Enjoy a sense of peace by being that sense of peace. Allow your life to embody the calmness and serenity of the peaceful person you truly are.

Flag Counter started April 3, 2008

Jessica and Delilah made this lovely centerpiece.

Andy helped entertain the kids while we cooked.

Here’s the breakfast feast: Sourdough pancakes, fruit salad, bacon, eggs, pigs-in-a-blanket, and hash brown casserole!

And here’s the breakfast crowd: Laura, Sheldon, Delilah, Andy,
Emma, Jessica, Curtis, Byrce, Jennifer, Tina, and Richard

It is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favors. —George Washington, Thanksgiving Proclamation, 3 October 1789

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. —John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Nothing is more honorable than a grateful heart. —Seneca

I awoke this morning with devout thanksgiving for my friends, the old and new. —Ralph Waldo Emerson

Pride slays thanksgiving, but a humble mind is the soil out of which thanks naturally grow. A proud man is seldom a grateful man, for he never thinks he gets as much as he deserves. —Henry Ward Beecher

Thanksgiving is a typically American holiday. The lavish meal is a symbol of the fact that abundant consumption is the result and reward of production. —Ayn Rand

God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say ‘thank you?’ —William A. Ward

Only a stomach that rarely feels hungry scorns common things. —Horace

Gratitude is the sign of noble souls. —Aesop

Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others. —Cicero

True thanksgiving means that we need to thank God for what He has done for us, and not to tell Him what we have done for Him. —George R. Hendrick

How wonderful it would be if we could help our children and grandchildren to learn thanksgiving at an early age. Thanksgiving opens the doors. It changes a child’s personality. A child is resentful, negative, or thankful. Thankful children want to give, they radiate happiness; they draw people. —Sir John Templeton

Here’s the group for Thanksgiving breakfast, L-R: Marvin (Andy’s brother), Serena (Marvin’s daughter), Curtis (neighbor boy/son-type), Delilah, Bryce, Jessica, Andy, Jennifer (hiding behind Justin), Justin, Calie, Richard, and Tina. This turned out to be one of our better group photos. I’m thinking it will be the Christmas card!

Jessica had a wonderful craft for us where we made a turkey like the one in the middle of this photo. We wrote different things we were thankful for on the “feathers.”

Richard holds up his turkey with his thankful stuff on it.

I didn’t get a photo of the food before, so had to settle for an “after” shot! We had sausage gravy and bisquits, fruit salad, sourdough pancakes, bacon and eggs. Doesn’t get much better than that!

Well, maybe it does get better when Andy and Marvin did the dishes!

Click here for a Thanksgiving wishes movie I made several years ago.

Click here for all my Thanksgiving blog messages.

Happy Thanksgiving!

When you have eaten and are satisfied,

praise the Lord your God for the good land he

has given you. Be careful that you do not forget

the Lord. . . Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied,

when you build fine houses and settle down, and when

your herds and flocks grow large and your silver

and gold increase and all you have is multiplied,

then your heart will become proud and

you will forget the Lord your God. . .

—Deuteronomy 8:10-14

Thanks to Kit Pharo of Pharo Cattle Company for reminding us of this very important fact!

Click here for a pdf file of a “Thanksgiving Guest Liability and Indemnification Agreement” you might want to get each of your Thanksgiving guests to sign before they partake of the bounty of your feast!

The web page which wrote this wonderful piece has some other great articles too. Check them out here.

Here’s the crew for Thanksgiving Breakfast at Jessica and Andy’s House: Curtis, Richard, Jennifer, Delilah, Bryce, Jessica and Andy. Notice the handprints on the wall? There’s one for everyone!

Jessica asked me to take a family photo for them today, and the best one (left) happened before Jessica got her make-up done!

“On your mark, get set, GO!” The weather was so warm, we enjoyed playing outside.

Left is me and all my girls! Aren’t they growing up pretty?Above I’m trying not to look like a dork, but barely succeeding!

Turkeys will thaw in the morning, then warm in the oven to an afternoon high near 190F. The kitchen will turn hot and humid, and if you bother the cook, be ready for a severe squall or cold shoulder.

During the late afternoon and evening, the cold front of a knife will slice through the turkey, causing an accumulation of one to two inches on plates. Mashed potatoes will drift across one side while cranberry sauce creates slippery spots on the other. Please pass the gravy.

A weight watch and indigestion warning have been issued for the entire area, with increased stuffiness around the beltway. During the evening, the turkey will diminish and taper off to leftovers, dropping to a low of 34F in the refrigerator.