Thanksgiving Memories ~A Decade of Photos ~ Thanksgiving 2020, Celebrated during a Pandemic

Thanksgiving 2009

I cherish the memories of holidays spent with family and friends.

Our after dinner routine is usually the Geffre Girls

washing dishes and cleaning up the kitchen...

...while the older generation relaxes with

pumpkin pie and a second cup of coffee.

This is the last Thanksgiving that my mother

traveled to spend the holiday in our home.

Thanksgiving 2010

Another tradition, with our Daughters home from college,

we’d get up early and head out for Black Friday Shopping.

Our guys would enjoy a couple extra hours of sleep...

And then meet us out for lunch and beverages.

Thanksgiving 2011

We celebrated the holiday with Emily in her apartment.

She worked in Fargo at the Sanford Cardiac Rehab Center

and was on the schedule for Friday.

We helped her make her first Turkey and all the sides.

Amy was working as a PA at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN

and made the long drive to join us for the weekend.

She was in charge of bringing the wine!

Thanksgiving 2012

Nellie, our foreign exchange daughter from Denmark was living with us,

and enjoyed her first American Thanksgiving experience...

Complete with helping with the meal preparation.

She was in charge of cooking the cranberry sauce.

Hubby’s mother lives in town and is always at our table,

along with her sister Aunt Olivia.

Thanksgiving 2013

I do have a favorite Thanksgiving tablecloth and it appears

I have a favorite green sweater to wear for the holiday.

We often wait until after dishes to have our pie,

as we are too full after the main meal.

Thanksgiving 2014

Notice the same tablecloth and

I am wearing my Thanksgiving Green Sweater.

Thanksgiving 2015

This year we enjoyed these special guests at our table.

Scott’s cousin Warren and Aunt Darlene traveled to join us.

She had been battling cancer, but felt pretty good

when she woke up that morning, so they made the trip.

She was Scott and Amy’s Godmother, and such wonderful lady.

Thanksgiving 2016

Students remember it was a tradition to prepare a Turkey Dinner,

including all the sides, in my Foods classes.

The last year, I had three sections of that class every day...

yes, that means that we made 6 huge turkeys,

and enough mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, cranberries,

and desserts for about 90 students.

Some students brought their own box of

stuffing for their lab group.

Carving the Turkey is a position of honor and is usually granted

to the oldest gentleman in the family.

This year, that honor went to our

Head Debate Coach Konda, School Resource Officer Carlson,

Social Studies Teacher Hansen, and Head Principal Uttermark.

Students set their tables and when it was time to serve,

we would listen to a message about the importance of the holiday

and stepping up to carry on their family’s traditions.

It was always a lot of work, but one of my favorite days.

Thanksgiving 2017

My first year of retirement...and I was so lucky to

travel to the East Coast and spend the Holiday

with our daughter and son in law in their home.

They did all the meal preparations, and it was simply fabulous.

Thanksgiving 2018

This must have been an uneventful year, as I could not find any photos,

except for this one that I took the next morning.

Looks like the same tablecloth and I probably wore the same sweater?!

Thanksgiving 2019

Another special day. Along with our family,

we have often hosted friends that have had to

change their plans due to inclement weather.

Last year, a winter storm prevented our good friends

to travel to be with their families.

We certainly enjoyed having them at our table.

Thanksgiving 2020

We paid close attention to Health Care Experts and CDC Guidelines...

all of us celebrating in our own homes.

Hubby picked up his mother so she wasn’t alone for the holiday.

Amy and her Hubby prepared this lovely meal

for their little family.

Emily and her Hubby prepared this tasty meal

for the two of them.

A highlight of my day was

to be able to chat with them on FaceTime.

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday,

as it is spent with Family and Friends,

Filled with Gratitude,

and Enjoying lots of Good Food.

Stay Warm, Safe and Well, Everyone.

Take care,

~Natalie

What’cha Workin’ on Wednesday ~Where the Week Went ~Quarantine Time Spent Wisely

 

We have some generous friends with an Apple Tree.

I was the fortunate recipient of two big bags

delivered to our front door.

For years I have wanted to make Apple Butter.

I have fond memories of that Taste of Autumn on buttered toast.

I have yet to find my Grandma’s recipe, but this one was close.

It simmered all day in my Crockpot.

This retired empty nester has been staying close to home.

Plenty of time for House Chores prompts me

to run Roomba every day.

It appears Lizzie is annoyed when he invades

her space in front of the heat register.

Lizzie also had enough of Hubby’s time spent on his laptop,

and sent this strong message...

She says, “Enough Screen Time for You!”
 

Tis the season for another Taste of Autumn.

I’ve enjoyed roasting a variety of squash...

From left to right:

Buttercup, Butternut, and Acorn are top choices here...

Delicious with just butter, salt and pepper.

Quarantine Cooking demands Comfort Foods like

Roasted Tomato and Basil Soup with Grilled Cheese.

And this Olive Garden Copy Cat Recipe for

Chicken Gnocchi Soup in the Crockpot.

This was tasty, too.

Pizza Friday this past week was Chicken Cordon Bleu,

another one of our favorites.

My Facebook Memories frequently remind me

of the good times we had Pre-Pandemic.

Typically we’d spend our Saturdays cheering

for Bison Football, either in the Fargodome with friends.

or Homegating in our family room.

It always warmed my heart when

these former students met me there for a hug.

Another Facebook memory that popped up this week...Winterfest.

Typically, we’d be preparing day and night.

This year, for the safety of our community,

it’s not happening.

That doesn’t stop Hubby and I from creating.

Apparently, most people have turned to shopping on-line.

Today, I sent a couple more Etsy packages on their way.

A reminder to our local friends: 

Message me if you see something in our shop

that you’re interested in.

We can make arrangements for pickup/delivery.

While I was all masked up, out and about,

I stopped at the supermarket for a couple of items.

I heard that people are starting to hoard supplies again...

but Pepperoni? Really??

You can purchase Pizza Crusts,

you can purchase Pizza Sauce,

But not Pepperoni.

I’ll need to re-think my Pizza Friday plan this week.

Meanwhile, we’re enjoying our time at home.

“Sunshine on my shoulders makes me Happy”

While we will be missing family gatherings this Thanksgiving,

we’ll cherish the time we spend with those that live in our own household.

Stay home, Stay safe, and Stay well.

Take care,

~Natalie

Veterans Day ~Honoring all Who Have Served

 

I love this photo of my daddy and his brother.

It was taken in 1945.

Today we Honor All Who have Served.

Thank you to the Veterans and their Families 

who have sacrificed so much for our country.

Take care,

~Natalie

Monday Mail Call ~In with the New and Out with the Old ~It’s a Pressing Matter

Lizzie and I started making face masks back in March.

Hubby was working from home then,

and I felt like I needed to spend my time

doing something worthwhile.

We made hundreds of masks, so many masks

that we wore out my portable ironing board.

Don’t you all appreciate Amazon while

we are staying home during the pandemic?

Pretty sure our mail carrier was curious

about what was in that big box.

I’m actually embarrassed that the old ironing board was so worn out.

But then, it went to college and lived in the dorm with both daughters

years and years ago, so was about time that I replaced it.

It is quite handy to set it up on the counter for my smaller projects.

I’ve used it for years...

Plus it has been serving a double duty

for the last several months.

In our Clothing Construction classes,

our instructors stressed that when sewing,

you need to spend as much time at the ironing board,

as you do at the sewing machine.

(Remember that rule, Debra?)

By now, I’m guessing if you choose to wear a 😷 mask,

you already own one. However, if you need another,

or are planning to travel to a destination

that has a mask mandate,  leave a message for me.

I have a good variety of prints in my inventory.

And if there’s interest, I just may create a Christmas Collection!

Stay safe and well.

Take care,

~Natalie

Yay for Friday ~Looking for the Blog Worthy ~Fall Flowers ~Football Fun ~Good Food

With our Covid numbers spiking here in our neck of the woods,

we are sticking close to home as much as possible.

Fresh flowers and my favorite fall scented candle

bring a little comfort and joy to our kitchen.

Most days are the same...However, an occasional burst of fun,

like cheering for our favorite Football Team

playing the one and only game on their Fall Schedule.

My MIL and SIL harvested the

last of the 🍅 tomatoes in her garden.

I have already made Spaghetti Sauce, and Pizza Sauce,

so I experimented with Roasting a batch.

Remember, I showed you our mums and pumpkins.

Hubby added a cornstalk to our little front porch.

I think Lizzie approves.

The changing colors of the trees in our yard are beautiful.

However, it creates a whole lotta work for Hubby.

He spent a weekend day cleaning up the yard

and filled the whole backend of his pickup with leaves.

I rode along when he took them out to the dump.

It was a weekend date!

Here’s where our date took us next.

Can you guess where we are?

Back to those roasted tomatoes...I added onion, garlic, and thyme.

My friend, Wendy, recommended adding

a couple of carrots for sweetness.

This recipe for Roasted Tomato Soup was featured

in our hometown Aberdeen magazine.

 I really wanted to try it.

Roasted Tomatoes, Fresh Basil, and a whole cup of cream...

I don’t think we’ll ever be satisfied with canned soup again!

Stay safe and well, everyone.

Treasure this time that you

spend in your home and with your family.

Take care,

~Natalie