Happy Thanksgiving!
 

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!! GOBBLE GOBBLE :D

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Enjoy your turkey/tofurkey/venison/ham/stuffed squash/Subway sandwich ... any and all!

For those brave souls who venture out on Black Friday, happy hunting ...

Have a great one guys!

If anyone is having trouble thinking of something to be thankful for, I'll be home in my cave, which means...
Be thankful I'm not screwing up the traffic on your journey with the Green-Bean casserole.
Be thankful my elbows aren't on your table.
Be thankful I'm not drinking your booze.

And Bruce, I'll be happy that I'm alive, but almost out of Jose.

Jose? You have a pool boy? :eek:

Too bad you guys won't all have your elbows on my table,.. we need a cellar virtual table.

too bad you're so far away bruce. You and I could party till my kids get here-which won't be until four or five. No family gathering at mom's this year as her health is so bad; even with help it's too much work for her and her house is the only one big enough for the whole family. We're each doing our own thing and then each of us taking a desert to her house to share with her and dad. Last year we went to a restaurant-and we HATED it-it's just not the same as home.

Speaking of which...i better get crackin' on the green bean casserole. Oh yeah, it's the easiest side dish on earth and takes minutes (which i suspect is why i am in charge of it.) Going to brother's house.

Have a lovely day everyone!

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody! I wanted to share this story with y'all because thinking about it really put me in the "counting my blessings" mood this morning.

Last year I participated in a charity event where my group of student volunteers went Christmas shopping for foster kids at a group home, with money donated by a local rotary club. As the sponsor, I prepared index cards that had the name, age, interests, and a budget for each foster child. My volunteers drew cards at random and then off we went to Walmart on a day after school. While my students were shopping, I bought gift wrap with our club funds and snacks with my own money. The volunteers were putting so much thought and effort into shopping that many surpassed their 30 minute time limit and I eventually had to announce over the PA system that they'd better be at the cash register in five minutes or so help them.

Once we got back to school, I put on some Christmas music and we set out to wrap everything we'd bought -- what would eventually be two carloads. Now to the first part that made me realize how lucky I am: a lot of my students had no idea how to wrap a gift because they'd never given one before. How was it possible that juniors and seniors in high school had never given gifts? Some never had the money; others didn't have anyone to give gifts to. As time passes, I find myself feeling luckier and luckier about the opportunity to give. As a kid, I used to pick my prized stuffed animals to give as gifts (only to reclaim them a few days later). While I didn't understand the mechanics of gift giving, I did understand the inherent joy of giving someone you love something that you think will make them happy.

The second part that made this event so memorable was the actual delivery of the gifts. We attended the Christmas party at the home: my volunteers made gingerbread men with the kids, we had lunch, and then Santa appeared to dole out the gifts his elves had brought earlier in the day. Those kids were so grateful for each and every item. The budget for each child had been $35 at most, so most of the gifts were very simple, usually a toy and a shirt for each one. While some kids might think a shoddily wrapped basketball was garbage, I saw these kids rocketing outside to play with the new treasure. One of the foster kids was a middle school aged girl with special needs. The student volunteer who had drawn her card had remembered she liked Justin Bieber, and got her a poster, a notebook, and the latest CD. The look on her face when she opened each gift was one I'll never forget -- it was as if all the birthdays and Christmases in the world had all come at once. But even more memorable? Seeing my student -- a scrappy Hispanic kid who didn't know how to wrap gifts -- lean over to his friends and whisper with tears in his eyes, "That's the girl I shopped for! She likes it!"

Oh my...brought tears to my eyes.

YOU are a special person. Thanks for a lovely story. :)

Jeez Choc, that'll start the waterworks.

Happy Thanksgiving, friends!

I was just thinking about you jim. :)

Really, thinking about cellar folks and wondered how you're doing. Have a great day!

Choc, Thank You... that was nice.

Really awesome Choc and thanks for sharing it with all of us!

What was I wearing?

;)

Later you find out it doesn't have to be someone you love, to make you happy.

You gave that "scrappy Hispanic kid" the bestest gift of all, the knowlege of how to make himself happy.

Thanks for the story and the great work you do. :notworthy

yeah, that def. is gratitude up close and personal.

made me tear up, too.

I never ONCE thought that a kid might not know HOW to wrap a gift b/c they'd never gotten one or given one. I have been showered by the Universe with gifts of all sorts. Thank you for sharing this wonderful story.

Glad I was able to share it with you guys.

At our school, on the rare occasion the kids give each other gifts they are usually wrapped in the store's shopping bag -- to "prove" that the gift is A) new and B) paid for.

Working there makes me feel like an anthropologist. Totally different worldview.

First Thanksgiving with a truly full house: Four adults, two visiting children (ages 6 and 4), the offspring at 3 months of age, and two dogs. Order and sanity departed just in time for dinner to be served. A tryptophan miracle -- delicious food kept stress in check, for the most part.

Thank you, inventor of children's animated movies on DVD.

It doesn't matter, it was just the two of us.

Thanksgiving left-overs are officially done.
... my wife has already made a year's supply of turkey broth,
and now is working on tonight's meal of "turkey-wiggle"

I have to know -- what is turkey wiggle?

"tuna casserole" in our house is "tuna wiggle" :rolleyes:

I was imagining some kind of aspic monstrosity. Casserole, on the other hand, sounds pretty good.

Thanksgiving leftovers are no problem, just use them to bake bread.