Let The Eating Begin....

Wow ....here we are girls...it is .......THANKSGIVING DAY.......I am up with my sweetie  just took  my first sip of coffee...I bet a lot of you are standing in your kitchens getting your bird in the oven....making sure all your side dishes are planned so there's no baking overlap....I have the TV on waiting for the Macy's parade to begin...how fun it is to have that Holiday feeling...I am feeling much better with my back...it has been a learning experience...in fact tomorrow I go back to work...yes my first BLACK FRIDAY  since I was in my 20's....I am putting myself in the hands of my Heavenly Father...trusting him to give me rest from pain...and stamina to be a GOOD WORKER....

I pray each of you have a ....SPECTACULAR....Thanksgiving Day my friends....In our part of the country we will have  a sunny day in the low 50's.....PERFECT....turkey day temps...I will be back tomorrow God willing...as for what I'm thankful for....I am thankful for the freedom we have in our wonderful country to celebrate this day....which means being with our family's....celebrating more then good food....we all are going to be spending the day with our FAVORITE FACES...creating new memories....new stories to add to the long list of life experiences....so I say....ENJOY...GOD BLESS EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU...till next time ....big hugs.....Karena

For Me It's All About....Tradition...

My Goodness time is flying by....the weekend was a whoosh.....Happy Monday to you all...my sweetie is home today he has a somewhat flexible schedule...it's a treat to be together on a Monday...kinda feels like were playing hooky ...I have been about the business of recuperating from this back issue...as I have been following the doctor's orders to rest ...I've had oodles of time to think about Thanksgiving this Thursday....

I was comforted by the list of  "Traditions" this time of year brings..Thanksgiving is a big deal to me.....I've always viewed it as the "Gatekeeper Holiday"...it is the beginning of the Holiday Season...time to get out our good plates ...inspect them for chips or cracks...time to think about how to set the table or tables in case you have to set up more then one..in my life growing up...my Italian family always took the "KIDS TABLE" seriously...that was our designated eating post....as I grew it was an unspoken job to help Marmie with the stuffing preparation ...that meant cutting celery...onions...soaking the day old loaf of bread making sure we had a can of poultry seasoning and of course her secret ingredient ..."Italian Sausage" sweet not spicy...cooked up ...cooled ..then cut into tiny pieces to add to the bowl ...then I would help hold the Turkey openings ...front and back so she could stuff that bird....she always said.."take your time Karena...use all the stuffing...pack it in really tight"...

Watching Macy's Thanksgiving day Parade is how we started the morning ...it came on early on the West Coast...to this very moment it is something I STILL LOOK FORWARD TO....

The floats were always fascinating to me growing up...so BIG...I can't wait to see what's in store for us this year...

My favorite time on Thanksgiving Day is when the whole family is called to the table...we all took our places...excited to see the "FINISHED PRODUCT" Marmie would walk down from the kitchen into our family room...holding the Turkey on her biggest tray....we would all ...ohhh and awww....then she'd place it in the center of the table...take her seat and ask my dad to pray....GRACE over our thanksgiving meal was my favorite part...we all held hands ..there were 12 of us when the whole family was together...after the prayer...Dad would carve the turkey...and say...LET'S EAT....

So girls...from my house to yours this week I pray you all are healthy...happy ...full of joy to be with ALL your "Special Faces"...I will be thinking of you...blessings and hugs till next time...Karena