Happy Friday, readers! At this point, my days are so messed up from a shortened work week that I have been unsure of what day it is since about Tuesday. Add that to the fact that I didn’t go to bed until 4 a.m. this morning, and you can start to see why I’m just a bit confused.
I do know that yesterday was Thanksgiving and that, once again, I ate more food than I possibly thought I could stuff into my body. Mr. B and I started at his aunt’s house, where we spend a few hours hanging out and sampling dinner before we migrated over to my stepdad’s for the full-blown feast. My brother came in from California, and my other brother and sister were both there, so we went all out. As in my brother made 10 pounds of mashed potatoes for 10 people (three of them kids) all out.
But you can’t say no to this turkey (vegetarians look away!)
My brother and I got a 22 pound bird this year- plenty for dinner and for everyone to take leftovers home. I’m already excited for turkey sandwiches, pot pie, soup… yum.
Here’s the whole spread- we had: turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, buttered carrots, asparagus, relishes, rolls, and deviled eggs! Not to mention all of the appetizers we were munching on waiting for the bird to cook.
Thanksgiving also happens to be my nephew’s birthday, so we celebrated Mr. Jake turning two. He LOVES cookies, but since I already had made him a giant cookie for his kid-party, I decided to make him a cookie-cake. While I was making it, B came into the kitchen and took a big bite of the frosting- thinking it was cookie dough- so I guess it was pretty convincing!
Most importantly, Jake loved it– that’s all that mattered!
After my food coma wore off a bit, I began gearing up for the rest of my night. You see, Black Friday has become nearly as big of a holiday as Thanksgiving itself. I’ve NEVER had any desire to participate in Black Friday festivities- I love shopping but the idea of waiting outside, in the cold, only to fight thousands of shoppers all night long just doesn’t sound like my idea of a good time!
But B’s sister can be pretty convincing. So, I found myself sitting outside Kohl’s at 11:45, waiting for the midnight opening. Fortunately, this year was really slow (maybe the economy?) but none of the three stores we hit were very crowded. Kohl’s was the worst- we waiting about 10 minutes in the checkout line. But Target and Walmart, our other two stops, were ghost towns. Maybe it was a gift to me since I was a Black Friday virgin. Regardless, I’m kinda glad I didn’t have to stand in hour-long lines.
I’m was also a bit disappointed in the sales. I found some good stuff (maybe I wasn’t looking at the right stuff) but I felt like the deals weren’t phenomenal. Other than the super cute new coat I snagged for 55% off…
Isn’t the detailing at the collar adorable?
Fortunately, this jacket will replace my four-year-old wool coat that makes me look like a block.
I also grabbed some cute, half off tights:
And this year’s Christmas cards, which weren’t even on sale. I just figured I might as well get them since I was already out…
But that, some shampoo for B and a lipstick that I am returning is all I came home with! I’m glad I didn’t spend a lot of money (I don’t have a lot to spend) but I’m also a bit bummed I didn’t find any incredible deals, and even more bummed that I didn’t knock anything off my Christmas shopping lists.
Although speaking of Christmas lists, I just bought my first present of the year today. This one is for B, and I can’t wait to review it for you all! But, since he occasionally checks out the blog, I’ll have to wait until after Christmas morning. Sorry to keep you all waiting!
Did any of you have Thanksgiving feasts? Or have an unusual holiday tradition? To my friends overseas, do you all have a crazy shopping holiday, or is it just us Americans?
Nice cake! Glad you had a nice holiday.
We dined in central Illinois with my dh's Oma and Opa. It's Thanksgiving everyday, really–we are so blessed to want for so little.
Hope your stickers show up tomorrow! 🙂
You couldn't pay me to do any Black Friday shopping. I don't go "shopping" ever anyway – I just go to the stores where I want to pick up something specific and that's it. And I go early to avoid the regular crowds. So Black Friday is something I'll never partake in. It gets so out of hand here on Long Island. As in, people have actually gotten trampled TO DEATH because of shoppers going crazy over "deals." And now with the Internet, I never have to leave my house to get a majority of what I need anyway.
My Thanksgiving was good – I stuffed myself to the max too. But it wouldn't be Thanksgiving if we didn't. 😉
Glad you had a great holiday!
@Sandra- Sounds like a wonderful way to spend the holiday! Glad you had a great time.
@Kanalt- Haha! Yeah, I would normally say that, but this year I was dragged along- it was a lot of fun! Maybe because we didn't hit any big crowds… Glad to hear you had a wonderful holiday as well!