Posted on 11/01/2025 5:46:00 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
I’m so glad you will be celebrating with good friends! Have a blessed Thanksgiving, Mom!
“He reaches his paw out and pats my hair.”
Boyd does that to me, too!
Both Boyd and Eva know how to get into the lower cabinets in the kitchen. I thought about baby-proofing them, but it keeps them entertained when they are stuck indoors - which usually starts about now. Ugh!
Did my ‘sides’ yesterday, then Beau decided to install my new kitchen sink/faucet! This morning he needs to do the finishing touches and turn the water back on, so I can get the big Turkey Breast in the oven and have that sliced and ready to go in the crock pot.
He installed my upstairs bathroom faucet the day before and took the marble top off and POLISHED it! It looks brand new! I’d like to think it was my ‘inspiration’ (not nagging!) that got it done, but he didn’t want my Mom giving him grief that the sink and faucet were STILL sitting in the box in the hallway when she comes over tomorrow. He got enough grief over the toilet it took him a YEAR to install! (Mom obviously does the, ‘dirty work’ for me, LOL!)
Mom has had a hankering for SHRIMP, so she is bringing that as an appetizer, and she’s bringing a Caramel Apple Pie that some guys she knows bakes to perfection.
I just need to clean the main floor and the main bathroom; did everything upstairs, yesterday.
Bread is in the oven, then hoping Beau will get the sink finished so I can clean and pull together the kitchen, quickly. The stove needs scrubbing from top to bottom after a rigorous use this week!
It is a GLORIOUS morning here .... very mild temps (high to be 64), sunshine & the birds are singing ... it’s like Spring. But wait... what does Mother Nature have in store for us? Crashing temps, high winds starting this afternoon. Highs For tomorrow, Friday & Saturday are 38,35,38 with lows in the 20’s. High winds starting up this afternoon - 10-20 with gusts 40+. It should calm down by Saturday.
Good day yesterday, got all done that I wanted to get done & finished before midnight. Quick trip to Walmart this morning for another bag of pecans & gravy “insurance” in the event my recipe doesn’t turn out.
This morning - get the casseroles together (green bean, sweet potato, corn pudding, & stuffing). It’s mainly opening cans except I’ll have to get the mixer out for the sweet potatoes & mashed potatoes. I am making a second batch of Maple Pecan Bars (so good!) thus the extra bag of pecans I needed. I’ll bake them, then turn the oven up for the baked potatoes - ‘make-ahead’ mashed potatoes will follow. The cinnamon apples are thawing.
The Big Boy turkey ... will it be thawed? It’s been in the fridge since last Thursday. I am waiting until this evening to allow maximum thawing, then I’ll see what the situation might be. The bottom line is at some point, it will be buttered/herbed, wrapped in foil, in the roasting pan & ready to go in the oven at 7 AM tomorrow morning.
I feel like everything (so far) is “under control”. There is some minor house cleaning (vacuuming/dusting, cleaning guest half bath which we keep clean anyway) & that should do it. I do need to get the card table out of the garage & set up in the kitchen, but that’s no big deal. Mom will do all the ‘decorating’ & place setting.
Looking forward to a good time tomorrow with family & food, one of my favorite combinations :-)
Cow Chronicles:
Calf #3 arrived Sunday - saw the farmer tagging it (mama was hovering over him, concerned/not happy). Yesterday, the 3 little ones were hanging out together & chasing each other around the field - so cute!
He’s under the sink right now! He must want his breakfast, LOL!
I’m sure you’ve heard me mention this before, but we built a catio for the cats to be able to go outdoors and still be protected from coyotes, hawks, etc. They have a cat door in a window that opens to a short tunnel for them to get to the enclosure. Best $500 we’ve ever spent! It is used all year long, and when we go out of town, it has really been a source of comfort for our cats, well, now just one cat.
It sits on our deck just outside the sunroom, which has lots of houseplants. One time when we had to cut down some trees, I had the worker save me a nice center portion with branches. I let that age, then scraped off the bark, and used marine varnish to give it some protection. So it looks like a tree is growing inside the catio, and there are platforms on each branch for perching on.
Spoiled kitties, but they love it! Especially when the weather gets severe, they love running out there to watch a storm develop and stay (mostly) protected from the elements. At first I fashioned a fitted cover from a shower curtain. I’ve now graduated to a clear vinyl heavy plastic table protector mat. It’s flexible and I attached grommets so I could tie down the top. I’ll try to post a photo of what it looks like currently, for anyone who might be interested in building something like this for their feline(s).
The day before Thanksgiving messing with your sink & faucet - LOL! Despite the timing, good on Beau - what a blessing to have a ‘handy’ man who can do such things :-)
Speaking of storms, one article said could be up to 20” in some areas. Wisconsin and Michigan near the top of the list. Starting later today. Batten down the hatches Diana.
Speaking of storms (at least an hour from us, but, still...):
https://partnerservices.nws.noaa.gov/products/cache/325-2025/PNSPAH/613ad798fe4a0f62753536aa73ee48bd
Interesting tornado. Very, very narrow all along its path, but, it stayed together for almost 6 miles. Luckily, between being so narrow and in a rural area, there was not a lot of damage, and apparently no one was hurt.
The best part of my day: going out to the herb garden & picking fresh herbs to go in the stuffing & also in some compound butter for the turkey. I really missed not having an herb garden last year - SO happy to have one this year!
All of my side dishes are made up & in the casserole dishes, stacked in the fridge. The only thing left is dealing with the turkey later this evening. Fingers crossed that bad boy is thawed.
I’m thinking of carving the turkey & putting the meat in the crock pot(s) (thanks for the idea, Diana). That way I can get it out of the oven earlier, giving me more time for the side dishes :-)
My Mom started doing this years ago and it works like a charm. At other Family Gatherings, when we had an ARMY to feed and before Crock Pots were a 'thing,' we had 'Nescos.' I'm sure you remember them. More 'Institutional-looking' than a Crock Pot. ;)
Unless you're posing for a Normal Rockwell painting, carving at the table has become a lost art - though with his butchering skills, Beau has it down to a science. He loved that I gave him all the 'schnibbles' from his carving efforts today. ;)
My brother always did the carving - I will be happy not to have an audience!
We had lots of wind today. To the point that we lost power for about 10 minutes. Except we didn’t, because we had an automatic generator installed in late September. It kicked right on! And then 10 or so minutes later, we could tell it had kicked off and we were back on the electric company power. It took a few minutes more for the wifi to be reengaged.
Nice dry run. I checked all the major appliances, especially the fridge and freezer in the garage. Everything was working like a charm. It was nice to see it in action! Helps me feel relieved that if something happens while we’re gone, all will be well. Our elderly cat may survive (he’s 15-1/2 years old).
I didn’t have time to completely empty the rain barrel. I got 12 gallons of water stored, but had to call it quits at that point. It was windy and getting colder by the minute. So I wrapped one of those emergency foiled sheets around it (held in place by packaging tape 😆) and hope the water inside won’t freeze completely while we’re gone, when I can tend to the rain barrel again.
I think it will be warmer where we’re headed than at our home for the next several days.
I harvested some of my sage today. It is supposed to be winter hardy, so it’s in the ground. I brought rosemary and thyme inside to try with the grow lights over winter. I snipped some from those to take with me. Also harvested the last of the Italian oregano before it succumbs to the temps. If my daughter is up to it, she wants to make focaccia from scratch. If we get there in time, we can use the homegrown herbs on the focaccia before it bakes. Fingers crossed.
Have a joyful Thanksgiving!
*New Kitchen Sink Chronicles*
One trip to the Hardware Store. Some swear words uttered. A little, ‘home remodeling’ of parts needed and...
I have a new sink! It’s gorgeous! Stainless steel, restaurant quality. Fancy TALL faucet with the pull-out sprayer. Loving it.
I did ask Beau why this new sink didn’t automatically DO the dishes for me, but he said that part was VERY expensive to install. ;)
My kitchen is finally pulled back together, but I have about 12 tasks to do come morning. Heading for bed; up at dawn to put the turnkey in the oven. (Just kidding!)
7+ inches of ‘The S-Word’ predicted by Saturday. Glad of it! My Asparagus, Strawberries and Rhubarb NEED the natural insulation that they didn’t get last season.
Glad the kitchen is done! We have a stainless, large ‘farmers’ sink with a tall faucet & pull out sprayer which sounds similar to your setup - it’s great, you’ll wonder how you ever managed before!
The bird was thawed - hallelujah! It is now slathered in compound butter (under the skin, too) & sealed in foil, ensconced in the roasting pan, oven ready.
The goal was to be out of the kitchen by midnight - made it & the kitchen is clean, too!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.