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Thanksgiving Memories from My Childhood

Growing up I was always thankful for Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving meant gathering at my grandparents with my mom’s sisters and their families. There was always a long car ride, time playing with cousins, crafts, and a feast of wonderful food.

Over the River and Through the Woods

My Grandmere and Grandpere lived about six hours north of my family in New Jersey. It was always a long trip. My mom did all the driving and most of it was after nightfall. I am not sure if she started having us sing along with her near the end of the trip to keep her awake or to keep my two younger sisters from fussing in the backseat. We sang everything from Broadway show tunes to church songs. Once we got ready to cross from Pennsylvania into New Jersey via a bridge over the Delaware River, the song we always sang was Over the River and Through the Woods.

Have the Kids Decorate the Table So They Will Stay Out of the Kitchen

My mom and both of her sisters were teachers. Each year they would come up with something for my cousins Anne and Jeanne, my sisters, and I to create for the Thanksgiving table. I remember one year we made name tags with turkeys on them. Placemats were another year’s craft. None of us were very crafty so I am not sure the table looked beautifully adorned with our construction paper creations. They did however keep us out the kitchen so that the Thanksgiving feast could be prepared without five little girls “helping”.

Every year we were also tasked with creating slips of paper with Thanksgiving related words on them that each family member was supposed to act out in a round of charades after dinner. We had the best time deciding who would get the slip of paper that said turkey under their plate each year. The funny part about the slip creating activity is that I think we took longer create the slips and hide them under plates than we actually played charades each year. Usually, my aunts and uncles would act out what was on their slips. By the time it was my four male cousins’ turn they would protest this game was beneath them and ask if they had permission to go outside and play.

The Feast

The feast the ladies in my family prepared was wonderful. There was the turkey with gravy, assorted casseroles, candied sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and Pillsbury crescent rolls. There were mounds of each of these foods piled high on platters and in bowls. The smell coming from the kitchen during the morning would get make your stomach start to growl, but it was nothing compared to the visual display of food placed down the center of the table. Everything always looked wonderful. I am not sure why the mashed potatoes and everything else they made always tasted better after it had been prepared in my Grandmere’s kitchen.

I don’t remember if we had dessert right after dinner or after running outside for awhile. I do remember that the feast was capped off with Grandmere’s apple pie and pumpkins pies. There also assorted cakes put out to enjoy too. It was Grandmere’s apple pie that always a hit. The crust just seemed to melt in your mouth.

Run and Play

My grandparents lived on a small farm with huge lawn to play on and a pond to canoe on. After our feast, there always something going on outside. There was a collection of bats, balls, and other outdoor toys kept the barn to keep us entertained for hours.

That is how I remember Thanksgiving growing up. What memories stand out to you?

 

If a Squirrel Needs an Acorn, Try Looking My Clothes Washer!

My little Indiana Jones loves to pick up acorns and other small objects while scavenging around the backyard and place them in the pockets of his pants. He has only just discovered that his pants have pockets so, he feels the need to keep them filled.

Thankfully some of his treasures fall out of his pocket during the day. I find them under his chair at the dinner table, beside his car seat, in his bed, and almost anywhere else he spends time during the day.

Some of the remaining acorns and bits nature end up at the bottom of his hamper. He needs to have his clothes washed every few days due mostly to spillage that takes place at mealtimes. I guess I need to be thankful for the yogurt smudges and cottage cheese splotches. If they weren’t there, some of the bits of nature might start to decay if left too long at the bottom of the hamper. Due to his talent for creating modern art displays on his clothes, they don’t get much time to do so.

A few are found when I check his pockets before placing his pants in the washer. I have to confess that I am not the most thorough of pocket checkers. I am often distracted when I am putting things into the washer. There are many things that can cause me to be distracted. JDaniel is always up to something. I am usually trying to figure out what we will be having for dinner at the last minute. I could go on and on with things that cause small acorns tucked at the base of JDaniel’s pockets to go unnoticed.

So, if you happen to know any hungry squirrels that are looking for really clean acorns, please let me know. I have a small number of them that seem to come out of the washer each week.

Does this happen to you?

 
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Muffin Tin Monday- Traditional Thanksgiving Dinner

This week I am presenting you with just a simple traditional Thanksgiving meal. There are no Pilgrim sandwiches or cornucopias of food salad. I am sorry. I just made a basic muffin tin this week.

If you click on the Muffin Tin Monday icon, below you will be transported via the internet to displays of wonderfully decorated meals. After leaving me a kind comment, please take a moment to view the other mom’s amazing culinary food displays.

JDaniel loved his peas, cornbread stuffing with cranberries, turkey, black currant bread, and grapes. I hope that no matter what you feast on during your Thanksgiving meal you enjoy it as much as JDaniel did inhaling his pre-Thanksgiving muffin tin meal.

 

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Great Posts I Came Across This Week- November 20th

Child Related
Delightful Learning has an amazing unit she created for the book Corduroy. I love her button snake, graphing, texture, and all the other activities she did.
Little Helping Hands has a create post on creating a chameleons in her post Colorful Chameleons. The activity is genius.
Advent Related
I Blame My Mother has a great list of activities to do with your children during Advent in her post Celebrating Advent.
The Activity Mom has a great post called 2010 Activity Advent Calender. She has great learning activities to do during advent in her post.
Mom Related
Oops..There Goes My Mind has wonderful poem called I Heart Children. That will make you laugh, smile and maybe cry.
I Needed to Read This
Some Day You Gotta Dance has a post called A Prayer. That will make you think and then maybe even pray.
Recipe
Red Couch Recipes has an amazing recipe for a Turkey Cranberry Wreath. Yum!
Giveaway on Another Blog
Tiger Tales is hosting a six book giveaway on their blog. Here are the titles:

Starry Night, Sleep Tight: A Bedtime Book of Lullabies by Gail Yerrill

A Long Way from Home by Elizabeth Baguley

Hush, Little Baby illustrated by Petra Brown

I Love You All Year Long by Steve Metzger

If I Were…a Firefighter by Pat Hegarty

If I Were…a Princess by Pat Hegarty