Happy Thanksgiving Day!

I know I've been a tad neglectful, taking a break from blog duties.  Mid-November is a crazy time around the Weiler house.  Nearly all of our energy is devoted to candy making and holiday box packaging.  Our goal is to have all the component pieces ready by Thanksgiving and then spend "Black Friday" doing the final assembly, scheduling a postal pickup (for those going out-of-state or even more importantly, out-of-country) for Saturday.  It's a wild and crazy couple of weeks but the net result is that while others are madly scrambling through crowds and malls, we can just relax and enjoy the Christmas season.

And wouldn't you think with Thanksgiving being as late as it could be that we'd somehow be more prepared?  Not so much!  There are a couple of things still to do...not terribly much but still I'll be whipping up a couple of batches of candy tomorrow (thankfully for the local deliveries)!

But today, we stop and we give thanks.  I'm thankful for our three kids - none of whom are able to physically join us today but I'm sure we will be sharing thoughts across the miles.  I'm thankful for friends and family, near and far. 

I'm thankful to those we will be sharing our meal with today.  The recipe for our brined Thanksgiving turkey is from Ree Drummond, the Pioneer Woman, and the pies I'll be making this morning (Pumpkin and Chocolate Bourbon Pecan), along with her technique for amazing pie crust are from a class I recently took at PCC from Barbara Schwarz which we'll be serving with Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream (which I learned from another PCC class - The Vegetarian Holiday Table).  The variety and abundance (and naturally QUANTITY of each) of the many vegetable side dishes are being provided by my sister-in-law (Marne) and our dear friend John is bringing the all important rolls (an absolute necessity for making the proper turkey sandwich)!  It will be, no doubt, an incredible feast, followed I'm sure by a spirited "game night" (unless Marne and I are able to convince the menfolk that they'd rather watch reruns of Downton Abbey in anticipation of its return January 5th)!

Wherever you are, whatever your menu I hope you will take a moment to consider your blessings and abundances!  Happy Thanksgiving!

~later, gratefully counting all my many blessings, tw