Just Me & All The Crazies

Why are they lined up already? What do you think they're doing? What are they waiting for?

A flat screen tv? A laptop? A new mixer?

Yep, I'm gonna be out with all the CRAZIES tomorrow for a little Black Friday madness.

Normally we just  go for the fun of it, just my mom, sister, cousin and I--no kids, no waiting in line for  five hours for a tv, we're not sleeping in our cars or anything.

Truth be told we just shop a little and then all go to lunch. It's a tradition.

Well, we are going earlier than usual this year though so I had better head to bed.

Big day ahead of me tomorrow, me and all the other crazies.

Wish me luck!

Yum.

 

Thanksgiving is my favorite meal. Pumpkin pie, which I really only eat this time of year, homemade noodles, rolls made from scratch, mashed potatoes, devilled eggs.....YUM. These are an apple pie and a pumpkin pie made by my mom, she makes the *most delicious* pies using my grandma's crust recipe, as do several of her sisters. YUM. Looks like I had better do some marathon shopping the next day in order to burn off at least a few of those calories.

What is your favorite thing(s) to eat on Thanksgiving?

Favorite tradition? 

The thing you are looking most forward to about Thanksgiving this year?

Cousins.

There is so much talk lately about gratitude and thankfulness because it is that time of year after all with Thanksgiving being just one short week away. So today I am grateful, very grateful, for family and cousins. We are super lucky to live by so much of our family and since we do the kids get to see their cousins on a regular basis. This is how it was when I was growing up--you got together with your aunts and uncles, you went to your grandma's on Sunday and got to play with your cousins. Holidays were so exciting being from such a big family--so many other kids to play with! When your mom has 14 brothers and sisters that's a lot of aunts and uncles and a lot of cousins. Some of my very best memories come from holidays at my grandma & grandpa's house, everyone opening presents and waiting to see what gift you got from the gift exchange, playing up in the attic, sliding down their huge flight of steps on cardboard boxes....so much fun. Although my kids don't have as many cousins as I do they do have cousins close in age that live close by and I think they have the same excitement about seeing each other as we always did. This is one hope I have for my kids, to always be close to their families-cousins, aunts and uncles, great-aunts & uncles and grandparents. And I hope when they grow up they still have the same sense of excitement about going on shopping trips, going camping, going out to dinner, taking trips together or whatever else they find themselves doing with their cousins and their extended family.

That would make me very happy.

*Cousins*

October 2009

thE WindY CitY

Saturday was our annual train trip to Chicago for a little Christmas shopping. Usually we go in December but after having horrible weather the last couple of years we went a little earlier this year and we were so happy we did because it was in the mid-60's and beautiful. No ice, snow or wondering if we were going to have to cancel this year. Our group is usually anywhere from 10-20 people...cousins, aunts, uncles, moms, sisters, nieces. We eat lunch, shop, talk, people watch and then later on there's a little more eating, gossiping and shopping, it's a great day. This year my sister couldn't go and we were a little lost (literally) without her as she is the "Cruise Director" if you will....makes decisions, tells us which way to go, etc. And I'm wondering if she had been there if we would have gotten ourselves into the predicament we did at the end of the day. Let me just say that we were at the train station an hour early but somehow missed the boarding announcement (too much gossiping?), were not paying attention to the time and had to run from inside the station all the way to the train-everyone had boarded and we were yelled at by various Amtrak workers along the way, and not a nice encouraging yell, but yelling. It was pretty embarrassing-a big group running like that, carrying all those bags- and pretty humiliating realizing how out of shape I am too. BUT, it was a great day, it's a family tradition that I love and of course we really had something to laugh about the whole way home.

Can't wait until next year!