Friday Fave 5 & Saturday 9

The week flew by and I got a lot done! 

Hard to believe a week ago I was at Disneyland in the rain. Well part of the day and then it end up being a beautiful day. We go back in December. 

Thankful that I did not have to go anywhere this week and I got a lot of Christmas decorating done.

Thankful that the younger grands came to stay for Wednesday-Thursday to help decorate.

Thankful for a beautiful Thanksgiving!

Thankful to get some shopping done without a lot of crowds and good sales.

We are on are way to the Rosebowl!

Saturday 9: Thank You Girl (1964)

 

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) Who were you talking to the last time you said, "thank you?" My daughter.

2) Paul McCartney recalls that "Thank You Girl" was inspired by all the female fans who had written them fan letters, pledging undying love. Have you ever written a fan letter? If yes, did you receive a response? No, I have not.

3) Recording engineer Geoff Emerick remembered that John Lennon was easily winded while recording this song. John had a bad cold and went back to bed when they were done for the day. We're in cold/flu season right now. How are you feeling? I feel fine as I write this. The Santa Ana winds were here this past week and brought warmer, dry weather that messed with my sinuses. I felt better by Thanksgiving. 

4) "Thank You Girl" is this week's song because November 27 was Thanksgiving. What are you thankful for this year? My faith in Jesus, my family and my friends. Also, for good health insurance!

5) While the big meal is referred to as Thanksgiving dinner, most Americans enjoy it earlier than they usually serve dinner. 3:00 PM is the most popular time for the holiday feast. When did you have dinner on Thursday? 5pm

6) Cranberry sauce has been a Thanksgiving staple since the late 1800s. Was it on your menu this year? My hubby forgot to make it. He likes it but nobody asked for it.

7) The Thanksgiving Turducken is said to have originated in New Orleans. Chef Paul Prudhomme is often cited as the first to stuff a deboned chicken into a deboned duck into a deboned turkey. Prudhomme's recipe has more than 85 individual steps and takes a full day to prepare. Did you face any challenges while cooking your Thursday dinner? Everything turned out great!

8) Leftovers are popular after Thanksgiving, especially turkey sandwiches. Some cooks recommend serving cold, sliced turkey on wheat bread, but white bread, pitas and flatbread are also popular. When you head into the kitchen to make a sandwich, what's your go-to bread? Sourdough. But we have left over Hawaiian roles that we will use for sandwiches.

9) The day after Thanksgiving is known as Black Friday, the unofficial start of the holiday shopping season and sales. Black Friday got its name in Philadelphia back in the 1950s to describe the traffic clogging both highways and side streets as consumers raced out in search of bargains. When is the last time you were stuck in traffic? On our way to Disneyland on the 11th.

Tuesday 4 & Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. Do you celebrate with family, friends or by yourself? I celebrate with my family. Sometimes we go to my son and daughter in laws and have a combined gathering with her parents and siblings and our family. This year I am hosting my family here in my home. My daughter in law will have her family over on Friday.

2.  Do you watch the Thanksgiving Day parade from Macy's in New York City?  The appearance of Santa at the end signals the start of the Christmas season.  What does the day hold for you? We usually watch the parade in the morning. I make my sweet potatoes the day before. I cut up the veggies for my stuffing the day before also but I out it together on Thanksgiving morning, so it just has to be baked. Everyone comes around 3. My son makes the mash potatoes and my daughter in law is bringing a dessert. My daughter is bringing macaroni and cheese and a rice Krispies treat. My other son has to work half day and then he and his wife are going with her parents. Once everyone is there, we take pictures with the grands for our Christmas card, I pass out a new ornament to each grandchild. We have an early dinner and then we watch Christmas movies and have dessert.

3. What foods are the hit of Thanksgiving Day for you? My husband is cooking the turkey and ham. I am making the my mom's recipe for stuffing, and sweet potatoes and a salad. My husband also makes the gravy, green bean casserole and cranberry sauce. I am so thankful he cooks. I clean the house, set the table with candles and I use fall chargers with paper plates. I would rather use real China, but my husband doesn't want me to be in the kitchen to long after we eat because we want to get to the movies and do some online shopping. 

4.  We say grace before and after meals. Is grace a part of your Thanksgiving meal? Yes, always pray before we ear. We also go around the table and say what we are thankful for while we are eating.

Whatever your Thanksgiving traditions, I pray that the day is meaningful and filled with love for you whether with family, friends or alone. May God shine his blessing love down on you and yours and make us all truly thankful this year.

1. Do you feel like you have a 'full plate' at the moment? In what way? We have all that we need. A home, food to eat, and we are all healthy and doing well. I have a busy holiday schedule planned.

2. How did you learn to cook? If you have children, did you teach or encourage them to cook? Yes, we taught all our kids to cook. I had the boys in the kitchen with me when they were young. My husband came from a family where the dad cooked his specialties. My daughter did not like learning, but she did and is a pretty good cook. My older son makes most of the dinners and his wife cleans up. My younger son cooks too, but can't as often with his schedule so his wife does most of the cooking. The grandsons are cooking too now. Do you like to follow a recipe or is your cooking style more 'let's wing it'.  I am a wing it person for most things.

3. Last time you bit off more than you could chew? Elaborate. Doing too many crafts at once this past month.

4. When did you last say 'the more the merrier' and mean it? I have not said that in awhile. 

5. Write an acrostic using the word T-H-A-N-K-S. 

T-Thanksgiving

H-Heartfelt

A-Affirmation

N-Nurturing

K-Kindness 

S-Selflessness

6. Insert your own random thought here. Our older two grandkid's high school football team won the playoffs. They will be in the final CIF championship game on Friday, after Thanksgiving. My granddaughter in a song leader and they and the football team will take buses to the Rose Bowl for the game. My daughter and I along with her son and his girlfriend will be driving up. It is about 47 miles away. We plan to leave early to find good parking. I just ordered 2 stadium clear bags to take my seat cushion, a light blanket and water. The other bag is for my daughter. We also have a clear backpack that my grandson will use.

Previous Entry has our Disneyland day.

Thanks to Annie and Joyce for the memes.

Link are on the left.

Friday Faves Five & Saturday 9

1.Thankful for good church service  on Sunday. 

We grabbed lunch to take out and then met 

our son's family to see the movie called

 the Best Christmas Ever. It was really good!

2.Thankful for the Zoom Advent study I am doing online with friends.

3.Thankful to finish Christmas decorating.

4.Thankful for a wonderful Thanksgiving. 

We went with my son's family and my

 daughter in law's family was there too. Lots of great food!

We gave our grands their Christmas ornaments for this year.

5.Thankful that hubby took me Christmas shopping. 

I found things at Michael's, Target, and Kohls.

 Lots of great sales! The stores were busy but not too crowded.

We got home and had yummy left overs!

Saturday 9: Thank You (2000)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) This week's song begins with Dido complaining about her day, but then she sees a photo of a loved one that reminds her "it's not so bad." What was the most recent photo you took? I take lots of pictures with my iPhone. Some are for ideas, but some are special like the one of my grands posted above.

2) She admits that between a hangover and her finances, she's got a headache. What's your go-to headache remedy? Tylenol.

3) Though her given name is Florian, her family started calling her Dido when she was very young, so she considers it her "real" name. Which is not to say she likes it. She said being christened one name but called another was confusing when she was a little girl. Plus, since neither Florian nor Dido are common monikers, she didn't appreciate the way her names made her stand out at school. "I used to wish I'd been named Claire," she says. Do you like your name? Do you feel it suits you? Yes, I like my name.

4) In 2000, the year this week's song was on the charts, AOL merged with media giant Time Warner. In 2022 it was estimated 70% of us check our personal (not business) email daily. That's down from 74% in 2020. How often do you check your email? Several times a day and more now that I am doing online shopping.

5) "Thank You" is this week's song because November 28 was Thanksgiving. What are you thankful for this year? Good health insurance and the medical people, my faith, family and friends.

6) At the first Thanksgiving, there were no forks. Pilgrims ate with spoons and knives. How many forks were at your Thursday place setting? 1 per person

7) It's estimated that nearly 50 million pumpkin pies are baked for Thanksgiving. Was it on your Thursday menu? Yes, but not homemade.

8) A recent poll revealed that we are a divided country, with cranberry sauce being named both most and least favorite Thanksgiving side dish. Where are you on this controversy? It is okay. My husband used canned this year and added pineapple and cashews. He has made it fresh, but no time this year.

9) The day after Thanksgiving is known as Black Friday, the unofficial start of the holiday shopping season and sales. Walmart, Best Buy and Target all advertise heavily on Black Friday. If you could have a $100 gift card from one of those stores, which would you choose? What would you buy? Walmart. I think I can get more for my money. But I was at Target on Balck Friday.

Thanks to Susanne and Sam for the memes, links are on the left column.

Friday Fav Five and Saturday 9

Click above to join!

1. Thankful that my grands can perform in front of crowds. I always got performance anxiety when I had my piano recitals. My granddaughter plays the piano/keyboards, sings, and is learning how to play the guitar. Last Saturday she did it all and she was sick with a sore throat.

She sang Lauren Daigle's new song called Thank God I do.

She had gone to her concert the night before in Los Angeles.

Then there is Elijah who always end his performance like this!

2. Thankful for the Thanksgiving tea potluck on Monday in honor of our friend visiting from Texas. 

3. Thankful for our Minnie who turned 7 on Wednesday. This picture is from last year. This year she was recovering from a back injury and we had quiet day. We ordered her steps and are rewarding her with carrots when she uses it. She is feeling better.

4.Thankful for Thanksgiving that was at my son's house.

Our daughter in laws family was there too.

 

I forgot to take pictures of the food, but here is the dessert table!

5. Thankful for my family. Thankful that we could all message each other and remember our parents

and Thanksgiving Day of the past.

Saturday 9: Long Cool Woman (in a Black Dress) 1972

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) This week's song begins with Hollies' lead singer Allan Clarke telling us of a Saturday night trip downtown, taken at the behest of the FBI. What are your plans for Saturday night? (No, we don't expect you to tell us you'll be working undercover for a government agency.)

Not sure yet.

2) At a bar, he meets a woman in a black dress. The LBD, or little black dress, is a wardrobe staple for many women because it's appropriate for almost any occasion. Let's say you get a last-minute invitation for a "dressy" dinner this weekend and you don't have the time or money to buy something new. What's your go-to outfit from your closet? I have several black dresses and a few other nice dresses and shoes.

3) Everyone at the bar starts to run when they hear sirens. Do you often hear sirens in your neighborhood? We have a fire station about 8 blocks away, so about once a week. 

4) In 1972, the year this week's song was on the charts, Popeye's opened their first fast-food chicken restaurant in Louisiana. Now that the Thanksgiving feast is over, will you be eating any carry-out this weekend? We are eating leftovers. We usually go out to lunch after church.  I plan to make turkey soup when we get some rainy weather.

5) Black is this week's signature color because November 24 was Black Friday, when retailers historically have slashed their prices and the holiday shopping season begins. Have you begun your gift shopping? Yes, I went out Friday and bought 5 gifts for grand nieces and nephews. I also ordered some cards from Amazon.

6) Walmart, Best Buy and Target all advertise heavily on Black Friday. If you could have a $100 gift card from one of those stores, which would you choose? What would you buy? 

I ordered some things from Target, so probably from there.

7) This Monday is sometimes known as Cyber Monday because shoppers can find big savings online. Do you shop confidently online, or do you worry about security breaches and identity theft?

 Yes I do shop online. Mostly from Amazon.

8) What are you thankful for this year? Lots of things, but mostly for my family and good health insurance that helps minor mishaps.

9) Random question: Who was the last person you spoke to on the phone (texting doesn't count)?

My husband. I call him when I am in the car.

 

Tuesday 4 Thankful

Hello friends and welcome to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4.  

Thanksgiving Day is about here. Let's talk about the holiday and thankfulness.

1. Whether you are from the USA or not, thankfulness is beneficial to a nation and people.  Is it a natural thing for you to think of being thankful or is it something you must be reminded about? I try to be thankful every day. Somedays I get sad about the things I have lost, or did not get. But then I have to remember all the things I have. I have everything I need. I guess there will always be things I want, but as long as I have what I need, I am okay. I have my faith in God, I am blessed with a family and I have friends. I have fairly good health and good insurance. 

2.  Plimoth Plantation is the site of the original settlement and everything is authentic to the 1600's including how they speak. Have you been to Plymouth Rock?   How about the Plimoth Plantation (yes that is the proper spelling). Would you like to go visit these places?  What places are you thankful for having seen? No, I have not been there. I have been to New York for a few days before going on a New England Cruise. We visited Boston Massachusetts, Kennebunkport Maine and Canada. I have been on a cruise to Alaska and spent a few days in Seattle. I have been to Hawaii 4 times and hope to go one more time with my family. I have been to a few other states and visited different cities in Mexico back in 1969. I have seen the Grand Canyon 3 times, Las Vegas several times. Would I like to travel more? Yes but only God knows what is to come. My friend invited me to her home in Texas again for next year. In 2018, my family and I went to Hawaii the day after Thanksgiving. It is the only time we did not eat a Thanksgiving dinner at home. We are at Poly's Pies.  

3. Do you tune into the Macy's Parade? I do try to watch it. My husband records it so we can watch it after I wake up. I remember going down 5th Ave and passing Macy's while on a tour, but we did not get down. There was just not enough time. But we did get to see Phantom of the Opera on Broadway.

4. What will you be eating on Thanksgiving Day this year? We are going to my son's home this year. We are taking a ham, stuffing, green bean casserole and a candied yam. My daughter in law in making a roast, and her dad is cooking a turkey. My son is making the mashed potatoes. My daughter is taking macaroni and cheese. My daughter in law's mom is making her stuffing, gravy and something else. Her brothers are bringing the pies. That is a lot of food!

Saturday 9

Saturday 9: Two Black Cadillacs (2011)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) This week's song is about two women who share a very dark secret. Are you good at keeping secrets? Pretty good for the most part.

2) Carrie Underwood's favorite author is Stephen King. In fact, she credits King's Christine as an inspiration for this song. Have you read much Stephen King, or seen movies based on his books? I only saw Carrie and did not like it.  I don't like scary movies or books. When I went on a New England cruise in 2008, we stopped in Portland Oregon. We got on a bus, heading to Kennebunkport. Our tour guide told us what famous people were from Maine. Stephen King has a "haunted mansion in Bangor Maine. 

3) Carrie first came to America's attention when she won on American Idol. Prior to competing on that show, she'd never been on an airplane. Crazy Sam takes at least one round-trip flight every year and pays using the miles she accumulated from credit card purchases throughout the year. Do you try to earn miles, points, or cash back when you make purchases? No.

4) Black is this week's signature color because November 25 was Black Friday, when retailers historically have slashed their prices and the holiday shopping season begins. Have you begun your gift shopping? Yes. I got a few ornaments while I was in Virginia City this past September. I ordered a few things online this weekend and did some Christmas shopping on Friday.

5) Black Friday began as a local event initiated by store owners in Philadelphia back in the early 1960s. When you think of Philadelphia, what comes to mind? The Liberty Bell

6) Black Friday always comes after Thanksgiving, a day of feasting. What was the best dish at your holiday table this year? It depends on who you ask. I liked my stuffing and cranberry-raspberry jello. Everyone like the Pillsbury Grand Rolls!

All the sparkling apple juice, Cran grape drinks were a hit too!

Hubby picked the last of our roses. He also planted succulents in the pumpkin container.

7) Thanksgiving is also a big day for watching football. Did you watch any games? Nope. We did see the Macy's Parade.  We watched National Lampoon's Christmas. Our middle son and his wife came down and brought a ham and pumpkin pie. My daughter and grands brought the macaroni n cheese and salad. On Friday my son and his family came down for leftovers and we watched Home Alone 2.

Everyone enjoyed the village I set up. The boys set theirs up to at their homes. I gave them each several homes which they have added too. My daughter will get my set when she gets a bigger place.

8) What are you thankful for this year? Many things. My health, my family and friends. Having what I need.

9) Random question: You're in a public restroom and have a choice between paper towels and a hot air hand dryer. Which do you choose? I prefer paper towels. 

Tuesday 4 Thanksgiving Feast

Let's talk about the Thanksgiving Feast.

1. Do you celebrate with family, friends or by yourself? I celebrate with family. I will be serving Thanksgiving at a Senior Living home in my community Tuesday afternoon. My grandson will be helping too. My older son will be with his wife's family. They will come over for leftovers on Friday.

2.  Do you watch the Thanksgiving Day parade from Macy's in New York City?  The appearance of Santa at the end signals the start of the Christmas season. It will be recorded to watch after I wake up. What does the day hold for you? Eating and relaxing after dinner. I am using paper this year. I prep my potatoes, stuffing and Jell-O the day before Thanksgiving.

3. What foods are the hit of Thanksgiving Day for you? Hubby is cooking the turkey, mashed potatoes, grave and green bean casserole. I will be making the stuffing, sweet potatoes, and cranberry Jell-O salad. My son is bringing a ham and pumpkin pie. My daughter is bringing macaroni and cheese, salad and dessert. After dinner, we go to the family room and watch National Lampoon's Christmas while enjoying dessert. We usually turn on the fireplace. Depends on how cold the weather is. It is forecast to be 78 and windy.

Recipes are here

4.  We say grace before and after meals. Is grace a part of your Thanksgiving meal? We always pray before out meal. As we are eating. We will each share what we are thankful for from the past year.

Whatever your Thanksgiving traditions, I pray that the day is meaningful and filled with love for you whether with family, friends or alone. May God shine his blessing love down on you and yours and make us all truly thankful this year.