Happy Thanksgiving! {or What I've Been Doing In The Desert}

It's been very busy here in the desert.  We've had a lot going on, actually.  I know that vacation is slowing down, but our trips here always seem to speed things up.

Let's see...we've been:

1.  Swimming

2.  Drying towels from swimming so they can be used again for more swimming

3.  Night swimming

4.  Afternoon swimming

5.  Morning swimming

There's been more than just swimming, though.  We've also:

1.  Taken portraits

2.  Talked about where we're going to take more portraits

3.  Planned what we're going to wear when we take more portraits

4.  Gathered a few props and supplies for taking portraits

5.  Decided that, as much as I'd like to show you some of the portraits that we've taken, at the request of the subject, I'm going to wait.  Sorry, Charlie....


Okay, okay....I've been doing a few, like, actual Thanksgiving things, too.  Fine.

1.  I braved both Costco and Safeway with my MIL in search of the perfect Thanksgiving ingredients.

2.  Kroger has the best price on French Fried Onion Strips....just sayin'.

3.  A wonderful store called BevMo! has more flavors of vodka than I've ever seen in my life, absolutely none of which are appropriate for Thanksgiving, except for one, which, when mixed with Peppermint Mocha Kahlua, is just a Christmas party in my mouth....but that's another story.

4.  Baked a pumpkin cheesecake

5.  Gathered and labeled all of the serving dishes

6.  Cut and dried all of the bread cubes for dressing, and pre-cut the onion and celery that I'll be up cooking at 0'Dark 30 Thursday morning...anything I can do now, and all that....

So now, I'm sipping my coffee and preparing for the onslaught today which will include:

1.  Brining a turkey (which I've never done before, but always wanted to try...wish me luck..)

2.  Baking an apple pie...with a store bought crust.  Don't tell Martha.  But, in my defense, I am on vacation.  So...you know...and I did make the pumpkin cheesecake from scratch, and I'm making cranberry sauce from scratch, and the dressing is from scratch.  Just stop looking at me like that.  It's just a crust, for pete's sake!

3.  Making cranberry sauce with my lovely sister-in-law's receipe.  Hers is always the best, though. (Love you, Les!)

4.  Making the Barefoot Contessa's onion dip, which is WAAAYYYY better than that powder crap you mix into sour cream.  (Love you, Contessa!)

5.  Supervising Prince Charming while he makes Artichoke Jalapeno dip so he doesn't make it too spicy, which he will anyway, and then I won't be able to eat it which is fine because I have the Contessa's onion dip.  So there.  (Love you, PC!)

6.  Supervising Prince Charming while he cleans off and sets up the tables on the patio so we can eat our Thanksgiving dinner outside in the desert sun, and so he doesn't put them in the wrong place, which he will anyway and then I'll have to make him get out of the pool and redo it, so it looks better.  It is Thanksgiving, you know.

7.  Fending off Prince Charming because I want to finish this Thanksgiving Love Letter to you, and he just wants to get the list going already.

8.  Telling you how much I love Thanksgiving, even in the desert, even with all the work, even with a store bought crust.  It's still just the best meal of the year.

And last, but not least,

9.  Telling you how much I love you and wish you a wonderful holiday!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Love,

L.