So Very Thankful

I am thankful.

1.  We spent a very relaxing, non-traditional Thanksgiving in Branson with family.  We ate our Thanksgiving meal at the Dixie Stampede and everyone enjoyed the show.  I am thankful for my children behaving well.

2.  We enjoyed spending time with my mom and my sister and her little family.  We especially enjoyed our time loving on baby Piper.  I am thankful that mom, Tracy and Jonathan were able (and willing) to watch my kiddos when Lee and I headed back home so I could work.

3.  I am thankful for that Petit Jean ham we took to Branson and cooked on Friday. That delicious smoked ham provided us with enough food for three meals and counting.  But, wouldn't you know, I didn't take any photos of our meal?  Even when I was planning to blog about the ham.  So is the life of trying to cook a meal in a condo kitchen when everyone is starving! 

4.  Lee drove me back home on Thursday afternoon so I could work overnight on Thursday and Black Friday.  I stayed up all night and worked about 15 hours before heading back to Branson.  I am thankful for my hubby who chauffeured me and thankful for having a job.

5.  We left Fergie with a friend the first night and boarded her two other nights.  I am thankful for friends who volunteer to help us out in a bind and never think twice about doing so.  We appreciate you, Jean Ann!

That just about sums up our holiday week. I am thankful for these and so many more things.  But this, this just makes me happy.

Petit Jean Ham Winner Announcement

#Sponsored blog 

Disclaimer: I am a member of the Petit Jean Meats Blue Diamond Club. Through this affiliation, I get to try out products, and give my opinions on new products and branding for the company. My opinions are my own and honest reflections of how I feel. I was given product for this giveaway, so that I could also give away a smoked ham on my blog.

Congratulations to Lara U. on her big Thanksgiving win! She will be feeding her (large) family a tasty, spiral cut smoked ham for the holidays.

Thanks to everyone who left a comment and played along; there was a great response.  And thanks to Petit Jean Meats for sponsoring this great holiday giveaway.  Please go like their Facebook page and follow them on Twitter.  Also, don't forget that you can shop Petit Jean Meats online for some great holiday gifts to ship to friends and family anywhere!

Thanksgiving Giveaway: Win a Petit Jean Ham

#Sponsored blog 

Disclaimer: I am a member of the Petit Jean Meats Blue Diamond Club. Through this affiliation, I get to try out products, and give my opinions on new products and branding for the company. My opinions are my own and honest reflections of how I feel. I was given product for this giveaway, so that I could also give away a smoked ham on my blog.

As you may already know, the Bramells are big fans of Petit Jean Meats products; you name it: ham, sausage, bacon, hot dogs...all of it!  That's why I'm so glad to be able to do another Petit Jean ham giveaway on my blog this week, just in time for the holidays.

 

I will tell you that I'm cooking our Smoked Ham (bone-in) for our Black Friday meal this year.  Well, my mama will be cooking it this time, but that's a story to share when the time comes!  I prefer the bone-in smoked hams because you can make two delicious meals with it ; I made the best pot of white beans after Easter using the bone from our Easter ham. 

 

Here is my post on our Easter Ham.  I used Trisha Yearwood's recipe for glaze and it was fantastic.  I'm going to suggest to mom that she use it, but she might have her own ideas.

 

So, who wants to win a FREE Petit Jean Ham?  Just comment below with your name and email address to get yourself in the drawing.  Let me know:  Would you choose a smoked bone-in ham or spiral sliced one?  Regular or Peppered?   

 

Don't forget you can shop online at Petit Jean Meats website.  They have amazing gift baskets and bundle packs that make holiday shopping a breeze. They can ship your gifts for you, too!

 

Deadline to enter this giveaway will be Sunday, November 24 at noon.  

Righting a wrong in the kitchen....and pie!

If you are a regular visitor here, you may remember back to this post in October when I shared my family's "recipe" for dressing.  Well, I made my second attempt at it for Thanksgiving since we were stuck at home without the real cooks in the family. 

Here's what it looked like:

I'm overall happy with how it turned out.  Actually, on Thursday, it kind of sucked. I got it too dry again! But I was determined not to let it beat me.  So with leftovers on Friday, I added some broth and heated it up. Lee let me know real quick that it was "almost perfect" this time! YES! Sweet validation. 

After our fantastic turkey dinner, we got to have this glorious pie!

I've heard it called a Kentucky Derby Pie, or a Derby Pie, but all I know is that it's delicious with a capital D.  I used a Paula Deen recipe for mine. It was my second time making it, and this was just as good as the first time.  A couple of tips, though:  the recipe makes two pies (I gave one to a neighbor) and you MUST eat it warm with vanilla ice cream.  Give it a try!

Giving Thanks

Over the past month, people have been writing about things they are thankful for all over Facebook and on blogs. I didn't jump on the bandwagon, like I have in the past. Why, you ask? I think it's simply because most days I am just thankful for weird things.  I'm thankful to get Big Sis to school before the tardy bell. Thankful to get to work with two of the same shoes  on. Thankful to make it through another day without losing my mind.

But this week something happened. I was having a particularly rough week; yelling at the kids a lot, being crabby to the hubs and being overwhelmed at work.  Even my blood pressure was skyrocketing! I blame most of this on that self-imposed need to be Super Mom, Super Employee and Super Everything Else. It sucks. We were planning to round up the troops and head across the state to spend Thanksgiving with my family, but The Universe had other plans. The transmission on our family vehicle went out earlier in the week...it's in the shop and likely will be until the end of next week. That means today, Thanksgiving Day, our family of five is home cooking, eating and celebrating alone. And you know what? It was fantastic! We slept in till 8:00am, cooked a feast and watched some TV.  Sure, I missed my family today.  But I also didn't have to pack a suitcase for five people and travel 4-5 hours across the state with a kid that has to stop at every public restroom along the way. I got to relax a little, hang out at home and take a long walk with my kids. Sure, it will cost a small fortune to repair our van, but we'll manage.  Not the best timing with Christmas coming up, but we'll manage. I have three more glorious days off work to stay home and be with my family. I'm going to remember how lucky I am and enjoy every minute of it.  Happy Thanksgiving everyone!