There Was Cranberry Sauce, but It Was Forgotten.

When my sister Maggie called our house yesterday, she told my brother Bob that there was cranberry sauce, but she forgot to place it on the table. As a result, it was not served or offered for leftovers. The lack of Cranberry sauce helped to make Thanksgiving interesting.

Thanksgiving and Black Friday

I had a very nice Thanksgiving! The participants were my sister Maggie, her husband Mike, my brother Joe, my niece Mandy, and her husband Paul. We had turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, corn, sweet potatoes, Crescent(?) rolls, gravy, Strawberry Jell-O, and Heavenly Hash (Sometimes known as Ambrosia, it usually involves Mandarin oranges, Maraschino Cherries, coconut, and a few other ingredients. It is a family tradition.) The appetizers were included with the dinner, consisting of Cheesy pretzel rods, Mozzarella sticks, and TGI Friday's Potato Skins. Dessert was Pumpkin Pie, Chocolate cheesecake, and Marie Callender's Coconut Cream pie (It was frozen at dessert time, so I had it later on Thanksgiving night.) The food was all delicious! I didn't even notice that Cranberry Sauce was missing this year until I had leftovers tonight for dinner. I can always buy some when I go shopping. Thankfully, the leftovers will be gone a lot sooner than the ones from my birthday party, but I enjoyed the previous leftovers a lot.

In addition to eating, Mandy, Maggie, and I used plastic body parts to decorate a pumpkin. The Christmas Gift Exchange was started. Bob and I will finish it either tonight or tomorrow. This also happened last year when we were not sure if my niece Marnie and her husband Mike were participating because they backed out the year before because they were planning to buy a house, which was successfully completed about a year and a half ago. I haven't picked yet!

Eventually, Mike drove me home. Paul and Mandy picked me up! I am grateful because carrying mashed potatoes and containers on the bus would be too funny! I spent the rest of the evening relaxing.

On Friday, I visited Rocky River Public Library. After leaving the Library, I went to a nearby Dollar Tree to pick up some cough drops. I missed my bus in the process, but I walked down to Wooster and Detroit Roads (I was at Detroit and Linda when I was at Dollar Tree.) to catch another bus. I took that bus downtown. I barely catch my bus to Dibella's Subs in Independence to take advantage of a BOGO deal that was only good on Black Friday. It wasn't too crowded when I got there, but as I was eating, the line was almost out the door. I had a Turkey, Ham, and Roast Beef Sub on Multigrain Bread. I brought home a Corned Beef Sub on Multigrain Bread. I enjoyed my Sub, but Bob thought his was only average. If they had a Reuben, Bob would have received that instead. I then caught a bus to Marc's in Midtown Plaza in Parma, so I could buy Bob some bananas that were on sale. I didn't have a lot of time to do anything else, because I wanted to catch a bus that was coming soon. (At the time of this trip, the buses run thirteen minutes apart. The first bus was five minutes behind schedule.) Thankfully, the next bus was a little late, so I made it. I then bought lottery tickets for yesterday and today. Once again, I relaxed when I came home.

Eventually, I will tell the stories that I have been wanting to tell.

My Birthday Party

On October 22, we celebrated my 41st birthday, which was the day before, at my sister Maggie and her husband Mike's house in Parma! We had Take-out Chinese food from Ni's Express on Broadview Road in Parma! Their food is similar to our usual Chinese Restaurant, East China, also on Broadview Road in Parma, but closer to the Northern Cleveland-Parma Border. The food was tasty! We had Chicken with Snow Peas, Chicken Ding with Almonds, Chicken Lo Mein, Beef with Broccoli, white rice (Included with each entree), pork fried rice, won ton soup, crispy noodles (for the soup, but I can eat them out of the bag), and egg rolls! There were fortune cookies, and green tea was also a bonus! I didn't have a fortune cookie, or any tea. The Chinese food was all tasty! There was also a vegetable lasagna and mozzarella sticks, but I didn't enjoy them until they were leftovers! Both were tasty! We also had a yellow cake with chocolate frosting. (It's a little more elaborate than that, but it is a little "complex".) Ruggles Moose Tracks Ice Cream, Marshmallows and Pistachios (My cousin Joanne's, Aunt Rita's only daughter, recipe), "Pink Jello, a Giant Eagle Cheesecake Variety pack, and a Giant Eagle Pumpkin- Cream Cheese Roll. The desserts were spread over a week, and they were all delicious.

The participants were the party hosts, my sister Kathleen, my brothers Joe and Bob, and my niece Mandy. My sister Patty, her husband Dan SR., their son Dan JR, and his daughters Amy Marie and Emily were scheduled to attend, but Patty was quite ill, so they cancelled. It would have been an even better party with them, but I still had fun, despite my coughing problem!

The day was one to remember! There will be more about other events in a future post! Until then, keep having fun!!