Saturday Meanderings

Happy post-Thanksgiving Saturday! I hope everyone had an enjoyable turkey day. Ours was fabulous as we are up in the chilly mountains of Arizona. Being spoiled by a fully equipped kitchen in Phoenix, it took some figuring to get everything prepared and cooked. Many hands made the work light and rather fun. It’s time again for another Saturday Meanderings where we chat about all good things this week.

No Good Deed Goes Unpunished~Oscar Wilde

Last Saturday I mentioned that our neighborhood group raises money to buy turkeys to support our Phoenix Police Turkey Drive. The turkeys are collected and then given to St. Mary’s Food Bank. This year, 41 turkeys filled the trunk of my SUV. I backed up my car to the refrigerated trailer and when I opened the trunk, a very large, frozen solid turkey fell out of the trunk and onto my right foot.

Long story short, I broke the bone in my big toe both horizontally and vertically. I won’t show you any toe pictures as it is black, swollen and not very attractive. After a long wait at urgent care, I am now in a boot until I see the foot doctor on Tuesday. The good news is that the turkey boulder did not land on the top of my foot~I was quick but not quick enough. A bit bummed over this.

A Gift of Roses

My sweet friend, Andrea from Design Morsels sent me these beautiful roses just prior to our departure to the mountains. We brought them with us and they’ve lasted all week in various locations.

I can’t say enough about the roses from The Bouqs. From Ecuador, the blooms are big, healthy and I’ve never been disappointed. Please keep them in mind if you send roses. Use the link on my sidebar and I will also get a small stipend for the referral.

Chilly Weather

It is very chilly up here (which I am not used to), but I am enjoying wearing sweaters and scarves again. Here is a picture of my daughter’s Cavalier King Charles puppy in his winter gear…so adorable!

But this fresh, clean, crisp mountain air is such a healthy tonic. Phoenix is in a valley and often we have air pollution alerts (which is so gross). Plus it is so quiet and we’ve hardly seen another soul. Here is a photo from our post-Thanksgiving family walk and I so appreciate the beauty of this place.

Thanksgiving Wrap Up

As you are reading this we are packing up and heading back to Phoenix as our son and girlfriend fly back to Chicago late on Saturday. Having all the children and their significant others, my husband’s brother and wife, and all the animals here together for this holiday has been magical.

With both fireplaces going, delicious food and fun cocktails, our cabin is filled with love and laughter. Isn’t that what life is all about? I can’t tell you how many times I count my blessings.

If you are looking for an apple cider punch to make for the holidays, this one by Half Baked Harvest is very good. The ingredients include: apple cider, vodka, apple butter, orange bitters, champagne (we used Prosecco), ginger beer and the glass has a cinnamon sugar rim. You can find the recipe here.

Now Off to Christmas

I hold off decorating for Christmas until after Thanksgiving. The season doesn’t officially begin for me until I see Santa and Mrs. Claus at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. I am excited to start transforming the house into a Christmas wonderland.

This week I did make Mary Berry’s Christmas cake as it is one you can make up to 3 months in advance.

My sweet friend, Christine came over and we baked one for each of us. Now it’s a matter of feeding it brandy or sherry every week until Christmas. These cakes weigh a ton as they are filled with brandy soaked dried fruit. So looking forward to cutting into this next month.

Christmas Movies

Do you have a favorite Christmas movie? Last night we watched The Holiday with Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jude Law and Jack Black. Every time I watch it I try to absorb all the details of both houses in the movie. If you love Nancy Meyer films and a good love story, you will enjoy this.

Please share your favorite holiday movie. I will have the excuse to elevate my foot and enjoy a movie or two this holiday!

A Delicious Cranberry Tart

I love cranberries and they are so good for you. Even though I haven’t tried this recipe, I like several things created by Annie from Most Lovely Things. How pretty is this for the holidays!

Now is the time to take advantage of all the fresh cranberries in the grocery stores. Here is the recipe.

I hope you are enjoying this Thanksgiving weekend. Though I do not participate in Black Friday sales, if you do, be careful out there!