Thanksgiving Menu

Do you host Thanksgiving?  I do, mostly because we have the largest house.  Uh, and the largest family.  And a trivection oven that is the boss of the turkey and can cook that 19 pound bad boy in two hours instead of about four.  And I have the turkey plates!  

In our family, whomever is in possession of the turkey plates (with which I have an unnatural obsession. . . like would take out of my burning house if I had to) hosts Thanksgiving.  I will never give those plates up willingly, so it looks like I'll be cooking a turkey for many years to come.

So what's on your Thanksgiving day menu?

I'm trying to keep my menu as Paleo friendly as I can, but still including the things that my family likes to have at Thanksgiving, as not everyone has embraced my paleo style of eating (and that's OK!).  We will have some appetizers, including a Dutch gouda cheese board (courtesy of a wonderfully generous client of our office who sent me the yummy treat we're saving for Thanksgiving), an appetizer my mom will bring, an appetizer my mother-in-law will bring, and I think I'll make some bacon wrapped dates.

I will make a turkey, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, warm spinach salad, cornbread dressing, paleo stuffing, and we'll also have mashed potatoes, rolls, and maybe pineapple casserole.  (NOT paleo, for those wondering!)  

For dessert, I have a coconut rum cake (also from our generous client), and my mom and mother-in-law are both bringing a dessert.  I am planning to make a pumpkin gingerbread cake with maple vanilla frosting too.  And sending the leftovers home with everyone.

Some other Thanksgiving things I'm looking forward to?  Four days in a row off from work.  Our Thanksgiving journal, which I've apparently never blogged about.  Using our nice dishes.  Eating in our dining room.  Putting up our Christmas decorations the next day.  The arrival of Theodore Thanksgiving.  What's your Thanksgiving plan?

Giving Thanks Day Ten - Reece's Rainbow

Today, and every day, we are thankful for Reece's Rainbow.  Without Reece's Rainbow, we would have never found our sweet Katie.

Reece's Rainbow has helped to save the lives of hundreds of orphans.  Literally, the lives of those children have been saved.  Not just changed; saved.  Katie would have had no life in Russia.  Her orphanage was nice and she was well taken care of, but what kind of life is that?  She would have never gone to school.  She would have never lived outside of an institutional setting.  She would have never had a family.  She would have never had anyone love her.  Think about that for a minute.  Nobody loved Katie ever, until we found her.  Not one single person ever came to visit her in almost five years, simply because of an extra chromosome.  Without Reece's Rainbow, that would have been her life forever.  She would have moved out of her orphanage when she turned 18 and moved into an adult mental institution where she would spend the rest of her life essentially just waiting to die.  

I dare you to look at that face and tell me that's OK.

Because of Reece's Rainbow, Katie and hundreds of other children just like her -children who were discarded like clothes that don't fit or like trash from last night's dinner - live now in families.  They have parents who love them, soft beds to sleep in, teachers who want to educate them, friends to play with, food in their bellies, medicine and snuggles when they are sick, and toys that are all their own.  More importantly? Katie has hope and a future.  She will have a life worth living, not a life spent waiting to die.  I know that sounds grim, but that is the reality for children like Katie.  Reece's Rainbow is changing that, and I am so proud to know our family is part of the Reece's Rainbow family.

Giving Thanks Day Nine - Teachers

Today, and really every day, I am SO thankful for the teachers our kids have this year!  All of our children have different educational needs, and the start of the school year makes me have a lot of sleepless nights worrying about how they will mesh with their teachers. 

David needs someone who will be strict but loving to him, and someone who will push him instead of letting him do what he needs to so he can go read a book.  That can be hard to find.  This year he's got a great group of teachers.  They challenge him, and he likes that.  They make what the kids are learning fun, and that keeps him interested.  And they help to foster his love of reading, which keeps him happy.  They also don't see any evidence of his Tourette's at school, which means he's not feeling stressed or anxious about things.  And that is incredible.

Henry could probably get any teacher and be OK.  He is very compliant and obedient.  He likes to help the teacher, and wants to do a great job at everything.  He is a hard worker and is very smart.  His teacher this year is so sweet and loves my boy.  We are very lucky to have someone who cares so much about Henry.

Katie. . . My sweet Katie needs a lot from her teacher.  She needs someone who can understand her half talking, half signing method of communication.  She needs someone who will challenge her and not be swayed by her sweetness.  She needs someone who will take seriously our goals of having her in a mainstream classroom, and help us work hard toward achieving that.  She needs someone who will not be manipulated by Katie's cuteness.  She needs a teacher who will work with her, not just sit her in front of a movie.  We have that teacher this year, and she is incredible.  She loves our girl, but she pushes her.  She makes her work and makes her participate.  And, most importantly, she believes in Katie and sees her incredible potential.

And little Jack the firecracker.  His teachers probably have the biggest challenge!!  He needs teachers who will let him have his huge personality, but encourage him to behave appropriately.  He needs teachers who can manage his talking and excitement and help him learn without squashing those parts of his personality.  His teachers this year are two amazing, friendly, loving, smart, sweet girls.  We are so thankful Jack is in their class.  He loves them with all of his sweet heart, and they love him.

I know we won't always have the teacher luck we've had this year, and I do not take that for granted.  I hope our teachers know how much we appreciate them and all that they do for our family!

Giving Thanks, Day Eight - Our House

 

Today I am thankful for our house.

 

I love our house, and I hope we never move.  It's not perfect.  Not by a long shot.  It's over 100 years old, needs to be painted, and always requires work.  Always.  The windows are old and the floors are drafty.  It takes forever to warm up when it's cold outside.  It needs to be landscaped, and it's usually always a little messy.  But it's the perfect house for our family.

 

 

We have a great yard for the kids to play in.  And it looks nothing like this now since we've added a swingset.

 

 

We have an amazing kitchen that I absolutely love.  It is big enough for our entire family to be in at the same tim without being stacked on top of each other.

 

We have a great breakfast room for homework, daily meals, and crafts.

 

 

We have a dining room large enough for all of our dining room furniture, which is my favorite furniture we've got.  It all, with the exception of our chairs, came from our family and has been used for generations.  Here we can use my grandmother and great grandmother's china and silver and have our own family holiday celebrations. 

 

We have wood or tile floors through the entire house, which is seriously like a dream come true for me.  Carpet with four kids and two dogs?  Not a good combination.

 

 

We have big bedrooms, and plenty of them.  The boys can share for now and when they want to be separated we can do that too.  We have a big playroom, where they spend most of their time, and I don't have toys all over the house.  We have a beautiful bedroom for Katie, who has never had a beautiful anything until now.

 

Every room in the entire house had been painted this builder beige.  We have painted four rooms since we moved in. . . We have seven spaces left.  I'm sure as I paint those, I'll want to repaint what we've already done!

 

 

Chris and I have a bedroom that is huge, and is in desperate need of a makeover!

 

 

The downside to our fabulous old house? One. Bathroom.  For six people.  Eventually we will change that, but for now?  We take turns.

 

Giving Thanks Day Seven - My Parents

Today, I am thankful for my parents.

 When I tell you that I won the parents lottery, I am not exaggerating.

My parents have been married (to each other) for thirty-eight years.  Of all of the examples they have provided me, a long, seemingly? happy, supportive, stable marriage is one of the most important and valuable to me.  While I'm quite certain that it hasn't been an easy thirty-eight years, they always have fun together, they always laugh together, and I have nearly no memories of them ever fighting.  I'm sure they must have, but I literally have no recollection of them ever yelling at each other and having an argument.  I've seen them have "discussions" about things, but no fights.  The lesson I learned there?  Talk about things when they happen and work it out.  Chris and I try our hardest to do that, and it's worked for us for nine years.  I can only hope that Chris and I have as long and as stable a marriage as my parents have.  They have set an amazing example for us of sticking together when things are tough (and trust me, there were some times that I'm sure were tough) and enjoying each other.  They were literally children when they met each other, and have been together since.  I promise you, there is nobody I knew when I was sixteen that I would want to be married to now.  

And seriously?  How cute are they?  And really, they are this cute in real life.

They are amazing grandparents.  Pirate party and we have to wear costumes?  SURE!  What?  You want me to climb a tree with you?  No problem!  Oh, you want to disect the dead mouse in my garage? Let's do it!  And that is just a tiny, tiny example of the things they do with my children.  They have sleepovers and special days.  They take them to the movies and let them chase chickens around their back yard.  They moved roughly 1,500 miles - from the only town in which they had ever lived - to Tennessee to be with my family so they could be a big part of the lives of our children.

They are incredibly supportive of my family and the activities of our children.

They come to baseball games and the book fair.  They have eaten lunch at school with the boys.  They come to the play and the school showcase night.  They go to Kindergarten graduation and to Cub Scout pinewood derby races.  They get up at 6:00 in the morning on a Saturday to watch my kids run a mile.  They watched our children for days on end when we were in Russia.  They are amazing grandparents.  Our children are hugely fortunate to have such a close relationship with them, and I cannot imagine how different that would look if my parents still lived in Massachusetts.

They have always been parents who taught by example, rather than by telling us what to do.  They were big on "go to your room and think about this" versus yelling and punishing.  They taught my sister and me to make our own decisions and to be responsible for those decisions, good or bad.

They also taught us that working hard is very important, but it's also important to have fun.  And they really are fun!  Honestly, they're probably much more fun than me.

They have taught me that family is important.  That you can disagree with someone and that's OK, but don't be disrespectful about it.  

They taught me how to cook, how to sew, how to take care of my babies, that I need to pick my battles and pick them wisely, that it's better to be smart than not to be, and that book smart and common sense smart are equally as important.  They've taught me that I am no better than anyone else, and that I certainly cannot judge a book by its cover.  They've taught me that it's best to tell the truth the first time, and that if I say I'm going to do something I need to follow through.  They've taught me that handmade gifts are the best kind, notes in your lunchbox are a sweet surprise, that it's OK to make a fool of myself, that you need to be able to laugh at yourself and not take yourself too seriously, and that there's no hug like the one that comes from your mama or daddy.  Even at 35 years old.

I appreciate my parents so much more now than I am sure I did as a child.  We never had a difficult relationship (did we?!) but certainly as a parent I have a different appreciation for them.  They are great parents - hard working and supportive, loving and affectionate to me and each other, open and friendly, smart and courageous, and have fabulous senses of humor.

They love my children fiercely, and never hesitate to tell them, and the relationship they have developed with my littles is something that will stick with my children forever.  I am so lucky to have the parents I have, and I hope every day that I will be as strong a parent to my children as they have been to me.  

Giving Thanks Day Six - VOTE

Today, on election day, I am thankful for my right to vote for whomever I please.  I completely feel like we, as Americans, take that privilege for granted.  I know so many adults who are not even registered to vote.  I do not understand that.  Voting is a responsibility, at the city, county, state, and federal levels.  If you don't like something, voting is the way to change it.

You may not like my candidate, and I may not like yours.  I don't care if you fall on the red or blue side of the ticket, but please, please, please exercise your right to vote!  I have, and I hope you will too.

Giving Thanks Day 5 - Friends

Today, I am thankful for friends.

I have been so fortunate throughout my life to have always had a large group of friends.  Maybe this is directly related to my complete inability to keep my mouth shut, which causes me to talk to people everywhere I go?  Just a thought. I have always been very social and open, and making friends is never something that was hard for me.

I have friends still that I have literally had since preschool or first grade.  Several of them, in fact.  

It is crazy for me to think that I'm at the point of my life where I've had friends get married, friends get divorced, friends have affairs, and friends have spouses who have had affairs.  I've had friends get married again.  Lots of friends have had babies - some have had them at less than opportune times, and some can't have them at all.  I've had friends lose babies, and I don't mean in the "lost in a store" sort of way.  I've had friends struggle with lots of demons, including addiction, gambling, and alcoholism.  I had a very close friend pass away now fifteen years ago, and the loss of that friendship is still deep.  I still cry when I think of her and think of the things that she will never get to experience or see.   

Thankfully, it seems that the good times I've had with my friends far outweigh the struggles - sleepovers when we were little, riding our bikes, lazy summer days at the lake, living in a dorm together, working at Gap (FOR YEARS, where I made some of my friends I am still closest with), graduating from college, finding our first "big girl" jobs.....I could go on and on.  

I think to have great friends you have to be a great friend.  I don't know if that's true for me, but I am surrounded by some of the best friends I could imagine.  They may not be people I speak to every day (although the beauty of Facebook and Skype has made that SO much easier) or friends that I see every year, however I have the kind of friends you can count on.  Far more than half of the donations we received for Katie's adoption fundraising came from friends.  Lots came from friends I've had since elementary school, and some from friends I have not even seen since I graduated from high school.  It is that sort of friendship that is overwhelming to me.  I only hope that I am that sort of friend.  

The kind of friends I'm making now are different than the kind I made fifteen years ago.  And I'm OK with that.  I have made some of the most incredible, amazing friends in the last eighteen months, all because of sweet Katie.  I know it seems like most posts have something to do with Katie, but I cannot explain how she draws people together.  I am so glad she does, because she has led me to some great friends.

I hope, if we are friends, that I have been a good friend to you.  I know how much I am thankful for the amazing friendships I have been so fortunate to be a part of!