PENSIEVE

Well, shoot...!

Don't let that innocent smile fool you...I'm a girl on a mission.  

It's the day after Thanksgiving and class is in session...

Gun safety from a well-qualified instructor...

And if you do exactly what he tells you...

 

It's two thumbs up (you don't wanna know the alternative...!)

When we checked closer, we discovered I had obliterated Mr. Target's spine!  Anything outside those two lines were the work of my teenage cohorts I'm sure...

Cause, mercy me, I do NOT wanna do anything to disappoint my shooting coach.  Can't you tell?  He. Means. Business.

 

Of course, if I don't pass his inspection, I suppose I can go back to shootin' the way I usually do...

Either way, it's just good, clean family fun, no?

;)

What about you?  Did you do anything different over the Thanksgiving holiday?  Or, do you have any quirky family traditions?  I'd love to hear in comments!

 

Sing with me!!

A lyrical, post-Thanksgiving tribute to the Best Apple Pie in the World.

{Sung to the tune of "Oh where, oh where has my little dog gone?"}

 

Oh where, oh where has my apple pie gone?

Oh where, oh where can it be?

With its perfect pie crust,

And Rome apples, a must--

I guess I should always make three!

 

So, this pie wasn't quite perfect--the juicy apples cooked out & "glued" the crust to the pie plate--and yet, still, my family thinks it's the perfect dessert-punctuation to our holiday meals.  I love my  people ;).

 

"I always wondered where the flavor came from." {My Thanksgiving gift to you}

If you haven't seen this "Everybody Loves Raymond" turkey preparation clip, you're missing out on one of the funniest scenes in television history.  While I don't care for how it begins, the ending?  Absolutely delicious!  The one minute mark is funny but the last line?  Classic and perfectly timed.  Enjoy ~

Encourage you, incourage me {It's beginning to look a lot like... Thanksgiving!}

Have you ever thought about how much more time is spent preparing a Thanksgiving spread and cleaning up afterward, than sitting at the table and eating it?

What if I offered you a remedy of amazing proportion to hold your family and friends around the table just a little bit longer? 

{Please continue reading over at Incourage for one of my favorite ideas for cultivating a mindset of gratitude beyond the turkey dinner!}

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Welcome if you're visiting for the first time from (in)courage!  I'm grateful!  If you enjoyed my Thankful Box post, particularly if you're a blogger or writer, you might be encouraged by The Power of One, too.  You'll bless my socks off if you subscribe in a reader or via email and follow me on Twitter!

A great, full heart

The table is set and ready, soon to be laden with laughter and love and our favorite holiday dishes.  Three generations will celebrate in our home today, and I'm cognizant not everyone enjoys the luxury I do--truly to enjoy my family as friends.  I don't take that for granted (and for anyone who visits my blog, I prayed for you this morning, that there would be peace and harmony in your family gathering :) ).

Many hands will prepare the food we'll inhale later, and I'm also aware of the influence so many different people have had in my kitchen--it's like the ghosts of friends and family are celebrating with us, as I cook recipes they once shared with me.  I smile and think of them and wonder if they're cooking a recipe of mine.

Once again I'll require a "ticket" for lunch; though we don't keep up with our Thankful Box through the year like I'd ideally like to, it definitely adds flavor and memory to our meal. 

Happy Thanksgiving friends...I'm so grateful to have you in my circle of friends!

Praise the LORD!  I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart.
Psalm 111:1

Turkey, turkey, who'll get the turkey???

** VOTING'S CLOSED **

And congratulations to my new friend, Amy, and my old friend, Karmyn, who after fierce battle, came away with the highest votes for their turkey odes.  Snailmail your emails, girls...I'll send those turkeys flying in your direction lickity split!



Here are the five finalists in the Butterball Turkey giveaway; it was excruciating for me to have to limit the field to five!  Please read the entries from the original post and you'll see what I mean!!  Thanks to all who entered...I wish I could give each of you a gift certificate for a free turkey!

Poems are listed in the order they were commented (though for some reason, they were mixed up on the poll); voting will remain open until Thursday around noon.  The poll lists the author's first name and the first line of their poem.

my feathered friend
i see you
over there, behind the fence.
so trusting, so gobbly.

When you hear the car
you come arunnin'
the boy hops out to pet you.
so sweet, so plump.

our friends gather
bellies expanding
"mommy, have you seen Tom Turkey?"
so trusting, so simple.

"no, honey, I haven't. Use your napkin, you've got some gravy on your chin."

~ Amy  (nice irony...bless his heart!)

My Love, My Love, My Butterball

Oh succulent, juicy Butterball
into deep love I always fall
your crispy skin, your juicy wings
I dive within, my true heart sings
Oh Butterball, sweet holiday
A flawless meal for turkey day:

I think mine eyes will never see
white meat as lovely as you offer me.

~ Deb  (a love poem for turkeys **giggles**)

November Treasures

Trees rustling, the autumn sky
Halo of cloud on moon or sun
Afternoon game, a soft lullaby
Naps on the sofa, chores not begun
Kids on the sidewalk, spontaneous songs
Family stories, dessert buffets
Uttered forgiveness, righted wrongs
Love-filled moments, love-filled days

~ Laura  (an acrostic AND a rhyme scheme--double the pleasure!)

There once was a bird from Nantucket
Whose thighs were the size of a bucket
On its backside was scrawled
The name BUTTERBALL
And we fear since it's gone that Pawtucket.

~ Swampy  (**snorts** paw took it!)

There once was a Turkey named Fred
who feared that he soon would be dead.
So he grabbed a big brush
some ink and with rush
painted his feathers all red.

"Turkeys are brown," Fred did thought
"no one will see through this plot"
but down came the rain
and with it Fred's gain
all his hard work was for naught.

In the end Fred died on his chest
along with all of the rest.
But at least Fred did know
as his soul left to go
that he was a Butterball, they're best.

~ Karmyn (a 3-stanza limerick? :) happy sighs)

A Thanksgiving Holiday Tradition

Last year we inaugurated a new family Thanksgiving tradition:  requiring a "ticket" for admission for each member for Thanksgiving dinner.  While this ticket is free, there is a cost involved--everyone has to put in writing at least one thing for which they are thankful from the previous year, then place it in our Thankful Box.  Ideally (for the members in our household), everyone is supposed to be writing "thanks" throughout the year.  It hasn't exactly worked out that way, but, still, it's one of my countless mama-fantasies that sounds GREAT on paper.  For children too young to write their own, they can dictate their thanks to older siblings or Mom or Dad.

Last time it provided fabulous, laughter-filled, post-dinner conversation and provided a peek into the sometimes scary, sometimes insane psyche of my family.  Perhaps for the first time ever, we spent time considering ALL the blessings for which we have reason to give thanks, some light-hearted, others quite profound--if you clicked the previous link, you saw that no blessing was "too small" to be included (soap?  regular bowel movements???  you really should click the link...). 

After realizing I had written about this, my kids reminded me that we passed around the box and took turns reading the slips of "thankful notes"; then, we tried to guess who had written it.  If you're looking for a fantastic conversation starter, this will compliment ANY meal, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter...whenever you'd like to extend your time together.

It wasn't included in my post last year, but the following is a poem I wrote to explain the Thankful Box; for Christmas, I gave a copy of it and a decorative box to each of our siblings (I wonder if theirs are empty or full....).   You can pick up beautiful but inexpensive boxes at Hobby Lobby, Kirklands or (I'm sure) other craft stores in your area (especially with half-off coupons in your local paper), or for a fun project, you can make your own Thankful Box. 

I'm just a little Thankful Box

And treasures I do hold.

Memories from this year gone past

As priceless as pure gold.

Each time you're truly grateful

For big things and for small

Write it down and drop it in ~

I want to hear them all!

Be sure to write your name and date

So everyone will know

How special was this memory

And how God blessed you so.

Then, once a year, take them out

All gathered 'round to listen.

Reading and happily remembering~

A Thanksgiving tradition.

~ Robin Dance, www.pensieve.me