Random Dozen - Thanksgiving Style

1. Are you sticking to traditional Thanksgiving foods this year, or are you being culinarily adventurous?

• I'm being adventurous, but not because I want to try this new recipe I found or that new recipe I found.  I have to follow allergy guidelines now, so some things like pie crust is out.  I am brining my turkey for the first time, which isn't something I have to do for allergies, so I guess that is adventurous.

2. Tell me something concrete that you're thankful for. (Something you can literally touch, see, etc., not a concept like "hope.")

• A pantry and fridge full of food.  So many people don't have that, and during the holidays, it must be especially hard.

3. You knew the flip side was coming: Share about something intangible that you're thankful for.

• Laughter.  I love, love, love listening to my children laugh.  When the whole family is going, it reminds me why I am doing the whole family thing.  A little laughter compensates for a lot of tears.

4. Share one vivid Thanksgiving memory. It doesn't have to be deep or meaningful, just something that remains etched in your memory.

• Our first year married, my husband and I hosted Thanksgiving for his parents and my brother and his wife.  We lived in a small tri-plex with a small kitchen.  For a tri-plex, the kitchen was actually good sized, but for hosting Thanksgiving, it was small.  Our kitchen table held two with food, or four without comfortably, but that year, we made Thanksgiving dinner in that kitchen (with a turkey that was still a little bit frozen), and squeezed six around that tiny table.  The placemats overlapped and our knees touched, and the dishes from the cooking were piled four deep covering all the counter space and more, but it was a great time.  We had so much fun.  I'll never forget that Thanksgiving.

5. What is one thing that you know beyond a shadow of a doubt is going to happen this Thanksgiving because it always does, year after year?

• I will eat too much, we will get the Christmas decorations down from the attic, and there will be football on all day long.

6. Do your pets get any left-overs?

• Nope.

7. Does your family pray before the big meal? If so, do you join hands while seated, stand, repeat a formal prayer or offer a spontaneous prayer? Who does the praying?

• Yes.  There will be a heartfelt, spontaneous prayer by whichever male has seniority.  This year it will be my husband.  We usually sit and hold hands.

8. Will you be watching football in the afternoon? If not, what will you be doing?

• Well, I won't, but my family will.  I usually read, knit, or sleep.

9. There are two distinct camps of people on this issue: How do you feel about oysters in the dressing/stuffing?

• Huh?  Never heard of it.  Sounds disgusting.

10. Do you consider yourself informed about the first Thanksgiving?

• Yes, thanks to homeschooling my kids!

11. Which variety of pie will you be enjoying?

• If there's pecan, it is always my first choice.  This year it will be pumpkin custard because of the no pie crust thing.

12. Do you feel for the turkey?? (This is a humorous throw back question related to the 12th question in another Random Dozen!)

• I guess I wasn't doing Random Dozen when that last question was given, but no, not really.  He was born to grace a table, and  he will fill his job well, I'm sure.

To read more Random Dozen posts, head over to Linda's blog by clicking on the Random Dozen icon above!