Happy Thanksgiving!
Can you believe that Advent begins Sunday! Where did 2025 go!? It seems to have flown by in the blink of an eye. It hardly seems like Marty and I have been married for just over a year, that is for sure. We’ve done so many fun, adventurous things in the last year and are looking forward to what 2026 brings.
Since he has to work every other weekend, I’m trying to use those weekends for catching up on chores (and work!). I have big dreams, as usual. I keep saying that I am going to start making cards again or that I’m going to start scrapbooking again. Truth be told, I end up doing household chores and watching movies on Angel. <laughter> I’ve watched 5 movies this weekend while catching up on chores and laundry. Tina, Heaven Sent, Cowgirl’s Song, The Stray and Greater. A few weeks ago, I watched Amish Grace and Thank You Dr. Fauci. I also watched the documentary on RFK Jr. If you don’t have Angel, you are missing out on some good movies and documentaries.
The good news this week is that I have hired 4 people in my area! This makes me short staffed in only one division once they start next week. Great news! I LOVE my job but it can be difficult to get things done when you are short staffed. I am flying out to Oregon Sunday to work next week. I’ll be working solo in a division out there because they don’t have ANYONE. Makes me feel good about where I am at on the East Coast with staffing, so there’s that. I’ll fly back home Saturday the 6th. I am NOT a fan of flying. Not. A. Fan. It is the one thing in the world that terrifies me. I hope to make a side trip to Crater Lake National Park while I am there. The weather can be iffy this time of year, but if that happens, I may get an SUV for the day. Too bad I couldn’t transport my Jeep there! I’m thankful that Marty doesn’t mind if I rent an SUV. He knows how much I love the National Parks. The national park is an hour and a half to two hours from my hotel. So here’s hoping I finish work early enough one day to get there.
I definitely won’t be scrapbooking or making cards this next week! <laughter> I did make one scrapbook page from our wedding last weekend, though. Most recently, I’ve started writing letters back and forth with one of my besties from San Antonio. I forgot how much I missed getting letters in the mail. I need to get some more stationary! It’s been a fun few months of being a pen pal. I still send cards and post cards to my grands. I ran out of “photopostos” and ordered a new brand of stickers that turn your pictures into postcards. I use pictures from some of Marty and my adventures and turn them into postcards. I do buy postcards, as well…..but many places no longer sell post cards. I’ve printed a picture of one of the white squirrels and it sits on my table waiting for the new stickies to arrive. I use a Canon Selphy photo printer to print all my photos. I highly recommend it if you want to print photos. It works great!
For Thanksgiving, I sent the grands and their parents a “Gobble ’til You Wobble” cookie box. I’m not sure how they liked them, but they looked really cute! I found a Catholic company to send Advent and Christmas gifts– they have a Lego Advent Wreath! How cool is that? I did not know this even existed, so I HAD to get it. I hope to be able to see it sometime. When my people were little I would have loved to have a lego Advent wreath for them.
They also had a cute kid’s wooden nativity set that I thought would be fun to use during the Advent season. If you are looking for some cute gifts, check out Catholic Home & Church by Leaflet Missal. I also sent fudge and lemon cookies for their holiday adventures. Snacks are always good when you are driving. Or backpacking. Everyone already knows how I feel about making sure snacks are plentiful on our adventures. <giggle>
This is the third Thanksgiving that I’m trying to stay keto. Since Marty has diabetes, we stick to keto as much as possible. We do fall off the wagon now and then. I got a turkey last week and it is thawing in the fridge. Sean will be making “cheesy noodles” and mashed potatoes for himself. I already have the andouille for the after Thanksgiving gumbo — which is fairly easy to make keto. Spaghetti squash will become SOMETHING. I was thinking it could replace the noodles, but I am not sure how it goes with cheese! Keto pumpkin pie has also been a hit the last several years, so that’s on the menu again, as well. Are you keto? What are your favorite holiday recipes?
As I type this, I am about to put the turkey in the oven. The spaghetti squash is cooked and I’m going to make it into a squash and cheese casserole. What could go wrong with that? In my opinion, it is hard to do holiday keto……we all want those carb laden treats we are used to. I have crustless mini pumpkin pies in the oven. I’ve made a keto pumpkin pie for several years, but the almond flour crust is a bit heavy, so I decided to make it crustless. I have silicone cupcake liners, so these should pop out easily.
Sean has been sick all week, but is on the mend. He had a 103º temp last Sunday. Luckily, he was able to work from home this week while he recovered. H’s not 100% and still had a sore throat yesterday, but the fever is gone. So far Marty and I have not come down with it, thankfully. Tomorrow after a few work tasks, we will be heading to a place in the mountains to pick out and cut our Christmas tree. It’s become a fun family tradition!
My Little Red Bike 