Thanksgiving 2011

This Thanksgiving we took food to my inlaw's to celebrate a low key Thanksgiving. My FIL fell about 6 weeks ago suffering traumatic brain injury. His cognitive skills were affected. He is home now and improving everyday. It is just a slow process. Anyway, we tried to make this meal as easy and simple as possible. Our friends smoked turkeys for March of Dimes. It was my best donation! I searched the internet to try some new recipes. For stuffing, I tried one from Pioneer Woman. It was good. Although, Peanut missed the stuffing with andoulle sausage.
As for desserts, I went with a pumpkin brownie minus the walnuts. These were really good - enjoyed by all!

I made an Oatmeal Crumb Apple Pie. I used Jonagold apples from PA. The spices were fabulous. Shhh! Don't tell. I had to have some for breakfast one day too.

On Wednesday afternoon, Peanut and I went to my inlaw's. Peanut and Nana peeled the potatoes for the mashed potato casserole. John was at rehab and we used this time to finish up for the meal.

Peanut's annual request is for Strawberry Jello salad with a pretzel crust. This year, we made it with raspberries as I forgot to get strawberries. I have to say Peanut did not do the best job with the cheese layer in the salad. It gave the sides of the dish character.

He had to try it out to make sure is wasn't poisonous.

Peanut was a big help. I know Nana enjoyed having him there.

In keeping with their annual Thanksgiving tradition, Peanut and the Big Guy ran in the 4 Miler Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning. I snapped this photo after Peanut got home. What is it with teasing the dog with a pretzel?? Peanut took third in his age group with a time of 27+ minutes. Pretty darn fast!

We convinced John to help us with the turkey breast. It all came back to him and sliced the turkey perfectly.

I forgot to get pictures of us eating. The meal was very enjoyable. We had plenty and everything tasted good. We are thankful for so much - most of all the love of family. It has been more pronounced as we work through the healing of my FIL.

It did not take long for the turkey to make everyone sleepy...

Pumpkin was out first.

In between naps, I rallied the men to get a picture on the couch - three generations. Gotta love it!

Lucky for Turkey

Peanut and the Big Guy participated in a Thanksgiving Free Throw Contest.

The competition was not really deep, but there was competition.

I snapped this picture after the warmed up.

They pulled out a win and walked away with a turkey!

I think we will end up enjoying it for Christmas.

Thanks so much, to Collierville for hosting the event.

Reflection Award

Peanut won a Reflection Award in the visual arts category. He took third place for the 7th grade. The theme was diversity. He drew a picture of a variety of drinks using colored pencils. He wrote a little blurb to go with it. I wish I took a picture, but did not think too much about it at the time he handed it in. I am sure we'll get the artwork back sometime soon.

It was a surprise and an honor.

Look at the male:female ratio of the 6-8 grade winners. Who knew?

Peanut doesn't like his art teacher this year. He's talking about switching out of it next year. I haven't competely agreed as he does have some talent. His teacher last year was fabulous. Unfortunately, the teacher can make it or break it.

Frigid Futbol

Last night Peanut had a soccer game. As luck would have it, the cold front moved in. It was cold, cold, and windy.

I had stopped into to Costco earlier in the day. They had down jackets for kids. I knew Peanut did not have something for the few days that we get snow. So, I picked one up. They only had bright green in his size. When I got home, I slipped it on. It is so soft, light, and long. Who knew it would be perfect for the soccer field?

The Big Guy deemed me Gumby. Did I tell you that I love green?

I think Peanut will end up wearing it. If he doesn't, I will.

I just might have to hit the other Costco to see if they have other colors available. I think he'd prefer black.

BTW, the team pulled out a win. The ball was cold and hard. I cringed everytime Peanut took a header.

Boeing Tour

While we were out in Seattle (it seems like ages ago) we got an insiders tour of Boeing. It was fabulous, one of those once in a lifetime experiences.

The warehouse is BIG! We started our tour seeing them use a 6ton crane to uncover the "rib" supports of the airplane wings. We followed the production all the way through.

FedEx is the largest US customer of Boeing.

Speaking of large, here we are in front of the 777's engine. Huge! In comparison, on our flight leaving Seattle, we flew on a 737. The boys could not believe how small the engines were.

This is the last plane that will be delivered to FedEx this calendar year. It was just about done. It was going to be wheeled out in the next day or two to get its full paint job.

Inside the belly of the plane -

The packages are put in containers which are then loaded on the tracks that you see. They can be configured in lots of different ways.

Behind us, workers were on their hands and knees sealing the tracks to prevent water damage. It is surprising how much manual labor is involved in making a plane. I guess that is one reason why they are so darn expensive.

When we finished at the plant, we boarded shuttles and headed for the finished planes.

Some of the planes were out there without engines. Instead, they had heavy weights hanging from where the engines would be. We found out the engines are leased property. And, GE doesn't like having its engines out there subject to weather and damage. I guess if a plane is not sold, then the engines get removed until it is sold.

We got to go into this almost finished FedEx plane. I think it was about a week away from FedEx taking ownership. When they complete the sale, there is an entire enterage involved in the process. Our tour guide commented that it is very impressive to see the transfer take place.

This plane, in particular, was contracted to achieve certain mileage. It had been on a few test flights and was going to do a few more in California before coming "home" to Memphis. These 777s are the planes FedEx uses to fly to Asia. Behind the cockpit were a row of four very nice "jump" seats. Someone mentioned they may use those seats to carry additional pilots depending on how far/how long the trip is.

There is one pilot that picks up most of the brand new planes and flies them back to Memphis. It turns out, that pilot is the father of Adam's sixth grade teacher. What a small world!

Just incase we did not see enough, we got another treat. We got to get on a just-about-finished Emirates plane. They are the airlines known for luxury. Their tickets are extremely expensive. The plane was over the top. We got to see the coach, business and first class. I just could not figure out when you would need all this. You'd have to be going on an extremely long flight.

Peanut got to sit in a fist class seat. Each passenger gets a room-type area.

We went into the tour thinking it would be a couple hours. Over four hours later, we were leaving Boeing. It was so impressive! We saw the 777s, the 747s, and a 787s. Everything is so big that you lose perspective. All is very organized and clean. It was an amazing tour. Pumpkin deemed it the best part of our trip!!

Lucky Duck

On Wednesday, Peanut went out to shoot some hoops. Basketball, afterall, is upon us!

I took the opportunity to run to the bank and make a deposit for the swim team.

At the bank, in front of the teller, my phone rings. It is Peanut asking if I am at the bank. He wanted to know if I was in the drive thru or inside. I could not figure out why he cared.

As it turns out, he put his phone on the top of my car when he started shooting. He did not remember until I was at the bank.

He was one lucky boy. The phone was resting peacefully on the top of the car.

Peanut was smiling broadly when I got home!