A Great Thanksgiving Day

After making stuffing, stuffing the turkey and getting it in the oven this morning, we went to do the Oak Creek 7th Annual Turkey Trek at Drexel Towne Square. It is an hour long walk around the local park at 8 AM. The coordinators request that we bring non-perishable food to be collected for charity. The temperature this morning was 37 degrees and there was a light wind but on a cold day it still stung a little. We enjoyed the view of the icy ponds along the trail where we walked. It was a great way to start turkey day.

After the walk was over we went home to enjoy bloody Marys in the hot tub. It is a great way to get the chill out of our old bones and enjoy the quiet before the storm of family that will be over later this afternoon for Thanksgiving dinner.

I love all things Peanuts so  I just had to take advantage of the opportunity to use my plastic cup for my bloody Mary.

Whenever I have something big to do, like Thanksgiving dinner I've learned to make a list. This year I thought I would add some post-dinner comments in order to learn for next year. These are the lessons I learned from this year's dinner:

1. Cook the turkey way in advance, carve it and put it in a crock pot. Then all the mess can be cleaned up before guests arrive. It is a great stress relief.
2. Make turkey stock from scratch and use it to keep the sliced turkey moist in the crock pot.
3. Make less side dishes. Everyone wants the mashed potatoes. The end.
4. The cold vegetable sides were more popular than warmed vegetables.
5. Drink wine instead of making sangria. It's less fuss.

The day was very stress free since I really planned ahead. The only disappointing thing was that my granddaughter was ill and laid on the sofa while we had dinner. At least we could see her and keep her in the conversation. I hope she is better today.

Turkey Brine

I'm hosting Thanksgiving dinner this year and the best part about that is making some things my way. First of all, I love to brine the turkey overnight for the best results. I really think it makes a big difference. So here's my brine cooking on the stove. I make it today so it can cool all day then tomorrow morning it will go over the turkey. That way the turkey can soak for 24 hours before roasting. The scent of the brine while simmering is amazing.

Here's the recipe I use (it's from Pioneer Woman):

• 3 cups Apple Juice Or Apple Cider
• 2 gallons Cold Water
• 4 Tablespoons Fresh Rosemary Leaves
• 5 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1-1/2 cup Kosher Salt
• 2 cups Brown Sugar
• 3 Tablespoons Peppercorns
• 5 whole Bay Leaves
• Peel Of Three Large Oranges

Combine all ingredients in a large pot. Stir until salt and sugar dissolve. Bring to a boil, then turn off heat and cover. 

Allow to cool completely, then pour into a large brining bag or pot. Place uncooked turkey in brine solution, then refrigerate for 16 to 24 hours. 

When ready to roast turkey, remove turkey from brine. Submerge turkey in a pot or sink of fresh, cold water. Allow to sit in clean water for 15 minutes to remove excess salt from the outside. 

Discard brine. Remove turkey from clean water, pat dry, and cook according to your normal roasting method.

St. Nick's Day

It's St. Nick's day and the girls enjoyed opening the little gifts they found in their stockings this morning.

It's going to be difficult to get them off to school today!

Lance Sijan Plane Dedication

Jeff's Legion Rider group participated in the Sijan Plane dedication today. Lance Sijan was a great American hero to was killed in captivity in Vietnam.  He was honored today with the dedication of an F-14 fighter plane that was placed near the airport in his honor.

The family was escorted from Humboldt Park to the airport by a group of 103 riders.

There were dignitaries who spoke at the event and we took the opportunity to take photos of them and thank them for all they do for us.

It was a wonderful event and I am glad I had the opportunity to attend.

Breakfast with the Easter Bunny

The Legion post hosts a breakfast with the Easter bunny each year. All Legion families are welcome to attend. At the event we get a nice breakfast followed by a visit by the Easter Bunny.

There's an Easter egg hunt and there are always plenty of eggs for all the kids to find.

The kids all get to visit with the Easter bunny where they receive an Easter basket full of goodies.

There are even crafts that the kids can make and face tattoos are available too.

Christmas Shopping

I love when holiday preparation kicks into high gear and I get so much done all in one shot.

I am ready for guests now that my fridge will be stocked with beverages. And I completed almost all of my Christmas shopping.

The beautiful thing is almost all of my other gift shopping is from Amazon so I won't have to leave the house to shop again.

The beautiful thing is that I even had time to pick up the quilts my church group made for the veterans so Jeff is ready to deliver them. Yay!

Christmas

After coming back home late on Christmas Eve we did our gift opening. Miraculously, Santa delivered gifts to our home while we were with the whole family. I just love how he takes care of us on Christmas Eve.

My granddaughters were excited but a little tired. All that play with their cousins got a bit exhausting. My daughter was very excited to see her girls open the packages containing the gift on her daughters' wish lists.

It was a perfect day and I look forward to our Christmas Day dinner here today as well.

Christmas Eve at my Mom's

Christmas Eve at my mother's is a tradition that goes back to my very beginning. It will continue forever as far as I am concerned. So as usual, we head over for dinner followed by gift opening. When we walked in the door, the tree was in a new place and it was pretty. Avery's new bike was right in view and she sure was thrilled when she saw it which made the excitement in the air even greater.

We had a nice dinner with some good wine that BJ brought along. The kids want to get to present opening but the dishes have to be done first. And it's driving them all crazy which is a part of the process...teaching them all patience.

As the kids all lined up in front of the tree, Greg handed them each a package. They all looked the same...as it turned out, they were Kindle Fires. Every kid got one and it was great fun for all the adults to watch them open them up.

After that, it was a whirlwind of frenzy and gift-opening. We all enjoyed more wine and dessert once the excitement settled down and the kids were playing with their new stuff. The really cool thing about this Christmas is that my brother, his wife and his 4 kids were with us. They live in Menomonie which is too far to come without major planning by them. Other than that, pretty much Christmas Eve has gone down this way every year. And I love the consistency of it. It provides great comfort for me and I think it does for my family as well.

Breakfast with Santa

Today was Breakfast with Santa at the Legion Post. This is a wonderful event for Legion members' families. The kids all get special attention since there are usually less than fifty kids in attendance. The day starts with the Legion Band playing Christmas music followed by pancakes, a magician, and cookie decorating before the main event. Once Santa shows up, everything else is secondary. Each child gets a gift that is based on their likes, as if Santa really does listen (ha-ha)!

Independence Day

My son is moving back here from Honolulu. We are thrilled to have him back however, we also hope it is really what he wants. For me it just seems like it is happening so quickly but then again, I am older and slower than he is. So we are happy for him and happy for us to have him back. With that said, he bought a house not far from us. It's 5 and a half miles away and that is really nice.

He had a little 4th of July get-together and we all enjoyed being there with him. He has a nice little yard just perfect for hanging out. It was a beautiful summer day and he all enjoyed a barbecue there.

Labor Day Barbecue

We pulled out all the stops for our labor day barbecue. Since it is a symbol of our passage from summer to fall we wanted to make all our summer favorites.

We had barbecued pulled pork with a slaw I made with cabbage I picked from my garden....can't get much fresher than that. I also slow cooked baked beans from scratch. Since one of the ingredients for the baked beans is a half of a package of fried bacon, I used the other half of the package to make the delicious broccoli salad.

Our neighbor crocks his own pickles and they are fantastic. They have just the right amounts of garlic and dill that one spice does not overpower the other. I am so glad he shares them with us.  We also grilled corn-on-the-cob to top off our wonderful day.

Luckily, the weather was perfect enough to carry these hardy plates outside where we could enjoy them on the deck. A funny thing happens to me around the middle of August - all of a sudden I get this sort of desperation feel, like I have to eat outside as often as possible because the days of doing that are numbered. So not only was it nice to have our dinner outside, I had a deep appreciation for being able to do that.

Oak Creek Lions Fest

Cotton Candy covered tongues!

Yesterday we took our granddaughters to the Oak Creek Lions Fest which is a carnival that has been held over the Labor Day weekend since I was a kid (probably even longer) over at the local legion post. During the 4-day event, Saturday between 11 am and 3:30 was designated for children's events so it was a perfect time to take them to their first carnival. When I checked the weather report, there was 0% precipitation between 11 am and 1 pm but after that the chance of rain went up to 75%. So we were going to get there at 11 and hope for the best.

As we headed to the car, it started rain hard. So while it poured, we debated whether we were going to grab some umbrellas or scrap the whole idea of going.  By the time we grabbed the umbrellas the rain stopped.  It was a short but hard rain that left very large puddles on the road.  Since the children's events were being held in a large dance hall, we weren't terribly worried about the weather, however, the girls' chances of going on the carnival rides were pretty slim.

The ride to the legion post is about 5 minutes. It's about 4 miles away. When we got there, we pulled right up into one of the available disabled parking spaces. We were a little surprised that there weren't many people there but we decided they must have stayed away because of the rain.  We ordered some beverages and the server told us it never rained! So the rides are going and no one will get wet. Yay!

The first thing we saw were horses.  There were two and the girls were tickled to go and pet them. That is until they saw all the trailers selling popcorn and cotton candy and games with all the stuffed animals to win.  It was toddler eye candy. We gently guided them into the dance hall where all the activities were going on.  Chloe instantly wanted to get a balloon animal made for her.  As we waited in line, I also took a number for her to get her face painted.  Avery is too little to care about these things so her mother took her over to a 'fish pond' (a kiddie pool full of water) that had about 50 little rubber ducks floating in it.  Each one had a prize value on it and each kid could pull some out of the water for a prize.

Avery had fun with this while she waited for her sister.  The balloon wielding clown was making Chloe a Twilight Sparkle balloon animal fashioned after her favorite My Little Pony character.  It took him a very long time.  After making the purple pony, he added pink wings and a dark purple mane to complete the look. It was impressive. He even took a photo of it for his portfolio.

After that was completed Chloe headed over to the 'fish pond' by her sister. There she proceeded to win her choice of not one, but two of the top prizes available.  She took home a giant stuffed Care Bear and a stuffed Husky dog and a blow-up sword and some other little trinkets. It was the mother lode!

Chloe's number was called and we went over to the face painting table and when she sat down, all of a sudden she changed her mind.  That was surprising because she loves having her face painted.  The artist-clown doing the face painting talked her into a arm tattoo with the characters from Frozen. She was thrilled by the time it was done.

We ordered the girls some chicken tenders and french fries so they could eat before we headed outside to the rides.  They ate while attending a puppet show. The puppet show had a penguin character so Avery chose a penguin  for her balloon animal. So the very talented clown made here a penguin balloon animal that was incredible.

By then it was 1 pm and surprisingly, it wasn't raining. It looked absolutely sunny so our risk was paying off, no rain! We took the girls on the merry-go-round first. They loved it. So we took them on the little cars next, they were faster than the merry-go-round and they still loved it.  So we headed to the little roller coaster shaped like an alligator. Chloe was so excited, she couldn't wait.  I don't think Avery knew what she was getting into, she was just happy to follow her sister. So off they went, Chloe was grinning ear to ear, Avery didn't look so excited. I don't think it helped that Avery was getting tired.  Once the ride was over, Avery was done with them, she didn't want to go on any more. Chloe didn't care. She was going again without her sister, she liked it that much.

After that, I took Chloe on the ferris wheel. I figured it was something I could do without injuring myself and Chloe would get the thrill of being way up high.  When we got to the top I put my arms up in the air and yelled 'weeeee'! Chloe asked me to hang on to her, she was a little nervous.  After the first time around she relaxed and said I could let go of her. She commented on how pretty the view was. Of course she was repeating what I had said on our last time around. By the fourth time around Chloe was holding up her arms yelling 'weeeee'!  That's my girl!

Chloe just loved the rides and I was glad for that. It was her first time and it was wonderful.  After the rides we sat and listened to a band called SuperFly.  Jeff's co-worker, Carlos is in the band and Carlos was thrilled to see him.  We stayed until the girls fell asleep then we left.  By then it was after 5. Here we thought we would be at the carnival for just an hour or two and get out before the rain came. Some of the best days are the ones that surprise you.

Memorial Day Flag Planting

It's my husband, Jeff's tradition to go to the Veteran's cemetery and plant the flags on the graves in time for Memorial Day. So today was the day for his volunteer group (the GE employees veteran network) to do the task. In past years Jeff has taken our granddaughter, Chloe with him. As a toddler, she rode along in her wagon and handed her grandpa the flags. This year was very different.

Chloe is a fast study.  She watched her grandpa put his heel up against the headstone, then make the hole for the flag at the end of his toes using the length of his foot as a measure to make all the flags in the row look uniform.  Chloe wanted to do this task for him.  So she stuck her toes up against the headstone to measure and put the flag at the length of her foot. Grandpa had a difficult time explaining to her that his foot was a little bit longer than hers thus lacking the uniformity as intended.  Oh well.

Chloe's little sister, Avery had to help too. She sat in the wagon and handed Chloe the flags. So it was a very cooperative operation and we got all the flags planted in our rows in no time.

Getting Ready for Easter

I bought my granddaughters their Easter treats today.  I couldn't resist getting some Silly Putty. We had so much fun with it when we were kids - making it into a ball that bounces, rubbing it on the comics section of the newspaper and seeing the image on the putty and creating crazy shapes.  I hope the girls enjoy the experience as much as we did.

Christmas Day

Christmas Day 2013

Christmas Day is my day to cook dinner.  My sister and her husband make Polish ham and all the fixings for Christmas Eve dinner and I always make a turkey dinner.  But that is never as important as the excitement created by having granddaughters.  They make the holiday so very fun.

The girls got to open presents they received from my sister and mother yesterday and today it was all about presents from their mother and grandparents. They sure are spoiled.  The funny thing is that at the last minute I found this silly 31-inch tall Power Ranger. Lately that is Chloe's favorite thing to watch on tv. It was on sale for cheap so I couldn't resist. Both the girls loved it so much I could have skipped Christmas shopping altogether and just got that!

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve is celebrated at my sister, Kelly's house. Kelly and her husband Greg are both very good cooks so the food is always excellent.  After a nice dinner, the kids get to open their presents. This year Chloe was pretty into it. Terms like Christmas tree and Santa Claus are words she can not repeat as well as the word presents. That made it exciting for all of us adults.  Chloe's little sister Avery seemed excited just because Chloe was. Avery always wants to mimic her sister.

Christmas Eve with Avery

Christmas Eve with Chloe

Christmas with Lauren

Lauren flew in from L.A. on Wednesday and we had planned on doing a little Christmas celebration by going out to lunch with the girls on Thursday. Unfortunately, the climate change between California and Wisconsin was a bit much for her and she ended up in urgent care on Thursday for a breathing treatment so we had to reschedule for Friday.  The issue with Friday was that Jeff was having hand surgery Friday morning and I wasn't sure when we could be back home.  So we played it by ear when it came to a lunch date.

I informed the kids when we got home from the surgical center and Lauren got to the house before the rest of the girls.  So we had a nice little visit and I gave her a box full of photographs of B.J. so they both had some memories of him growing up.  Once Bailee and the girls got to the house the quiet dynamics ended and the Christmas excitement began. Lauren brought the girls Christmas gifts and Chloe was excited to open them.  I think Avery couldn't have cared less she is always a happy girl.  She even let me take some nice photos of her without trying to grab the camera.  She is just adorable.

Chloe pretty much opened all the presents whether they were hers or her sister's. And Bailee loved the cool California designer looks that the girls were now sporting.  After we hung out at the house for a while we drove over to Burgey's Pub & Prime for some late lunch and some good Wisconsin craft beer - something Lauren misses in California. The bar very recently opened so it was pretty quiet which was great for letting the girls run around.

It was a wonderful Christmas visit.  During the week that Lauren was in town, it snowed and the weather went from the high 20s to a frigid below zero.  She got a good reminder of how nice it is to live in a warmer climate.