Plenty to be THANKful for: Thanksgiving Traditions

This isht is about to get real, y'all.

I don't have any Thanksgiving traditions.

...unless you count eating Thanksgiving dinner with family.

But that's kind of what the holiday is all about, so....

See how awesome I am? I don't need no stinking traditions!

...ugh. I kind of hate myself right now.

Ok, so now I need suggestions for Thanksgiving traditions. Maybe I'll start one this year.



WAIT: I know what my family's Thanksgiving tradition is.

Saying we aren't going out for Black Friday shopping and then doing it anyway. At, like 9am.

Even though we said we were going to sleep in.

As always, link up with Meghan!

Ten on Tuesday: Thanksgiving Time!

Link up over at Roots and Rings with Chelsea!

1. What are you doing for Thanksgiving this year?

Going out to eat, just me and Nate. We're going to McCormick and Schmicks down the street from us because a) it's supposed to rain and b) they promised traditional food. I want me Thanksgiving, yo!

2. What are you most thankful for this year?

I am thankful for a lot of things, but I think I am most thankful for both Nate and I having jobs that provide health insurance and paid time off (well, for me.)
3. Do you have any traditions on Thanksgiving? The parade? Football? Long naps?

Eating and then eating again? In Tallahassee, we'd have Thanksgiving dinner at my Grandmother's house (Dad's mom) early in the afternoon or Thanksgiving at my (parent's) house in the late afternoon. Then we'd all just lay around and chat until we were hungry again. I guess sometimes there's football on, but it wasn't a central focus.


4. Is it called stuffing or dressing? Is it in the bird or a separate dish?

Stuffing. And it tastes better from inside the bird, but I know that can be dangerous (or whatevs) so after a certain point, ours was a side dish.


5. Do you cook?

I did last year. And I think I remember helping my Mom some when I got older.
6. What is your favorite dish?

STUFFING. But really, Thanksgiving food is the best of foods. Favorited. Forever.

7. What is your dessert preference?
 
Pumpkin Pie and whipped cream. Lots and lots of whipped cream.


8. What is your favorite Thanksgiving memory?

Probably when my family went down to my Aunt and Uncle's house in the Keys, and all my Mom's siblings and kids (aka my cousins) were there. I thought my cousin Cam wasn't going to be able to come, but he showed up and it was lots of fun. Especially because I was kind of bummed that we were going out to eat and not making food, since my cousin Tim is a chef and I love Thanksgiving food so much. But then the whole family got DRUNK, so it was a fine and dandy time. (Minus some things I won't talk about. Hah.)

9. Do you plan to shop on Black Friday?

Maybe a little. Nothing hardcore. And probably later in the afternoon.

10. What are you most dreading about Thanksgiving this year?

...nothing? Out to eat = no dishes. Maybe that Nate will want to watch football all afternoon ;)

Plenty to be THANKful for: My Favorite Thanksgiving Recipe

Ok, so I'm not going to lie: I don't really have recipes for Thanksgiving. The one (and only) time I have cooked an entire Thanksgiving dinner, by my lonesome, was last year. It went something like this:

• Turkey in a Bag from the grocery store
• Mashed Potatoes (I did buy actual potatoes and boil and mash them. With cream cheese and italian seasoning. Mmmm.)
• Mashed Sweet Potatoes (also bought actual potatoes and boiled and mashed, with cinnamon sugar and butter!)
• Stuffing from a Bag (not StoveTop, the blue bag stuff...I don't remember what the brand is.)
• Those rolls with the flour dusted on top. SO NOMMY.
• Sweet Baby Carrots (boiled baby carrots, smothered in honey and butter)

Nate made:

• Green Bean Casserole (from the back of the French Onion container)
• Pumpkin Pies (from the back of the Libby's can)

We did make EggNog from scratch. Does that count?

We also drank wine.

So...we are not really recipe people. I'm all about the traditional food. My family never made green bean casserole, and normally our rolls were the frozen yeasty kind in the circular tin. The focus was on fresh vegetables. We'd usually have potatoes, steamed green beans and squash. And pie. Lots and lots of pumpkin pie.

It's the best part.

For me, Thanksgiving is about the people. Hanging with family. Eating at noon and at five. And snacking the whole day.

And then shopping on Friday!

Don't forget to link up your Plenty to Be Thankful For posts over at

The Perfect Compilation Tape!

Plenty to be THANKful for: I Live in the 21st Century!

(back-dating is fun! don't hate)

I am thankful that I live in the 21st Century.

Because the internet exists.

That is all!

Plenty to be THANKful for: The Blogoverse!

(a little back-dating never hurt anyone)

I am thankful for the Blogoverse!

Living in Seattle, knowing no one, has been hard for me. Most of my friends are on East Coast time, so they're up three hours before me and go to bed three hours before me.

I have met so, so, SO many wonderful people who I chat with on Twitter and whose blogs I never miss.

For that I am thankful =)

Plenty to be THANKful for: My Hometown!

Oh, my hometown. Tallahassee, FL. I guess I have it a little different than other people, because I lived in my hometown until I graduated college. I have a love/hate relationship with Tallahassee. There are so. many. memories:

Shows with my theatre. (this is Footloose)

Going to Prom!

Tea parties with friends...sophomore year of college.

Dinners at the Melting Pot.

Making cakes for my sister's birthday.

Afternoons at Lake Ella.

Dancing at Waterworks.

Yearly visits to the Junior Museum.

Being with Yahtzee!

not to mention...

The beautiful old capitol building.

The new capitol building, which looks like a...

well...you tell me what it looks like. =P

The Tennessee St. Strip --

right across from the School of Music!

My high school on the hill.

(relatedly, our parking lot at the bottom of the hill getting completely flooded.

The water came up through the floor of my car! Flash flood, y'all!)

Dancing at AJ's, late-night Wal-Mart runs, parties at the Backyard and the Treehouse. Working at my Dad's store. 

 Tallahassee is a lot of things, but it will always be my hometown.

Link up over at The Perfect Compilation Tape with Meghan!



Plenty to Be Thankful for: YouTube & Interweb Funs

Day 2 of the Thankful Challenge! I am thankful for YouTube, because it means I can listen to these guys sing all day long:

{Telephone}

{Love Lockdown}

I am also a fan of the interwebs because of these:

{Some ECards}

...true story.

What ridiculous internet thing are you thankful for?

 Link up, over at The Perfect Compilation Tape!