Friday, November 29, 2013

Let Us Give Thanks


I have so many blessings and so many things to be thankful for, like most of you that read my blog.... family, friends, good health, a nice place to live. Good food and music surround me. Life is good.

One more Hope Floats quote, "my cup runneth over"!!

Its been a very lovely Thanksgiving here in Broomeville. Gerry had a brilliant idea for us to have Thanksgiving dinner here on Wednesday. We usually host his family on Thanksgiving day, but this year his brother did the hosting and was "keeping it simple". This meant no traditional Thanksgiving foods for us, no frig stuffed with leftovers, no turkey coma, travel for four hours.....

So the Wednesday idea was perfect. I cooked all day, healthy food, used some Weight Watchers recipes, tried in vain to stick to my points (which I did until we cut the pecan pie). Wesley got home early, just in time for a few snowflakes to fall. I got out my old oil lamps and lit candles, and the world was a cozy place. The house smelled wonderful, we were warm, the lamplight was soft and glowing, and we had a long peaceful dinner, catching up with school stuff and telling stories. I was so relaxed, not stressed about having fifteen people in my house and getting it all right. Just us three, sitting in the warm glow of my great grandmother's lantern...... sigh.....

I thought about my ancestors as we ate. Did my grandmother sit by this very lamp at night doing her school work, did her mother light this lamp at night and eat by it just as we were doing? I am so thankful to have these pieces of my past to hold on to and to remember.....


I'm also so very thankful to have this sweet child in my life. She brings absolute joy with her when she walks through the door!


Here is my version of Thanksgiving turkey. Wesley has been a vegetarian since conception. As soon as I got pregnant with her, meat became a problem for me. She has never eaten meat, and going places for the holidays can be problematic since most people's meals center around some sort of meat product. This is what I brought along to the family hoedown. In my WW meeting last week, a photo of this veggie tray got passed around and we all agreed to do one. It's so funny, but healthy!

When we first found out we were doing Thanksgiving at Gerry's brother's house, I balked a bit. The main reason I do it here is because I live with the two pickiest eaters on the planet. When we do family gatherings somewhere else, I usually end up bringing a trunk full of food for them. Plus, I am doing Weight Watchers, and that can be a problem too. However, this turned out to be a really good meal. Brother and wife obviously worked very hard putting the day together. Their house was lovely, warm and festive, the food was healthy and good. There was salad and veggies and plenty for us all. The best part was I just showed up with my veggie turkey and ate, no dishes to deal with, no stress, just a nice time with family.


Wesley got out her keyboard when she got home, and music is creeping back into her busy film life. Wednesday night after a wonderful dinner, she went down to Franklin St. to jam with some of her old band mates at a local bar. I absolutely love that she did this. Reuniting with her music friends, food for the soul!


Even after going a bit overboard with food for two days, I can still fit into jeans I haven't worn in a very long time! I was very careful to eat mostly veggies that were in salad form or lightly steamed. There might have been some excess on the gravy, I love savory way more than sweets. I stuck with my WW leaders suggestion to have three bites of a dessert, one bite for taste, one bite for texture and one bite just because. It works, that's all I had and all I needed.

My brother in law always brings this hateful thing called "Cherry Yum Yum". It's basically cherry pie filling, whipped cream and graham crackers. It's really basically a diabetic coma just waiting to happen. Last year I ate one half of the serving dish, yes I did. This year I ate three spoonfuls! and I enjoyed every tiny crumb of it! It's a ridiculous dessert and thank goodness it only rolls around once a year!

We got home around 4pm, yesterday, the sky was glowing with the setting sun, and I had to get out there in it. Wesley and I bundled up and went for a long walk. We saw the neighborhood deer family, the crows called to us, and there was peace on Earth, at least here on our little patch of it.

I hope everyone had a lovely day of giving thanks. As one of Wesley's friends so wisely put it on Facebook:

We spend Thanksgiving day giving thanks and then go out the next day and trample each other and pepper spray our fellow humans all for a better price on an electronic device at Walmart. It's a sad reality isn't it?

I am most thankful for the fact that this is not my reality!

12 comments:

Dennis Allen said...

So many people have to fight like Black Friday for a bag of rice or a bottle of water. We are so fortunate.

Tracey Broome said...

Dennis, so right! Imagine having to walk to get your ration of water for the day, or living in a tent during a typhoon. THe big box retail mentality of this country just makes me so sick!

Sandy Miller said...

Ahhhhh Tracey, I used to cook for a houseful, times change and now only three. We had a great time and far less stress. The wood stove glowed and yet I dream of a Thanksgiving in a tent on a trail somewhere, waking up to hot coffee and sunrises with no food coma! Someday it will happen :)

Amy said...

happy thanksgiving Tracey! Planning on stopping by during the tour.

Tracey Broome said...

Sandy, Thanksgiving camping sounds like a dream! I'm all for it!
Amy, look forward to seeing you!

oldgreymare said...

The black friday turned thursday is not my reality either... I heard this a.m some folks in lala land were shot over "stuff" sigh...

I ate and took two naps...then read... perfect... now countdown till my kiddos are home.
Your day sounds delightful. <3

Tracey Broome said...

It was delightful, yours sounds delightful too. I love that word:-)

Michèle Hastings said...

You will see on my blog that we had two thanksgivings as well. I love the smell of turkey roasting and thanksgiving dinner is my favorite to cook. Jeff's family does more of a potluck dinner and everything is luke warm or cold by the time we eat on paper plates (yep, paper). I think of it as a nice day spent with family and friends but it's not our idea of thanksgiving dinner.
It sounds like you had two great days.

Lori Buff said...

I love love the little stuffed turkey, very veggie friendly.

Susan Wells said...

Mother daughter looks more like sisters!

cookingwithgas said...

what a great turkey! We ate seafood out at the outer banks.... look at the ocean and then took a drive.. it was lovely.

Tracey Broome said...

Hey Michele, I know all about that lukewarm meal! I'm for cooking at home and having what I like, steaming hot from the stove to table!
Lori, yes, veggie turkey for the peeps here!
Awww. Susan, I can say the same for you and your kids :)
Meredith, that sounds like a perfect Thanksgiving, the Outer Banks are so wonderful, enjoy them, they are going to disappear one of these days, sadly...