while on the job. It has been a very long time since a Thermos bottle has been used in this household. More than 10 years, I would safely guess. He was able to turn right around and use his discount card to purchase the Thermos, checking it out separately. Brilliant!!

It was turning cold by the time we got home (having had dinner at Koko's first) so we carried up only the stuff which needed the freezer or fridge, though it really wouldn't have mattered since it froze outside overnight. The canned goods and such will be carried little by little to get everything upstairs the next few days. We are serving 10-14 guests for the feast, but we don't have to make all the food. Justin plans to make homemade dinner rolls so he bought some more flour and sugar. We are overrun now with canned goods with no place to put it temporarily so I am allowing (wince!!) some of the items to remain on the counter. I don't care for that but what else can we do until next week?

One item we took a look at was one of those 'too good to pass up' things, but I decided to do just that. It was an electric roaster, similar to what I know as a Nesco. The price was so good, less than $30, but I really could not think of a reason I would need such a thing. Somehow, if I lived up north yet, I could see it's purpose, but I don't entertain here like we did when in Manty. 

I did buy a new slow cooker this year to replace my long-time one which quit, so that is about the size I need. It's just galling to pass up such a great deal, though! I even asked Mike S. if the church would have a use for another one and he said we don't use the ones we have. My former spouse and I bought those Nesco roasters (a pair of them) many years ago when he did much of the cooking for functions. If I really need one, I know where to look!