The milk cow hasn’t been killed by my stupidity. What are you thankful for?
So Thanksgiving dinner is at my house this year. In honor of our first Thanksgiving on the farm, complete with live (then dead) turkey, Dave Barry wrote me a letter. It went like this, “Congratulations! You moron!”
I agree that the key is planning. Planning, however, assumes you have no cows ringing your doorbell or miscellaneous egg-laying chickens writhing in the final stages of death on your front lawn. (That happened today.) Planning to cook Thanksgiving dinner presupposes that Charles will not get the urge to paint the hardwood floors a patriotic red, white, and blue. Just to give a random example, of course.
Now, a mom-of-many is intrinsically gifted with multi-tasking skills. (So I’m told.) Tasking a woman with an innate desire for order and quietness to juggle a gourmet meal for the masses while simultaneously performing the Heimlich on the baby with the Lego in her mouth would just be cruel. God wouldn’t do that. (Oh yes, my friend. He would…) He equips the called; he doesn’t call the equipped! I read that somewhere. And I’m waiting.
Every good gift comes from God. Thanksgiving is a time to remember all the blessings given to us by Him. We basically stink-on-ice at gratefulness the other 364 days of the year. At least, I do. It’s a casualty of my pessimism. The sky is falling under another fraudulent casino-style securitization of reckless debt; thank you, Jesus!
We’re having a homegrown turkey, garlic mashed potatoes from our pastor’s farm, and other stuff I haven’t thought up yet. (Planning issues, see?) I have the health of my family. My husband still has a job. We have all that is ours in Christ Jesus.
And for that I’m grateful.
November 23rd, 2009 at 1:14 pm
Very sweet Amy. We are watching It’s A Wonderful Life as I speak. Perhaps that is why I teared up while reading your posts. Or I can just understand that you are grateful.
On a side note – I am starting to think that there is no such think as a quiet home. Bionicle and Lego fill my days (even at this moment while the movie plays!). I am thrilled my children love to build amazing things but really, a day without Lego wouldn’t be such a bad thing, would it?
November 23rd, 2009 at 2:14 pm
May all go well for your Thanksgiving Day (dinner), one event at a time.
Be blessed… and, you know you are. In Christ alone – is enough.
November 23rd, 2009 at 3:06 pm
How many people are you having? Are they bringing stuff? Thanksgiving is best when it’s like a potluck dinner with a turkey in the center.
I am thankful for today, because who knows what tomorrow may bring? That’s what pessimism does to me. (Pessimism and the book of Job)
November 23rd, 2009 at 3:08 pm
I know about the Lego thing. Ours are currently in quarantine (because this Mama is sick of stepping on them!). My husband has been collecting them from the time he was a boy and we have, oh, around 3,000 of them! No joke. So I truly understand!
I’m thankful for many things this year. We had a baby girl (finally, after 6 1/2 years of boys!), who had very severe breathing problems when she was born. But the good Lord was kind to us, and she only had to stay in the NICU for 5 days, instead of the weeks the doctors were telling us to expect. She is home and doing fabulous!
I’m thankful that my husband still has a job. And the God has also given us the green light to start our own catering business after 10 years of praying and waiting for it. He even has provided the funds (so far) to turn our once large living room (a 16 x 20 room) into a professional kitchen for the business.
I’m thankful to be married to a wonderful man who God knew I need. He completes me in so many ways and he truly is a Godly man. And even though I’ve had 6 children (when I wasn’t a small woman to begin with) and I’ll be 30 this Saturday, he still thinks I’m beautiful.
There are many other things that I’m thankful for, but you get the idea.
Happy Turkey Day!
Jennifer
November 23rd, 2009 at 8:01 pm
What happened to the chicken.
I owed a great nephew and niece a birthday gift, so I took my two gramerlings age 3 and 5 to see my niece and her crew of 4. The oldest just turned five this month. We had two hours of playtime then supper.
Let me just say I was so thankful to leave the four and drop off the two and come home to my chickens.
Mercy.
November 24th, 2009 at 11:52 am
I’m thankful for Amy’s Humble Musings.
November 24th, 2009 at 11:58 am
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving! My sympathies for the chicken, I imagine it was not a pleasant sight…hope the rest are okay. I am planning-challenged, too…not sure how it happened, but I’m not cooking this year! The horrible So. Ca traffic on Thursday will be my payback, I’m sure!
November 25th, 2009 at 2:44 pm
I am thankful I’m not cooking Thanksgiving dinner this year. Just ordering the whole kit n’ kaboodle from the grocery store–side dishes included.
I am thankful for you, too. I wish you would go back to posting more often. I loved reading your thoughts. Well, to be honest, I just loved arguing with you. You were so good about never taking it personal.
Hugs to the family.
And get started on ye olde packin’. I hear Florida calling your name.
xo
EE
November 25th, 2009 at 5:19 pm
Argh. My blog ate my comment! Redo.
How many people are you having? Are they bringing stuff?
My side of the family is here. Since they flew to Kentucky, there are FAA rules about explosive green bean casserole over 3 oz. and such.
It is going well, though. Greg killed two turkeys this morning. My little sister absolutely freaked out.
We are going to put a cut-off turkey head in a ziploc in her luggage so we can hear her scream. (Don’t worry. It’s OK with my side of the family — They live off of drama.)
You have to make your own fun out here in the sticks.
(I don’t know why the other egg chicken died, but Greg processed another batch of meat chickens this morning.)
I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving. I am so thankful for all of you and what you’ve meant to me over the past five years. My life would look so different if it weren’t for you. I’ve learned so much.
To wit and just a dramatic example, if Carri and Misti hadn’t left a comment on my blog a few years ago, we’d never be here in KY. (I wouldn’t have been able to FIND it.) So I see so many of those things as Providence guiding our path, and I love the way bloggy readers have intersected in my life, changed it, and made it better than it would’ve been without you.
As an aside, wood heat has made me only dislike winter, as opposed to hating it, and now I’m a new woman. My BONES are finally OK. Let’s all give a cheer! (I’m not being funny; I need you to rejoice with me! I’m not going to DIE!)
E, my blog is different than it used to be, and I appreciate you sticking with me during those changes. It reflects the different seasons in my life. I think I should have more time in FL to write and reflect, as there will be less work there. Maybe I will be busy partying, so who knows?
xoxo’s to you too.
Shout out to my new best friend, Margaret.
Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!
November 26th, 2009 at 2:48 am
I’m a new reader and love your blog! Good luck with dinner tomorrow I’m sure it’s going to be wonderful! I’m grateful for my family and the ability I have to be home with my kids and homeschool them!
November 27th, 2009 at 12:20 pm
Day after. … one of life’s blessings is this blog and I’ve missed it this last week, but for good reason– our kids and grands were all here daily for a week. Boy, do the grandchildren eat more each year. but blessed family times. and no cooking yesterday!! or dishes!!
Instead, we (11 total) took my 102-year-old auntie from the nursing home wing into a lovely dining room of the complex’s retirement area for a good Thanksgiving meal. Our son set his boys up to like it by making them think they’d have pureed everything.
Then we all sang hymns for her back in an activity room with 4-part harmony. cool. But our son refused to sing for the whole dining room, which is what she really wanted…and said so many times. 
I’m glad the wood stove has warmed things up a bit for you, Amy! We could use one in here today.
November 29th, 2009 at 12:03 pm
I had to laugh. I put the link to the Double Layered Pumpkin Pie and then wouldn’t you know it, this is the year that we didn’t make it. Someone once told me you can freeze cream cheese. I don’t know how they did but mine was destroyed. It was still a good Thanksgiving though. Pancit, Loompia and Lechion. Ummm.
Hope you had a good one Amy!