Thanksgiving Blessings

"We gather together to ask the Lord's blessing,

He chastens and hastens His will to make known.

The wicked oppressing now cease from distressing,

Sing praises to His name, He forgets not His own."

~ Traditional Folk Hymn

"Over the river and through the wood,
To grandmother's house we go;
The horse knows the way
To carry the sleigh,
Through the white and drifted snow.

Over the river and through the wood,
Oh how the wind does blow;
It stings the toes
And bites the nose,
As over the ground we go."

~ Lydia Maria Child

Thanksgiving Memories (Revisited)

"Only one more day and then it will be time to eat.
I didn't take but one bowl of hasty pudding this morning,
so I shall have plenty of room when the nice things come..."

~ Louisa May Alcott, from 'An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving'

Whenever I'm asked about a favorite holiday, I'm always torn between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I love Christmas ~ and especially all the preparation for months ahead (I love to make homemade gifts or ornaments when I can)... but I love the simplicity of Thanksgiving, and always think of it as a family and friends day. I send some Thanksgiving cards with personal letters to a handful of family and friends, and really enjoy having this time of year to remember all the special times shared in previous years.

Our Thanksgiving these days has usually just been the three of us, but we still set the table with the pretty china, and have a special meal. Our daughter (23) is a vegetarian (and has been for over 10 years), so we always have several side dishes. My husband would be happy with just the turkey and mashed potatoes and gravy :) All three of us love the leftovers for the next few days, and a favorite thing is to make turkey soup.

When we lived in Tucson we always had a house full of people including family, friends, and some more casual acquaintances from our church. I'd do the turkey and one or two things, and everyone would bring a side, appetizer or dessert. I'm glad that our daughter got to experience these special celebrations when she was growing up so she can have wonderful holiday memories, too.

I still think my favorite Thanksgivings, though, were as a child. I was just going to write about it again, but realize I did last year, so I'll just copy it here (after all... it's time to go make the dressing and peel the potatoes). I hope you don't mind the "rerun" :)

~ Joanne

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. In some ways, it's my favorite, because it brings back wonderful family memories... and traditions that began in the late 1800s. My great-grandmother was from a large family that was very close. After all the children had married, a tradition of Thanksgiving gatherings still continued for well over 70 years.

Thanksgiving Day was spent at my grandparents' home where several of the generations of cousins and friends gathered ~ and I loved sitting at the special "children's" table since my grandmother always ate there, too. There were stories to tell, news to catch up on, and a lot of wonderful food... much more than we could possibly eat, but everyone's favorites were included. I remember all the men going out for a long walk after dinner "to walk off the heavy meal and all the desserts" (there were always three pies ~ pumpkin, apple and mince), and all the women chatting and laughing in the kitchen as they put leftovers away and washed and dried the dishes. I think this was the scene in many homes back in the 1950s and '60s..

But, the holiday celebration didn't end there. One of my great-grandmother's sisters and her family owned a dairy farm on a mountain in "upstate" New York, and that's where we went for the weekend. Those are some of my best memories ~ sleeping in the feather beds, playing with all my cousins, and being pulled around on a sled in the snow by my cousin's pet goat "Herman". Yes ~ it almost always snowed there that weekend, and anyone who knows me knows that snow is one of my favorite things.

We always arrived late that Friday evening since my father and grandfather had to work that day. On our way up we would stop at a "scenic outlook" for our picnic dinner of turkey sandwiches and chicken bouillon to drink. My grandmother had a regular ritual for preparing all those turkey sandwiches each year and placing them in the crisp waxed paper and folding it a certain way. They always looked like little gift packages, and were prepared and wrapped with love (and she always cut the crust off my sandwich *smile*).

The first thing I'd do when I woke up on Saturday morning was run and look out the window to see if there was snow. Then it would be time to run downstairs, stand over the heater to warm up, and have breakfast. The main thing I remember about the breakfasts was the hot cocoa made with some vanilla in it ~ it always tasted so good and special in the great big mugs. My cousins and I would all go out to play, and when we'd come back in ~ wet and cold from the snow ~ we'd hang our mittens and scarves on a line in the kitchen to dry near the stove. Even though we were cold I was always thirsty, and there was an old well-worn tin measuring cup that was used for quick drinks of water. The water was delicious and icy cold, and the cup kept it that way. Isn't it strange, here it is over forty years later and I can still "taste" that hot cocoa and water!

The weekend always came to an end much too soon for me, and as we'd pull away in the car, we'd look back and see everyone standing on the porch waving goodbye with handkerchiefs and dish towels. We could still see them waving as we drove down the mountain, and it was something to remember until we drove back up that mountain the next Thanksgiving weekend... to spend a short time together once again, making more special memories.

Happy Thanksgiving!

"The year has turned its circle,
The seasons come and go.
The harvest all is gathered in
And chilly north winds blow.
Orchards have shared their treasures,
The fields, their yellow grain,
So open wide the doorway -
Thanksgiving comes again!"

~author unknown

"To all ye Pilgrims:

Inasmuch as the great Father has given us this year an abundant harvest of Indian corn, wheat, peas, beans, squashes, and garden vegetables, and has made the forests to abound with game and the sea with fish and clams, and inasmuch as he has protected us from the ravages of the savages, has spared us from pestilence and disease, has granted us freedom to worship God according to the dictates of your own conscience; now I, your magistrate, do proclaim that all ye Pilgrims, with your wives and ye little ones, do gather in ye meeting house, on ye hill, between the hours of 9 and 12 in the day time, on Thursday, November ye 29th, of the year of our Lord one thousand six-hundred and twenty-three, and the third year since ye Pilgrims landed on ye Pilgrim Rock, there to listen to ye pastor and render thanksgiving to ye Almighty God for all his blessings."

William Bradford, Ye Governor of Ye Colony
Of Plymouth Plantation

Monday Inspiration for the Month of Thanksgiving

"We gather together to ask the Lord's blessing,
He chastens and hastens His will to make known.
The wicked oppressing now cease from distressing,
Sing praises to His name, He forgets not His own."

~ Traditional Folk Hymn

A Welcome to November

"Now in November, the leaves spread cloth of gold and red on the ground. The open fields take on a cinnamon tone and the wild blackbery canes in the swamp are frosted purple. The colors fade slowly to sober hues. The rain falls with a determination in long leaden lines, and when it stops water drips from the eaves.

The voice of the wind changes, for winds are seasonal too. Summer winds blow soft, musical with leaves, except for thunderstorms. Hurricane winds scream. In blizzard time the sleet-sharp gale has a crackling noise. But now the wind has a mournful sound, marking the rhythm of autumn's end. The first beat of winter is not yet here, and country folk tend to spend extra time doing chores or puttering, just to be out of doors.

Night is a vast dark sea with the moon a distant light in a mysterious harbor. Stillmeadow seems a small ship to be in such a limitless ocean, but how steadfast it looks under the tall spars of the giant maples! Light shines through the small-paned windows and I am extravagant enough to keep the house lighted all over just because it looks, to my eyes, so beautiful glowing in the dark.

So as I go in, I have a grateful heart. And as Thanksgiving Day nears, I feel a sense of hope - a hope that the world may find peace, perhaps in our time."

~ From the book, "The Stillmeadow Road" by Gladys Taber (1959)

Thanksgiving Wishes

"We gather together to ask the Lord's blessing,
He chastens and hastens His will to make known.
The wicked oppressing now cease from distressing,
Sing praises to His name, He forgets not His own."

~ Traditional Folk Hymn

Wishing you all a wonderful Thanksgiving, full of God's abundant blessings!

Thanksgiving Memories

"Only one more day and then it will be time to eat. I didn't take but one bowl of hasty pudding this morning, so I shall have plenty of room when the nice things come..."

~ Louisa May Alcott, from 'An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving'



Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. In some ways, it's my favorite, because it brings back wonderful family memories... and traditions that began in the late 1800s. My great-grandmother was from a large family that was very close. After all the children had married, a tradition of Thanksgiving gatherings still continued for well over 70 years.

Thanksgiving Day was spent at my grandparents' home where several of the generations of cousins and friends gathered ~ and I loved sitting at the special "children's" table since my grandmother always ate there, too. There were stories to tell, news to catch up on, and a lot of wonderful food... much more than we could possibly eat, but everyone's favorites were included. I remember all the men going out for a long walk after dinner "to walk off the heavy meal and all the desserts" (there were always three pies ~ pumpkin, apple and mince), and all the women chatting and laughing in the kitchen as they put leftovers away and washed and dried the dishes. I think this was the scene in many homes back in the 1950s and '60s..

But, the holiday celebration didn't end there. One of my great-grandmother's sisters and her family owned a dairy farm on a mountain in "upstate" New York, and that's where we went for the weekend. Those are some of my best memories ~ sleeping in the feather beds, playing with all my cousins, and being pulled around on a sled in the snow by my cousin's pet goat "Herman". Yes ~ it almost always snowed there that weekend, and anyone who knows me knows that snow is one of my favorite things.

We always arrived late that Friday evening since my father and grandfather had to work that day. On our way up we would stop at a "scenic outlook" for our picnic dinner of turkey sandwiches and chicken bouillon to drink. My grandmother had a regular ritual for preparing all those turkey sandwiches each year and placing them in the crisp waxed paper and folding it a certain way. They always looked like little gift packages, and were prepared and wrapped with love (and she always cut the crust off my sandwich *smile*).

The first thing I'd do when I woke up on Saturday morning was run and look out the window to see if there was snow. Then it would be time to run downstairs, stand over the heater to warm up, and have breakfast. The main thing I remember about the breakfasts was the hot cocoa made with some vanilla in it ~ it always tasted so good and special in the great big mugs. My cousins and I would all go out to play, and when we'd come back in ~ wet and cold from the snow ~ we'd hang our mittens and scarves on a line in the kitchen to dry near the stove. Even though we were cold I was always thirsty, and there was an old well-worn tin measuring cup that was used for quick drinks of water. The water was delicious and icy cold, and the cup kept it that way. Isn't it strange, here it is over forty years later and I can still "taste" that hot cocoa and water!

The weekend always came to an end much too soon for me, and as we'd pull away in the car, we'd look back and see everyone standing on the porch waving goodbye with handkerchiefs and dish towels. We could still see them waving as we drove down the mountain, and it was something to remember until we drove back up that mountain the next Thanksgiving weekend... to spend a short time together once again, making more special memories.

From Gladys Taber's Stillmeadow Road

"Now in November, the leaves spread cloth of gold and red on the ground. The open fields take on a cinnamon tone and the wild blackbery canes in the swamp are frosted purple. The colors fade slowly to sober hues. The rain falls with a determination in long leaden lines, and when it stops water drips from the eaves.

The voice of the wind changes, for winds are seasonal too. Summer winds blow soft, musical with leaves, except for thunderstorms. Hurricane winds scream. In blizzard time the sleet-sharp gale has a crackling noise. But now the wind has a mournful sound, marking the rhythm of autumn's end. The first beat of winter is not yet here, and country folk tend to spend extra time doing chores or puttering, just to be out of doors.

Night is a vast dark sea with the moon a distant light in a mysterious harbor. Stillmeadow seems a small ship to be in such a limitless ocean, but how steadfast it looks under the tall spars of the giant maples! Light shines through the small-paned windows and I am extravagant enough to keep the house lighted all over just because it looks, to my eyes, so beautiful glowing in the dark.

So as I go in, I have a grateful heart. And as Thanksgiving Day nears, I feel a sense of hope - a hope that the world may find peace, perhaps in our time."

~ From the book, "The Stillmeadow Road" by Gladys Taber (1959)

Signs of Thanksgiving

Today when I was coming up the side street on my way home from the main library downtown, I looked up and noticed the beautiful red color on one of our trees. I parked the car, took my things inside, and then went out to take a picture or two.

I can tell Thanksgiving is on its way when this particular tree turns red. A few weeks before, there are lots of little nuts or acorns all over the walkway ~ most of them partially nibbled by the birds and squirrels. Then you see the occasional red leaf falling to the ground, then a few more... and before you know it, you go out one morning and the grass is covered in red leaves. That's just what's happening these days :)

The last week I spent a bit of time at one of my favorite websites Plimoth Plantation. It's one of the places I love to visit when I'm back east on vacation in Massachusetts, and I love their website almost as much. It's a great place to visit if you have children, if you homeschool (or even if you don't), if you love to browse in online shops, and if you like to learn. There's fantastic information here about the first Thanksgiving, too.



I hope you have a chance to stop in and visit the site :)

Unfortunately, you don't see the vibrant red in these two photos. They look reddish brown :(

My Weekend Stitching Progress

I've spent the last two days resting and stitching. I was having some allergy problems since DH mowed the lawn yesterday, and since I didn't have much that I *had* to do, I decided to stitch. This is my progress on Prairie Schooler's Thanksgiving Comes Again. I have the top half finished and can't wait to continue working on it tomorrow. There's just a few more lines of words (which always go so quickly), and then I'll be working on the bottom half which is a nice autumn scene. I know that will take longer since most of the area is filled in with stitches, but I love the way it's all coming together.

I made a few changes in this pattern after recently completing Pumpkin Patch. I just didn't like the dark colors used for the words, so decided to use some overdyed threads on this chart. I like the look, and think I might use a few overdyes for the scene at the bottom of the piece, too. (Although this picture doesn't do justice to the colors. They look much better and less "pink" in person.)

I hope you're all having a great weekend, and that you've had the chance to do some of your favorite things :)

As November Ends

"The splendor of the harvest
Fills the coffers of the land,
And grateful hearts give thanks
For all the bounty from God's hand.

But let us hold this thought
Before November days depart,
Not just for now ~
Thanksgiving is a season of the heart."

~ Selected lines from "Thanksgiving", by Catherine E. Berry

(Image: "Autumn at Grove" by P. Buckley Moss)

More Thoughts on Giving Thanks

"Gratitude is the heart's memory."
~ A French Proverb

* * * * *

"For flowers that bloom about our feet;
For tender grass, so fresh, so sweet;
For song of bird, and hum of bee;
For all Things fair we hear or see,
Father in heaven, we thank Thee!

For blue of stream and blue of sky;
For pleasant shade of branches high;
For fragrant air and cooling breeze;
For beauty of the blooming trees,
Father in heaven, we thank Thee!"

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)

On Thanksgiving

I had planned to post a few of my favorite Thanksgiving blessings or quotes during the weekend. However, things were busy and I never had the chance. I hope you all don't mind seeing a few more thoughts on Thanksgiving before the month of November runs out :)

"Come home to Thanksgiving!
Dear children, come home!
From the Northland and the South,
from West and the East,
Where'er ye are resting, where'er ye roam,
Come back to this sacred
and annual feast."

~ Horace Greeley, editor and political leader,
"To All New Englanders" (1846)

* * * * *

"Let us come before Him with thanksgiving
and extol Him with music and song."

~ Psalm 95:2 (NIV)

(Image: Autumn in Williamsburg, P. Buckley Moss)

The Year Has Turned Its Circle

"The year has turned its circle,
The seasons come and go.
The harvest all is gathered in
And chilly north winds blow.
Orchards have shared their treasures,
The fields, their yellow grain,
So open wide the doorway ~
Thanksgiving comes again!"

~ Author unknown

From My Thanksgiving Menu

"Come, ye thankful people, come,
Raise the song of Harvest-home;
All is safely gathered in,
Ere the winter storms begin."

~ Henry Alford

Where we live it's usually pretty warm on Thanksgiving, so no winter storms are expected. But, we'll be having a house guest for the holiday weekend. I like to think that we'll be "safely gathered in" on Friday ~ when everyone else is out shopping for sales. Things will be busy everywhere, but our plans are to spend the day here, beginning to put up holiday decorations, enjoying each other's company ~ and Thanksgiving leftovers :)

One thing I've decided to make for some snacking throughout the weekend is Fluffy Pumpkin Dip and homemade Gingersnaps. If you'd like the recipe for the Gingersnaps, you can find them on my Christmas blog, The Keeping Of Christmas.

FLUFFY PUMPKIN DIP

3 ounce package cream cheese
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1 cup pumpkin pie mix (not the plain canned pumpkin)
8 ounces Cool Whip

~ Using a mixer, blend cream cheese, powdered sugar and pumpkin pie mix. Fold in the Cool Whip. Keep refrigerated.

From My Thanksgiving Menu

A few years ago our daughter made this recipe for Sweet Potato Gratin and we loved it. We now add this as a "must have" to our Thanksgiving menu. I believe it was a Martha Stewart recipe ~ either from her show or magazine.

SWEET POTATO GRATIN
(Yield: 4-6 Servings)

4 to 5 sweet potatoes
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
1/2 cup lightly packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of ground nutmeg
4 Tablespoons butter
2 cups miniature marshmallows

~ Cut potatoes into quarters but do not peel. Place in large saucepan of cold water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are just tender, about 20 minutes. Drain. Place potatoes in a bowl of cold water until skins begin to loosen and peel. Slice potatoes 1/4-inch thick.

~ In a small bowl, combine pecans, brown sugar, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and butter, using your fingers to blend.

~ Heat oven to 450 degrees. Grease an 8-inch square baking dish. Layer a third of the potatoes on the bottom. Sprinkle with a third of the nut mixture. Repeat, adding another third of potatoes, another third of nut mixture, then the remaining potatoes and nut mixture.

~ Cover with foil and bake until heated through, about 40 minutes. Remove dish from oven, and raise temperature to broil. Top gratin with a layer of marshmallows, and heat just until browned, 30 to 60 seconds. Serve hot.