Monday, November 27, 2023

Well, how was your holiday? I enjoyed 5 days off from work and I had a little bit of productivity and a little bit of fun!

I am linking up with Holly and Sarah for Hello Monday!

I really wanted this cute boutique sweater, but your girl can’t wear a sweater on Thanksgiving – hot!

I was off on Wednesday – we have had this day off for several years. I do remember when we didn’t. It’s so nice to have Wednesday off! I ran a couple of errands, but I mostly just enjoyed my day off. One of the highlights was this walk with Ernie.

We walked by the middle school football field and saw a group of college boys – half in black and half in white – getting ready to play a game. They all turned toward the flag and put their hands on their hearts and sang the national anthem all the way through and then cheered and clapped. I found this heartwarming and had to sneak a photo.

I went to a little boutique and I went to Trader Joe’s. I call these fun errands and things I enjoy!

It was warm enough to sit outside before dinner and read – and for the first time I was trying Elin Hildebrand’s much mentioned wine – Sancerre. It was recommended as a good wine to go with Thanksgiving foods. Ok – new favorite! It’s so good!

I’m still working my way through this – I just haven’t sat down to read much.

Wednesday evening we got mediterranean takeout – I don’t think you should cook the night before!

Thanksgiving morning I made egg casserole and cinnamon rolls.

I also did my minimal Christmas decor! I have since added a few more touches but I’m happy.

I cooked for my sister in law’s while Tom went to pick up his parents.

I made traditional mashed potatoes and sweet potato casserole.

I made pumpkin pies on Wednesday and they turned out great!

I also made this salad for my sister in law’s and I enjoyed having a salad as part of the meal.

Her dining room table looks lovely!

We had a really nice day and the food was so good.

Friday morning we left for my mom’s house and we all arrived around the same time – 11:15 and had really good bagels and Chick Fil a with a couple of snacky type foods.

My Aldi in KY can’t sell wine in the store, so my sisters and I and Jack checked out my hometown’s Aldi and I bought one bottle of their store brand. I haven’t tried it yet.

Then, Jack and Tom went to a guitar store and my sisters and I and some of the nieces sat on the porch and chatted.

Then, for dinner, we had the pasta bar and it was even better than last time. We had bread, salad, bowtie alfredo, cavatappi mac and cheese, spaghetti, and lasagna.

My mom got a pretty bakery cake for dessert.

We had a really nice day Friday, too.

Saturday was the big UK and U of L game (in-state rivals) so we met our friends at Waldo’s Chicken and Beer.

We left after the first half and went back to their lovely home to watch the rest of the game. It was a really close game so it was fun to watch.

And, their cat may have gotten into the spirit of the holidays:

We left late afternoon and then ordered pizza for dinner because Jack wanted that. Jack and I watched an Outlander – we are really into it.

Sunday was a day of getting my act together. I have 17 school days until we leave and get to see Mason!

I did take advantage of some of the Black Friday deals on Amazon for stuff we need for the trip. Did you do any shopping? Are you planning to do any Cyber Monday shopping today?

How was your holiday? I hope it was good!

Amy

22 thoughts on “Hello Monday”

  1. Other than grocery shopping I don’t think I’ve left the house since Wednesday! We had a nice and relaxing weekend though. I did do a bit on online shopping but mostly bought stuff for me..

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  3. You had some great food during the long weekend! I always love Thanksgiving food and had leftovers of it the last two nights. I have a little more and then I’ll be finished with it, but it’s a good week to eat what’s left since Todd is out of town all week. I was surprised that I wanted to get out on Friday, but the crowds here this year were practically nonexistent. I had several friends who went to bigger stores like Target and Walmart, and they said it wasn’t nearly the same as in years past. People seem to really prefer online shopping these days! I am one of them. I hope you have a great day back at work! I can’t believe you only have 17 days left before you leave!

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    1. I did! I managed to eat a few salads, too! I think I’m done with Thanksgiving food now! Ha! Enjoy your time alone where you don’t really have to cook! I agree with you – the students said Black Friday shopping wasn’t crazy at all.

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  4. The gobble gobble sweater is cute though. All the food looks delish and I love the idea of a pasta bar. Hayden watched the big game on his phone as we drove back. (& trav listened to it on the radio) so my excitement haha
    I hope you have a great week!

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  5. Sounds like you had a brilliant Thanksgiving! All your traditional dishes look so delicious. I have only ever tried pumpkin pie once and it was from Costco. They sell it during this time of the year. It was ok but I’m sure the homemade kind must taste so much better. I bet you can’t wait to see Mason, I’m excited for you!

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  6. All the food looks so good and sounds like a relaxing, fun time with family. I agree with you about not cooking the night before a holiday. I said the same thing on Wednesday night! I did a lot of shopping online over the weekend and today and finished most of my shopping. Now to await all the packages 🙂

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  7. I think I’m going to steal your pasta bar for Christmas. We do the traditional type things for Thanksgiving (so many carbs), but we like to try something different for Christmas. It should probably be the other way around, right? Schools in Brownsburg haven’t had that Wednesday off until this year. I didn’t have it off, either, when I was teaching, but it makes so much sense. I hope the 17 days go by quickly for you! Is Jack going, too? I forget if you ever said. https://marshainthemiddle.com/

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  8. This looks like such a nice Thanksgiving! I have definitely been doing some shopping this weekend…the sales have been really good. Hope you have a good week back at school.

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  9. What a great Thanksgiving weekend! That pasta bar on Friday looks terrific. I didn’t like the Aldi’s wine. . .maybe you bought something better? Seventeen days will FLY – and taking the decorating pressure off will be something you congratulate yourself on throughout the month (and especially when you return!). Great catching up with you!

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    1. Thank you! I don’t think much of the shiraz I bought which makes me happy that I am not missing out since my Aldi doesn’t carry wine. I kind of forgot that I am spending a bit more on wine and it’s made a big difference. I don’t get headaches from it!

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  10. All the food looks lovely – and I do love a good Sancerre! I’m very jealous as an American living in the UK, I don’t really do Thanksgiving as 1) I have to work and 2) I’d have to do ALL the cooking.

    Any chance you can share your egg casserole recipe?

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    1. It’s a new fave of mine for sure – I am really into French whites this year. Ha – that is a lot. I was always wondering if ex-pats get together to do a Thanksgiving in England? My son is in the north of England right now. Where do you live?
      Yes – the breakfast casserole can be done in lots of different ways but here is my tried and true:

      Adiós 2020 – Recipes for NYE or New Year’s Day


      You can also just do diced sandwich bread. You can mix up the protein and do ham or bacon. It’s really fool proof!

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      1. Thanks! I’m in the Southwest in Devon. I do have a couple of ex-pat friends who make more of an effort than I do but my husband is a teacher, so even though I could get off work, he can’t.

        I hope you have a great trip to visit your son!

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