Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope everyone had a wonderful day with friends and loved ones.

My Thanksgiving started with a 6:30 AM phone call from my brother, Stephen. Stephen LOVES Thanksgiving. He is unmarried and enjoys a good home cooked meal anytime of the year, but the holidays are especially wonderful for him. He woke me up telling me he was dreaming of cheesecake and had already been to the grocery store to buy the needed ingredients. Cheesecake was not on the menu this year. Actually, he requested that I make a pineapple upside down cake instead. Apparently he could not live with the change. Stephen arrived about an hour later (he had to track me down a paper with Black Friday ad's since mine was not on my porch)and helped me cook the entire meal. We made and enjoyed:

Turkey
Cranberry sausage cornbread stuffing
Sweet potato casserole
Mashed potatoes
Green bean supreme
"Angeled" eggs
cranberry sauce with oranges and pineapples
homemade yeast rolls
colored greens (which my family thought I was nuts for making, but everyone excepth Katie loved! Thanks Gina N*eely)
Cheesecake
Pecan pie
pumpkin layered cheesecake
pineapple upside-down cake

I like to think our holidays are enriched with traditions passed down from my mom to us and from us to my children. As a single mom I think she was extra careful around the holidays to make sure we had the best experiences. Most of my fondest childhood memories revolve around Thanksgiving and Christmas. It is the most wonderful time of the year for me. Our traditions on Thanksgiving are simple. We eat the same food each year, tell the same stories, watch movies, watch the kids play, laugh, and just spend time together. It was a wonderful day.

For the last 7 years I have followed Thanksgiving dinner with Black Friday shopping. When I say fallow dinner I mean it almost literally. My friend Malissa and I leave around 11:30 PM and shop all night long. Last night we were at Toys R Us at midnight. It was so crazy we walked out at 12:05 with empty hands. I have never seen such a huge and angry crowed at a toys store on BF. Usually people are laughing and having a good time. Not. Last. Night. They were CRAZY!!!!!

Crazy for Zhu*Zhu pets. Something I have never head of.

Malissa and I ended up getting everything on our lists and them some. The lines were long, the crowds were large, and the people were a little rowdier than usually, but all in all it was a great night. We ended our day around 8:30 with breakfast. I love our tradition and can not wait to go out next year.