Budget Thanksgiving

 

It's the month when we start looking ahead at Thanksgiving and Christmas and quite possibly New Year's meals.  There are plenty of festive occasions ahead starting at the end of this month and going right through until the start of the New Year ahead.

I've read much about 'budget meals' for these holidays and I thought it would be nice to try and create a few different menus on a budget.  The goal is to have a festive meal, one that doesn't look skimpy but at the same time doesn't send the budget too far astray.  

What's In Season? November 2024

I seriously was thinking this month's list of seasonal foods would be short, but as I looked at various websites, pondered what I typically see in the stores this time of year, etc., I realized that this month is rich in seasonal produce!

Fruits:

Apples

Cranberries

Meal Plans for the First Week of November

 

I think I would benefit from a breakfast plan.  The truth is that usually when I get up, John is ready to eat right away.  I haven't even had coffee, and with no plan, I'm often at a loss what to make.  If I get a plan figured out, I can at least have an idea of what I can do a day ahead to ease my passage, right?  Well, that's the idea anyway.

Lunch seems to be a less tense time.  John would prefer sandwiches, but reality is that we eat leftovers fairly often, too.  

To Do List for November 4-8

 

I've allowed myself to have some rather slow days of late, as in most of October, but I do have jobs I really want to attend to before the weather is cold.  So, there's nothing for it but to get myself busy and do them.  I'm not saying I'll run myself in the ground, but I do mean to get busy and get things done.  Are you ready?

1.  Clean the back porch.  I'll take time to blow off the patio and the front porch, but I want to clean the back porch.  There are things we need to put away, things I just plain want to move off the porch entirely and I want to clean the porch floor especially where the pets eat.  Once I clean those spots, I'll put a rug under their bowls to keep the floor clean.  I know it means I'll have to take them up if it rains so it won't stay wet but even as neatly as they eat, there are greasy spots I just don't want to keep cleaning up.  I save all my old rugs from the house so no expense will be involved.

Journal of the Last Week of October 2024

Saturday:  What a hectic past few hours.  I loved most of the minutes of it, but not quite all of them, lol.  The children came in after school yesterday afternoon.  I had about an hour of rest before they arrived and I'm glad of it because it was bump, bump, bump from the moment they arrived. 

As I assumed, no one wanted a chili dog except Josh.  He put entirely too much mustard on it and rather than scoop it off and start over, he ate about half and then left the rest.  I scooped it all off before giving it to the pets to finish off.  The kids ate Pomegranate with us, surprising me with how readily they tried it.  They ate birthday cake with us. 

November Plans and Goals

 

Everyone always says it's hard to believe that it's November and the year nearly over.  It's felt like a whole year to me.  Time didn't speed along nor drag.  I'm not anxious to have any month go any more quickly than they usually do but I like it best when time goes along at what feels like a normal pace and that's the way it's felt to me.  Normal is just fine by me.   I don't need time to go any faster.

Typically, this month might just be considered a holiday month. I prefer to think of it as just another month, until the very last week and then I sink my teeth into the idea of 'holiday'.  Since Thanksgiving doesn't come until the very last week and in the last few days, I have no need to rush the holidays.  Aside from the turkey, I have all I need for a holiday meal on hand, so that isn't a deep concern for me at this time.

Coffee Chat: End of October

The weather has been lovely, truly lovely, the past two weeks.  We came home from church and a long afternoon at Katie's on Sunday and as we topped the hill before the River Valley, there was the patchwork of autumn colors spread before us.  It was breathtaking. It hasn't come into its full glory yet, but a few trees have decided the season is now prime for their most brilliant display.  The majority usually reserve their best colors for November.

I've been enjoying this season, this blessed season, that we've been in.  I am not referring to just the weather but the life season we've come upon.  It's been lovely to not be beset with concerns, worries and problems.  It's been lovely to see things come together for my family members.   I'm very grateful for the opportunity to experience this.