Ryan had to work at 4AM in the morning. No reprise for those that work in news but don't feel sorry for him. The holiday pay is great and he got off at 1pm, the perfect time for Thanksgiving lunch! He did come home on his "lunch" break (more like second breakfast) and we were able to start off our day with some snuggle time in bed.
I got the turkey in the oven first thing in the morning. I was originally going to do just a turkey breast but to my surprise the whole turkey ended up being cheaper. I paid just $5.75 for our 12lb bird at Ingles! I love a good deal! It makes it taste all that much better. You know what else makes it taste better... brining the turkey! I soaked the bird over night in an industrial bucket which doesn't look appetizing at all, but trust me it's worth it. I also found it interesting and funny that the turkey included microwave instructions! Who has a microwave big enough to cook a turkey?!?
Very good friends of ours, the Browns, invited us over to their house. Their family includes Darren, Becca and baby Davok. They, too, were without family. It was a Brown-Felten Thanksgiving fun day!
Even though it was just us, we certainly ate well! Besides the turkey, I also made the green bean casserole, an absolute MUST at Thanksgiving and our favorite side. Becca tackled the rest; the mac & cheese, mash potatoes and apple crisp for dessert - all of it delicious.
I said we ate well, but the kids not so much. Davok, who is also 1, and Keira have so much in common, including the lack of interest in eating. I can't count how many times we said, "please just try it" or "don't spit that out" and "not on the floor!" While frustrating, it was a little entertaining. We could only laugh.
As were eating, I had time to reflect on just how far we've come in the last few years. The last time we spent Thanksgiving with the Browns was in 2010. Ryan and I had just gotten married and we were still living in our small two bedroom apartment and neither of us had kids. Things were so much more simpler then and even though it's only been three years, I feel like we've all grown tremendously. Darren and Ryan both got promotions, we bought our house, they are adding to there's and we're both learning to how budget with a family in mind. We've celebrated and struggled together as new parents, often praying together and for each other. Not to mention, we've literally grown! Both Keira & Davok were born last year and Becca is expecting her 2nd any day now. I like to think that our earlier selves would be very proud of our current selves. During the day-to-day grind it's hard to recognize just how much God is moving and blessing us in our lives, but on day meant for reflection we quickly realize we have so much to be thankful for! It felt like a homecoming and a great time to mentally unpack what's happened in such a short amount of time. How appropriate for such a day!
Black Friday Thanksgiving Shopping
After lunch we dove into the circulars to check out all the black Friday deals. Luckily Darren picked up the stack of ads on a last minute trip to Ingles. Ironically, it was Becca who convinced me to go out for my first Black Friday back in 2010! We were to meet at Target at 5:00 in the morning, except that we never discussed which Target. I ended up at the one in Arden and she at the one on Tunnel Road. We still laugh about it! Regardless of the mix up, I've been a fan of Black Friday shopping ever since. Needless to say, this year we made sure to meet at the same Target in Arden at 7pm, an hour before they opened at 8.
Our night started a little earlier than the Browns. Ryan & I were on a mission to buy his son what I'm going to call Thing 1 just in case he happens to see this post. He specifically mentioned wanting Thing 1 for Christmas in passing and Walmart happened to have an amazing deal! Getting Thing 1 on Black Friday would probably save us $100, which we could use else where in our budget. We debated bringing Keira along, but had no one to babysit her so we ultimately decided to bring her with us. With two of us working as a team, we were confident we could keep her occupied and more importantly safe! As a side note, Black Friday shopping in Asheville is not nearly as crazy as it is in bigger cities. People are generally very nice and the crowds are large but bearable.
We got to Walmart at 5PM and quickly found the line for Thing 1 in the produce section. There were about 30 people ahead of us and I was worried we were too late. One of the workers came by and inquired what we were wanting and gave us a number. Whew! I was still anxious because until you have the the product in your hand you never know. Keira was great! She was happy & smiling and quickly garnered the attention of those around us.
She did get a little antsy 10 minutes to 6. She started running down the makeshift produce aisle and touching the wheelchair of the lady in front of us. She wasn't upset but she didn't look ecstatic about it either. I had to come up with something quick, so I started a made up game of Copy Mommy and it actually worked!
Soon enough the clock struck 6'oclock and our line started moving. Mission accomplished! We got Thing 1! We headed straight for the check out line which already looked to be wrapping around the store. By divine intervention, an associate looked at us and looked at the still empty registers and told us we could go under the partition. I started to ask her if she was serious, but decided to just go with it. After we passed through I over heard her tell others behind us they had to continue to go around. It was a blessing! We were checked out and in our car by 6:15! That has to be some sort of record!
We weren't meeting the Browns at Target until 7, so we headed home to drop off Thing 1 and to feed Keira a quick dinner. Going bye-bye again only excited her. When we got to Target the line was already down to World Market. It was cold so Ryan stood in line while we waited in the car. Keira discovered all that the front seat had to offer, playing with all the nobs and buttons on the radio. She blasted Pink's Greatest Hits through the stereo system! And every time she accidentally turned on the windshield wipers she quickly hid her head in the nook of my neck. It was precious and fun! I enjoyed the one on one time very much.
We jumped in line with Ryan and our friends just before 8PM. Davok was a bundled up in his turkey costume with a smile on his face and Keira was happy to see her friend again. They were too cute and amazingly well behaved for a couple of toddlers out past their bedtime.
Our number one mission at Target was to purchase a car DVD player with monitors that attach to the back of your car seats. After the driving fiasco to Fayetteville we felt it would be a good investment before heading to Atlanta for Christmas. It was a gift for Keira and a gift to mommy and daddy's sanity! It's something we looked into in the past, but didn't want to spend a lot of money on. It was just our luck that Target had exactly what we were looking for on sale for $69.
Mission accomplished! We also picked up other gifts AND our Christmas pajamas also on sale. Matching pajamas for Christmas morning is a family tradition we started last year and I can't wait to reveal them! Oh, and we bought milk... not on sale. We checked out and were home and putting Keira to bed by 10:30!
Like many others, I was not happy about Black Friday making it's way into Thanksgiving, but as parents it turned out to work out great for us. First, we got to do it together. It's easier to keep Keira up late rather than wake her up before dawn, something I would NEVER do in the first place. Ryan would have had to stay home. I also very much enjoyed sleeping in with Ryan on Friday! And because we got our shopping done the night before we didn't feel compelled or tempted to go out again, giving us an entire day to do other things as a family!
All in all it was a wonderful day and successful evening! Great company, great food and 95% of our Christmas shopping done! Yup, it was a great Thanksgiving!
I got the turkey in the oven first thing in the morning. I was originally going to do just a turkey breast but to my surprise the whole turkey ended up being cheaper. I paid just $5.75 for our 12lb bird at Ingles! I love a good deal! It makes it taste all that much better. You know what else makes it taste better... brining the turkey! I soaked the bird over night in an industrial bucket which doesn't look appetizing at all, but trust me it's worth it. I also found it interesting and funny that the turkey included microwave instructions! Who has a microwave big enough to cook a turkey?!?
Very good friends of ours, the Browns, invited us over to their house. Their family includes Darren, Becca and baby Davok. They, too, were without family. It was a Brown-Felten Thanksgiving fun day!
Even though it was just us, we certainly ate well! Besides the turkey, I also made the green bean casserole, an absolute MUST at Thanksgiving and our favorite side. Becca tackled the rest; the mac & cheese, mash potatoes and apple crisp for dessert - all of it delicious.
I said we ate well, but the kids not so much. Davok, who is also 1, and Keira have so much in common, including the lack of interest in eating. I can't count how many times we said, "please just try it" or "don't spit that out" and "not on the floor!" While frustrating, it was a little entertaining. We could only laugh.
As were eating, I had time to reflect on just how far we've come in the last few years. The last time we spent Thanksgiving with the Browns was in 2010. Ryan and I had just gotten married and we were still living in our small two bedroom apartment and neither of us had kids. Things were so much more simpler then and even though it's only been three years, I feel like we've all grown tremendously. Darren and Ryan both got promotions, we bought our house, they are adding to there's and we're both learning to how budget with a family in mind. We've celebrated and struggled together as new parents, often praying together and for each other. Not to mention, we've literally grown! Both Keira & Davok were born last year and Becca is expecting her 2nd any day now. I like to think that our earlier selves would be very proud of our current selves. During the day-to-day grind it's hard to recognize just how much God is moving and blessing us in our lives, but on day meant for reflection we quickly realize we have so much to be thankful for! It felt like a homecoming and a great time to mentally unpack what's happened in such a short amount of time. How appropriate for such a day!
After lunch we dove into the circulars to check out all the black Friday deals. Luckily Darren picked up the stack of ads on a last minute trip to Ingles. Ironically, it was Becca who convinced me to go out for my first Black Friday back in 2010! We were to meet at Target at 5:00 in the morning, except that we never discussed which Target. I ended up at the one in Arden and she at the one on Tunnel Road. We still laugh about it! Regardless of the mix up, I've been a fan of Black Friday shopping ever since. Needless to say, this year we made sure to meet at the same Target in Arden at 7pm, an hour before they opened at 8.
Our night started a little earlier than the Browns. Ryan & I were on a mission to buy his son what I'm going to call Thing 1 just in case he happens to see this post. He specifically mentioned wanting Thing 1 for Christmas in passing and Walmart happened to have an amazing deal! Getting Thing 1 on Black Friday would probably save us $100, which we could use else where in our budget. We debated bringing Keira along, but had no one to babysit her so we ultimately decided to bring her with us. With two of us working as a team, we were confident we could keep her occupied and more importantly safe! As a side note, Black Friday shopping in Asheville is not nearly as crazy as it is in bigger cities. People are generally very nice and the crowds are large but bearable.
We got to Walmart at 5PM and quickly found the line for Thing 1 in the produce section. There were about 30 people ahead of us and I was worried we were too late. One of the workers came by and inquired what we were wanting and gave us a number. Whew! I was still anxious because until you have the the product in your hand you never know. Keira was great! She was happy & smiling and quickly garnered the attention of those around us.
She did get a little antsy 10 minutes to 6. She started running down the makeshift produce aisle and touching the wheelchair of the lady in front of us. She wasn't upset but she didn't look ecstatic about it either. I had to come up with something quick, so I started a made up game of Copy Mommy and it actually worked!
Soon enough the clock struck 6'oclock and our line started moving. Mission accomplished! We got Thing 1! We headed straight for the check out line which already looked to be wrapping around the store. By divine intervention, an associate looked at us and looked at the still empty registers and told us we could go under the partition. I started to ask her if she was serious, but decided to just go with it. After we passed through I over heard her tell others behind us they had to continue to go around. It was a blessing! We were checked out and in our car by 6:15! That has to be some sort of record!
We weren't meeting the Browns at Target until 7, so we headed home to drop off Thing 1 and to feed Keira a quick dinner. Going bye-bye again only excited her. When we got to Target the line was already down to World Market. It was cold so Ryan stood in line while we waited in the car. Keira discovered all that the front seat had to offer, playing with all the nobs and buttons on the radio. She blasted Pink's Greatest Hits through the stereo system! And every time she accidentally turned on the windshield wipers she quickly hid her head in the nook of my neck. It was precious and fun! I enjoyed the one on one time very much.
We jumped in line with Ryan and our friends just before 8PM. Davok was a bundled up in his turkey costume with a smile on his face and Keira was happy to see her friend again. They were too cute and amazingly well behaved for a couple of toddlers out past their bedtime.
Our number one mission at Target was to purchase a car DVD player with monitors that attach to the back of your car seats. After the driving fiasco to Fayetteville we felt it would be a good investment before heading to Atlanta for Christmas. It was a gift for Keira and a gift to mommy and daddy's sanity! It's something we looked into in the past, but didn't want to spend a lot of money on. It was just our luck that Target had exactly what we were looking for on sale for $69.
Mission accomplished! We also picked up other gifts AND our Christmas pajamas also on sale. Matching pajamas for Christmas morning is a family tradition we started last year and I can't wait to reveal them! Oh, and we bought milk... not on sale. We checked out and were home and putting Keira to bed by 10:30!
Like many others, I was not happy about Black Friday making it's way into Thanksgiving, but as parents it turned out to work out great for us. First, we got to do it together. It's easier to keep Keira up late rather than wake her up before dawn, something I would NEVER do in the first place. Ryan would have had to stay home. I also very much enjoyed sleeping in with Ryan on Friday! And because we got our shopping done the night before we didn't feel compelled or tempted to go out again, giving us an entire day to do other things as a family!
All in all it was a wonderful day and successful evening! Great company, great food and 95% of our Christmas shopping done! Yup, it was a great Thanksgiving!
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