Totaling the Turkey

Another super busy weekend that started with the joy of what my coworker calls, "Totaling the Turkey." Mary T. cooked and boy was it tasty! We had turkey, ham, three kinds of stuffing, yams, mashed potatoes, deviled eggs, stuffed celery sticks, and grandma rolls. Mmmmm.... Mary's mother brought some delicious jello molded goodness. And there was pumpkin pie, apple pie, and chocolate mousse pie. And real homemade whipped cream. Delicious. I took my knitting with me in hopes that I would get something done, but Mary's mom brought a Charles Wysocki puzzle and I spent the entire evening working on this 1000 piece insanity. But I finished it! YES!I also decorated my tree (which I bought on Wednesday) and decorated the rest of the house. This is a little tree I made after seeing a similar one at Starbucks.

I also put decorations up outside, which I had never done before. It was very fun, but very very cold. It's been regularly in the teens here and not getting up much past the mid-20s during the day. Brrrr....

Yesterday I did what I always avoid doing. I went shopping on Black Friday. Yes. What struck me was how totally dead it was. Fred Meyer wasn't crowded. Goodwill was a little on the crowded side, but not too bad. It was strange. Mary's husband was even sent home early from Costco because there weren't any customers! Anyway, I made a killing at Goodwill and bought some clothes, a pair of Doc Martens, Christmas ornaments, a purse, a necklace and pin, and some other decorations for less than $25. I was happy.

Also this weekend I finally made it to Moments to Remember and The Streets of Bethlehem. I have tried every year since I moved here to go and I always forget about it! LOL! Despite the super cold, I had a great and wonderful time. It started with the tree lighting at Safeway, where they were giving out free cider and cookies. Then the standing in line for the Streets of Bethlehem. This is a living nativity that takes place down one of the alleys downtown. Centurions guard the alley entrance and beyond is a host of angels singing. Gabriel stands on a tall podium and gives comfort to a frightened Mary. Then the three wise men tell of the star and how they have been following it for so long. Further on is a market with fish sellers and goats and rugs. An innkeeper turns away a weary Joseph, but offers him and his wife some shelter in his stable. More angels sing as the wise men finally find the end of their search in a manger. The baby Jesus is quiet and content to listen to the voices singing.