Happy Thanksgiving

Hi y'all! I hope you had a terrific holiday. We're full and exhausted and getting ready for some Black Friday shopping tomorrow. We're going BARGAIN-HUNTING at the outlets. My mom and aunt have mapped out the sales and we are actually hitting the stores at 6am. I could weep, but while sleeping in sounds attractive, I really want to stay with my family. I hardly see them otherwise!

Ok, quick follow up to yesterday's assignment that I wanted to keep close to the chest when I initially posted. Oprah said, "First, my thrifty idea for a hostess gift: Create a gratitude box. Give out the notecards to all the guests and then ask them write a special note to the host. And then put all the notes in the box." Done! Of course, no stores were open by the time I heard Oprah's suggestion, so I had to MacGiver a box together. It was pretty sad looking, but my mom loved it. She adored reading our letters. Some of you expressed that you wouldn't have liked being forced to write a heartfelt note under "duress" - some of my family really agreed with you. There were a couple rolled eyes at the request. Still, I think we were ALL feeling warm and fuzzy when we watched her open it.


Thanksgiving dinner was awesome. It was incredibly expensive in comparison to our traditional Turkey Day, but the Oprah.com/O Magazine recipes were mostly hits with only a few misses. We had roasted turkey, bacon nut stuffing, roasted potatoes with garlic and shallots, roasted carrots with thyme, roasted green beans, cranberry conserves, and the festive holiday salad. For dessert, my aunt made a pumpkin tart, the sweet potato/pecan pie, cream cheese chocolate chip cookies (these got the biggest thumbs down). Everything was made fresh and there wasn't a can of cream of mushroom soup or a fried onion in sight. (The can opener is usually one of our most-used utensils during Thanksgiving preparation). There were a few thing we thought we would do again next year with a few adjustments. And there were some complaints that there were no mashed potatoes or pumpkin pies (we couldn't find recipes for these on Oprah's site, sadly. And my aunt already made her pumpkin tart by the time Cristina Ferrare shared her pumpkin chiffon pie recipe yesterday). All in all, we had a lot of fun together.


One big hit was from a list of Oprah-approved activities. As advised on one of the Oprah.com lists about how to celebrate the holiday, we made the main meal at my mom and dad's home, but side dishes and desserts came from family from other states. We normally do this, anyhow, but a few more family members took part in the baking/cooking than usual, which was fabulous. We also did the Getting to Know You question game. My husband added extra questions that were HILARIOUS. I found out more about the family than I ever needed to know, but we laughed our butts off.

Many folks watched Oprah this afternoon. There were some tears. It was a nice show. Inspiring. Who doesn't love a man who's just learning how to read and LOVES books? It was a feel-good rerun.

I'm so exhausted. A great day, filled to the brim! This was one of the most enjoyable Oprah experiences I've had all year. It was also one of the most expensive.

Have a GREAT night. Hope everyone is digesting well.

I think I need an antacid.