Tuesday Talk Time: Thanksgiving weekend highlights

Over the mountains and through the woods to grandmother’s house we go…the above picture was snapped Thursday morning as we left the house to visit family. It was a very cold 20° F. Okay, that’s not bad, if you live up north. However, this is the south and that’s COLD! After all, I’m a delicate flower. Are you laughing? I thought not.

Did you have a nice time Thanksgiving weekend? I was pretty much absent from Blogosphere from last Wednesday night through Sunday night, as you may have noticed. Judging by the few comments received since then many others were taking a little holiday hiatus and that’s fine by me. I applaud each of you for spending time with your families, instead of plastered to your computer screen.

Now back to Thanksgiving Day. We made a quick stop at some point and that’s when I spotted this view…

The country side landscape was filled with similar images like the above one, but this is the only photo I could capture outside the car. The further north we went, the worse our windshield became covered with road spray and salt brim. That made for not-so-good photo op. sigh However, the beautiful drive was absolutely peaceful with the livestock grazing in the fields set against the rich blue sky and snowy hills in the background. It has been a long time, since we have enjoyed travels under these same circumstances.

We were blessed to spend time around the table with DH’s family in southern WV. Our DS was the only one of our kids to be able to make the trip. Our DDs had to work, so did our son-in-law. They were certainly missed.  My sister-in-law and I put the spread on the table this year for the in-laws because they are too old to do this anymore. It’s a privilege for me to be able to do this. After all, they certainly feed as plenty of times over the years, so it’s nice to give back in this way.

From my in-laws, we drove 2-hours to my parents’ place just outside of Bluefield, WV. It was fabulous to see them. It had been almost a year that I saw them last. So, this was a joyous visit for me. They looked good and we had a spectacular visit with them.

By the time we got back to Knoxville to a cold house; it was quite late. We cranked the heat up and began our bedtime routine totally exhausted from the day’s activities. We had been up away since 4:30am and by the time we climbed into bed it was well into the wee morning hours of Friday.

How was your Thanksgiving weather?

Tell me, who here was stupid..ahem…I mean brave enough to venture out to the stores on Black Friday? lol

For those audacious folks amongst us, did you get any spectacular deals you’d like to share with us?

Personally, we decided against being one of the fearless souls to grab the bargains in the stores, but then again…I only have one present to get and that’s for our in-laws.  It makes no difference what we get them because it’ll go in the closet, anyway. smack forehead I mean, what do you get a person who has no hobbies or interests to speak of? At their late ages, they have well accumulated nearly everything they will ever want or will need. Money? Nope. That would be an insult and they would certainly insist that we take it back and forget gift cards because they would never be used. It’s up to us to be super creative, but as I said yesterday in Monday Morning Musings, we do have a small glimmer of hope with an idea that’s in the works. I’ll let you know how that goes for us.

Instead of confronting the cold and crowds, this is what I did…

From the comfy warmth of my home, I made a batch of Maple Nut Fudge that’s practically fail-proof and oh so yummy. Do you want to know how good this is? There is only half of the pan left. I kid you not! Don’t judge now. Try it for yourself, here, and see how easy it is to make this stuff disappear.

Les at Tuesday Coffee Chat has this prompt for us this week. Complete this statement,  All I want for Christmas is…

You. Well, not YOU, but you as in DH. The song, “All I Want for Christmas is You” has been stuck in my head for the last few weeks. To be specific, Michael Bublé’s, version of this song has been playing over and over in my noggin’. I featured this song in yesterday’s post, here.  Actually, this is precisely how I feel. There isn’t a thing that I want or need for Christmas other than my DH. Every day is Christmas with him. He’s the most generous man in the world buying me anything (within reason) I want all throughout the year. Put away your wallet, DH because all I want for Christmas is you!

I’m joining up, this week with Patrice on Chats on the farmhouse porch. Today’s gab session include these questions:

1. Please tell me the three most valuable things you learned as a child or young person. 1) No matter how rough I have it, someone else has it rougher. 2) It really is better to give than receive. 3) The ONLY way to heaven is through Jesus, none of us are good enough to work our way through the pearly gates.
2. Did you participate in Black Friday or Cyber Monday? Black Friday? In brick & mortar buildings? Nope…well, not usually. We did venture out a few years ago to get one thing and that was enough of an experience to do me for a lifetime. Cyber Monday is entirely different matter. I did take advantage of one bargain yesterday, but we always look for exceptional buys on Cyber Monday every year. Shopping online is my preferred method for purchasing items for ourselves and for gift buying.
3. Do you pray? Yes. As a family, we have always said grace before each meal and taught our children to say bedtime prayers. I often say little prayers throughout the day whenever someone comes to mind or when I hear disturbing news. However, I think I need to be mindful of talking to God often throughout the and not wait until something bad happens. He’s always there waiting in the balance to hear what’s on my mind.
4. Have you been invited to any parties to celebrate Christmas or New Year? Yes. DH’s co-worker is hosting a Christmas party this upcoming weekend, but we won’t be attending. We have other plans. I think parties are fun, but I am not really a party person. I prefer cozy intimate celebration amongst family or close friends.
5. Have you ever owned cowboy boots or a cowboy hat? (A cowboy? Tee-hee 🙂 Just had to throw that one in for fun!) I own a pair of cowboygirl boots. Several years ago, I must have dropped a sublingual message to DH that I never owned cowgirl boots and would like to have a pair. For Valentine’s Day, he got me a pair of Lucchese cowgirl boots hand-crafted in the good ole USA right in Texas. I was SO thrilled!

This is one of my favorite songs. The first time I heard it was when Michael Bolton did it, but then I stumbled upon this version and loved it immediately and I bought it on iTunes.

Let me share one more thing I stumbled upon. If you’re looking for free Christmas graphics, then you may want to check with The Graphics Fairy. She has some wonderful vintage designs. Have a terrific Tuesday!

Save