Plot Monkeys

Let’s Talk Turkey . . . Again

On Tuesday, Leslie posted about the feast and food side of Thanksgiving. Today I’d like to know how everyone plans to spend their Thanksgiving day. Normally, every year Don and I switch from his family, to mine. This year we would have been spending Thanksgiving with my family . . . but instead we’re spending it alone.

This year, my parents and Don’s parents will be a on an European cruise together during Thanksgiving. Lucky them! The four of them get along really well and often take cruises together. So, we won’t be going to our parent’s house for our Turkey dinner. Don’s sister is going to be with a good friend for the day, and my brother is going to be in Texas visiting his son (who goes to Texas A&M) during the long Thanksgiving weekend. This is the first year ever that we’ve spent Thanksgiving without any family!

So, I think we’ll be heading to a restaurant for our Thanksgiving meal. Not sure where yet, but my oldest daughter, Danielle (the non-vegetarian) wants steak instead of turkey, so we’ll try and accomodate her.

Since the four of us will be together for the day, I thought it would be fun for us to catch a movie, too. I’m not sure what we’ll see or even what is out in the theaters right now, but there has got to be some kind of fun holiday movie to see! Like Fred Claus, or maybe Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium - - both of which look like a lot of fun. My girls want to see Saw IV, but I don’t do blood and gore movies, so they’ll have to go and see that one on their own!

So, how are you spending your Thanksgiving? Will you be with family, or are you going to a friend’s house? Or are you hosting the big day? Will you be doing all the cooking, or is your Thanksgiving day a potluck kind of affair? Since I won’t be having a traditional Thanksgiving this year, I’ll have to live vicariously through your plans!

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 15th, 2007 at 6:00 am and is filed under Janelle. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

47 Comments »

My parents live 2 states away, so I’ve spent the last several holidays with friends, which is a lot of fun. I feel like an honorary member of the family

One year I went on a cruise, which was great, since it was cold and snowing in the midwest. I hope to do that again one day.

Comment by Stacy ~ — November 15, 2007 @ 7:04 am
Oh Janelle, They should have waited until AFTER the holiday! Fly cross country and come to me! I’m hosting again this year like I always do … and that means the four of us; my parents; Phil’s mom; Phil’s sister, her husband, and baby and my brother’s family is coming by before dinner but leaving prior to. Thanksgiving is my family’s favorite holiday. Usually we have my aunt and uncle too; and another 8 cousins, but health issues are preventing them from coming this yar. But I’m still excited.

ICONS - sorry we didn’t get the Turkeys up in time for Thanksgiving. There’s a sliver of hope but I’m not sure we’ll make it. Cross your fingers. I’ll also look for holiday icons too!

Comment by Carly — November 15, 2007 @ 7:21 am
Janelle, bet you’re wishing you’d never introduced your parents to the in-laws.

And you know, those quiet, just-family holidays can actually be really nice, especially since your girls are getting older. We’ve had a few of them and have really enjoyed them. Different…but special as you create “just Denison” memories for the girls.

I’m having my sisters & their families over to our new house for our first Thanksgiving in our new home! Very excited…I will get to use my Christmas dishes again for th first time in 3 years!!!!!

Comment by Leslie — November 15, 2007 @ 7:53 am
So, how are you spending your Thanksgiving?

Thanksgiving isn’t all that big in my mom’s house…since we are originally from Jamaica, we don’t celebrate it the way some Americans do. My mom turned it into more of a get together for the family and it is like a normal meal. I am not sure where I will be for Thanksgiving…it is the $1,000,000 question at the moment…my mom calls everyday to ask when I am going to come home and I keep telling her that I don’t know…there is too much work to do, which I can’t put aside and I kind of don’t want to go home…the holidays are a bad time for me emotional/psychologically and I don’t want to be around my fam when I am not 100%…they don’t really understand and it took me too long to get here to start explaining from the beginning with them…I know, these are the times you should be around family, but my family isn’t like that…anyway, my brothers and I end up fighting anyway…so, I am probably going to stay at my place in CT…

Peace and love,
Paula R.

Comment by Paula R. — November 15, 2007 @ 8:11 am
I’ll be on the road with a friend heading to Nashville, TN for the National Clogging Convention. It will be the first time since I started dancing (about 6 years ago) that I have been able to go. We are going to be at the Opryland Hotel and most of the weekend I’ll be in workshops, but hope to go to the Wild Horse Saloon and the Grand Ol Opry. My in-laws (sister-in-law dances too) are taking 2 of my kids so we’ll do some stuff with them too. There is a huge ice sculpture exhibit in the hotel and my kids are really looking forward to that.

We really don’t know what we are going to do for food on the way down there, but I’m sure the hotel will have their restuaunts open for dinner.

Next year it will be back to going out with the family on Thanksgiving.

Comment by Laura J — November 15, 2007 @ 9:21 am
Well, my mother raised a non cook, ME! The cooking has always been relegated to my sister in love (thank God!!) Because she ends up with all the holidays - about six years ago we started taking a family vacation during Thanksgiving week. We’ll be spending that week at our time share in Orlando, FL. In my family its not what you eat that day - but what memory you make from that day.

Comment by Barbara-Jo — November 15, 2007 @ 9:48 am
Thanksgiving is at my inlaws who are now in their 80’s so we all cook and bring the food to them, except for the turkey which my husband and nephew deep fry in the back yard a tradition that started 3 years ago…the best turkey you will ever eat!!! YUM! Gobble-Gobble (that’s my turkey icon…lol)

Comment by Tina Martinesi — November 15, 2007 @ 10:03 am
I’m heading to my sister’s in Hoover, AL on Tuesday after work. When I get there I’ll make a pan of cornbread and a batch of biscuits to let dry out for the dressing(my dad will get in on Wednesday, brother stuck in Orlando this year). On Wednesday my sister and I do all the food shopping and start planning our shopping plans for Friday. On Thanksgiving day we will do cinnamon rolls for breakfast for everyone while we watch the Macy’s parade. We will then start making all the food for dinner, except the turkey which my BIL will deep fry. I’m in charge of the sweet potato casserole and helping my dad make the dressing and the 2 chess pies. My sister will cook the peas and make the “Nannie salad”(named for my grandmother). She will also make another casserole to go with dinner. My BIL and his brother do all the clean-up since we do all the cooking. After dinner, we go over the shopping list one more time, and go to bed early, since we will be at Target at 4:00am on Friday. When we get home from shopping, we will put up my sister’s Christmas tree and let her 3 girls decorate. I love doing Thanksgiving at my sister’s house. Just 9 or 10 of us there and so loud and fun.

Comment by Liza — November 15, 2007 @ 10:06 am
Janelle:
Growing up, one of my brothers and I used to have dinner (it was always early) and then go to a movie. It’s always so much fun…no crowds!

This year is at my folks’, so we are headed north on Wednesday….rellies are coming on Thursday and my boys and I (and I am trying to convince my mom) are headed to the aquarium on Friday. We have to head home on Saturday morning because hubby and I have Billy Joel tickets!

Comment by katie — November 15, 2007 @ 10:15 am
We will be going to my husband’s sister’s house for Thanksgiving and celebrating it with my husband’s side of the family. I rarely host Thanksgiving but I enjoy it. It’s one of my brother’s favorite holidays. So I may do a small feast on Thanksgiving weekend and have my brother over so he doesn’t miss out.

Comment by Michelle — November 15, 2007 @ 10:53 am
Laura — A clogging convention — sounds like you’re gonna have a super fun holiday! Especially at the Opryland hotel! Us Plotmonkeys went to Nashville this past year for our plotting retreat and I wish we had more time to sight-see. It’s a beautiful area!

Katie — You’ll have to report back and let us know how the Billy Joel concert was! I’m sure it’s going to be fabulous!

Leslie — Actually it’s very cool that my parents and Don’s parents get along so well. My father and his father are real good buddies and call themselves “friend-in-laws”. Actually, they’re more like brothers. They work on their classic cars together, go to car shows together, and help each other with projects around the house. They’re both retired, so they have plenty of time on their hands and enjoy spending it together like good friends do.

Comment by Janelle — November 15, 2007 @ 11:58 am
Janelle, Hope you enjoyed your “exploratory” trip to Beaverton, & know that you will have a fun “Denison Thanksgiving”.

For us, my sister lives in Pittsburgh, & my brother in So. Lake Tahoe, so, they aren’t close. My son is working 6-6 at his new job, with over an hour commute home, so, I doubt he’ll want to do anything other than sleep. Since I’m not planning anything special for dinner, I guess Lisa & I will have a small turkey breast, baked potatoes & salad, & that will be it for us. I’ve never been a “holiday person”, so, it doesn’t really matter to me. When my parents were alive, my mom always cooked the turkey at their house (50 mi. away), we drove up, & I cleaned up afterwards, but, once they were gone, that took care of most family holiday get-togethers.

Anyway, have a great holiday with Don & the girls.

Patricia A.

Comment by Patricia — November 15, 2007 @ 12:11 pm
Everyone always goes to my Mom’s for Thanksgiving. Even all the in-laws come to her house. We always have a traditional turkey dinner followed by naps and lots of football. This year will be sad because my #1 brother-in-law, Stuart, passes away in July from cancer. He will be missed so much but I am giving thanks that I had him in my life for the time that I did.

Comment by Carol R — November 15, 2007 @ 12:12 pm
Janelle,sorry your family will be away. I can honestly say I’ve never done the out to eat thing for Thanksgiving. Wanted to a few times but never did.

This year I’m flying to Destin, FL to see my parents and sister and bnl. Science Guy isn’t going though due to his workload. That’s going to be weird. I hate leaving him for any holiday, although he keeps telling me it’s no big deal. It’s not Christmas.

We’ll have dinner at my sisters and there will be about 25 people since she invites a lot friends as well. It should be a blast with the exception of missing SG.

Comment by Vicki — November 15, 2007 @ 12:29 pm
WE HAVE ICONS for the holidays!!!!!!!!!!

Comment by Carly — November 15, 2007 @ 12:37 pm
We will be traveling home for Thanksgiving. This is what we do for all of our holidays. I have to say Janelle that I was thinking the exact opposite of you today. We always travel for the holidays and I was thinking it would be really nice to stay home, make a nice dinner, and just hang out. No driving, no going from one house to another, just spending time with my husband and daughter.

I hope you all have a nice Thanksgiving.

Comment by Kelly H — November 15, 2007 @ 12:50 pm
My whole family gets together every year. We take turns hosting, and this year it’s at my cousin’s house. :gobble: We always have all the traditional fixings and this year I got off easy and only have to bring an apple pie. Yay! I hope everyone has a great turkey day! :vibrating:

Comment by Robin — November 15, 2007 @ 12:52 pm
Oh, way cool!!! :feast:

Mmmm. This little elf looks as though he’s flipping us off! :elf:

And I just love this one: :vibrating:

Comment by Janelle — November 15, 2007 @ 12:52 pm
Great icons Carly!! :happythanks:

Comment by Robin — November 15, 2007 @ 12:53 pm
:santahat: mastree: :wreath: :gobble: :stocking: :vibrating: :feast: :turkey: :happythanks: :elf: :candycane:

WE ARE SUCH ICON JUNKIES!

Comment by Janelle — November 15, 2007 @ 12:54 pm
Good Morning Plotmonkeys and all,

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the new icons!

We usually have either a quiet day with the three of us but last year Mike’s brother–who is divorced from “The Skank” now. Thank God. He and his two kids, Marika and Peter who are teenagers joined us for Thanksigiving last year. This year my Brother-in-law is engaged and we will be going to his fiance’s house for Thanksgiving with her and her three girls. But also a friend of my BIL who lives up in Evergreen with his wife and three children will be joining us as well. He is a full colonel and just got back from Iraq. PLUS as an added bonus my MIL flew in last week to visit with her grandkids up in Evergreen while my BIL flew to Holland on business. So, she would normally fly back to Boca Raton but she decided since she was out here so close to Thanksgiving she would join us. My mother never comes out for Thansgiving, she flies out from Georgia for Christmas as does my MIL.

Clear as mud right?

So, I’m meeting with my MIL, my BIL’s fiance and the colonel’s wife who I have never met on Monday to plan Turkey day. There will be 16 people!

Have a great day all.
:gobble:

Comment by Cher — November 15, 2007 @ 1:06 pm
Mom and Dad and my family all go my sister’s house for dinner. I do the baking, she does the cooking. I help her out however I can when I get there. We always celebrate my niece’s birthday on Thanksgiving, so I make her favorite cake - it’s pink (strawberry) with pink frosting in the shape of a giant heart. She asks for it every year. She’s gonna be 11 on the 25th.

Comment by Carolyn A. — November 15, 2007 @ 1:16 pm
Janelle, how awesome that your respective parents get along so well! What a blessing!

My parents are out of the country for Thanksgiving this year, and my sister’s in-laws have graciously invited us to join them at a restaurant that specializes in Chinese vegetarian food A little off the beaten path, and fun!

Comment by Fedora — November 15, 2007 @ 1:20 pm
:feast:Wow These are great! :vibrating:

We’ll be having dinner at my youngest son’s home.

There will be 8 of us which is actually all of us :turkey:

I taught both my boys to cook turkey dinner

so I never have to anymore :gobble:

:gobble: :gobble: :gobble: :gobble: :gobble:
I hope everyone has an absolutely wonderful holiday season.
mastree: mastree: mastree: mastree: mastree:

Comment by jeannie & trouble — November 15, 2007 @ 1:30 pm
We have a very small family and everyone comes to my mom’s home. :feast:

I love all the new icons! :elf:

Comment by Susan — November 15, 2007 @ 1:37 pm
Hey plotmonkeys,
Love the new icons. These are so cute. :vibrating:
It’s a lot of fun for me reading how you are going to spend Thanksgiving.
Here in Germany, we don’t celebrate Thanksgiving but we have something similiar. It’s a day in early October and it’s called “Erntedank”. This day is all about family so I can somehow understand the importance of Thanksgiving. It’s the one day in the year when all the family comes together from all over the country.
I’m a family person so I love sitting together, enjoying a good meal and talk.

:feast: (like these guys here do)
So I wish all of you a great time. Bon appetit (when you eat the turkey) :turkey: I turkey, too.

:happythanks:

See you
Vero

Comment by Vero — November 15, 2007 @ 1:38 pm
hey Jeannie
Your comment definitely is the one with the most icons. Not even I could compete with you LOL.
it.

Comment by Vero — November 15, 2007 @ 1:42 pm
As tradition dictates, it’s dinner at our house. :feast: My husband does all of the cooking. :turkey: The Grandmama’s will be there in all of their glory, aches and pains, trying to out do the other. Thanks goodness for beverages. To add to the fun, both of my daughters boyfriends will be joining us for all of the fun and festivities. It should turn out to be an interesting time. So Janelle, if your looking for some entertainment, my house is the place to be Thankgiving Day. :gobble:

Comment by Ardie — November 15, 2007 @ 1:46 pm
OMG!!! I love them!!! This will be my family:feast: LOL
Hubby and father- in law will fight over the carving
:turkey:
My vegetarian daughter would like to set all the turkeys free :vibrating: I could see her yelling “run for your life!” :gobble: lol :happythanks:
Notice I skipped the Christmas one’s, I’ll wait till after Thanksgiving to use them :gobble:

Comment by Tina Martinesi — November 15, 2007 @ 1:59 pm
I’ll be ping ponged between both my parents and in-laws for Thanksgiving :vibrating: Since we live on a half mile each way to there houses.
I told my DH I want to run away :turkey: this year and not get involved in the holidays. i have already suffered a migraine for 2 days over the past weekend just because of the stress that has started with the families getting ready for the holidays.

:gobble: I heard that there is a Alvin and the Chipmunls movie coming out for Christmas. i hope that is true. I loved Alvin and the Chipmunks. mastree:

Comment by Gigi — November 15, 2007 @ 3:21 pm
All our family traditions fell apart when we moved away from the family. Except for the big dinner and eating, that is!

We’re planning to get together with some families from our church for an early meal. I’ll still cook for later eating at home and munching over the weekend. Then we’ll spend Friday with the relatives who also moved shortly after we did and live not too far away.

Comment by Patricia W — November 15, 2007 @ 3:29 pm
Oh my gosh I am LOVING our holiday icons!! We do need a menorah, though!! :feast: :vibrating: :gobble:

I am really loving hearing about everyone’s holiday plans. Janelle, it sounds like your father & FIL have a great relationship and I am sure they are glad you and Don brought them together!!

Katie–you will love Billy Joel! I’ve seen him twice and just adored him.

And Laura — cool on clogging! We went to Nashville last January, you know (the monkeys) and just loved it!

Comment by Leslie — November 15, 2007 @ 3:43 pm
Leslie: I have seen him twice, too….once by himself and once with Elton…both were excellent (I’ve even seen “Movin’ Out”. Should be a nice way to ‘cap off’ the weekend…

We’ve already started our “what are we thankful for’ lists….my middle sensitive son is thankful for the people like teachers, moms, dads…he even threw in a ‘toys’ (okay, he’s five) etc….my oldest (bless his little heart) is thankful for “The Incredibles”…I chuckle because he’ll probably work at Pixar one day (sorry to be off topic!). :vibrating: :turkey: :feast: :gobble:

Comment by katie — November 15, 2007 @ 3:53 pm
All of our family lives out of state, so we are just going to go out to eat. :feast: :happythanks:

Comment by Tammy G. — November 15, 2007 @ 4:50 pm
My family will be going to a friends house for Thanksgiving. Both of my daughters and sons- in- laws, and my son will also be there. :gobble:

Comment by Estella — November 15, 2007 @ 5:36 pm
For the first time EVER I am not going to be at my parents house for :gobble: day I am so upset because this is my favorite holiday. I have to work, unfortunately with the field I work in you always have to work at least one holiday. The only good thing is that i have Friday and the rest of the weekend off, so I’ll be able to see my family then!!

Comment by erin — November 15, 2007 @ 6:00 pm
:gobble: I love the new holiday icons!! :vibrating: :turkey: :feast:

Janelle, when my oldest 2 nieces were younger, we did the movie thing one Thanksgiving. We pretty much had the whole theater. It was so much fun! :gobble: :gobbleI’ll wait until next week the use the Christmas icons).

Comment by Liza — November 15, 2007 @ 6:11 pm
Love all the new icons! One small request, any chance of getting an American flag sometime? I think that would be awesome! Thanks.
I hope this post shows up! Yesterday I posted & it went out to Cyberspace, maybe it is stuck in SPAM!!
As of yet I have no Thanksgiving plans! :gobble: I may cook for my grandson like I did last year. My daughter works in a hospital & always works on Thanksgiving. She just got back from a trip to England and will not return to work until Monday so no chance she won’t be scheduled to work! My other daughter lives in Oregon and is not coming down this year as her husband has to travel to Denver right after the holiday. I’m not to worried about what will happen although I will miss being with family & turkey! :feast: Whatever I decide to do there will be pumpkin pie!!!
Love this topic and hearing about everyone’s plans.

Comment by Donna M — November 15, 2007 @ 6:30 pm
WOW!! Sorry I’m late to the Thanksgiving party! :vibrating: Y’all have been having way too much fun here today. Sorry I’ve missed it.

I don’t really want to talk about Thanksgiving because…well, I can’t say anything about it without ranting and raving and that’s just not nice. So, I’ll share my good news…

Hubby had an MRI on Monday and Duke called yeserday to say that it was “stable.” I guess since they couldn’t remove all the tumor they can’t say it’s clean so stable means it isn’t growing at all. He doesn’t have to have another one until February, when he’ll go back to see the doctor as well. That I have to be thankful for. The fact that he has to work Thanksgiving day stinks and then I have to spend the evening with all the in-laws and the in-laws in-laws and my oldest is going to be gone to his girlfriends…oh yeah, I didn’t want to talk about it. sorry!

Comment by Jodie — November 15, 2007 @ 7:05 pm
What a great question! And interesting responses.
I’m estranged from my family, but my husband has two sets of folks so we do Thanksgiving for two days.
Day 1
Traditional Thanksgiving at the Father and Mother’s house, aka Grandma and Grandpa. We go over early and help cook, while the boys ride motorcycles in the backyard track and goof off. My boys will be playing football in the morning and arriving later in the day to enjoy food, food and more food. We have an early dinner about 2, watch football, nap and eat again. Followed by board games, football, etc. All in all it is great fun.
Day 2
Thanksgiving International Style
The entire family chooses a culture and we cook the foods in that culture and eat, have fun, play games, etc. I will be doing some black friday shopping before I delve into German Meatloaf, German Potato Salad and Potato Dumplings. We are doing German food this year. It is always fun and interesting with the variety of foods.

Comment by celeber — November 15, 2007 @ 7:30 pm
Sounds like everyone has great Thanksgiving day plans — no matter who you’re spending it with (uh, except Jodie — Sorry, Jodie! ). However, it’s FABULOUS news about your Hubby! That’s a whole lot to be thankful for! :happythanks:

Comment by Janelle — November 15, 2007 @ 9:40 pm
OOOOhhhhh…. the icon guru heard my call!!!

I am cooking this year- for half the family. Those of us who have to work bright and early black Friday are NOT going to NY for the parade and dinner with the other half of the family.

:feast:

Also one of the guys from work, whose family is all in FL, is coming to dinner. And anyone else who isn’t going anywhere. Open door policy and all that.

We have done the go out to dinner and a movie more than once, especially when hubby has been deployed by FEMA. I liked those days. NO cooking, cleaning and leftovers!!!

But Christmas? That’s a whole nother kettle of fish.

mastree:

Comment by ev — November 15, 2007 @ 10:32 pm
It sounds so pitiful, but I’ll probably be at the movies… by myself. My kids will be with their dad and the rest of my family is too far away for a day trip to see them. No point in going anywhere because my oldest has to work the busiest shopping weekend of the year, so we stay put. No point putting together a fancy dinner for no one but me to eat. I’ll save the calories and go find something to entertain me for the afternoon and come home to a good book. Such is life, I guess.

Comment by Lynn Matherly — November 16, 2007 @ 1:04 am
This year my wife decided to have a dry run thanksgiving day to test out her recipes. We soaked the bird in a brine solution she got at William Sonoma, it really kept it moist. OMG, the turkey was so good and I get to do it again in a few days!

Comment by retro — November 17, 2007 @ 10:17 am
Retro, I heard that if you use the brine, you can’t make gravy from the drippings because it will be too salty. Did you try that?

Comment by Julie Leto — November 17, 2007 @ 11:21 am
Julie, I tried the soaking in brine thing once and it was fantastic! I used the drippings and never noticed anything about the gravy.

Comment by Leslie — November 17, 2007 @ 11:23 am
Lynn, why not dress up and go out to a fancy hotel restaurant offering Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings! Then a movie.

I’m seriously thinking of Enchanted! I so want to see that! :vibrating:

Comment by Leslie — November 17, 2007 @ 11:24 am