Turkey Dinner
The Week Of Thanksgiving

Yummy Thanksgiving Turkey is always the hit of a turkey dinner.Yummy Thanksgiving Turkey is always the hit of a turkey dinner.

This is the week of Thanksgiving and we always celebrate with a huge turkey dinner, as most Americans do. We will also have a ham as one of our sons wants one. Most of David's siblings and his father are coming as are two of our sons, one daughter-in-law, and two young grandchildren. Of course, we are excited most to get to spend time with our grandchildren who live about four hours away.

David's Garden Seeds® will be closed on Thursday and Friday this week.


Monday, November 25, 2019

Today was a long and very busy day. It started before 6am. It was chilly with the temperature at 43 degrees F. Soon the sun started coming up with gorgeous pinks streaking the sky. I fed the girls and got dressed. I started cleaning up and putting more things away.

I have been planning for my turkey dinner on Thursday for many weeks since we are hosting a good sized group.

Bethany did a great job putting our tree up next to the fireplace.Bethany did a great job putting our tree up next to the fireplace.

Soon Bethany got here and we decided she would set up our tree and Christmas village. David and I had to run some important errands in town but I thought we would be back fairly soon.

Phil was out working in the garden area. Josue was managing the business since our manager was out on vacation. David and I both spoke with him throughout the day and he did fine.

So David and I left to go to the electric company, which just happens to be in Pleasanton, where we were yesterday evening. We filled out the form to get in line for a four month wait to have electricity for our business when we bring it out from San Antonio. We paid more for business electricity than we did last August for personal electricity. Then the woman said we had to go to the courthouse in Jourdanton and get a copy of our land deed. I told her they already had it on file since we had to provide it back in August. She said we still had to provide her with another copy.

So we had to leave and drive to the courthouse, pay $2, obtain the land deed, drive back to the electric company, have a form notarized and then we were told it would be four months. How, in a small area can it take four months to get service but you get it in a few days in San Antonio with close to two million people? It is truly crazy.

By this time, it was after 12pm and I was starving so we got burgers and then went into Tractor Supply. On the way to Tractor Supply, David noticed a Great Clips hair salon so after Tractor Supply, we stopped in. There were a few people but more and more kept coming in and going before me because they checked in online. I had not been to a Great Clips in years so I did not know you could check in online. After more than 30 minutes of waiting, I finally got a nice haircut. I had fun talking to my stylist. She was very friendly and I gave her a $20 tip. The haircut was only $14. So the stylist at Walmart blew it.

Max and Holley with Coca Cola bears at SeaWorld.Max and Holley with Coca Cola bears at SeaWorld.

We rushed home because Bethany was supposed to leave at 3pm with all of the team member paychecks. Today was payday. David printed out the pay stubs from our accountant and I quickly wrote all of the checks. Bethany was about 15 minutes late leaving, my fault, of course. I also paid some bills.

Bethany had the tree and the village all set up. The grandchildren can decorate the tree on Wednesday. Tomorrow morning, we have to vacuum and dust and straighten up because our company shows up at 1pm on Tuesday.

Lucy and I went out to check on the orchard. Those horrible ants were still cutting leaves off of trees. David got five packages of ant related products delivered today so hopefully we will win the war on ants. I spent the rest of the day cleaning up and doing laundry.


Tuesday, NOvember 26, 2019

Here I am with Max and Holley at SeaWorld. You can see we have been shopping!Here I am with Max and Holley at SeaWorld. You can see we have been shopping!

This morning started at 51° and it was humid. It figures that it would get hot for SeaWorld and for the turkey dinner later in the week. We worked until almost noon here on the farm and then we drove into San Antonio to meet Max and his family at SeaWorld to celebrate his birthday that was back in July. At the time, we were packing and getting ready to move to the country.

There were so many pretty colors. Here are the trees are decorated in peppermint.There were so many pretty colors. Here are the trees are decorated in peppermint.

SeaWorld was all decked out in Christmas decorations and lights. It looked beautiful once it was dark. The lights were truly spectacular!

Shamu posed so everyone could see his magnificence! It was great to be down front.Shamu posed so everyone could see his magnificence! It was great to be down front.

Shamu and his friends seemed very excited about Christmas. We sat down front and got splashed just a tiny bit. Some areas got wetter than where we were.

Holley and me eating our dipping dots right before the Shamu Show started.

SeaWorld involves a whole lot more walking than I remembered! My legs and back were just killing me. It was hot and humid while we were there. We did not stay until they closed because we just couldn't walk around any longer. Everything is just so spread out. It has changed a lot since we have last been there but most attractions were closed and we could not find the aquariums they once had that I used to love looking at.

We went back to the farm, almost an hour away. The kids were too excited, once they had bubble baths, to go to sleep. They finally fell asleep so we were able to shower and get ready for bed. I have to get some rest because I have to prep my turkey dinner tomorrow.


Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Max in front of the Christmas tree on Thanksgiving Day. He is such a sweet little guy!Max in front of the Christmas tree on Thanksgiving Day before the turkey dinner. He is such a sweet little guy!

This morning, I awoke at 6am, hearing little Max talking in the living room, right outside our bedroom door. He was on the couch talking to the dogs. I got less than six hours of sleep.

It was so hot and humid yesterday, but today a chilly wind blew and humidity was low. I enjoyed the cool weather with the windows open.

Today was a turkey dinner preparation day. I chopped vegetables, pulled out pans and ingredients for all of my dishes, baked some pies, and entertained family.

We also made a quick trip to the Walmart in Devine, (not the one in Pleasanton) to get a dress for Holley. The one I got for her was too tight, even though I bought it a size bigger. The Walmart in Devine would not take it back because I bought the original dress in Hondo, several towns over. So next time we go to Hondo, I will have to exchange it for something else.

Then I did more turkey dinner preparation so things will go smoothly tomorrow.


Thursday, November 28, 2019 - Turkey Dinner

This sign hangs in our living room. We should give thanks every day, but it is nice to celebrate being thankful.This sign hangs in our living room. We should give thanks every day, but it is nice to celebrate being thankful.

The grandchildren were up bright and early again this morning, excited to be at the farm and excited for turkey dinner. David got up at 4am to smoke the turkey. He also made the green salad because his father loves to have a salad with every meal.

I made everything else for the turkey dinner. I am now exhausted and in pain but everything turned out delicious. We were supposed to have ten for Thanksgiving, but two canceled.

Here is our Thanksgiving Turkey Dinner Menu:

  • Smoked Turkey
  • A1/Honey Glazed Ham with Pineapples and Cherries
  • Jalapeno Potatoes
  • Cornbread Dressing
  • Sweet Potato Casserole
  • Green Bean Casserole
  • Green Salad
  • Million Dollar Salad
  • Hawaiian Rolls
  • Pumpkin Pie
  • Pecan Pie
  • Iced Tea, Assorted Sodas, Coffee, Water

It took me a long time after we ate the turkey dinner to get everything packaged right so it would fit in the small fridge that came with our home. I sent meats home with everyone but no one took any of the sides.

I made a lot of food, but not that much got eaten for some reason. I think it is just before it was time to eat, David got out pickles, olives, and nuts which everyone devoured. For the next holiday, I think we will go out like we did last year. Too much pain and trouble and it is never appreciated anymore.

I will be freezing packs of sides today so nothing is wasted since the two of us won't be able to eat it all. I will also cut up and freeze some of the turkey and ham. I plan to make turkey bone broth for a good batch of homemade turkey noodle soup. I make turkey soup every year after our Thanksgiving turkey dinner.

We took some of our guests on a tour of the farm in the SUV. The rest did not want to go. We drove out to the orchard and saw some of the trees being ruined by cutter ants. So far, we just can't stop them. David put some peroxide on a few of the trees while we were out there. He said it seems to be working.

Our once lovely pine tree stripped of most of its needles by cutter ants. We have tried several poisons. Looks like peroxide is the winner.Our once lovely pine tree stripped of most of its needles by cutter ants. We have tried several poisons. Looks like peroxide is the winner.

We came back and David's father was ready to leave. Inside, one of our guests was sound asleep so we did not get to take photos of everyone. I forgot to even take photos of the food to post. So the first vehicle left and then the rest left because of a 9pm work obligation.

All of our turkey dinner guests were gone by 3:30pm but there was a huge stack of dishes, pots, pans, glasses, and silverware to be cleaned and put away. I loaded the dishwasher and then began handwashing everything else, all the while in bad leg pain. Soon David came out and took over washing while I dried and put them away.

Then I collapsed into a chair and we watched TV. David fell asleep in the chair so I turned the TV down and read. If I turn it off while David is napping, it wakes him up. Of course the turkey dinner had a little something to do with his nap. I was exhausted but my legs were hurting too much for me to fall asleep.

After David woke up, we got something to eat and then decided to watch Christmas Vacation. It is still hysterical after all these years. This is one of those movies we watch every Christmas season.


Friday, November 29, 2019

Grey Friday was foggy on the farm.Grey Friday was foggy on the farm.

Black Friday dawned foggy, humid, and wet on the farm. It was more of a Grey Friday if you will. I awoke at 5:53am unfortunately. David and the girls are still asleep but I am working at my desk with some coffee, watching season three of The Crown.

It is now 9:30am and it is still foggy and misting outside. Looks like it will be an indoor workday for us unless it clears up. I took some of yesterday's leftover jalapeno potatoes and added eggs and cooked a delicious breakfast. I have laundry going. There is a lot of it since I have not done laundry since Monday. There is a tower of towels that need washing from having company.

The fog never went away the whole day. It got up to 64° with the promise of 84° tomorrow with high humidity--Boo!

Fog stayed the entire day on Friday.Fog stayed the entire day on Friday.

My legs were hurting from earlier this week so I sat down on my bed for a little while and fell asleep. (I never take a nap. I have despised naps from the time I was four years old.)

After lunch, I cut off as much ham and turkey from the bones and froze the meat from our turkey dinner. I then proceeded to make turkey bone broth and ham bone broth. I boiled the bones for two hours and then took additional meat off of the bones. I then froze the broth to make soup when it gets cool again. It will be delicious. My plan was to make turkey soup tomorrow but it will be way too hot. Summer is coming.

This wreath is on our backdoor. I made it a few years ago, sewing it on my sewing machine.This wreath is on our backdoor. I made it a few years ago, sewing it on my sewing machine.

The trash man never showed up today. The website doesn't say anything about a holiday today. I sure hope they come tomorrow as the dumpster is overflowing with a lot of flies. It looks so nice in our front yard like that...

We watched Walker, Texas Ranger and I fell asleep twice.


Saturday, November 30, 2019

Summer is here on the farm! It is hot, humid, and the fog is gone finally. The weatherman says it will reach 84° today. David is outside in the orchard, battling ants.

David is killing ants with peroxide in the middle of the orchard. He says the peroxide is working better than anything else.David is killing ants with peroxide in the middle of the orchard. He says the peroxide is working better than anything else.

We finished off some of our turkey dinner side dishes this morning. I just finished the jalapeno potatoes. They were so very good!

The trash man just came and dumped our dumpster so I am happy! The sun is peeking through the cloudy sky. We have the air conditioner running because it is very warm in here. I took two bags of trash out earlier and the humidity is so thick. I don't even want to think about going out there. However, we still have not had our flu shots yet this fall so David said we are going to venture out to get some from Walgreens. There is a Walgreens in Pleasanton.

So we had sandwiches for lunch and then we headed into Pleasanton to the Walgreens. We got our flu shots for $58. The price went up considerably from last year.

We got our flu shots from the pharmacist and then got red Walgreens bandaids.We got our flu shots from the pharmacist and then got red Walgreens bandaids.

It got up to 84° but the low tonight is supposed to be 45° so I am happy about that. I hate the heat and humidity. I have a frozen lasagna in the oven for dinner and I need to fold a ton of laundry. Tomorrow we have church and maybe I can get some more boxes unpacked. I cannot believe that I am still unpacking boxes after two and a half months!

As darkness fell, I captured the pink sky of sunset along with the moon from the backyard this evening.As darkness fell, I captured the pink sky of sunset along with the moon from the backyard this evening.

Maybe I will make turkey dinner soup that is now in the freezer tomorrow if it is cool. Tomorrow is already December 1! Can you believe November is now over? That is crazy.


Sunday, December 1, 2019

These tunnels are outside my front door and all over the property. They say gophers live under ground and make tunnels all over out here but I have not seen one yet.These tunnels are outside my front door and all over the property. They say gophers live under ground and make tunnels all over out here but I have not seen one yet.

Good Sunday morning! It got down to 51° this morning. My nose was clogged, even with eucalyptus oil, a Vicks plug in, and a Breathe Right nose strip so I got up and sat on the couch around 3:30am and fell back to sleep. Then at 5:41am, I woke up freezing as I was not covered up and I went back to bed.

The sun is shining brightly outside, trying to make its way into my office through the blinds. I have been coughing and sneezing since last night. My nose is stuffed again. Hopefully, it is just allergies and not sickness.

I wish we had some of our turkey diner left. It was so good!

It is now 8pm. David did some ant battling this afternoon. I stayed in all day, doing computer work, laundry and relaxing. I am sick. I have a cold. I coughed and sneezed all day long, even with essential oils going. My nose alternates from being stuffed up to running. My head has been hurting all day. So far, David is still feeling good. I wonder if I got sick because of the flu shot, which has never happened to me before) or if it was one of our guests or being close to someone sick in the salon last week. I haven't had a cold for a couple of years so I guess I am overdue. I get flu shots every single year so I doubt it is from that.

I watched three corny Christmas movies this afternoon on Netflix. They and the Hallmark movies are nice, but all are about the same plot wise with different locations.


Return from Turkey Dinner to Our Small Farm

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