Life at a "Swell's" pace

This year for Thanksgiving I used my routine of getting prep done each day of the week leading up the Thanksgiving. It has been working well, and it helps to not feel overwhelmed on the day of. Here is a breakdown of each day and the delicious food I made each day, and I will link the recipes that I used.

Monday (November 25, 2024):

Cranberry sauce, pumpkin pies, and strawberry cheesecake.

Cranberry Sauce Recipe

Pumpkin Pie Recipe

We like to use the graham cracker crust for the apple pie, pumpkins pies, and cheesecake. Also, the strawberry puree is easy to make. Two handfuls of freshly washed and cleaned strawberries, with green tops removed, placed in a blender and blended until smooth. I just pour it over the top of the cheesecake and place it back in the refrigerator until the day of serving.

This is my personal no-bake cheesecake recipe, but there are a lot of them online you can follow, too. We like ours on the bitter side, so I always add more lemon juice to the mix.

Tuesday (November 26, 2024):

Mashed potatoes, broccoli mac and cheese, and creamy sweet potatoes.

Wednesday (November 27, 2024):

Stuffing, apple pie, cheeseball, and rolls.

Stuffing Recipe

Apple Pie Recipe

Cheeseball (I like to use a mix of this recipe and this recipe), and Homemade rolls.

Thursday (November 28, 2024): Thanksgiving Day

Charcuterie board, ham, and deviled eggs.

First time using the skull serving platter and I am thrilled at how well it all came together.

The only thing needing to be done is heating everything up the day off. The heavy-lifting was done through the week, so it makes it easy to bring everything together on Thanksgiving day. Hardy is always my helper in the kitchen during the week of prep and anything that falls is quickly cleaned up. He is a good boy and keeps me company while I prep everything.

Everything came together great this year and it was delicious!

At the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade my hometown high school band attended and was featured. I played in the Lake Hamilton High School Band through my entire high school time at Lake Hamilton and seeing them preform in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade made me so happy for them. The band has come a long way and I am proud to call myself a Lake Hamilton Wolf Alumni! GO WOLVES!

Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours, and thank you for being a reader and supporter at this littler space on the internet. We appreciate all that you do to help keep this space alive. Thank you!

Hello.

Here are five things this week.

1. This moment.

home isn't a place. it's a feeling.

and that feeling is complete when my sweet boy is "home."

2. This basket.

I got Skylar a laundry basket, so that his clothes aren't all over the floor and his room. At least he is getting the dirty clothes in the general area of it.☺

3. These clouds.

My view on my way home from work is always so pretty.

4. This candy.

We love Justin's and these taste just like Peanut M&M's.

5. This pap.

I don't make this often, but it's always loved in our house. My mom made this for breakfast from time to time when I was growing up, and she never actually "taught" me how to make it, but with trial and error I figured it out. Skylar and Jeff love it and from what I was told my Native American grandmother made it and told the story of how the Natives made it as baby food since actual baby food was hard to come by. It is a high-calorie dish, but it's worth it from time to time. The recipe is here.

One last thing:

These geological tiles of how Earth was formed over 4,600,000,000 years ago are one of our favorite things on the grounds around Linn Benton Community College. With Skylar wanting to major in a science degree it's always fun to read these and look up that time period to see what Earth could have looked like.

Positive affirmations this week:

Never forget that your own mental health isn't as important as all the other stress people bring your way. Take some time for yourself and remember that you are important.

You can do this!🌈