In my mind's eye I can see refrigerators packed to overflowing in order to make room for the 14-pound bird that will soon be roasting in the oven for tomorrow's lunch.  I can smell the scents of pies baking and the sounds of kitchen blenders and processors and all the "kitchen help" it takes to prepare a meal as important as the Thanksgiving Meal. I hear the laughter of family coming into town for tomorrow's festivities as they catch up on what's been happening since the last family get together.  I wonder how many people are really thinking of the blessings of just having family and friends nearby or near enough to be with, or more about the delicious food they've waited 12 months to enjoy, with the nap that ensues afterwards while the football games drone away on TV.  Maybe they're thinking of the savings they intend to claim on Black Friday, if they are brave enough to weather the crowds.  Maybe it's the excitement or dread, both can be claimed depending on the person, of beginning the Christmas frenzy on Friday in the quest to find just the right gift for everyone on their list.

Whatever you're thinking or doing or wishing or hoping for this Thanksgiving, may you be blessed.  May you be reminded that, even though you may be more poor than rich, more sad than happy, have a dinner that is more humble than feast, even if you seem to have more troubles than blessings, being thankful is truly a state of mind and a condition of the heart.  May you remember the blessings of God, family, and friends, and may you make it a purposeful day in looking for those blessings.  And may it absolutely be the best Thanksgiving ever.

Mama, today I reluctantly opened the box that held your Christmas village.  Pep had given it to me awhile back because I think he could no longer bear to look at the box in the garage.  So I said, "Sure, I'll take Mama's Christmas village and put it out."  So in an effort to get my Christmas decorating done before I take on the business of Thanksgiving, I slowly pulled out each piece, as each piece pulled out of me the raw emotions that seem to take me hostage when I least expect it since you've been gone.

As I pulled the pieces out of the box, I smiled as I saw that each building and accessory had your name written all over it.  First the church, which I set up as the center of the village.  That's just like you, Mama, -- your faith was the center of your life.  No surprise there.  Then out came the quilt shop.  This piece reminded me of how you always kept every single handmade thing we ever gave you, even pieces from the eighties which totally went out of style long ago.  But we made them for you and you loved every single gift your children gave you.  The last little building was a toy shop, and that too represents you in a very significant way.  You have always loved Christmas.  And there is not one of your children, your grandchildren, or your great grandchildren that you did not make their Christmases just a little bit better with your sweet gifts of toys and candy.  My Christmases as a child remain a magical memory in my heart because of you.  And then came the little people you hand-selected to go with the village.  One holding a gift (the giving of gifts was your gift to others), a little man playing an accordian (you loved music), and a father and his child sledding (you always loved your kids beyond measure and was always involved in our lives).  Christmas will not be the same without you this year.

As we inch closer to the holiday that you loved so much, I think back to Christmas 2013 and remember your presence in a big way.  Even though you did not feel well and we had no idea that cancer had invaded your body, you made a huge effort to be there at our family Christmas gathering and had each and every one of us a gift.  You just wouldn't have had it any other way.  Even the years we said No gifts you still had gifts.  Your gusto and love for life filled the house last Christmas.  I see now looking back just how fragile you were and, oh, how I wish I'd known you were sick.  We had no idea that would be our last Christmas with you, but it's probably better we didn't know.  If we had, it would've been a sad Christmas and the sadness would've ruined it for everyone, and you wouldn't have wanted that.  I cannot tell you how my heart hurts knowing that you will not be with us this Christmas. 

You left us in the spring, when the flowers were blooming and the earth was full of life...just like you, Mama.  I cannot remember a time in my life when you were not there for me, encouraging me, coaching me, pushing me on to do better and be better and to live life with passion and purpose.  This Christmas I light your little village in your memory and in your honor.  You gave me many wonderful Christmas gifts over the years, but none as wonderful as the gift of your love and the legacy of your faith.  I love you, Mama...and Merry Christmas.

Cheese might just be a food of the gods.  It makes everything better -- pizza, sandwiches, meat, casseroles, crackers...  Awhile back in a post I mentioned I had lost a couple of pounds while traveling, and that has set off a new leaf that I am trying to turn over.  I would definitely not call it a diet but a semi-diet of sorts -- an effort to develop some better eating habits or maybe just cut back a bit so that I can be healthier and feel better about myself.  Not for my husband or anyone else, but just for me.  I have actually dropped about 7 or 8 lbs without trying too hard and without starving myself. Starving the ol' girl definitely does not work.  If I feel deprived, I want it even more! Yep, that's just the way I roll.  I have mostly been limiting portions, and subbing in healthier ops for not-as-healthy choices. Like ground turkey for ground beef when I can (hard to tell the difference).  Two percent cheese for full fat versions (just as tasty).  Baked chips for fried ones (not as good, but gives me the salty crunch I need).  A small square of chocolate as opposed to a whole bag of M&M's (this one works amazingly well).  And no sodas.  If I have a soda craving, I drink a diet Coke which is not too bad but not the healthiest option, either.  Unsweetened tea has become my drink of choice.  I am a self-professed Coke addict, so to not drink a Coke with a burger or pizza is a miracle in and of itself!  I have had a couple of people notice the few pounds lost and that always makes a girl feel good.  And I even think my turkey-neck is looking a little less -- well, gobble-ish. Totally fitting, is it not, since we are less than a week away from Turkey Day.  No one wants to be compared with the main course.  I don't overdo the scale thing either as I could become too obsessed with the scale and that is not my first goal.  My first goal is to be healthier and hopefully live better and longer -- but not too long, just long enough...somewhere between 80 and -- uh, more on that another time.  This has been my workable formula: Add more protein, less sugar and fewer simple carbs (which are really one in the same as I understand it when it all boils down to the breakdown in the body).  I am also trying to eat more veggies and fruits.  Veggies I love but fruit not so much.  I know, I'm wierd, but I have come to appreciate a bowl of frozen blueberries with a dollop of light whipped cream on top.  Brain food they say, which makes it a doubly-good option for my sweet tooth!

So in an effort to support my new leaf, hubby went out and purchased all kinds of frozen veggies and stocked our freezer so that we would always have healthy options.  Wasn't that sweet of him... Anyway, did you know that frozen veggies are as healthy and sometimes even healthier than fresh ones? Something about locking in the freshness before the freshness has time to escape according to Mr. Birdseye and the jolly Green Giant...mmh).  So my freezer has been stocked with squash, broccoli, beans, greens, and peas.  I have definitely cooked and eaten some of those wonderful veggies but this is my dilemma:  I don't have anything to eat!  I need starch and protein of some sort with those veggies. Potatoes, pasta, rice, cheese of some sort in moderation and (a side of) meat always makes those veggies just a tad bit better, wouldn't you agree?  Oh, boy.  I think I must have Italian blood flowing through my veins.  I mean, is there really any life without cheese and pasta?  I think not.  There is nothing better to me than feasting on a homemade lasagna or ravioli or ziti accompanied by garlic rolls floating in butter. So I haven't deprived myself of SOME pasta and SOME bread and SOME cheese, which seems to be working for me.  And I definitely don't want to look like the Italian grandma they depict in the movies...as wide as she is tall.

With Thanksgiving quickly approaching, I have been thinking of ways I can enjoy without overindulging. I will need to keep my philosophy of "a little of everything, but not a lot of anything" (from Giada De Laurentiis).  But at my family's Thanksgiving meal, a little can be a lot when the table is overflowing with 20 or more of my favorite dishes, ranging from sweet potato casserole to green beans "cooked southern-style" to cornbread dressing to pecan pie, and the list goes on and on.  I love collard greens though and volunteered to bring those for our host family so that I can have at least one leafy option. And they will not be cooked with fatback.  Heavy on the greens, please!  I am definitely not a food blogger but once in awhile do enjoy talking about the one thing we all have in common and need in order to survive.  However, some of us tend to eat more than we need to survive and can do an itty bit better on that, thus reducing our intake of nourishment and, as a result, reducing the space we occupy on Planet Earth.  Good bread.  Good meat.  Good cheese, let's eat! 

Due to an unusually early artic front blasting the country this week, today dawned with a cold windy rain, promising to blow the remainder of the leaves off the trees and officially bring in ol' man winter.  It eased up around lunchtime so I decided to run a couple of errands.  I needed to get a package in the mail containing a few winter items for my girl in Houston (coat, warm slippers, and an awesome-smelling Christmas candle).  And, yes, it is also cold in Houston, Texas right now.  I entered my local department store and was greeted by I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus.  Now, I certainly have nothing against that song.  In fact, I find it kind of clever, but only if you are a bit older because I certainly wouldn't want to disappoint any kid-os who believe.  But personally I didn't want to hear that song or any Christmas song while I am still burning the pumpkin candles and enjoying the fall foliage. Fall in Georgia has been glorious this year.  I would give it a 9.999 out of a ten on the Beautiful-Fall scale.  Just when I think the last few leaves are turning from bright orange to dull rust and ready to return to the earth from whence they came, I run across another 
tree that has just peaked out for my viewing pleasure.  I am not ready to let go of fall just yet.
I'm sure I've mentioned before in my ramblings about when I was growing up that no one (and I mean NO ONE) decorated for Christmas till the weekend after Thanksgiving.  I totally agree that seems a bit late even to me now, but it seems every year the retail establishments get a little quicker and a little sneakier in slipping those subliminal thoughts to us about the soon-coming holidays.  I have even been known to feel a tinge of anxiety in September that I have not yet started my Christmas shopping.  Eeeek!  But Christmas music before Thanksgiving?  Now, that's a downright sacrilege! 

I have heard more than one person say recently that Thanksgiving is their favorite holiday.  I just might have to agree.  What other holiday can you eat till you practically burst open indulging in all your favorite foods and have absolutely no guilt?  Well, maybe Christmas...or even Easter... but definitely not like Thanksgiving!  Anyway, food is the highlight of the Thanksgiving holiday and thankfulness for the bounty of it all is the reason.  The first order of being thankful is to remember we live in a country where we set aside a specific day every single year to focus on this subject.  This holiday is unique to the USA and was started by our forefathers many many years ago.  We all learned about the first Thanksgiving in kindergarten class and remember dressing up like pilgrims.  To be thankful is one of life's basic human emotions and a characteristic we need to instill in our children, our grandchildren and, if we live long enough, our great grandchildren.  Thankfulness is one of the building blocks needed to develop strong children who grow into even stronger adults.  To be thankful for your blessings in life is a core ingredient in establishing a firm foundation.  I am always elated to come in contact with a child today who seems truly thankful when you give them something.  It is, I'm afraid, something parents today are just not teaching as they should be.  I also think that the "simplicity" of the Thanksgiving observance (be thankful and eat) as opposed to the materialistic factors of Christmas (give me, give me, give me) is another reason why people love Thanksgiving so much.  No worries about what gifts to buy, who to buy for, or what to do if someone doesn't like their gift.  We gather together on Thanksiving with family and friends, prepare a meal (be it ever so humble or extravagant), and count our many blessings.

Which brings me back to my point.  I do not want to be pushed into celebrating Christmas before I have given Thanksgiving its proper respect.  That is why you will never see a Christmas decoration at my house before Thanksgiving (at least on the outside and only on the inside if I am traveling and there is no other time to do it!) and I will not satiate my love for Christmas music until Thanksgiving Day has officially come to a close.  I want a proper issuing in of the Christmas season the way it was meant to be, with the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade playing on the TV while the smells of Thanksgiving dinner waft from the kitchen and a line begins to form outside Toys 'r Us for all the Black Friday bargains.

And a note to dear daughter in Houston, you BETTER NOT be burning that Christmas candle until at least midnight on November 27th!
    

Four old friends in a 100-year-old house perched on a hill 
overlooking an idyllic mountain town for two nights.  It doesn't get much better than that.  

For going on 15 years now, I have been taking a fall trip to the North Georgia foothills with these classic beauties and friends whose hearts I now know after many years are even more beautiful than their sweet faces.  We have shared births, graduations, marriages, divorces, sicknesses, surgeries, deaths of parents and, with those milestones, many tears and even more laughter.  We are truly blessed to have each other's friendship.

For some reason this weekend's trip seemed especially special to me, if you know what I mean.  I don't know if it's because every one of us was there with no other commitments interfering, if the stars were aligned just right, or if the barometric pressure was perfect.  But for some reason I can't quite put my finger on, it was a really good one.  They are all good, but this one especially.  My brother has said before I'd like to be a fly on the wall and just see what you gals talk out.  No, he wouldn't.  He definitely would not.  When we are together, no topic is off limits and sometimes that leads to a heated discussion, an embarrassing confession by one or more of us, but always unadulterated laughter. There isn't even a remote possibility that one of us returns home not having had a down-to-the-deepest-part-of-the-belly laugh.

Some snippets of conversations heard by the walls of that 100-year-old house:

• That is absolutely stunning...(referring to the stream of pictures coming in from one friend's child visiting Austria)
• I'm having a really hard time...(referring to one friend preparing for her youngest child to graduate high school)
• I try so hard not to worry...(referring to one friend who worries a little too much about her children but loves them beyond any human language; actually I think we have all said this)
• Whoa, that looks so good...(referring to a new outfit one has purchased on one of our many shopping excursions)
• OMG, that was heavenly...(referring to the chickren & rice soup we had for lunch)
• I can't believe you said that...(referring to -- well, we won't even go there)
• I can't believe you just did that... (won't go there, either)

So, as you can see, these are not just ordinary friends.  These are friends who rejoice with you when you are rejoicing, who grieve with you when you're in sorrow, who will NOT kick you when you are down, and who make your life better just by being in it.  When you have friends like these, you never have to worry about being alone or being misunderstood.  They forgive you when you fall short, they love you unconditionally, and they speak truth to you when you really don't want to hear it.  They are the roses in the wildflower bouquet of life.  Their sweet-smelling fragrance fills your heart with love and happiness (figuratively and literally).

If I wish anything for anyone, it is that you have such a friend.  And that with that friend you develop a deep understanding of each other and that you make many wonderful memories together.  And that when you take a girls' getaway with them you laugh until your belly hurts and tears roll down your leg. And that you confide in them, invest in them, and talk and be crazy with them in a way that others simply cannot understand.

And be sure to have a covenant of blood with them that what is said at Twin Oaks also stays at Twin Oaks.  Here's to you, dear friends, and all that you mean to me... 

What makes your fall the best?  Here is a list of the season's must-haves for me:

Visit to the North Georgia foothills...check!  

Now, for hiking at my local state park...will these gorgeous images do?  It's been fun watching the metamorphosis taking place there with the trees and foliage.  Crunching through the leaves that have already fallen is also a pleasure.  It is solitude at its finest hour, even if you're with a friend.

Hiking at my local state park...check!  (Hopefully there will be lots more of that in the next month...)

Unfortunately, I am not able to have a roaring fire because the last house we bought to flip and are now living in (which I happen to love and will probably live in at least a couple of years if not longer) has no fireplace!  What?  You got it, no fireplace.  This will be one of our improvements, believe me, if I have anything to do with it.  How in the world do you keep the homefires burning with no fireplace?  But very soon I am taking another fall getaway up to my favorite fall-getaway place, Blue Ridge, Georgia (see my Weekend Getaway Page under Travel for more info on Blue Ridge). And I am almost feeling guilty (just almost) to get the chance a second time to indulge in all the autumn beauty, but definitely not so guilty that I won't go.  It's the annual trip I take every fall with four of my best gals and it seals the fall package for me.  We have a great lodge we visit when there and it houses the largest fireplace ever! You have to sit a distance from the flames because they just might singe your eyebrows and that would be bad because everyone needs their eyebrows.  Once when we were dating and I had not put on my makeup, my hubster asked me where my eyebrows were.  But that's another story for another time.  I am quite sure I'll get my "fireplace fix" at the lodge in North Georgia.  And probably my hot cocoa fix as well!

As for today, I am working on the chili fix.  When the temps drop and the time changes back from daylight savings to eastern, there's just nothing better to warm your heart and soul than a big 'ol pot of chili -- heavy on the ground turkey, please!  So as fall turns into harvest (or is it harvest to fall?), I would say I'm well on my way to completing my yearly fall bucket list.  I call it my bucket list because, without these foods, scents, and experiences, my season really "falls" short.  You might even say it's "dead in the water."  Don't you just love clichés?  Maybe not.  

Happy fall, everyone!!