Thursday, November 22, 2012

Another Thanksgiving is over...

Another Thanksgiving is over.   Everything I fixed turned out just the way it should have and we ate way too much, of course.  This year I cooked dinner and our son and his friend, Jackie, joined us.  Of course I cooked enough food for at least ten people so we're definitely going to be eating turkey and dressing for a couple more days!

This year, I set the table with a red and white checked bistro style cloth and used my white dinnerware.  The table favors I made looked cute sitting in the plates.  Jackie and Gene seemed to really like theirs and there was some discussion about whose chocolate was whose.  But, I packed up enough leftovers and sent with them that I know they won't fight too much over it!

This morning I made two loaves the "easiest bread I've ever made" from the recipe I shared here a while back.  Gene really liked it and even asked for the recipe when I told him I made two loaves and had them on the table in under an hour.  He says if he doubles the original recipe that it should be just about what he'd need to make for one of the meals they cater.

Fred and Jackie spent some time surveying our yard.  She's a horticulturist, and has some great ideas on how we can improve our landscaping.  In 2010, we had a tornado pass within an 1/8th of a mile of our house, uprooting eight huge trees. That summer, the yard was a total mess from doing the tree removal and cleanup.  Then last summer, Fred took the fall off the ladder and was housebound and nothing much got done.

Those factors combined with the drought the past three years means our yard really needs some TLC from someone who knows what to do.  Jackie's generously offered to come back with some landscape sketches and advise us on what planting needs to be done. I'm excited to see what she comes up with.  She was rattling off names of all types of shrubs, trees and plants so fast that I couldn't keep up!

One thing she told me was that we can replant trees in the places where the ones were blown down by the tornado.  I had been told by a nurseryman as well as the professional tree service that did the stump removal that I'd have to wait 8-10 years before replanting in the same spot due to the old root structure.  Now, I want to make a trip to one of the large nurseries in Oklahoma City and pick out the largest trees that we can handle (and afford) and get something in the ground.

I've enjoyed the past two days.  I got the opportunity to spend hours and hours in my kitchen cooking, which I love, and to share what I prepared with my family.  We enjoyed the pretty weather and had a good time visiting.  After the kids left, I managed to slip into a "turkey coma" on the couch for a couple of hours. 

Tomorrow, we'll get back into our regular routine and get the house ready for Cooper.  Melissa's going to drop him off so we can keep him for a few days.  I sure hope the weather stays pretty so he can be outside with Grandpa!  It's been over five weeks since we've seen Cooper and I can hardly wait to give him a big hug!

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