Thanksgiving weekend activities

The long Thanksgiving weekend from Thursday on has been filled with "to dos" and "to don'ts." Thursday was rather a lazy moring, as I didn't have to cook. We gathered the kids for blueberry pancakes and fresh clementines and sat at the computer with a cup of Peace Coffee. I am still enjoying the one pound that I purchased at the MN State Fair in late August. I'm the only coffee drinker in the household, and I get good coffee at work during the week, so I only brew coffee on stay-at-home days. We got bundled up with computer and game gear for a day at my mom's place and got there around 1pm. My brother deep fried a turkey for the first time this year, and it was a little dry. But, tasty dark meat and crispy edges were fun for a change. Mom also baked a ham "just in case." Unfortunately, no left over turkey or carcass to make soup stock. Mom actually baked a turkey on Saturday to do just that - make soup. Yum. Usually, we head over to my husband's side of the family for dessert, but the night got late, and we decided to hang out and watch Charlie Brown at home.

Friday was another lovely sleep-in kind of day. We got up and had eggs benedict with the left-over ham and some yummy holandaise sauce. I love late morning breakfast with my family. We don't get the paper, so I usually am scouring the internet blogospere for something interesting from my friends, or checking out the news on Google or Yahoo. We had a plan for the day. Relax and enjoy each other, play with the neighbors, and make a quick trip to Home Depot for some Christmas lights for the house. No Black Friday madness for me. It wasn't too crazy by 2pm when we got there. Got a few lights, cords, and a timer and went home.

Then we gathered around to go downtown Minneapolis for the Holidazzle parade and a MN Timberwolves game. We got some free tickets to the game when we signed up to walk for the Minnesotans' Military Appreciation Fund 2-mile walk and 5K race on Father's Day. We walked, raised money for a good cause, and got to go to the Twins game at the Metrodome that day. Part of the package was tickets for the Timberwolves game sometime in November. We will totally do this again! Make a plan to join us.

So...my husband went down to Target Center earlier in the month, and we decided to take the kids to a game. Should be fun, we thought. Great weather that night for the parade...photos and video at http://www.wcco.com/. The game was long, and although some fun highlights happened, I wasn't terribly thrilled with the level of game play by the home team. After all, they get paid to play a game and have fun, but didn't seem to be having fun at all. The dance team and cheerleaders did a great job of entertaining all - without too much skin - and a great enthusiasm. They should be proud of the job they do.

Saturday found me up and at 'em early. Our normal garbage collection is Friday, but pushed back with the holiday I awoke to the sound of garbage trucks out my window and a terrible feeling in my stomach that reminded me we'd be stuck with a whole week's worth of garbage if I didn't get my butt out of bed right then and there. Thank goodness it wasn't my pick up yet. Mom was supposed to call, but overslept. After several unanswered calls to her, I got some jeans on, got in the car and drove 15 minutes to her home. Just a low blood sugar morning, but nothing to worry about. Once I got her up and some breakfast in her, I was able to get home and get some cinnamon rolls started.  Yes, the canned Pilsbury ones. They're so great, and so convenient...but the fragrance is enough to wake even the loudest snoring husband. One of these days I get ambitious and start creating one of those million dollar recipies they offer every year.
He headed off to get an oil change on the car, and I started on putting the lights up on the outside of the house. I was about half way through, and he returned. We finished the second section together, but not without a fight. I stormed off - realizing I obviously was not listening to him, as he was feeling very unheard. I felt the same, so a little "time out" was a good thing. I headed over to the Home Depot to pick up a couple more boxes of clear icicle lights to complete the front of the house. Then, stopped over at Target to get some shorter extension cords and something for dinner. Thank goodness for cell phones, because just as my daughter was wondering where I was, she called and I was able to ask her to start water on the boil for pasta. My husband finished making spaghetti, and we actually had a very nice meal.

Sunday morning I awoke with a killer headache. The kind that throbs and pounds so painfully that you can't move. I forced myself to get up, mostly because my bladder insisted I get up. Cereal and milk this morning, and no energy to make coffee. I went back to bed and we skipped going to church. When my husband came in to check on me, it was already 2:30pm and I felt like a Mack Truck ran me over. He needed some help with the rest of the lights on the house, and wanted me to hold the ladder. I reluctantly got up and cried so hard because it hurt. He felt so bad...but got me some water and ibuprofen and I figured a little fresh air might make me feel better. Getting outside didn't really make me feel better, but the ibuprofen helped to take away the throbbing.

We finished the front of the house, and put some colored lights on one of the large evergreen trees in the front corner garden by the street. Not ready to deck out the entire yard this year. We'll pace ourselves and our pocketbook. Even after some food, lots of water and a Diet Coke for the caffeine, by 8pm the pain is still in my head. Hope it's not some virus. Or, if it is, that it goes away quickly.

Tomorrow is Monday, the start of another work week. I love my job, but somehow am really not looking forward to it. I have really enjoyed this time with my kids, my husband, and doing stuff around the house. Much more Christmas decorating to do this season. Having a house is a lovely thing, and I'm so grateful for the opportunity to own it, work on it, make it our own, and enjoy our family in it.

The beginning and end to my work days

PBS [tpt2 KTCA] is becoming a great spot for me to land. I mentioned last post how I love the Saturday morning cooking shows. You see, we don't have cable tv. I just simply refuse to pay money for something I really shouldn't be spending too much time on anyhow. We bought digital converters and "made the switch" last fall. I may miss a few things, like Food network and History and Discovery - but I can get a few peeks at that by going over to Mom's place. I have really found much of that with PBS.

Our weekday mornings are typical of many families with only one car. My husband is up early and out the door to catch the bus into downtown Minneapolis, while I get into the shower and then get the kids up. Sometimes my daughter will beat me to the couch, but only if she has set her alarm so she can say good morning and good bye to her daddy. Once it hits a bit past 7, the rest of our routine is usually timed between the 30minute shows of Arthur and Martha Speaks. "Get up, Arthur is almost over." "Martha is almost on, better be sure and be dressed before it's starts and have breakfast before it's over and then the tv is off." "But Mom, I want to watch Curious George." But, it's time to grab some breakfast and get out the door." If they change the lineup during a new season, it really causes some confusion in our household for the first few days.

I leave work at 5pm, and pick up the kids from daycare and an afterschool program. My 4 yr old anxiously awaits the time to get home..."Is it 5:30 yet?" No honey, we have to pick up your sister first, then we'll get home in time for your show." "HEY YOU GUYS!!!"

I used to watch The Electric Company as a kid growing up in the 70's, and learned to read by putting sounds together like "ch + at = chat." Watching Morgan Freeman and Rita Moreno on a recent DVD we picked up from the library brought back tons of memories just flooding in. The new version is just as amazing with a story twist between the Electric Company kids who hang out at the Electric Diner, and the Pranksters who change words and make like difficult for the heroes. Not to mention a great beat-box hip hop style and songs about letters that make you want to get up and dance...which is exactly what my 4 yr old son does while his 10 yr old sister joins in to help him sound out words. It's quite a treat as we head home on a week day afternoon...just as I'm once again trying to find something for dinner...at least they're occupied with something valuable.

It feels a little crazy that my kids spend so much of their time around the tv, especially when everyone will tell me that tv watching is not good for them. I think limited tv time is good.  The Sesame Workshop has made reading fun, and hip...and put a new spin on educational tv. My kids don't get to have it on continuously...we monitor its use just like we do for video games, which don't come out more than once every other weekend. So this half hour every afternoon is becoming a treat for the kids that they look forward to. I will admit that that time after work is hugely beneficial to me, and to their reading skills. I will also admit that I've used the tv as a babysitter on occasion to keep them occupied while I take a shower, cook, clean, or just find some time to check Facebook. Ha.That is, if you can peel me off the couch when it's on.
Really, though. I appreciate good programming on tv. I appreciated the shows that the Sesame Workshop put work into, and aided in my educational development. The new shows appear to be doing just that for my kids.

Saturdays, PBS, and my kitchen

Not only do I love the green earth-friendly programming and garden how-tos, but The Victory Garden and other fabulous cooking shows on PBS on Saturday mornings really get my taste buds going and my foodie senses stirring. Friends are posting stuff on Facebook about great recipies, fresh food ideas, and a link to steamykitchen.com. I'm sitting here with Rick Bayless cooking amazing tacos in my livingroom. I need to make a trip to the market - since the goodies from the garden are now gone.

America's Test Kitchen always has fool proof recipies for Thanksgiving, not to mention ideas about cool kitchen gadgets. My brother will try deep frying a turkey for the first time this year...usually mom bakes a turkey in the oven. We'll try a new sweet potato & fresh orange casserole from Joy Philbin's recipie box, and the favorite traditional wild rice casserole and green bean casserole with cream of mushroom soup. We'll have a full house at my mom's this year. I'm expecting some fun and good food, and if the weather cooperates, we'll either take a nice long walk or play a little catch in the yard after dinner.

I'm looking to compost next spring...and wondering if I should start something now in the fall...but really I just don't have another weekend of time to do it the way I'd like to. So...I'll start researching off season rain barrels, compost bins and consider which seed catalogs to begin looking at in January. We'll haul the 11 bags of mulched leaves to the community compost site today, and string lights outside the house on this 55degree day in late November. So grateful for the weird weather flip of Oct & Nov...but wondering if the winter will provide us with snow, good moisture for the garden next spring.

2009 was the first year of gardening for me. Previously planted chives and green onions, salvia and lavender, framed the sprouts of tomatoes, peppers, cukes, eggplant and squash. Herbs on the patio, and a few additions from the farmer's market...and our table was often full of Italian, Greek, Asian, and Mexican dishes.  Next year dare I start from seed? I'm no Martha Stewart, but in an effort to be good to myself, my family, and the earth...my desire is to use green principles, cook good food - fresh from the garden, and get my hands dirty and find quiet time with God while I work side by side with the worms.

There's something so natural about fresh veggies, food, gardening...and Sat mornings simply inspire me. The Good Housekeeping Gardening & Canning magazine from 1977 that I found in my mom's cupboard has been a new inspiration. Good info just never dies, it just gets reposted electronically...and I love Googling for garden, cooking, and video guides of how to cook. But, smelling and tasting the real thing is far more fun. Guess what's cooking today.

Approaching the end of the growing season

...but we're always growing. And the seasons of the year play strong especially in MN as we get to experience buds opening in springtime, deep greens showing in summer, vibrant color and crisp air in autumn, and cold snowy winters. The growing season in MN is just about over, and the leaves have turned to brown and have fallen off the trees. Just barren branches and lots of hard work of raking and mulching is now mostly done.

And, during the summer months - the time of Pentecost - the growing season, there are no holy days scheduled in the church calendar from May to November until we approach Advent and Christmas.

I'll link to the page on explorefaith.org and give them credit. But, I just have to print it here so I am reminded of the amazing process that is in the everyday life - the journey of that growing season - the season of no special holidays - where we need to find our spirituality in the everyday living.

Practicing Holiness on Ordinary Days

Introduction

Leon Bloy once said, “There is only one sadness. The sadness of not being a saint.” You might think that you don't have what it takes to become a saint, that you don't know how to become holy. You might think you don't have enough time to add yet one more thing to your plethora of obligations. You might think that holiness would require what you are not prepared to give. There is a cost to holiness. There is a cost to anything that is of any worth, any value. But the cost is not what you think.

Holiness is not something you tack on to the other responsibilities of life. You don't make a habit of holiness like you make a habit of brushing your teeth. You don't read about how to do it, and then practice it routinely every day. Holiness occurs in the lived life. Daily living is the arena, the environment, where holiness takes root and flowers.

Living the spiritual life is being spiritual in every situation in which we find ourselves. For example, if you come home tired and you don't feel like cooking, and you suggest to your spouse that you go out to eat and your spouse doesn't think you should spend the money, what is your reaction? Do you sulk, pout, fix dinner angrily, and become silent during dinner? Your immediate reaction is the barometer of your spiritual life.

What if you're at work trying to meet a deadline, feeling pressured, stressed and somewhat put upon, and your boss brings in a new project that is important and asks that you begin working on it today. What is your response? Do you smile sweetly and feel anger rising in your throat or lower back? Do you begin a litany of the things that you are already involved in that are taking time and energy and grumble that you just can't do one more thing without falling apart? Your immediate reaction is the barometer of your spiritual life.

Pentecost celebrates the gift of the Holy Spirit and is the longest season of the Church Year. It begins 50 days after Easter, as the pastels of spring deepen into the dark rich green that blankets the landscape throughout the summer. It carries with it a sense of growth, of slow and deliberate movement, of journey.

You can begin the journey of holiness during this Pentecost season by examining your reactions and attitudes to the daily doses of life you are given. If you cannot find your spirituality there, it is unlikely you would find it if you were free of all responsibilities and had the luxury of thinking of no one but yourself and God. It is the day to day, the minute to minute, the joy and the sorrow, the bitter and the sweet that is the training ground for holiness. So pay attention to your life this Pentecost.

Raking and playing