Merry Christmas from me, my family and a giant Christmas tree made out of bell peppers.
It’s this little one’s first Christmas. It’s so cute watching Christmas through her little eyes. She likes playing with the wrapping paper more than the actual toys.
We started the night off with a champagne cocktail to toast Lexi’s first Christmas, while listening to Baby’s First Christmas. No, my mom, aunt, cousin and I weren’t crying. We must have all had something in our eyes at the same time.
Sort of blurry, but these stuffed mushrooms were sort of awesome.
There were frog legs on the menu for one.
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Chicken for everyone.
Please behold the massive portion of spaghetti my mom put on my plate. Exhibit A in any issues I’ve ever had with portion control.
I got some awesome presents (including some sweet Lululemon stuff and my first pair of yoga booty shorts, which is both awesome and terrifying), but the best part of the night was truly this little one.
I mean, look at her. I am sort of in love with this hat I bought her.
I know Ali does Thankful Things Thursday every Thursday, but I’m going to do a special Thanksgiving edition (like everyone else. I don’t care. It’s Thanksgiving.)
Health. Like I said yesterday, I’m thankful for my health. I’m also thankful for my parents’ health. And that my dad came home from the hospital this morning!
My new job, which I start Monday. I’ve been thinking about this Thanksgiving post for a few months, and I was hoping and wishing that I’d be able to say that. So I’m glad that I can say I’m thankful for getting a job I’m truly excited about in this rough, rough economy.
The New York City Marathon and the 9+1 Program. I’m thankful that I was able to run the NYC Marathon (and kick its ass with an awesome PR) and that I was able to get in just by running a bunch of races last year.
The Internets. I’m thankful for that series of tubes. My current career wouldn’t really exist without it (so please don’t go away, Internets. Thanks.), and there’s a whole bunch of amazing people in my life that I might not have ever met were it not for those tubes.
Running. It’s made me a happier and more confident person. It’s also made me addicted to carbs, but that’s neither here nor there.
Family. Until my dad was put in the hospital the other night, my mom was planning on having Thanksgiving here. As soon as my mom said she couldn’t do it, my aunt stepped up to host.
Friends. I know it seems like most of my friends are made from the Internet (and a lot of them were!), but I’m thankful for the old friends and new friends that I met the old-fashioned way.
NYC. I’m thankful to live in a city where that are so many opportunities right outside my door and where anything can happen.
I’d seen mini pumpkin pies all over the Internets this week, and pinned a few of them before happening upon Gretchen’s recipe for mini pumpkin pies with cinnamon whipped cream. If you have not yet had your fill of pumpkin pie, I suggest making these immediately. They are easy and delicious.
Since you’ve likely read quite a few Thanksgiving posts, your dinner probably looked similar, and I’m terrible with my 50mm lens, I’ll just share the highlights of mine.
The turkey. I can usually take or leave the turkey, but this was a damn good bird. Not dry at all.
I didn’t eat the salt and pepper shakers, but aren’t they cute?
STUFFING. If I were deprived of all other Thanksgiving food, I would be fine with that, so long as there was stuffing. It is my favorite Thanksgiving food, hands-down.
Mashed potatoes. For the Soy Simple campaign, this week’s topic was adding soy to your Thanksgiving meal. Too much dairy irritates my stomach, so I decided to see how I could work soy milk into the meal. I helped my aunt make the mashed potatoes, and we just added some soy milk instead of regular milk, using this recipe, and I couldn’t taste the difference.
Like I said in the Glamour post yesterday, I’m all for indulging on Thanksgiving (on what’s really important for you), but I do usually end up with a terrible stomachache by the end of the day. According to last year’s Thanksgiving post, I stuffed myself silly. This year, I tried to eat relatively slowly and not take too many seconds, and I’m still wearing regular jeans, not sweats! If I really want any of that food again, I will just stop by my aunt’s for leftovers. (Okay, Aunt Gerry?) Also, I have my 10-year high school reunion tomorrow (!), and I didn’t want to feel bloated.
Are you in sweats right now? What’s your favorite Thanksgiving dish? Do you make any substitutions in traditional Thanksgiving dishes for either dietary restrictions or just to be healthy? What’s your favorite non-traditional Thanksgiving dish? (I really like hearing about how other people spend holidays.) Do you do Thanksgiving with friends or family?
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