Friday, November 27, 2009

Thanksgiving highlights

Well, Thanksgiving was really interesting this year, and since we only had family and Brandi and Ella, everybody missed the excitement.

Started with PWs Lazy chili rellenos and sour cream muffins with blueberries for breakfast. Will have to work on the chili rellenos some more, they were a little runny, but very tasty.

Then Clyde started on the turkey. We had a big one (22 lbs.) and he put it in a turkey bag like we have done for the past 24 years, and I did for lots of years before that.




He put the turkey in the oven at about 11:30 am. We proceeded to cook the rest of the meal, while enjoying the peach margaritas that have become a mainstay of our entertaining.




These are really, really good margaritas, that I found the recipe for on Noble Pig's blog.

At about 2:30, Clyde noticed some strange light coming from the oven. He opened the oven door, and flames came pouring out the door. He shut the door, thinking, I guess, that he would starve the flames of oxygen. He did turn off the oven, and then opened the door again. More flames! He started yelling "leave the house! go outside!" while he attempted to take the turkey out of the oven. James hovered behind him, cautioning "don't spill the grease!" Brent took all three kids out on the front deck. The fire alarm started going off.

Clyde got the turkey out of the oven, and the flames went out. He's yelling "where's the fire extinguisher!" Which we bought 17 years ago when we bought the house, and it's been MIA for many years now. (item one on the shopping list: buy a new fire extinguisher).

Had to open windows and doors and fan the smoke away from the fire alarm, which continued to go off. Got a little chilly in the house. Had to peel the plastic cooking bag off the turkey. Didn't get much in the way of juices to make gravy.

And thru the entire excitement, I never thought to pick up the camera and take a picture!

So, no picture of the flames coming out of the oven.

Right after the fire was out, the alarm was off, Brandi walks in the door. We're all, like, "Wow, you missed all the excitement!"

Needless to say, I am thankful that I don't have to rebuild the house, we did have a turkey dinner, and we enjoyed ourselves all the way until about midnight when we finally gave up playing games and went to bed.

Here is Miss M.


And here is CJ enjoying the pumpkin pie that he and Miss M poked their fingers into yesterday.




Hope you all had a quiet Thanksgiving. Oh, and we have to clean the oven, and make sure it's not going to happen again, or item number 2 on the shopping list is a new stove. And I think I just may make item number 3 on the shopping list a turkey roaster, so we don't have to use the cooking bags again!

You can read another version of this story Here.

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Twas the day before Thanksgiving......

And Granpa was busy baking pumpkin pies. They looked really nice too.



But, if you take a close look at the pie above, you'll see two little finger poke holes. One of the grandkids tested the pie! And the other pie has even more holes in it! Grandpa is going to be thrilled!

We'll have a houseful tomorrow, but not as many as usual.. James and Solitare will be here, as will Bekka and Brent. The three kids are already here. Brent is back at work and he gets off at 6 am and Bekka has to be at work at 6am. I was looking at having to get up at 4:30 am to go watch them. But Grandpa, not wanting to get up that early, suggested that we get them the night before. So, they've been here all day, causing the normal amount of havoc that they usually cause. I've done no painting, and the final day is getting pretty close. So, I've got to take pictures and get a couple framed to put into shows.

I am baking a pie right now. It's called an upside down apple pie. Figured that it didn't matter if it came out pretty, since I'm going to turn it upside down! At least it won't have finger poke holes in it like the pumpkin pies do!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Mea Culpa, again

Forgot to acknowledge birthdays again......Too much going on right now.... And yesterday, as we were getting out of the truck in Monument, I all of a sudden said "I forgot a day recently" and Clyde said "my mother's, October 28, and I forgot too". So sorry Mother in Law....Guess things just got away from us.

So Lois, Here's a big Happy Birthday!!!! to you.

And then James, the youngest, turned the big 30 on Nov. 1st. How time flies! Happy Birthday, James!

Rachel, Ed's wife had a birthday on the 10th of November, but in keeping with the 'we ladies don't reveal our age', I won't be telling how old she is. Happy Birthday, Rachel!

And Ed has a birthday on the 22nd. I'm not late on that one. Whew! Ed is turning 36 years old this year. I can't believe I have a kid that old. I mean, I'm only 39! Hah! So Happy Birthday, Ed!!

And so goes the year. I'm done with birthdays until February. Now I just gotta get thru Thanksgiving and Christmas, oh, and finish all my paintings for the final on Dec. 6th. And make Christmas cards, and doll clothes, and buy presents.

I vote for Christmas in July....how does that sound?