First Snow and Thanksgiving count down

Hello everyone!

We enjoyed our first snowfall this weekend. It's simply beautiful! It started on Friday with just a few inches of accumulation late in the evening, it melted away by Saturday afternoon and snowed a few more inches Sat. evening.

We're supposed to get snow for the next few days so we may be enjoying a white Thanksgiving.

Speaking of Thanksgiving, I am excited to be hosting Thanksgiving again this year! Stephen's parents arrived last Wed. and will come to our house for dinner. Additionally, my mom's eldest brother, Bud, has also recently moved here and he and his wife will be joining us for dinner as well!

Watch out! 2 worlds will collide - The Watsons and The Rasmussens. Don't worry, there'll be pleanty of wine to keep everyone relaxed and festive :)

So I bought my Turkey yesterday (15.9 lbs) and I got the potatoes (1 metric ton - mashed potatoes are pretty much the only reason Stephen wakes up on Thanksgiving...though he's not opposed to the delicious bird and pies!) and I've got makings for green bean casserole and sweet potato casserole (compliments of Ellen). My "Beth's Holiday Relish" is chilling in the fridge already and the pies are slated to be baked today or tomorrow - Thank you MIL!! We will have a feast for sure.

Isn't it interesting how traditions develop? Let's take, for example, my Thanksgiving dinner:

Turkey - the bird will be grilled, yes, grilled. This is the way that Stephen's family has done it for years. It's super easy and it frees up the oven for other yummy dishes. Stephen's Dad does the grilling which frees me up to make other things.

Potatoes - ok, nothing special here, they're just same old mashed potatoes that have been made for generations: potatoes, milk, butter, mash.

Green Bean Casserole - I'm certain this tradition started from the back of a package of French Onions but I'm happy to continue it!

Sweet Potato Casserole - this is new this year...sort of. My family has always had sweet potatos as a part of the Feast...The Watson's haven't. I introduced them last year, but they didn't get the warm welcome that I expected. So this year, I'm trying a different approach, a small casserole rather than a few whole potatoes. Additionally, this dish is being contributed by my friend and colleage, Ellen.

Holiday Relish - perhaps the most delicious side dish on the table, the Holiday Relish recipe was given to me by a good friend from Augusta, Beth. I first brought this along with me when I attend my first Watson Family Thanksgiving to make them fall in love with me...it seems to have worked because it is now requested each year. No lie, i've got 4 quarts of the stuff chilling in my fridge right now and that may give us leftovers for just a day or so.

(M.I.A) Ribbon Jello - anyone who has ever attended the Rasmussen Thanksgiving (my Mom's family) is well acquainted with the Ribbon Jello. This dish is a masterful piece of art! It takes about 2 days to prepare this jello. It is layer upon layer of jello flavors topped with whipped cream. Absolutely delightful - way to much work! I made my first one last year, and much like the sweet potatoes, people didn't warm up to it like I had hoped. So this year, no ribbon jello...at least at my Thanksgiving.

Pies - a delightful finish to an increadible feast and provided by Scootie, Stephen's mom. I can't tell you how long I've been waiting for a bit of Pecan Pie...probably since last Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving may just be the answer to everyone's problems. It shows us how to work together as a team while making choices to please everyone - and in the end you either have an increadible meal or a good story...perhaps both.

Trick or Treat?!

It's been a while since I've written, so I just wanted to give you all a mini-update.
NOTHING's GOING ON...

Stephen and I haven't really gone on any advetures lately. Fall has brought us some BEAUTIFUL autumn color, but the weather turns a bit grey, rainy and dreary in late fall.

On a personal note, I have now lost 45 lbs. I'm steaming full force ahead at my first major goal of 50 lbs. I've been working with a personal trainer for the last 2 months and have been loving it! He kicks my ass every week, and I pay him for it.

Last night was Halloween. Sadly, Halloween isn't very popular in Germany - so we thought. So in order to not stand out, Stephen and I didn't make any party plans, didn't carve pumpkins and only bought candy for our own consumption. Additionally, I was working that evening at a special event. So no real reason to make any effort.

Well I ended up getting off early, and was home at about 6:30 pm. On my way in, i accidentally hit the porch light and it didn't take too long for the first kids to show up at our door to scream "Suss oder Sauer!" (Trick or Treat in German). I was VERY suprised. Halloween and Trick or Treating is really an American tradition.

Luckily we had some candy and there were only 2 of them. So I passed out the candy, closed the door, and turned off the light.

Turns out - the light has nothing to do w/ it. Every kid, rings every door bell! So, we closed the shutters (to protect from flying eggs), kept the TV low and ignored the bell. I know, we're a bunch of party poopers, but I was just unprepared to spend the evening passing out candy.