Jessie Tyler

Today I am thankful for cloudy days.  Since today was a very cloudy day, it was perfect to cuddle with my dog and watch Christmas movies.  I came home after work, ate lunch and curled up in bed with Daisy and watched a couple Christmas movies that I had recorded previously in the week.  It was nice to have a relaxing day after a few weeks of nonstop work and getting ready for thanksgiving.  (Oh... and I'm also thankful for wine.)

Today I am thankful for leftovers. With all the leftovers that we have from thanksgiving, we have not had to cook a meal.  Having leftovers also means that pie for dinner is always an option.  However, once the leftovers are gone, I don't want turkey, ham, stuffing, green bean casserole, or pumpkin pie for sometime. 

Today I am thankful for family traditions. For as long as I can remember, the Christmas decorations have gone up the Friday after Thanksgiving and this year was no different. Just like years past, the day started out with biscuits and gravy for breakfast and then came the Christmas decorations. Putting up the Christmas decorations is always fun. Being in a new house this year meant we got to change up the decorations. We have a Christmas Tree in the living room along with the stocking tree.  The Christmas Tree in the living room was one got after my Grandma moved in with us so it has all the family ornaments on it. The stocking tree has all the stocking for my cousins and Grandparents.  This year we were able to hang our stocking from the banister which was fun to decorate. (My younger brothers stocking is missing so we have to buy him a new one. That's why there is an empty space.) The last of the decorations are in my room. After Christmas ...

Today I am thankful for the wonderful day I had today.  It started at 5am and just winding down for the night. This morning we got up early to put the turkey on so we could eat at 1pm.  My favorite part of putting the turkey on to cook is making the stuffing because it's the best part of the meal.  As the day went on, we cooked more food.  Thanksgiving dinner came together better than I could ever imagined it could. However, the best part of the day came after we ate. Sitting around the table talking, laughing, and playing games.  My Grandma brought over a game that I thought everyone grew up playing or just knew how to play but I was wrong.  As my older brother, Grandma, and I sat at the table playing LCR (Left Center Right), my younger brother and cousins just sat there watching, trying to figure out what the the game was about.  (If you don't know how to play the game or what it is, I suggest you play it). Even thoug...

Today I am thankful that I was able to start Thanksgiving dinner prep.  We were able to make pumpkin pie, crust-less pumpkin pie, cheesecake and the cheesecake topping.   We were also able to put together the relish tray and chop the vegetables that we need for tomorrow.  Having the time today to get some stuff done for tomorrows dinner comes in handy because it is less we have to run around and do tomorrow.  It's also helpful because we were able to make sure we didn't forget anything for Thanksgiving dinner.

Today I am thankful for memories of Thanksgiving pasts.  The other day, dad and I were driving home from shopping for Thanksgiving dinner, talking about how  Thanksgiving weekend used to be. For as long as I can remember, Thanksgiving was at my Grandparents.  We would leave Wednesday after school and come home Sunday afternoon.  Thanksgiving morning, we were always told that we were on our own for breakfast but every year we would wake up to donuts.  The day was spent helping Grandma cook, eating the stuffing as the turkey cooked (and getting yelled at for it), waiting in line for the bathroom and just hanging out.  When it came time to dinner everyone's place was set and we sat down to eat. When I was younger, there was the kids table and the adult table. However as I got older and the family grew, the teenagers/ young adults who were between the kids table and adult table ate their dinner in the living room. (Which means it took lo...

Today I am thankful for sales. Last year, the day after Christmas, I was able to buy a brand new Christmas Tree and decorations for under $30.  I can't wait to put up all my new decorations and the ones handed down from my Grandma.  However, I am going to wait because they don't get put up until the Friday after Thanksgiving.