Thanksgiving

A couple of years after we moved into our house, Jess mentioned that he thought it’d be fun to host Thanksgiving. I didn’t have as much excitement for such a task. I worried about all the work, the cleaning, the stress! What if the turkey wasn’t right or the mashed potatoes were over whipped?

Fast forward to this year, where I have a few cooked turkeys under my belt, the mashed potato king by my side, and a dining room table that has a leaf. We had 20+ people over and it was a delight. I brined the turkey (and turkey breast) and Jess prepped the potatoes to perfection. The company was wonderful, the side dishes superb, and the desert plentiful. 

Here we are putting the finishing touches on the meal. Jess and his dad carved the turkey!

Ansel dressed up as a pilgrim. His cousin was a Native American. It was fun

We had a kid table and an adult table which worked perfectly. 

It was really a wonderful afternoon...except for the short time when two pipes under the sink came separated from each other (due to a loose fastener) and about three gallons of water flooded into the basement. But everyone acted quickly and the problem was addressed. 

I am so grateful for the people who came and who I love so much. What a great way to spend one of my favorite holidays. 

bp’s science: don’t throw away those giblets yet!

Most of us don’t use the giblets that come with a turkey. Am I right? The recipe I was using said to pull out the giblet packet and discard. This year, my boys were watching me prep our turkey to brine as I pulled out the neck and giblets. Instead of the quick discard, we pulled out the heart, liver, and gizzard. I let them hold each organ and we discussed what it did.  It was a neat science lesson about how bodies work. It also allowed my kids to think a bit more about what they eat. Ansel may just be a vegetarian now :). 

Afterward, I took the heart and dissected it a little. Fascinating! This may give me a little more biologist cred with Jess, seeing as I don’t practice in the field but graduated with a degree in it and love to claim I am a one. But I digress. 

Try it! When you prep your turkey this year, open that giblet pack and see if you can guess which organ is which. But not if that’s too disgusting. 

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

That time I put string lights in my family room

Once daylight savings hits and the nights get darker and darker, I start to anticipate how we can keep those dark days from seeping into our moods, or maybe just my mood, but anyhow. This year I painted my hall to a nice light grey over the very early 2000s beige and it helped immensely. Then I took to the family room, which I lovingly call the cave. 

See what I mean? The photo below is with all of the lights on. Still dark!

I bought string lights and strung them across the room. I feel like this breaks all kinds of interior design rules, but I just went for it!

Not only does this lighten up the space, but it makes it feel larger, and sometimes, if the moment is just right, I feel like I’m outside on a patio with an ocean breeze traveling across my face and the sun setting. I hope the lights can work this same magic come February. 

Fall afternoon

The wild park around our house has been put up for a possible city project to make the place into a organized park with soccer fields, tennis courts, and a dog park.  I recently went to a town meeting on the subject. Many people had a chance to talk. Someone in the minority called the area ugly and commented that she wanted to make it “look good.” The group boo-ed this person. I was happy to find out a majority of the citizens around the park want it to stay wild. Thank goodness, this place is a treasure. 

Twenty eighteen Halloween

Pumpkins, costumes, decor, doughnuts, soup, and candy - Halloween was fun as we walked through the leaves around our festive neighborhood. 

LEGO folk art from Jess (and Ash)

Flame face from Oliver

Colorful Frankenstein from Ansel

Knight ninja, Salvador Dali, and Hungry Elephant

Guess who stayed out the longest trick or treating? Ian. Maybe it was because he was carried most of the night :).