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Thanksgiving

Posted on November 24, 2011
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Happy Thanksgiving!

As Thanksgiving Day is turning into night (and Black Friday) here in Alaska, I finally had time to sit down, and wish you, Dear Readers, Happy Thanksgiving. I hope your day has been full of happiness and wonderful moments – just like ours.

Our Thanksgiving Day was spent by hanging out together and cooking. Nice and relaxing. Great times. Even though I didn’t have time to finish, or even start, a new table runner and placemats. I so wanted to be crafty and creative for this weekend but once again the school and work got the best out of me. There are days when I wish I had more hours in my day, and that I could be a creative, wonderful miniature-Martha-Stewart who always decorates home for the season, cooks and bakes the delicious creations in the kitchen. But no, I can’t do that. Not until I find out a way to stretch 24 hours at least to 36…

However, our Thanksgiving was perfect despite not having the new tablecloths. The menu included roasted turkey with homemade stuffing from the scratch, carrot casserole, green beans, corn, homemade dinner rolls, cranberry chutney, mashed potatoes, turkey gravy, salad (for me), and pumpkin pie with homemade crust. It was plenty of delicious food. Actually we didn’t even make it to the pumpkin pie yet but it has to wait till tomorrow. Our dog, Tassu, got his share of delicacies too, and apparently it is good to sleep with a full belly. After dinner he parked himself on the couch, closed his eyes and hasn’t moved a whole lot. Gotta love the dog life!

That being said, this Thanksgiving I am terribly thankful for having the best husband in the world – he is my best friend, and perfect partner in crime. My better half. He makes me who I am. I am forever thankful for his endless support and encouragement. Furthermore, I am thankful for living this wonderful life of mine, and ours. Even though there are days when I am tired or frustrated, I wouldn’t change a single day. We truly are lucky and blessed. I am thankful for lovely, supportive people around us – friends and families, near and far. If we only could see them more often…

A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue, but the parent of all the other virtues.
~Cicero

 

Pumpkin Pie

 

Roasted Turkey

 

 

Overeating

 

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Food & Wine Weekend

Posted on November 27, 2010
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Thanksgiving Dinner

Thanksgiving was awesome, food was delicious and I made it through Black Friday’s shopping mania! Our Thanksgiving turkey was just perfect; my turkey roasting skills are getting better and better every year. In addition to the turkey, stuffing & gravy, we had different kinds of vegetables, cranberry chutney, pasta casserole, mashed potatoes, corn bread …..too much food but it was so very good. And all this paired with Franciscan Magnificat Vintage 2004 Red Wine, from Napa Valley, CA.

J and I are amateur wine collectors, and keep tasting new wines as often as we can. Actually one of my birthday presents from J this year was a wine refrigerator…. that little thing has been in some serious use in our household. As well as we are pretty commonly seen in wine tasting events here in Anchorage area.

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And I have a confession to make. Before yesterday, I had never, ever been shopping on Black Friday. So I really did something new yesterday! However, as much as I love early mornings, I can’t see myself being one of the super shoppers getting up at wee hours for items to purchase. We didn’t head out until sometime closer to noon, and decided to check out some good deals at Kohl’s (good shopping), Target (nothing), REI (ok shopping), Barnes&Noble (not very good, I like amazon.com better), and finally Michael’s (nothing really) & PX (just necessities).

Shopping without a real need to find something was actually fun. We were just browsing stuff at stores, and ended up finding some neat stuff at Kohl’s. Other stores were not so much of a success. Maybe this just proves the fact that I am not that much into shopping…

The food weekend will continue today by baking. I made the gingerbread cookie dough last night, and it has been cooling in the refrigerator over night. I can’t wait to have the smell of freshly-baked gingerbread in the house. Pictures to follow later!

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And it is also Saturday – again! So time to travel around the world with Amanda & Don at “Saturday Around The World”.

Amanda & Don's "Saturday Around The World"

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Thankful for …

Posted on November 25, 2010
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Turkey is stuffed and roasting, everything for the Big Dinner seems to be under control. It is such a beautiful day here in Alaska. After miserably rainy for a couple of days it is snowing again. What a great day to celebrate Thanksgiving and relax at home. And most importantly to be thankful for the wonderful, happy life we are living.

Most of all, I am thankful for J, My Better Half. He truly is my best friend, an awesome man who makes me happy every single day, and I know I can count on him no matter what.

I am also thankful for my family – Mom&Dad and Sister. They are wonderful folks, always there for me; even though they live far, far away they always are in my heart.

I have been blessed by having awesome Friends. Great people near and far, and always ready to cherish my day. Even though life has taken some of us far away from each other, friendships haven’t vanished. I can only hope that I am as great friend to them as they are to me.

Only a couple of weeks ago I started at a new Job. Finding a new job in this economics is always a blessing, and even more when I was able to move from a nice job to wonderful job; doing something that has a meaning and makes difference. It is scary but I actually look forward to going back to work after the holiday weekend.

Over the years I have been in a few close call situations, and that truly makes me to appreciate my good Health. I feel happy, energized and am in a good shape.

This year I have been also very busy with the school – over 30 credits while working full-time hasn’t always come easy. I am grateful for having J’s support, not only encouraging me but he has cooked a number of dinners while I have been drowning in the books and trying to catch up the homework, he has been reading my papers and giving comments. I am thankful for having had an Opportunity to get my classes done, and another degree is closer and closer every day.

Our little Tassu is saving some energy for turkey feast. Napping already on Thanksgiving morning....

Our furry kids - Sandy&Tassu – are always an endless source of joy and laughter. It is weird to be thankful for pets but these little furry buddies are part of our life.

Simply, I am very grateful for my Life. Every day is such a miracle, and a reason to wake up with a big smile on my face. Even the cloudy days in my life have always had the silver linings – I would not change any single day in my life. I love my life.

Last but definitely not the least, I want to wish the Happy, Safe and Blessed Thanksgiving to You and Your Family! Enjoy the time with your loved ones – if they are not physically with you, you always carry them in your heart. And say a little prayer to our troops serving our country, and can’t make home for this holiday. Please, pray for their safe return.

Blessings to You!

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How Small Things Make A Day

Posted on November 23, 2010
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Holidays are approaching, and time just keeps flying by – no matter what I do. School papers are piling up, shopping list looks endless, and we still don’t have the turkey! Hopefully tomorrow, or we will have to come up with a plan B. J tried to go to the Commissary today but lines were extremely long; it doesn’t help that half of Alaska was closed yesterday, thanks to the freezing rain. Oh well, as an eternal optimist, I know things will always sort out.

Today the freezing rain turned out to rain. Just plain, boring rain. In November. All the sidewalks are  now super slick, so no running or riding the bike …. I am slowly getting irritated – haven’t been running or riding my bike for days but still refuse running on the treadmill. As you can guess, really can’t wait to get some snow again – I’d rather shovel snow and dress up like a Michelin man than get soaking wet outside, or try to stay on my feet on icy roads. And on the other hand, skiing and other snow activities are a blast. But despite the rain, it was a good day.

New Hair!

J and I will have our family pictures taken this weekend, so it was time to get my hair done. Actually I had an appointment booked already a couple of weeks ago but one thing after another came up and I had to reschedule it. However, I absolutely love my new haircut and color. So refreshing, and something different!

After the hair salon I decided to bite bullet and go to get at least our vegetables for Thanksgiving. The vegetable & fruit selection at the Commissary is not the greatest up here, so I did a “quick” trip to Fred Meyer. The quick trip was not as speedy as I was hoping but it is amazing how friendly people can share their holiday spirit.

The freezing rain left all the parking lots icy and slushy now when the weather has been warming up again. All the shopping carts were of course on the parking lot when I got into the grocery store, and when I was heading back out to get one, an unknown gentleman kindly offered to bring one for me while getting one for him. His little gesture brought a smile on my face and made me feel less stressed over the holiday shopping – I wish I remembered to be nice to unknown people more often. It is about the small things that make your day.

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