Thanksgiving is just around the corner and so is tomorrow’s arrival of my grandchildren. I love, love, love this time with them, but not much else will get done. So in advance of Thanksgiving Day, 2015, I am reposting memories from a few years ago.
See that little hand reaching for a sample?
This was a wonderful Thanksgiving day. As in several past years, we celebrated Thanksgiving with family and friends across the state, at the home of our son-in-law’s mother. Always the gracious hostess and host and always fabulous cooks, Carol and her husband, Alan, prepare most of the traditional food. The menu included roast turkey and pork loin, mashed potatoes, two gravies, and several sides, while the extended family guests bring desserts and more sides.    The desserts filled the entire table in the breakfast room. With the exception of yours truly and my daughter (who studied the culinary arts from me), they are all fabulous cooks.
Late Wednesday night after my lemon pound cake was baked and my other dishes were prepped– stuffed baked pumpkin, garlic green beans and corn pudding–I sewed. Embroidered dishtowels are my standard Thanksgiving day hostess gift. The brown gingham-bordered towels are from AllAboutBlanks and the designs are a combination of files. The fall leaf spray is from Kreations by Kara Autumn Wreaths (a GORGEOUS collection)  and the text and pumpkins were added with my Brother PE-Design.
By mirror-imaging the same fall spray design and adding two different expressions of gratitude, this pair of towels is a more attractive set as they hang side by side. The colors were varied on each towel, though that hardly shows up in the image.
We had such a good time visiting with extended family we see infrequently. Among the guests were 90 year-old Ruby who drove herself to her son’s home with her fresh-from-the-oven pumpkin, pecan and strawberry pies.
Ten month old dgd Vivian Rose toddled throughout the enormous house, appropriating pieces of jewelry from others then blessing their required charity with her sweet smiles. Four year old dgs Alastair delighted his baby sister with his antics. Three college boys chatted with us about football and their studies in criminal justice and chemical engineering.
But the most entertaining topic of the day was Judy’s pre-Black Friday score of two pallets of University of South Florida paper plates! Herself an alumna of USF, Judy and Dave’s son, Matthew, is a freshman there. She and her husband couldn’t be more proud of him and and plan to support the university and their son in every way possible.
“It was a great deal!” she told us. “A package of 50 plates marked down from $9 to $3!!!!” When she saw that an entire pallet was available, she intended to buy them all. But then the stock boy told her that there were 4 more pallets in the store room! She thought she exhibited considerable restraint by loading up just one more pallet, generously leaving 3 for other USF fans.
We laughed and laughed when she said, “Well, he’s going to be there for 4 years! AND we use a LOT of paper plates! AND these are heavy duty AND coated!” The more we laughed the more she tried to justify her purchase.
“AND I had an empty shelf in the barn!” which her adoring husband built to store her enormous and elaborate collections of holiday ornaments. It is nearly full. This dear woman could have been Clark Griswold’s sister.
When we complimented Judy on the restraint she showed by leaving those 3 pallets, she announced that she had to save room in the barn for the USF paper napkins that would be on sale Black Friday! I wonder if she will buy 8000 to pair up with the plates.
Now she is enthusiastically gearing up to use her new Brother embroidery machine to embellish shirts and other items with “USF.” As I began suggesting sources for blanks, her mother, Ruby, told me to hush. “Just how much room do you think is left in that barn?”  Her dear husband smiled, but I couldn’t tell if it was a smile of indulgence or resignation.
Sunday, our pastor’s sermon was on thankfullness-giving. I liked that. Among the many, many, undeserved blessings which have been showered upon me and my family, I am thankful for a kindred spirit like Judy, who understands and perhaps exceeds my slightly immoderate purchases.  And I am thankful for each of you, the readers of this blog. I hope you all reveled in a day of laughter, good food and thankfullness-giving.
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