An Attitude of Gratitude

When you practice gratefulness, there is a sense of respect toward others.

~ Dalai Lama 

We're a few days past Thanksgiving and I'm still in the mood to count my blessings. 

Mom & Dad & the mandevilla they saved
from freezing!

First, I'm thankful to God for my family. We were blessed with ten around our table for the holiday (including my niece and her fiance, of whom I didn't manage to get a photo!) and as we prayed together, we remembered all our other family members who are scattered across the country and the world. (One of my great nieces is serving in Japan right now and our Ecuadorian exchange student "son" lives in Belgium!) 

My sister Linda flew in from South Dakota.(You met her when we drove out to Seattle for our Alaskan cruise in September.) She had made a quick trip to NYC to visit her daughter and her family just a few days before she came to see us, so  I'm sure she's tired of traveling. Linda is pictured at right with #2 Daughter. #2 D is the one who will be taking care of our house while we're on our world cruise and calls herself the "designated dog nanny!"

Our #1 Daughter and her wife drove down from Columbia for Thanksgiving. They also brought our three grand-dogs, so with our two little pups, our canine quiver was definitely full. When the time for our cruise comes, we'll drive our truck up to their place on Jan. 19th. They'll take us to Saint Louis on the 20th, and then we'll fly out on the  21st. While we're gone, they said they'd be happy to babysit the truck for us!

Next, I'm thankful for my friends, not just here in the town where we live, but all over. When you've lived in as many places as we have, you tend to leave people along the way, but we haven't forgotten them. So many are still near our hearts and would probably be astonished at how often we speak of them.

Lastly, I thank God for my marriage. My DH is truly my best friend. There's no one on earth I'd rather spend time with. When we first started considering taking a world cruise,  I began to lurk on the Cruise Critic message boards. One lady wanted to go on a world cruise but didn't know if she and her husband could stand being cooped up together in a small stateroom that long. 

I think her money would be better spent on marriage counseling than cruising. If you don't like to be together on land, being sloshed about on a ship will not improve anyone's temper. We, however, can't wait to run off on our next adventure together.  

How to Make a Tipsy Turkey--I cooked the turkey for this year's feast. My mom is always worried it will be dry, but I've figured out a way to make sure it's moist and tender. After washing the thoroughly thawed bird, I don't fill the chest cavity with stuffing. (For one thing, my family is divided into 2 camps on the stuffing question--cornbread or oyster. So I make both kinds on top of the stove.) Instead, after rubbing the turkey with olive oil and seasoning it with salt,pepper, poultry seasoning, thyme and parsley, I pour about half a bottle of  Chardonnay into the turkey insides. It gives the drippings I use for my homemade noodles an extra kick and after baking at 350 degrees for the recommended amount of time for the size of the bird, my turkey comes out of the oven nicely moist and delicious. 

Christmas is coming. Do you have a special trick that makes holiday meals better, easier, or more festive?