Many Thanks

Some hae meat and canna eat, -
And some wad eat that want it;
But we hae meat, and we can eat,
Sae let the Lord be thankit.
~Robert Burns

So the big Thanksgiving holiday is over. Didn't make it to Texas this year so I spent the day at my sister Carolyn's. It was actually pretty good. We had a ton of food (maybe not quite enough Jello salads - that's sarcasm). Yes it is all about the food. Here is a rundown:

Assorted Appetizers (veggies, etc.)
Roast turkey breast
Dressing (Anita and I made it this year - just like Mom)
Baked ham
Mashed potatoes (with ham gravy - YUM!)
Baked corn casserole
Green bean casserole
Broccoli and rice casserole
Sweet potato casserole (this was my dish - it ROCKED)
Strawberry Pretzel Salad (Jello #1)
Broken Glass salad (Jello #2)
Cranberry sauce
Dinner rolls
2 pumpkin pies
2 French silk pies
Lemon merengue pie
coconut dessert (sugar-free! Hooray!)
Rice Krispie bars
Snickerdoodles (also my contribution)

Whew!

Here are Eric's tribute photos:




There were little people eating big food.

And best of all there was my new little grand-niece, Mya:




I did miss seeing Kenny and Jill this year. Thursday evening, Eric and I were sitting around and so we reminisced a little about our adventures in Texas each year. Greg, Mitch & Laura were in town for the weekend. We took Laura to Taylor's Maid Rite for the quintessential Marshalltown culinary experience. It was fun but Mitch and Greg spilled their malts on the counter (it was pretty funny - they just didn't have the technique). Then we took her on a proper tour of the city, and stopped out at the Animal Resuce League. It was very hard to leave without adopting someone. I managed to make it through.

So now it's officially WINTER. Last night we received our first proper snowfall. Very picturesque, but I don't ever look forward to driving in the stuff - especially with all the people who somehow forget how to drive in snow.



Luckily, my car is nice and clean and warm in its garage...

Ziggy is spending some time watching the snowflakes falling outside the front window. This is his first winter so he has no idea what is going on. He seems perplexed by the whiteness. And really who isn't?
Here is a recent photo showcasing that TAIL! I comb it just about every day and it seems to get fluffier and fluffier!!




So it's time to think about Christmas and the upcoming celebrations. It is one of my favorite times of the year. Mostly because I know my friends will be coming. I'm gearing up for the big decorating weekend. I thought I would be able to do that this weekend, but I started to really slow down on Friday night and haven't had much energy since then, so it will have to wait until next weekend. Just as well. I don't know how Zig will react to having the tree. Kitties are so curious. In any case, that will have to wait until I recover from the recent festivities.

So here's hoping that your holiday was as flavorful and fun as mine. And it's not just about the food...

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. ~John Fitzgerald Kennedy