Trees, Carolina Beach, and Turkey!

Can you believe that Thanksgiving is almost here…only two days! I thought I was so ahead of the game but realize there is much left to do. I’m hosting for a few family members this year. Our son, grandson and his girlfriend will be here and maybe a nephew too! It sometimes seems to be harder to prepare Thanksgiving Dinner for a small group instead of a large one. I used to host Thanksgiving dinners and Christmas parties for 30+ people and starting planning a month or so in advance and scheduling the preparation of every dish, weeks before the big day!  Now, here it is two days before and I am still not sure if I will bake pies today or tomorrow or which ones I will make! Ha!

Do you put up your Christmas decorations before or after Thanksgiving? I usually try to get my trees up before Thanksgiving but leave them unlit until after Thanksgiving dinner.  I usually leave my fall decor in place until the day after when I start Christmas decorating in earnest. This year my plan was to go ahead and decorate completely for Christmas. I’m not one who believes Christmas should strictly wait until after Thanksgiving but usually do wait.  This year I was going to go ahead and decorate, believing that I would possibly feel even more grateful for all of my blessings if all my decorating was completed before Thanksgiving.  But, because of our long awaited trip and wonderful trip to Carolina Beach, during the last two weeks, I didn’t get the headstart I was hoping for. So, I only managed to get two trees up and they remain undecorated at this moment. It remains to be seen whether or not I can fit in their decoration before Thursday.  Not going to stress over it one way or the other.

Our vacation was relaxing. The weather was not perfect because it was mostly overcast and very windy but we still were able to walk on the beach few times, take a few photos, explore and visit with the family and eat lots of great seafood! We stayed at the beach since our daughter’s home was still being repaired from rain damage from Hurricane Florence. The pelicans and sandpipers were plentiful each day.  I caught this funny little sandpiper scurrying back and forth with the waves. Obviously, much faster than I since I was caught by a wave and it soaked me to my knees!  Ha!

I found a great recipe and instructions for “How to Perfectly Roast Your Thanksgiving Turkey” compliments of ChrisLovesJulia.com.Chris included a great video that shows his whole process.  I’ve tried several of his recipes in the past and will begin brining my bird this afternoon. He also included some great tips for carving the turkey. If you are new to roasting and carving turkeys, this is a must see. If you are an old hand at cooking the bird, you can still learn some great tips from Chris.

This is my turkey from 2013. We had moved from our farm that year and were renting a house.  It was the start of a whole new life for us. It was a stressful time but we were still thankful.  I look back and see where we were and where we are now and see how God’s hand guided us through every step of the way. We are blessed and thankful. I hope that whatever your circumstances this year, you will be able to trust and have faith that the Lord will see you through.  My prayer is for each of you to find blessings and much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving.  Seek Him and He will not fail you.

Blessings,

Vicki

P.S. If there are typos, please excuse. I didn’t have time to properly proofread. 🙂