And a New Family Tradition is Born

With heavy traffic, and a few other delays, it took us hours to get out of Jersey.  But soon we were among the Amish in Pennsylvania, and feeling thankful that we don't belong to a religious group that forces us to ride bicycles in 30 degree weather in the dark of night.  We were finally within minutes of Shady Maple, a smorgasbord we'd been planning to hit for Thanksgiving Eve. Noah remained panic-stricken that we wouldn't get there before closing, though it was only around 5pm, and the restaurant wasn't scheduled to close that night until 8.  We ate until we thought we'd injured ourselves, while we observed an obviously gifted woman entertaining her parents with her belching abilities, while they dined together.  Afterwards I ran into the market next door, to purchase several local delights, including my favorite- shoo-fly pie.  In fact, everything looked so good, I purchased several cakes and pies... for 4 people.  No big deal, I figured.  I remained confident that with several days of binging, our family could take them out... and we pretty much did.


So we got to the campground, where we ran into some complications.  First of all, this was our first time camping without water and sewage hookups.  It's so stinkin' cold up here, that they have to shut off water in the colder months.  So we filled the reserve tank at the entrance, and then went to our site.  Minutes later, I'm on my knees watching water flow freely onto the ground-- our precious water supply.  But we found out we were supposed to shut off a valve and soon the problem was fixed.  Now we had no water though.  So Steve hooked back up and went back up front and refilled the tank, then had to go thru the process of backing into the site, and carefully weaving thru trees, yet again.  I stayed inside the camper during all of this to continue unpacking.  As the camper rocked and swayed, I jumped around, catching things as they fell.  I figured my first priority should be saving the desserts which were sliding around on the bar. I couldn't help but think, none of this would be happening at warm, sunny Myrtle Beach!


Our neighbors had been watching all of this, and probably thought we didn't know what on Earth we were doing, but they had no idea who they were dealing with!  So the guy came over and was all beaming with pride when he announced, "WE are going to cook a feast, and fry a turkey tomorrow... outside." With pity, he added, "Let us know if there's anything we can do for you."  So Steve says, "Thanks.  We're gonna SMOKE TWO turkeys tomorrow and cook a giant feast too."  "Oh..."  We sensed that he felt somewhat defeated, but he hadn't seen ANYTHING yet.  We'd not even inflated Pedro.  You know when he saw this 6 feet of handsome turkey goodness, he knew it was over.  He was competing with the best of celebraters.  We weren't just some lame Thanksgiving amateurs...

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For days, the kids danced with him, sang songs about him, and chased each other around him.  Everyone should have a giant illuminated turkey.  The only trouble he caused wasn't really his fault.  Noah was told to take the box he came in, that said "Inflatable Turkey" to the dumpster, but he couldn't find a dumpster and unbeknownst to us, just dropped it by some trash cans at someone else's campsite.  An investigation into who illegally dumped trash on someone else quickly led to us, given we were the only super cool people displaying inflated poultry.   With that kind of evidence stacked against us, we had no choice but to accept responsibility and admit we were the turkey-box trashers.  But the nice campground people realized what had happened, so everything was ok, and Noah learned a valuable lesson about covering your tracks better. 



That night, Elizabeth learned how to brine a turkey, and was super stoked about being the one to remove the bags of guts from the turkeys' cavities, creating yet another interesting thing to burn up in the campfire.  It was an exciting time.  Soon morning came, and we were all busy cooking, smoking, building fires, hauling in more water, and setting up.

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We had to purchase a new smoker/grill because we left ours in SC when we didn't have room to bring it.  We thought we would be happy without it, but after weeks of depression as Thanksgiving approached, we decided we should get a new one so we could have joy once again.

We shove apples, onions, fresh thyme and rosemary into our turkey butts.

I'm sure you could smell the birds smoking, all over the campground.  Once they were going, Steve and Noah set up our dining room.

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I don't know this for certain, but I'm pretty sure the neighbors died when they saw this, which could be why I never smelled that alleged frying turkey...

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  Nothing says, "A happy family Thanksgiving in the woods" quite like whimsical owls emblazoned on your dinnerware.  In case you noticed the spoons incorrectly placed on the left, I'll just say, I obviously didn't do that...



The turkeys cooked for many hours, and then we made the sweet potato casserole on hot coals in the cast iron Dutch oven.  I only make it one day a year, since the recipe boasts a whopping 3 cups of sugar, and 3 sticks of butter!  But it's the best there is.

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This was one of our first times using this cooking method, but as you can see, it turned out amazing!  Don't you just want to dive into this deliciousness and smear it all over yourself? .... Maybe that's just me.



nomnomnomnom


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The kids called that little turkey cake, "Pedro Jr."  He was a hit, but I thought his head looked a little disturbing.


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Later we had dessert and watched football.  Then Steve continued to watch football while I pulled turkey off the bones, and the kids burned things in the campfire.



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I thought the paper lanterns were a nice touch.



I didn't go Black Friday shopping this year, which was a first.  I've lost interest as I've begun to feel that the retailers' greed is ruining Thanksgiving.  We did go to a Bass Pro Shops that night so the kids could purchase more hunting camo...  But mostly we just relaxed and enjoyed nature and each other for the rest of the weekend.

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No, Pedro!!!  NOOOO!  Speak to me, Pedro!!!


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Me singing and doing a weird dance. 



This has been a hard year for our family.  Not because we live in Jersey now, but because we've faced trials that I never could have imagined.  So we thought this would be the worst Thanksgiving we've ever had, but it actually turned out to be the best one of our lives.  What a blessing!  I highly recommend taking your family camping for Thanksgiving.  It brings everyone together in a way that you just don't get at home.  For us, it's the new tradition, and we already can't wait until next year!  But for now, I must get busy and lose the 5 lbs I gained...

 1 Chronicles 16:34 O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.

The Little Hoots, and Other Sound Financial Decisions

The Little Hoots arrived today, and I could not be more excited!  With this latest purchase, comes the realization that my obsession with birds/poultry is worsening.  The following is the conversation I had about it with Steve, a few days ago.  I typed it all out within a couple of hours, while it was still fresh on my mind.

"Steve, did I tell you that I ordered those Rachel Ray dishes? The ones with the owls?"
"Umm NO."
 "Hmm I thought I told you when I came to bed at 6 a.m.  I was so excited about them that I couldn't sleep all night.  Don't worry, Steve.  I used the gift card you gave me back on Mother's Day.  I mean, at first I didn't remember that I had that card, and I was all freaked out because I knew I had to have those dishes.  You have no idea how I struggled. And it's not like I went looking for trouble. I was not even watching QVC and putting myself at risk for temptation.  I found out that Rachel Ray was gonna be on at midnight, and there were some dishes with owls involved.  You KNOW how I feel about owls...  I was counting down the hours all day, waiting for it. I have her Furi knife which is amazing, but I don't have any other Rachel Ray stuff, so it's not like I'm an obsessed fan who gets sucked into buying her products.  I just wanted to see the owl dishes.  I know we have several sets of dishes sitting in storage right now.  I thought I wouldn't like Rachel Ray dishes.  But it turns out, they were the cutest dishes on Earth!  And my friend Pam saw them at the same time and we were all, 'OH MY WORD! LOOK AT THOSE LITTLE HOOTS!' and we got worked up into a frenzy.  We both knew we would cave.  And she bought two sets.  I only bought one. It's hard to resist a good owl dish.  And guess what else??  We can use them for THANKSGIVING!  So now I can return all the other stuff I bought for that day.  It's an amazing deal, really.  The gift card almost covered it all, well most of it." 

His silence was not out of anger.  He really just had nothing to say.  But that's ok.  Now he knew why owl dishes were on the way, and that it was really a "wise" investment.  But then, a few minutes later, we were in the mall because I had to pick up some foundation from Bare Escentuals.  He sat in a chair, just inside the store and waited.  I told the lady with the Snooki accent what I needed, and then she tells me that for just 10 more dollars I can get DOUBLE the amount, which I realized was a steal.  Then she tells me that if I spend a few more dollars, I will get a free gift.  She said "It's a no brainer, I swear".  I wouldn't get to pick the gift, but one of the possibilities was primer.  I really wanted some primer.  So I bought one more thing, and then the nice Snooki-sounding lady made sure I got the primer.  So now I'd spent twice as much money as I'd planned, but I walked out with twice the foundation and some other amazing products.  So I wasn't sure what Steve had overheard during all of that waiting,  so I explained it and how the lady said it was a "no-brainer" and all.  He still didn't say a word, so I guess that was all ok.  We went home soon after that. 

 So tonight when Steve came home, he saw the box of dishes outside that the UPS man had just left and he said, "Amy, your hooters are here."

Aren't they the cutest?
  I think they will remind Steve of the owls we heard hooting,
 late one night on our recent weekend getaway. 
I love the bowl.  It's just a happy, unexpected surprise when you finish your cereal!

The Need for a Giant Inflatable Turkey

So, I recently became obsessed with inflatable turkeys.  It's all I can think about, really.  It all started when we began making Thanksgiving plans.


It's our first Thanksgiving in New Jersey, and while I like it here and all, this little condo we're currently crammed into just wouldn't feel like my normal, perfect dining room for the day of being thankful, and eating obscene amounts of turkey and trimmings.  A visit back home would feel like a nightmare on the busiest travel days of the year.  And while I tried to talk the family into a short visit to NYC to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, everyone here seemed to have concern about where we'd eat turkey, potential bedbugs, traffic, crowds, getting lost, being robbed, getting killed, and blah, blah.  Not to mention, they "hate parades."  Years of forcing the kids to watch the parade on TV had clearly backfired on me.


So it was decided we'd go camping, and cook a huge feast outside... in Pennsylvania, in late November.  I guess it could be a tad chilly?  But we love camping, more than anything in the world.  Camping = Happiness.  Steve thinks this should be our new Thanksgiving tradition.  But now I'm faced with a problem.  From the moment I began thinking about decorating, and the idea of a giant inflatable turkey on our campsite crossed my mind, I've felt very strongly that it was the best idea I've had, all year maybe.  I mean, let this brilliance soak into your mind for a moment.  Imagine a cool evening, with a crackling campfire, next to a flowing river, and just feet away stands a majestic inflated bird, LIT UP.  People would pass by and say, "WOW!  Check out that illuminated poultry!", "These people are amazing!", "Surely the queen of Thanksgiving festivities is among us!"  I can see it all now.  And I would name him "Pedro."


The trouble is, I don't wanna pay $80 just to have a massive blown-up bird perched on my campsite.  If anyone has any information on how to hook me up with one of these awesome turkeys, for really cheap, please contact me.  I'm quite desperate.  Perhaps you own one, and you don't get the same thrill out of giant turkeys that I do, and you would consider lending him to me.

UPDATE:
I found a 6 ft inflatable turkey on Craigslist.  I quickly sent them an email that said, "Is this AWESOME turkey still available??" to which they never responded.

I received this email from a lady I don't know:
"this is Burg's friend right? the one with the blog about the inflatable turkey hahaha.. if so I no lie was laughing reading your blog last night and then searching my local online yardsale to find you a big turkey... no such luck though."  I am receiving help from strangers.

And then, a facebook chat with a friend:
Burgundy-"Here's a 3 ft turkey with free shipping."
Me - "Well I guess 3 feet of turkey is better than no turkey."
Burgundy - "OMW here's an 8 FT TURKEY!" *Sends link* "It's used, but even used ones need love! IT LIGHTS UP! You need this turkey."
Me - "Oh I know. Most of them light up. It's so amazing!"
Burgundy - "Now I want one."
Me - "SEE???!"

Burgundy- haha you're contagious!
Me- The love of larger than life turkeys is spreading. I can't believe Steve is even caught up in it!

Burgundy- haha I really hope you get your turkey! If nothing else, you at least need that!

Me -  I'm just glad I didn't spend any real money on those Rachel Ray dishes. That could have killed the turkey dream!

Burgundy You better be careful from now on. One little slip up and POOF! There goes Pedro.

Me - And just that quick, Thanksgiving's ruined. I should be closely monitored. 

But the search for Pedro continues...