Thanksgiving, making a profit and hard cider!!

Thanksgiving in our home is such a wonderful time for family, being mindful of that which we have and are thankful for, and glorious food!!  Over time, our family has evolved and it takes on a new flare every year, this one no different, as some that have always been around our table were celebrating with other loved ones.  This is a bit hard for our hearts, but life does change and we are grateful for those who can come and celebrate at our home!!  

This year, I decided to make decorations I found on Pinterest, you know, those things you pin then they stay in that neat little folder....well, I started with come cute turkey pops.  Very time consuming, but soooo cute and the kids LOVED them!!

I love setting a pretty table.  

Because we sold our dining room furniture before we moved, I was down to using two folding tables and some random chairs.  But, even with that, it was fun creating a nice place to sit.  Thanks again to a few Pinterest ideas, I think it came out pretty nice, and the little kids loved their coloring mats!

Because we didn't have as many here this year, our food table was a bit smaller, 

but OH SO GOOD!

I love the all the food that each one of the families prepare and bring.  

I need to explain about the title!! 
1. When I opened the turkey to get it ready to stuff, I thought I was going to vomit.  IT HAD GONE BAD, REAL BAD!
So off to the store my husband went, returned the turkey, found another one at another store,
 and netted a $35 profit!
This is what you get when Hanakkuah falls on Thanksgiving, a real blessing!!
2. After about half way through the meal, someone asked why the apple cider tasted so weird.  Yup, it was hard,
 and all the kids had that for their drink.  Oh boy!!  

Thanksgiving is my husbands favorite holiday.  He loves the time spent with his most cherished gifts, his family.  

 Our youngest child who still lives at home always makes us laugh and is such a fun person to be around. We are grateful for him!

My List of Gratitudes 

and some of the ones that make us smile!!  

Happy Hanukkah

We ended the night with the lighting of the second Hanukkah candle.  Our grandkids love hearing the story and being able to partake in lighting a candle.  

Peppers and Sonic Eggs

Every so often, my husband goes out of town.  Well, that's the time for me to whip out all my recipes that have any form of peppers in them.  He detests them sooo badly, that "that wonder of a veggie" can't even step foot in our house.  I know, I'm deprived, but honestly that small challenge is hugely outweighed by the wonderful person that he is, so I live with it.  BUT, when the chance arises...I go for it. 

Glorious Peppers 

Well, I found this recipe on Pinterest and wanted to share it with you.  It's easy to whip up and is full of wonderful coconut and red curry flavor, plus it abounds with colorful veggies!!!  Excuse the few chips in my favorite bowl and the picture a bit fuzzy. It certainly did the trick though and held that bowl of yumminess perfectly!!  

Laska Soup 

Here's the link if you want to dazzle your family with it!!

http://www.zenfamilyhabits.net/2010/01/5-ingredients-5-minutes-5-meals-simple-noodles/

Part B for the day.....
Barking Dogs and Sonic Eggs

Oh Boy!! Little did I know that a device so seemingly wonderful would cause such a stir!!  

We live in a neighborhood where the backyards are pretty much non-private and extremely close.  Well, that's fine if you have a dog like ours who does not bark, she has probably 10 times since we got her 9 years ago.  And we love it that way.

Well, the neighbor to the left has 3 dogs, and takes in dogs.  Now this seriously is a wonderful thing to do for those poor creatures that have been neglected and/or abused.  Good for her!  BUT, when they bark, waking us up every morning, or anytime we step out our back door, or when another pooch is being walked by by his master, and there is no consideration for those around... NOT COOL!  

Yay for Husband's Great Ideas!!

My husband had a brilliant thought.  Get one of those gadgets that omits a noise that stops dogs from barking!!  So off to PetSmart we go and the nice lady helped us pick out one that was "Pet Friendly and harmless" for dogs because we didn't want to in anyway hurt them, just get their attention anytime they barked by our fence that said in dogs terms, "Stop"!!  Well, let me tell you, it worked like a charm. Our meals with barking dogs, our noisy evenings on the deck, and our early morning wake up calls were done!!  Sing Hallelujah!!

    

So, next day, I'm enjoying a nice afternoon with one of my daughter-in-laws and 4 of our grandchildren, here to watch "Planes", which I've wanted to see so badly with them. Just when the movie starts, I get a knock at the door from that certain neighbor.  Little did I know that when I opened the door I would be hit by a barrage of ugliness, told she would call the cops, being called "Sick Ba@*+#rds", and so on, all because her dogs were nervous after coming in, due to the Sonic Egg doing it's thing. I kept my cool, talked calmly, but closed the door after she yelled those last nasty words in earshot of my grandchildren.

The reason I'm  telling you this seemingly insignificant story, is we are faced with people in this world who are just not very nice and it's sometimes very hard not to "engage" in a crazy situation, and also, to not take offense.  But to go even further, how do I show this person love, especially after making one of my grandchildren cry because of the situation?  I just have to bring to my mind the person who showed the greatest compassion, that being Jesus, who when beaten, stripped of his life, who chose love over hate.  He chose to not be offended, but asked The Father to forgive them.  This is my greatest example, this is who I'll try to emulate.  It's hard, but so was what He went through.  

So, the egg will stay "on" if they continue to bark, not because I'm trying to get back at her, but we like our peaceful home and surroundings now. My dilemma is how I get her to actually see God's love for her through us, after this situation?? 
This I need to know how to do.

Blessings and Love....


PS  The police did come, but at our request. He talked to her about her confronting us like she did, and to let her know that "the egg" is perfectly safe and OK for us to have. 


Now on to make some taquitos filled with, yup, salsa with peppers.:)    

And Away I Go....

If you've stumbled upon this or were one of the kind people from Facebook who felt compelled to read it after I shared about this new entry...Hello and welcome!! (wow, that sounded kind of cheesy)

So Ok, another blog??  There are so many out there so why would I want to contribute to the overflow of people wanting their voice to be heard??  I guess it's because it's in us, that need to want to be heard, for our words to make a difference, so.....here I go, adding to the blog world!!  But I'm excited to do this!!  I have another one that is mainly for my art, but I always found myself wanting to post other things about life and that one was limited.  So this one will encompass it all.  Every good, bad and ugly thing that happens to me....not really, but I would love to share with you things I find interesting in this world that are beautiful, real, raw, and hopefully will bless you in some way, and make you smile.

Oh...the name!  How Jenny Says It.  Well, I have a habit of screwing up sayings.  My husband is writing them down and putting all of them in a folder called just that, with the hopes of writing a book and making millions.  Not really, but it got me to thinking.  This is my new blog, and what I share are things I feel passionate about and want to express, and thus...How Jenny Says It!  So there ya have it!   (I might share a few of those mixed up saying if I'm feeling like totally humiliating myself one day, just so you can have a good laugh)  

Blessing and Love!!