ahh, thanksgiving. the day of giving thanks.

my morning started out around 6:30. i took the turkey out of the fridge and cleaned the sucker out. while i was cleaning it, i kind of felt bad for the sucker. it actually looked like a turkey instead of cooked poultry. there was a little feeling of guilt inside me while preparing it, but not that much! i then stuck the turkey in the roaster and proceeded to make dressing. two kinds. regular and fancy. the fancy had dried cranberries and chopped pecans. it was SO yummy. the regular? well, it kind of looked like poop. i didn't chop the onions small enough and the color was poopy brown. i guess it tasted ok, but like i said, definitely poopy looking. after that, i made some cranberry compote. it was ok...not the best i've ever had. and, the recipe only called for three tablespoons of sugar and i ended up putting in almost a cup. it was SO tart. then, i began preparing the corn pudding. it was yum. turkey bacon, corn, onions, cream, milk basically a heart attack in a bowl. while making the corn pudding, barbara made the sweet potatoes. holy smokes those were good. i ate so many helpings of those bad boys. we also had green beans almandine and mashed potatoes. ruthanne's friend, nancy taught me a secret ingredient to making creamy mashed potatoes. and if i may say so myself, they were probably the best mashed potatoes, ever. dessert was pecan pie, pumpkin pie and pumpkin cheesecake. YUM. we served dinner at 3:30, and by 7pm, i was passed out on the couch. cooking a meal like that is EXHAUSTING.

the only thing is, i don't know if i passed out from being tired or because i had to take a xanax when all of the mothers arrived and were showing me everything that needed to be done.

the highlight of the night? the fact that everyone did the dishes while i sat on the couch with my feet up.

so, if john agrees, i may want to do it again next year!

viva la turkey day!!

and in the grand tradition of giving thanks, here are a few things i am thankful for:

my loving husband who may have been a little irritated with me at times, yesterday. but it just proves how much he loves me, because he didn't get upset with me once.

my family who really made the day. i am so blessed to have such a caring family (near and far). without them, i would be nothing.

my health.

the roof over my head. no matter how broke we are because of it.

and last, i am thankful for my life. wednesday and thursday were so emotionally full for me. wednesday was the anniversary of charlie's death, it doesn't seem like it's been an entire year. i tried to keep busy most of the day but there were times where i just broke down. sometimes i forget she's gone. like she's just going to show up. i know that's not the case, but it's nice to have that feeling. the weird (i don't know if it's weird or just a fluke thing) thing was that i lit a yartzheiht candle for charlie on wednesday morning. these candles usually only stay lit for 24 hours. it's jewish tradition to light one on the anniversary of someone's death. anyway, when i was cooking yesterday, i'd look over at the candle and it was still burning and it brought a smile to my face. like charlie was watching over me. i know it sounds so incredibly cheesy, but hey - everyone's entitled to their own opinions. when i went to bed last night, the candle was still lit. i truly feel like part of her was with me all day yesterday. as corny as it may sound...