Thursday, November 26, 2020

Much to be Thankful For

Woot! We got to visit - Michael, I, 9 Gherkins and their families, and Dad. We all got to see the two new grandboys....and we were just a tad bit jealous JAMIN is in that top corner holding Danny. 
Quarantine photo of the day 

Krista has promoted to Chaplain, Captain. We had planned to have a pinning ceremony, but Covid... The paperwork has all been submitted and changed on the military side. She asked if we could do the ceremony with family....which we did. 

We drew names for our Christmas Gift exchange - which we hold on New Year's Eve. It's good to have this habit as Anchorage is locked down until Jan 1st, and we can't get out to go shopping. ::snort:: 

 We had a scaled down Thanksgiving Dinner....it was plenty of food given the states of our appetites. 


Dad prayed and we were all thankful he was here! 

2020 is getting a bad rap - really. I KNOW 2020 has been hard - but y'all, as we sat around the table and discussed what we are thankful for this year we realized...it has not been our most challenging year. We did not live through a 9. earthquake, tsunami, or days not knowing if the young ones and Mike we're alive, we haven't lost any family members this year....and 2020 has brought us MANY blessings. 
  • Dad is home and improving all the time
  • We've had two new grandsons
  • Krista is making strides in her military ministry
  • Several are in new relationships
  • Friendships
  • Covid isn't affecting us as severely as it could 
  • March's lock down led to a slower pace, much margin and that's good. 
  • More time for deepening relationships with Jesus and family.
  • God is still God and he still SITS on His throne!  
  • and there was much more....
The guys cleaned up after dinner. I may have fallen asleep. We watched Wizard of Oz (Michael's childhood tradition), I may have fallen asleep. 

We broke out the chocolate orange...and I am going to try to get enough for stockings via click list....I find that sometimes "they" don't give me all I ask for, though they DO have it inside. Now that we are quarantined we can't run in and check. ::snort:: 


To be sure - we aren't quite up to par. We continue to fall asleep - a lot. 

Poor, dying soul....

I thought I may be having hot flashes throughout the day. I finally said, "I feel so hot...like I need to rip my clothes off."  It turns out Krista and Nolan are feeling the same. LOL I made many trips out into the snow to cool off. 

It also turns out Nolan and I are having trouble catching deep breaths. 

We played a few games of Farkle after the movie. Nolan, Krista and I continued working on the names on our Thanksgiving tablecloth. 


Krista came up with a fun design 2020 since everyone wasn't here to sign the cloth....
It doesn't show up well - but it's a screen with our small screens and names inside. After we are done embroidering we plan to wash the cloth and take it to have at LEAST Danny and Jo-Jo put their handprints on the cloth. It would be too sad for them not to leave a mark their first year. 

All in all it was a relaxing, slow, blessed day. We are thankful. 

The girls and I are a bit sad not to run out to the local Black Friday sales and breakfast...I tend to get lots of things for the grands on these sales....the budget stretches further. They probably won't even care if they don't get as many gifts this year. HOWEVER, WE are going to miss our matching, stylish, holiday pj's this year...click list won't let me add them. ::snort:: 

When a Cheeseball Leads One Down Memory Lane (Terri's Cheeseball)

 
This holiday was set to be a bit different from the start. Instead of turkey, I bought a ham. Ham is the traditional choice of Cory's family and we thought it would be fun to do something different. I no longer value different. ::snort:: 

Tuesday night Stacia commented I would usually be cooking for 3 days before Thanksgiving - this was different. 

Tuesday night Michael made an off-hand comment that "we need to plan a Thanksgiving meal." 

Obviously, everyone else was putting more thought into a Thanksgiving meal than *I* have been giving it...this too is different.  I have been making pots of homemade chicken noodle soup. I have no taste and very little smell, which is a blessing in my role as chief caregiver in a Covid house. ::snort:: 

It's funny how a recipe can take you back in time. 

Terri S. shared her secret recipe for cheeseball with me over 30 years ago. It's one of the favorite recipes which has not made it to the blog, I promised all those decades ago in Hardin, MT not to share it. 

I gathered the ingredients and began to assemble a cheeseball. There are some in our home who will feel more festive just  seeing the cheeseball - even if they don't want to eat it. 

I was instantly back at our first pastoring experience...remembering fondly youth in our youth and elderly who taught us so very much,  the people....always the wonderful people and the many lessons we learned. Lessons which led to ginormous spiritual growth and have held us well in the past 30 years of ministry. 

I remembered Terry, Terri, Michael, Danny and Kevin and said a quick prayer for them. I remembered Sam, Cara and crew and said a prayer for Cara....I remembered Sam, Ev and kids; Bob, Betty and family, Violet and Caroline, Mary and her Mom, the Whitemans, the Moullets, the Ebens,  the Heiberts, the Gregories, Miriam the librarian, the Dales, the Frieds, the Kirshenmans, the Lachenmeirs, the Enzmingers, Sandra and Shelly, Grams and Uncle Bill, Dick and Judy and so many more...always the people. What a gracious God we serve, One who brings people and situations in and out of our lives to shape us into His image. 

I remembered the years we made 100's of cheeseballs to give away at Christmas. I remembered the open houses and family celebrations this recipe helped us celebrate in Montana, Texas, Oregon, Japan, California and Alaska...and I thanked God for faithfully directing our steps all these many years. 

Fortified with the memories, I made yet another one of Terri's Cheeseballs....and added, the Thanksgiving we were all quarantined with active Covid, to the list of cheeseball memories. 

I also decided I was not up to a cooking a full Thanksgiving meal this year. I called everyone together and we talked about the essentials everyone would like to "make it Thanksgiving." 

Michael - rolls (rising as I type this Thanksgiving morn)
Grandpa and Alex - potatoes (Scalloped ready to go)
Krista - Green Bean Casserole (She assembled it for a class video she made)
Nolan and Stacia - Stuffing! 

I tried to explain it's hard to have stuffing without a BIRD to stuff and thus stuffing goes with Turkey and Scalloped Potatoes with Ham.  They weren't having it....and so I will make stuffing - without the turkey parts I usually throw in; but with apples and pecans and homemade broth. 

Not a single dessert was listed. In year's past I've made 9 pies so everyone could have their favorite...but with no guests coming this year, and several of us barely eating, it was decided we'll spread Thanksgiving Desserts through the weeks to come.