It’s been rainy and dreary here, with temperatures promising to plummet into the 20s. Rain + freezing temperatures = fun times driving. Why is it that everyone forgets how to drive once the first snow flake starts to drift lazily from the sky?
Instead of venturing out to my favorite local coffee shop, I’ll invite you over to my house for a warm cup of {virtual} coffee with your choice of White Chocolate or Peppermint Mocha creamer. Although a pumpkin latte sounds good too, with Thanksgivings right around the corner.
As we settle in, with the kids watching Shrek, a household favorite, I’d tell you about my Thanksgiving plans. My sisters and their husbands are traveling to my mom’s house, where we will all gather for tons of delish food {I’m bringing dessert and cranberry sauce}. There will be 3.5 kids present {one of my sisters is pregnant}. I’m super crazy excited for Thursday.
This weekend my in-laws are coming up for a mini Thanksgiving. We’re cooking, but not the whole Thanksgiving dinner. A smaller version, that I sure will result in way too much food for five people. It will be cozy with everyone in our house, but I’m so looking forward to it. I can’t even put it into words.
As I breath in the invigorating scent of my peppermint latte, I’d also tell you that Dad-oo is home on vacation this week. I have a few household projects I’m hoping to get done {actually, hoping that he will get done}, but otherwise it’s time for the three of us to just be together.
Then I’d whisper {so the kids can’t hear} that we are 90% finished with our Christmas shopping. Sure I didn’t wait until after Black Friday when the sales are at their best. But you know what? Not having to brave the stores filled with crazy shoppers totally makes up for it. This weekend we are planning on putting up the Christmas tree too. How many days until Christmas?
I’d confess that I fear my belly is not going to be the same after Christmas. I’m already whipping up Christmas cookies {did you know that I’m sharing a new recipe each Monday in December?}. Of course tasting goes hand in hand with trying new recipes. I mean, I have to bake these beauties and photograph them before I can share the recipe.
Om, nom, nom. The things I do for blogging.
While I refill our cups, I’d ask what your plans are for Thanksgiving. Will you be traveling or staying at home? Do you have family nearby? Are you doing a big, traditional turkey dinner or something a little more unique that fits your family perfectly?
Have you started your Christmas shopping yet?
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{ 30 comments… read them below or add one }
I am SO impressed with your 90%. Can you feel the envious waves in Wisconsin yet?
I can, except it feels like frigidly cold air. If I do your Christmas shopping do you promise to send warm weather?
We’re going to my parents for Thanksgiving with my brother & grandmother. We have a small family, and it should be relaxing.
Sunday we’ll be at my in-laws, they have a big family. It’s a BIG adjustment for me!
& I’m 95% done with my Christmas shopping!! We have 3 gifts to buy & we’re all done! (Husband excluded of course.)
Sounds like a relaxing and busy weekend. Enjoy it!
The early Christmas baking is not so diet friendly. But, I’m glad that I have dough in the freezer so I’ll be less stressed come December,
I’ve started shopping. It gets tough because I’m having trouble picking out things for my girls. Santa only brings three presents, so I feel some pressure to make them a slam dunk.
I’m doing the same thing with cookie dough. Baking one dozen to sample and freezing the rest. It will make the week before Christmas that much easier.
I have started my Christmas shopping! But, I started it in June. I’m one of those people.
I love Christmas cookie making. I have recipes that have been in my family for years that must be made, my husband has his family favorites that must be made and then I’m trying to incorporate ones that my girls will remember as mine. We make mountains of cookies and then throw them all in tins and give them out as gifts.
Thanks for the coffee!
I wish I was one of those people!
We do the same thing, hand out cookies as gifts. It feels good to share, and it feels good to not eat all of them.
We have family in town so we will have dinner with my mom’s family (60+ people) and then go to my husband’s parents’ house. I have only bought about 4 present s so far, so…yeah, not much progress over here. : ) Hope you have a great week and a Happy Thanksgiving! thanks for coffee!
60 people! Wow. I bet it’s a blast though.
I’ll be cooking and we’ll have about 7-9 people at the house. It’ll be fabulous and my heart is full knowing that I have friends that are my family. It’ll be delicious. We will be eating an obscene amount of food with LOTS of butter. Yum.
Happy Thanksgiving.
That sounds like the perfect number of people. And butter. Mmmmmmm…
Good work getting your Christmas shopping almost done I am jealous! I am usually really good about early shopping..it is so fun for me and don’t like to be rushed. But this year it seems to have snuck up out of nowhere!! I also had planned on doing something similar…trying new cookie recipes during December. So we should check back and forth between each others for some new ideas! I will be having two Thanksgiving dinners this year, one with my family and the other with my boyfriend’s family. Thanks for coffee and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Heck yea, I’d love to compare cookie recipes. I’m always on the look out for something new to try.
so looking forward to your recipes!
heading to the balmy midwest for a weekend with family. can.not.wait!
thanks for the coffee
Enjoy the midwest! Although I don’t know if I’d call it balmy.
Suddenly, I’m really hungry.
FANTASTIC photos.
Happy Thanksgiving. May your stomach (and mine) forgive you after the feast.
Thanks Angie! Have a great Thanksgiving too.
I’ll have what he’s licking.
Your Thanksgiving plans sound just lovely. We’ll be heading to my sister’s tomorrow night and staying over until Friday, then up to my SIL’s for a day, then home to spend a lazy day on the sofa
Oh, there will be a recipe for what he’s licking. Perhaps on Monday even.
Your Thanksgiving sounds busy. I’m glad you have a day on the sofa to recover.
Visiting from Virtual coffee. I am also 90% done, did it all online, no black friday madness for me. No thank you! Have a great Thanksgiving!
It’s a good feeling isn’t it? I think next year we’ll do most of our shopping on line. We wasted so much time driving from store to store to store.
well evening!
lovely to find you having coffee with amy…
i wil be back on a monday for your christmas recipes…you made me chuckle…”the things i do for blogging”…thanks!!
see you next tuesday…
melissa …
Thanks for stopping by! You won’t be sorry about stopping back on Monday. The recipe includes chocolate and mint. Mmmmm, can you get any more Christmas than that?
Love the kiss close up! I will definitely be back monday to check out the recipes. Have a great thanksgiving!
Great! You won’t be sorry.
I’ll take peppermint creamer!
I’m nearly done with the Christmas shopping…I’m making most of the gifts for our family this year!
That’s been my poison of choice lately too.
I’m making a few gifts too. Those are the last items on my list.
Once my fever goes down (yeah lucky me right?) we will be going to my aunt’s house for Thanksgiving dinner and then doing the same thing all over again two days later with my in laws…I will be stuffed like the turkey.
Those pictures are gorgeous, can’t wait to see the cookies!
Yuck, I hope you start to feel better soon!