J and I stayed put over the holidays and it was a great and relaxing weekend, just the two of us.
On Thursday, I had contemplated running the local Turkey Trot but ended up sleeping in a bit and just did a solo 10k Turkey Trot around the neighborhood.
I made a big pot of coffee when I got home and then took a hot shower. In the early afternoon, we started preparing our Thanksgiving Turkey Chicken. I love the process of being in the kitchen for hours.
We set our table – it’s important to me to decorate our table, even if it’s only ‘just us’ – and we had some snacks while the bird was in the oven. (Have you tried Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Cranberry Crisps? So good!) We were finally able to eat around 5:30 p.m. As sides, we had delicious cranberry-walnut-stuffing, roasted green beans with pancetta, and potato dumplings (gnocchi) with gravy. Yum.
We skipped the dessert (I know!), but I had bought Trader Joe’s coconut whipped cream that I needed to try out, so I had a hot chocolate with whipped cream later. It was delicious!
On Friday, I got our grocery shopping done (who knew the supermarkets would be empty on Black Friday!) and otherwise stayed away from the stores. I am not a fan of Black Friday shopping and the only shopping I will do is a) at the grocery store (as mentioned) or b) online. I have no patience to stand in line or fight with other people over any ‘deals’ that I can easily score from the comfort of my couch if I want to. I actually didn’t plan to do any big Black Friday shopping this weekend at all, except for ordering our Christmas cards (there is no way I’ll have time to handmake all our cards again this year) and MAYBE get ahead and order a couple of Christmas gifts for people. Are you also the person in charge of all the Christmas gifts in your household? I don’t really mind it that much, but it can be a bit of work and it’s always a little dangerous because guess what, I ended up with one gift for myself. I bought an Amazon Fire HD 8.
Now, you need to know that I am the person who always said that she doesn’t see the point of a tablet (and I am pretty much still stand by that). I would never spend a few hundred dollars for a tablet to replace my laptop. I do a lot of things on my computer (and I need a keyboard!) and I can do everything I need to do on the go on my iPhone 7. However, $50 for the all-new Fire HD 8 was way too good of a deal to pass it up. Yes, I will spend $50 on a (slightly fancier) eReader with some extra functionality, sure, especially since my (very simple!) Nook is pretty much obsolete now and I paid quite a bit more money for that back in the day. It had no back-light, a black and white display and the touchscreen was awful. This was a major upgrade for me and thanks to Amazon Prime, it was going to get here on Saturday.
We had leftover chicken salad sandwiches for dinner and had a mellow evening at home. I finished my last book and started a new one.
On Saturday, I ran out early in the morning to pick up some yarn (Saturdays after Black Fridays are delightfully light when it comes to traffic/store customers) and pretty much stayed in my PJs for the rest of the day. I wasn’t feeling quite right (one of my lymph nodes was bothering me). I got a bunch of Christmas preparations done though and then the Fire HD 8 was delivered in the afternoon. So far, I am pretty impressed. I mean, my expectations were pretty low and I am planning to mostly use this as an eReader, but the touchscreen is pretty responsive and it’s nice to be able to use some apps and the Internet from the same device. Definitely worth the $50.
We made burrito bowls for dinner and I watched TV and knitted in the evening.
On Sunday, I skipped my long run (waaaah! unheard of!) because it was raining non-stop. I guess I could have gone to the gym, but I didn’t. I slept in a little later and then had my usual phone calls with my family. I puttered around the house for the rest of the day, read a little bit and cooked a new recipe in the evening.
The weekend was relaxing and productive at the same time. I like it that way.
How was your Thanksgiving? Did you stay home or see a bunch of family?
Beth
November 27, 2017 at 7:57 amYour weekend sounds lovely! Nothing wrong with keeping things low key and simple! Your meal looks so delicious! Are you reading Nora’s book right now? She’s local to me and that book is amazing! I have found I actually like reading on the Fire more than I thought I would! We had a good Thanksgiving, we saw family, but just immediate family so it wasn’t too crazy!
san
November 28, 2017 at 7:43 amNo, noting wrong with keeping it low key and simple – I agree :) Yes, I am reading that book right now… it’s heart-breaking but also very well written. So, you have a Fire too? How do you like it?
Charlotte
November 27, 2017 at 8:00 amAwww, sounds like you had a lovely weekend! And I love your beautiful table decor–it’s nice that you decorate, regardless of whether or not you have two people or 10. It’s festive(r) that way :)
I actually ended up going grocery shopping yesterday, and wish I did it earlier in the week. BUT we did find a new super grocery store that had so many vegan treats–I was impressed! Today I’ll start some meal planning and trying to right the ship after days of treats and bad eating habits :)
I have an old Kindle but I love it. I think ereaders are totally worth it (and you got a great deal on yours!), especially when traveling. My local library lets you download books to your ereader of choice (then it simply goes away when it’s due, pretty amazing!)–but it’s so much easier for traveling than schlepping all of your books along.
Glad to hear you had a wonderful holiday, and all the best for the week ahead :) XOXO
san
November 28, 2017 at 7:45 amYES! It is more festive to set a nice table – regardless of wether you have 2 or 10 people. I need this to get in the holiday spirit.
You’re right – for the longest time, I didn’t want an ereader, because I loved the physical feeling of reading a book, but you can’t beat them for traveling and when you’re on the go!
Megan @ Meg Go Run
November 27, 2017 at 8:28 amYour table looks beautiful. We rarely eat at the table, but when we do, I like it to look nice too and even sometimes light a candle! I’m glad you got such a good deal on your Fire. Today I got wireless headphones and got a great cyber monday deal! The wire on mine freeze and then break. So I guess I am trying wireless…
san
November 28, 2017 at 7:46 amThank you – I love setting the table, although I admit we don’t eat EVERY meal at the table either ;)
Yay for new wireless headphones. I only had wired headphones for the longest time, but recently won some wireless one through a giveaway… they’re awesome!
Kate
November 27, 2017 at 10:05 amFor $50, I feel like you can’t beat having a tablet. Like, not VITAL, but it’s not like you spent hundreds on it – & if you’re mostly planning to use it as an e-reader, it’s just a nice bonus to be able to use it for a little something else, too. Mike loves his!
san
November 28, 2017 at 7:46 amThat’s exactly right – for $50, you can’t beat having a tablet. I totally caved ;)
Divya
November 27, 2017 at 10:22 amCoconut whipped cream sounds like my kind of thing! I gotta check it out next time we make a trip to TJ’s.
Our Thanksgiving was spent in Chattanooga, eating hotel food for dinner, hahaha. But, fortunately, we had a Friendsgiving dinner Friday and ate all the yummy Thanksgiving foods then! :)
san
November 28, 2017 at 7:47 amThe coconut whipped cream is suprisingly good. I was worried that it was too sweet, but it was actually perfect! Hope you can find it at your local TJs (don’t know if it’s a seasonal item).
ShootingStarsMag
November 27, 2017 at 10:38 amWhat a fun weekend! I do like a mix of productive and relaxing. I didn’t do a ton for Thanksgiving – saw Justice League with my dad and then we had chicken too (with various sides, etc.). I bought most of my shopping online but I did go out Friday with a friend. It’s fairly dead in the stores on actual Black Friday, at least around me. That’s such an awesome deal on the Kindle though! I have a Kindle Paperwhite, which works for me, but $50 for an e-reader PLUS some other apps/internet? You can’t beat that!
-Lauren
san
November 28, 2017 at 7:48 amThe stores were empty on Black Friday? That’s surprising… I guess a lot of people decided to do online shopping after all :)
Courtney A. Casto
November 27, 2017 at 8:16 pmFor some reason, I can’t stop looking at those green beans! They look delicious…I might have to work them into my meal planning this week.
I love that you decorated your table! It’s so important to make your space comfortable and pretty for yourself (or for the two of you!) I try to buy myself fresh flowers from the grocery store occasionally and I keep my dining room table decorated with my Grandmother’s dishes when we’re not using it. Just because I like it. :)
I’m jealous of your day of non-stop rain! I love the rain!
san
November 28, 2017 at 7:49 amYou gotta make those green beans – they’re we so EASY and quick to make. Just put on a pan sheet, sprinkle with olive oil and salt and the pancetta and bake at 450F for 15-20 minutes. They were delicious!
I love that you keep your dining room decorated – it makes a home feel more cozy! (Can I send you some rain? I mean, we need it, but I’ll share ;))
anthea
November 28, 2017 at 2:39 amYour weekend sounds amazing! Stunning table decorations and the food looked delicious!
That hot chocolate…yummy! Currently such a weakness of mine :)
san
November 28, 2017 at 7:49 amThank you – Thanksgiving was really good. And the hot chocolate… I can see having some more often this holiday season ;)
Lisa of Lisa's Yarns
November 28, 2017 at 6:35 amI have a kindle paperwhite and I LOVE it. Before that I had a nook and the paperwhite was such an upgrade. I hope you like your Kindle Fire – getting it for $50 is a steal. I hope you like “It’s Okay to Laugh” as much as I did! We are discussing it at our December book club. Her podcast (Terrible, Thanks for Asking) is wonderful, too, but very heart breaking as she interviews people with sad stories.
My Thanksgiving weekend was great as well. We celebrated with my family on Thursday at my brothers and then I hosted everyone for lasagna on Friday. Phil went to his mom’s on Saturday so I spent the day making/canning salsa verde. Sunday was a shouldless day. We lazed around and decorated our tree. All in all it was a delightful long weekend. I also did not do any Black Friday shopping at stores. I did buy some things on line – mostly cloth diapers as there were some great deals! We have really really cut back on presents in our family so I don’t have much shopping to do. Instead of getting my parents a gift, we use the money we would have spent on them to sponsor a family. My SIL and I did the shopping for that the weekend before Thanksgiving so that is out of the way. I ordered a few things for MIL and a book for my godson. We still need to buy a few more things for Phil’s mom but that’s pretty much all we have left to buy. Phil and I don’t exchange gifts are neither of us are gift people. Instead we make a special dinner together and then bake something to share with our family at Christmas.
san
November 28, 2017 at 7:52 amSo far I am really liking the Fire AND the book… it’s heart-breaking but so well written. I should check out Nora’s podcast.
I am glad to hear you had a great Thanksgiving weekend yourself. It sounds so nice to spend it with all your family! I am also happy that you were able to take advantage of some Black Friday deals… J and I don’t really exchange gifts anymore either (we make a nice dinner and sometimes we buy something for Christmas, that we would probably buy otherwise anyway – haha – like we got tickets for Bill Maher in February). Most of my other gifts are fairly small, because I like to keep it simple and between my parents and sister, we usually “save” the money for the time when we actually get together rather than spend it on postage (which has become so ridiculously expensive).
Audrey
November 28, 2017 at 10:10 amI love that you make it a priority to decorate the table and layout all the festive foods!
Note to self: Go grocery shopping next year on Black Friday!
I bought a Nook years ago but you’re right, it’s obsolete now :( The husband got me a Kindle for my bday though so I’m a happy girl ;)
san
November 29, 2017 at 8:26 amThank you – I feel like it’s so worth it to decorate and cook a nice meal, even if you’re not having any guests over :)
Oh yay, glad to hear you upgraded from a Nook to a Kindle too. I loved my Nook at the time, but yeah, it’s old now.
Akaleistar
November 28, 2017 at 10:35 amYour Thanksgiving weekend sounds lovely! Your table looks so pretty :)
san
November 29, 2017 at 8:26 amThanks so much, Ashley :)
Lindsay
November 29, 2017 at 11:14 amSOunds like such a perfect long weekend and I’m jealous – four days off, that’s pretty sweet.
Isn’t coconut whipped cream really yummy? I found it in a store a few months ago and couldn’t resist grabbing it to try.
All of your food looks delish and the burrito bowl sounds amazing right now (I’m hungry and about to eat my salad for lunch).
Good for you for making it a priority to set the table and decorate it, even if it’s just you two. That’s cute. We totally don’t do that and in fact, got rid of our dining room table because it became a dumping ground. I regret it now, but still I won’t get another until we get a bigger space.
san
December 2, 2017 at 12:10 pmI very rarely use whipped cream, but I love it and the coconut version is a nice, lighter alternative! :)
What you got rid off your dining table? No way!
Stephany
November 29, 2017 at 12:42 pmI love your Thanksgiving table! And you cannot beat getting a Kindle Fire for $50. That’s amazing! I went from using a tablet as my e-reader (an iPad mini) to a Kindle Paperwhite because reading on a tablet was really tough in the sun. And I never used my tablet for anything BUT reading, haha, so it made more sense to go back to a traditional Kindle. And, hey, now I have the tablet around for when I need it, so it’s not all bad.
san
December 2, 2017 at 12:11 pmOh I mean, it can’t hurt to have both an iPad Mini AND a kindle paperwhite, right? ;)
Terra
December 4, 2017 at 11:32 amI’ve got a kindle, and I love it. It doesn’t do much other than give me books to read, but it’s been so nice to travel with it. I had a fancier tablet previously, but I found I didn’t use it that much, mostly because now I can do everything I want to do on my phone.
Also long runs on the treadmills are one of my least favorite things and I hate running in the pouring rain – light rain is ok – so I would have skipped the run too. :)