Wednesday, November 21, 2012

November 21, 2012

The Wednesday before Thanksgiving

9:14am

            Brian and I got up at about 5:15am this morning, to pursue our new daily habit of walking every morning before work. Brian got on the treadmill first, at 6, and walked for 15 minutes. I got to thinking about aerobics tapes while he was walking, and wondered if I should maybe go down that avenue every other day. Brian thinks that walking is what’s going to be best for me, as it engages my whole body. Unsure, I decided that today would not be the day for aerobics, and that I would definitely get on the treadmill this morning, but will be thinking about it.

            It is true that walking is the best thing for a person, I’ve heard many studies on it, and many dr’s will agree. As I got on the treadmill this morning, I did feel my entire body engaged, and agreed with Brian, that regardless of what I may decide to incorporate into my workout, I always need to keep walking my constant. I can, and may incorporate an aerobic tape into my workout, possibly doing it in the evenings when I get home. It sure seems like a lot of working out, but I’ve got this one DVD, called Turbo Jam, that is only 20 minutes, and surely I can fit 20 minutes in there somewhere in the evenings, even while I’m waiting for dinner to bake, or clothes to dry. I’m not saying just yet I’m definitely going to do that, I’m just saying….I’m thinking about it.

            I walked my 30 minutes. I really got in a good workout, because my head was sweating all over, and water running down my face. I walked for 15 minutes at 2.8mph, and 15 for 3.0mph.  I got off the treadmill, and in the shower, and we headed to work.

            I’ve begun thinking about Thanksgiving dinner, and seeing all my family tomorrow at Grandpa & Grandma’s home. I hope they will be happy to see me. I hope they have come to not expect a certain thing from me, as I grow daily, and have really changed over this past year, a lot. Especially since June, when I decided that Yes, I would die for Jesus, if I saw him right here and right now on the cross. “whosoever loses his life shall find it.” My life completely turned around after that, and Christ has really been working miraculously in my life ever since.

            I took a whole stack of catalogues to work with me today, and I’ve been putting sticky notes on all the things I think would make good gifts for my family, and for me, of course, labeling each item with a name on the sticky note, for reference. I’ve only finished one catalogue this morning, and there is a huge book of stuff that I’m only half way through with, and it’s got stickies hanging all out of it. I know Christmas is not only about gifts that we get here, but about the greatest gift God has ever given to us on this earth, and that’s Jesus Christ, who in turn gives us all kinds of gifts every day, but most importantly, forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life. Just knowing He’s there, always, and is coming back for us one day, that we will live eternally with Him, joyfully, thankfully, I sing Praises to the King of all Ages! The King that Reigns Forever and ever. Amen!

3:16pm

            Today has been pretty busy, but not too busy I don’t guess, because I’ve had time to Christmas shop. I’ve just been at something all day, and that something has not been sewing, and I’m really missing it this PM.

            At around 9:30am, I got hungry, and ate about 6 of those flatbread crackers (180) and drank a real coke again (140)= 320. We decided to go ahead and go to the bank and Walmart this morning, while it isn’t too chaotic just yet, so we left here at about 10:30am, and headed that way.

            After leaving the bank, we had to stop in the convenience store, because I had to use the ladies. There was a line, and I had to go, so when the man came out of the men’s, I just went in there. It looked and smelled like it had just been cleaned, and I was thankful.  I was hungry so instead of buying a honeybun today, I bought Brian and me each a power bar, 210 calories. = 530 so far today.

Traffic was horrible, and Brian was driving, but he’s a pretty good driver, so I wasn’t worried. We ran by the bank, and then stopped by Jennifer Branch’s home, because she made me a “Merry Christmas” sign to hang in my home, and it is so very, very cute!

 

We visited with her for a minute, and I got to see Lenai and Claire, but Twig won’t be in til later tonight. We wished each other a Happy Thanksgiving, and we went on our way.

Walmart was pretty chaotic, already, especially down the food aisles, but we got everything we needed, and headed back to Maximum Access. Daddy was home, and eating chicken and sausage jambalaya. Brian and I grabbed a bowl, I’d say 500 calories for me, because I only had 2 scoops, and didn’t even eat all of it. So 1030 today. I had another coke 140 = 1170 + coffee (300) = 1470.

Daddy’s tending cows today, and headed to the pasture, while Mama’s been working hard, trying to get everyone straight before the holidays, so everything will run smoothly these next 4 days, and everyone will be happy, and she……is…..busy!

Mama talked me into going ahead and cooking my turkey, cause I’ve been putting it off since this morning. She gave me Daniel’s old kaye’s food market grocery bagger apron to wear, so I wouldn’t get it all over me. I washed the turkey thoroughly, and we smelled of it, and it smelled like a washed turkey, so I began the process positioning the turkey on the roaster. I’m using Martha Stewart’s The Perfect Roast Turkey recipe, which I have used for the past 3 years. It makes the prettiest, most delicious turkey. All it calls for is salt, pepper, dry white wine, and butter…..and you have to use a cheesecloth. Process done, I set the turkey in the oven to cook for 30 minutes, and it has been cooking now for almost 2 hours, with me basting it in white wine and butter every 30 minutes, and it…smells….delicious!

In the meantime, I have finished my Big Book of Christmas Gifts, and have ordered several things for several of my family members today. I have several more books to go through, but I just don’t feel like doing it anymore today, as it has taken pretty much all day, and I feel like I’ve been shopping since this morning. But I did get some great gifts, things I’m pretty sure everyone will be happy with, and there’s more I’d like to buy, but funds do run out around here….. J

Mama got my Keurig coffee maker cleaned up and back in service. I told her she could have it to give to Daddy for his camp, but now that I’ve made a couple cups…..oh, how I miss that thing! The cleanup is so easy, the coffee is always fresh and waiting on you, it’s really a dream come true, but I can’t ask for it back now, that would just be…..well…..wrong.

But knowing me, I’ll probably end up letting them know how I feel without letting them know how I feel, and end up getting it back anyway. Hey, they can afford to buy another one….and I know that doesn’t make it right, but they can afford it a whole lot better than I can! It’s just a bad, bad deal, and I feel awful about it, and wish I didn’t miss it so much, and didn’t want it back. I never would have gotten rid of the thing, but Brian hated it, and those dang K-cups are too expensive, and I was having to put coffee grounds in a self made cup, and that defeats the purpose of the no clean up wonderfulness of it all, anyway! If they ask, I’ll just say, I can’t afford the K-cups, and leave it at that. Oh, but I can, and I want it back. Crap! What to do? Ask the Lord, and the Lord says it’s theirs. I just told him the whole situation, and it’s theirs. I’ll just have to buy another one in a little while, and enjoy theirs while I’m here. In the meantime, I’ll be trying to find 125 dollars somewhere to buy another one, and won’t say a word while I wait.

11:19pm

            Mama and Daddy got back from Grandma & Grandpa’s at about 5:30 this afternoon, and we began the cooking. My turkey got done about that time, and it turned out pretty as always, as this recipe just makes it just like it says, “The Perfect Turkey”. There’s no fuss, no muss, easy, pleasy…..anyone can do it.

 

 

            We started first by making a checklist of everything we wanted to make, on sticky notes no less, leaving a checkbox beside each, so we could check it off as we finished it. First, I made the Lemon Icebox pie recipe, by Emeril. I trust Emeril’s recipes. He’s never steered me wrong, not once, and everything I’ve ever made by him has turned out delicious. Mama began by boiling the chicken for the dressing, making the cornbread, and then a banana pudding. When I got done with the pie, I started on the cheddar and pecan green bean casserole, a recipe I found on SouthernLiving.com. It called for breadcrumbs, and Mama didn’t have any, so we made our own. And so began the night of the breadcrumbs……

            If it wasn’t one time I made bread crumbs, it was 5. It seemed like all evening I was constantly waiting on breadcrumbs to toast, the toaster oven to get hot….oh my! The breadcrumb fiasco probably took up at least an hour and a half of my night, Heaven Help! I can think of it no longer…..

            I had to make my own sauce for the green bean casserole, and it called for buttermilk, and we didn’t have any, so I googled a recipe on how to make your own buttermilk. So easy. 1 tbsp of lemon juice in a 1 cup measuring cup, fill with milk to top. I got my green bean casserole made, and place the breadcrumbs and french fried onions in a ziplock on top of the casserole, labeled it with the cooking directions on a sticky note, and stuck it in the fridge. 4 down, I don’t know how many more to go….

            I picked out another recipe from SouthernLIving.com, a squash casserole made with onion, basil, parmesan cheese, and breadcrumbs.

            I got that done, and ran out of bread. So, no more breadcrumbs, thank goodness! All I have to do to that in the morning, is add the breadcrumbs,  mix, and top it, and stick it in the oven.

            Mama made 2 pecan pies, and began putting together her cornbread/chicken dressing, and boiling potatoes for the twice backed potato casserole. I started on the 4 layer delight, my first time to make it, and every ingredient was so delicious, I could eat each layer by itself! I mean…..powdered sugar, whipped cream, and cream cheese! What genius thinks these things up?!

 

 

            While I was waiting for my crust to cool, Mama got me to chopping and sautéing the vegetables to put in the dressing, while she deboned the chicken, and picked out the best eggs for deviled eggs. By this time, Daddy was starving, and staring really hard at the turkey legs, but  he wouldn’t eat it, even though I told him to go ahead. We were all listening to the playlist on Mama’s computer. Mama and Daddy were sipping wine, Brian was drinking beer, and me? I had my coffee.

            I’d been using the Keurig all night, and when looked into the container of K-cups, I quickly discovered, again, the reason I can’t have a Keurig. I had drank over a half of the box. With those boxes costing 10 dollars a box, it would be 5 dollars a day just for me to drink coffee. Add that up, that’s 150 dollars a month, just to drink coffee. SO….no, I can’t afford it, and will stick to my big pots of coffee.

            We wrapped everything up for the night. We checked our checklist. Everything was made but the confetti corn, which has to be made tomorrow, and the ham, that Mama is going to put in the oven in the morning. I’ve got to be there at 11 tomorrow, to bake my casseroles, and finish what I started. I hope we eat at 12 noon tomorrow, but I’ve got 2 casseroles, so I had better be there by at least 10:30am, to ensure timely festivities of feasting.

            Mama and I washed dishes all night as we went along, so she really didn’t have too many dirty dishes left in the sink when I left. The dishwasher was running, and I’m sure she will fill it back up in the morning, and get everything cleaned up for tomorrow.

            We’re hoping to pick up Grandma and Grandpa for dinner, and Daddy’s going to call them in the morning and tell them to get dressed, he’s coming to get them for dinner. My Granny is also coming, and she’s bringing her delicious yeast rolls she’s famous for.

            I’m beginning to love Thanksgiving, though previously I had never really given it much thought. Just this tradition of me and Mama cooking together in her kitchen, preparing to feed the family tomorrow, I don’t know just feels…..special. And whether or not Daddy eats a turkey leg tonight or not, is to be continued…. J

            Brian and I made it home, and brought in the little kitty treats and puppy treats we got for Sambo and Sully today. Everyone was at home, and safe, and Brian is in his chair, watching tv. Everything feels just right, and I thank God for the holidays, for family, and for just being Who He IS.