Yesterday I got 5 eggs from the girls. That's not bad at all. I've got way too many eggs sitting in the refrigerator right now but I don't dare freeze any. The Thanksgiving preparations will use a bunch of them up. I've got pies, cakes, deviled eggs - you name it!! I am really getting excited about preparing the Thanksgiving meal. I'm doing something a little unusual this year. When I was growing up and when my boys were growing up, at holiday meals, the table was set as fancy as we could set it. I remember my Mom even used to put a tablecloth and candles on the table and I did the same for my family as well. Over the years I've had so much company at Thanksgiving I've gotten out of the tradition of setting a holiday table. There are indeed a lot of excess dishes to clean up and doing buffet style is much simpler . . . but this year I wanted my granddaughters to see how their Father and Uncle celebrated Thanksgiving when they were younger. It's really exciting for me!! Candles, tablecloth, cloth napkins with napkin rings - imagine sitting down together, bowing your head for prayer, then starting at the head and passing the bowls around the table. Yep, it can be a pain but just once I want to do it the old-fashioned way.
When I was young we actually sat down at each meal and Dad would be at the head with Mom to his side. He would always start the food around. These were the times when we would get together at the family meal and we would talk about the issues we all had during the day. Sometimes dinner was very uncomfortable because we would wait all day and then it would all come out at the table. Sometimes the very best news was announced at dinner, but always it was a time when family would gather around the table together. Hear me? Together. Doesn't happen a lot these days. Hubby and I started the same tradition in our family and carried it as long and as often as we could. It got harder to do as the world changed and the family was dismissed as not as important as school functions, after-school practice, etc. But we tried to do it as often as we possibly could. Everything changes, I know, but I liked those family times.
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I just finished making three cheeseballs and stashing them in the back of the frig. Never hurts to have 2 or 3 of these babies hanging around when the crew gets rowdy and stomachs start growling!! I've been making what's called a Holiday Cheese Ball recipe given to me by a friend for years and have had no idea at all where she got it and a year or so ago I found it online. I'll put it on my Recipes Page.