Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Thanksgiving Time Update

Our Thanksgiving is just going to be Michael, Sami and I. As usual, my employer gives us a fresh turkey that is raised here locally – so it has never even been fully frozen. We got them yesterday, and last night I prepared a salty, herb-laden, apple juice-based brine which I will soak it in overnight. Then we're having a variation of green bean casserole where I use fresh green beans, shallots, mushrooms, and a cream sauce with homemade herbed croutons on top. I'm also trying a new recipe this year to make a cranberry upside-down tart (yes, I made that up) for dessert—we'll see how that turns out. And of course we have to have the traditional mashed potatoes and I'll make gravy, along with fresh-baked dinner rolls.


We're looking forward to it, because it is the rare day that none of us have to be at work or school – in our normal "everyday" lives, Michael and I never have a day off together. So holidays are especially precious to us.

Sami just lost her second tooth this week. It was one of those that had been loose for weeks, but she couldn't bring herself to pull it. Well, last Friday it turned and got wedged kind of sideways in the socket and looked just awful. So Friday night she decided she would let me pull it. We got all set up with a cloth full of ice chips in case it bled or hurt a little. Then I got a linen cloth so I could get a better grip on it. But when I got hold of it – expecting it to just barely be hanging on – I could not budget that thing. She started crying and freaking out, and made me stop.


Then later that evening, she decided we'd have another go at it. But this time she was going to try to pull it herself. Well, that didn't work either. She lost her nerve. She had herself so upset and worked up that at that point I said, "Honey? Maybe it just isn't ready to come out yet. Just keep wiggling it with your tongue, and it will loosen up and fall out on its own and then it won't hurt." So she went for 4 more days like that! Then Tuesday when I picked her up from school one of her friends came running out of the building ahead of her and said, "Sami lost her tooth at lunch!"

I asked Sam how it happened, and she said it was pretty wiggly and she just reached up and pulled it out herself halfway through eating a Cheetoh. She said it bled quite a bit, so she took herself to the school nurse where the nurse helped her clean up, and gave her a little treasure chest box to put the tooth in to take home. And of course we did the whole tooth fairy thing that night.

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Sami is still loving first grade so very much. She is reading at second grade level, and LOVES to read. I'm so happy about that – always hoped she'd enjoy reading as much I as do. She has just discovered chapter books, and thinks she is so very grown up to be reading books with chapters just like Momma reads.


We're having our coldest day of the season today – it is supposed to get down to 5 degrees tonight. Brrr! We've been lucky to have such a late onset of cold temperatures. It was a really mild fall. Wonder what winter bodes? Today is overcast, and the cold front will move in here a little later in the day.


I'm terribly looking forward to cooking and hanging out with my family tomorrow. Hope all my friends and family have a lovely day as well.