Thanksgiving Festivities

We really had the best Thanksgiving. It was our first time hosting at Stone Hill. We borrowed a six foot table from Katiecakes and had eleven people for dinner. We found fabulous chairs at the Turnover Shop and I felt so prepared.

I've been saving these little cordial cups and just loved the way the rosemary looked in them. My Momma and Daddy gave us their English Renaissance china for our wedding. We love it.

We had a great day and again were so, so happy to have my beautiful grandmother with us. Lucy and Susan brought her this scarf from their summer trip to China. I can hardly believe she is 92 years young.

Lucy was a huge help.

I let her loose in my craft closet and she helped decorate the place cards.

Francie enjoyed the newly heated Breezeway and some reading.

Susan, Eric and I did a lot of work in the kitchen.

It was awesome. I did have one minor melt down and asked my loving family to leave the kitchen. We were getting lots of direction and "are you sure you want to do that? kind of comments. I finally said, If we were going to fail, E. and I will have to fail together. It was actually the best part of the day because Eric and I felt like such partners and became Team Somerville once again.

We roasted pine nuts for the Brussels Sprouts.

E. took out the dry brined turkey and rubbed it inside and out with an herb butter made from fresh sage and our good neighbors thyme.

We stuffed it with tons of rosemary, cored apples and onions. I left out the lemon because Mary Frances is allergic. God forbid she gets here safely on a plane, by herself, to have an allergic reaction to our bird.

We added celery, onions and apples in the pan with two cups of water. We had the oven preheated to 450 degrees.

We turned the heat down after thirty minutes and it looked like this just after thirty minutes. It was GORGEOUS. E. basted it every thirty minutes for three hours. Thanks to Guy and Pam for their last minute baster loan.

Susan helped make our New York Brussels Sprouts with purple onion and pine nuts.

I made cranberry sauce three days earlier that turned out so well. I hate cranberry sauce. This one was seriously amazing. I used one and a half bags of fresh cranberries, made a simple syrup on the stove and cooked them just until they started to pop. I added the peel of one orange thinly sliced. Finally, I grated one large knuckle of ginger and added two tablespoons of Port Wine. I let it cool and put a handful of fresh berries while it was cooling and the orange slices. It was joy rapture in your mouth.

The turkey was not only gorgeous but I think it was the best I've ever had. It was perfectly cooked and the little pop up thing jumped out at just the right time.

I was so proud of my husband. That is a 22 pound bird and kinda hot. We let it rest for thirty minutes.

We put the stuffing in the oven and asked everyone to pray as it was still warming up. The food was actually warm when I sat down!

We were blessed with great friends and family. 

We will cherish this time together and our memories of this past weekend for years.

I love this photo of Eric's sister and his Daddy.

My aunt is so wonderful and the best kind of guest. She was a rock star in the kitchen. Do you recognize her? She's an actress and was Dr. G. on Sex in the City. She was also in Leaving Las Vegas and a ton of theatre on an off Broadway. I spent so many Thanksgiving's with Susan that I feel like Thanksgiving is "our" holiday. It was so wonderful having her with us in our home finally with Lucy!

 

I'm also thankful to have my great grandmother's china serving bowls. It's a little thing but I love how this "stuff" connects us to the past.

I also loved looking across our table and seeing my darling husband happy as a clam.

We are blessed beyond measure and are truly thankful to have had the space and time to be with family and friends this Thanksgiving. We are thankful for our jobs, our health and all the projects that Stone Hill keeps us busy with. We are now setting our sites on Christmas and the new bundle of joy that is Andrew McWilliams! Yesterday was his birthday and it is also St. Andrew's Feast Day. I could hardly believe it. He is the patron saint of Scotland!!! Hoping all of you had enjoyable time with your families too.

Macy's Day Parade Memories

My aunt and uncle lived on 2nd and 11th in the East Village for years. We lost John to cancer the summer of 2004. Ever since 1992 when I was taking a semester at American University I would spend Thanksgiving with John and Susan and later Lucy when she was born. This photo brings up more emotions and memories than I could ever, ever begin to explain. It's the view from their patio over looking St. Mark's church. I had so many great times on that patio and in their home. They even hosted my 30th birthday party!

Many Thanksgiving mornings would find us on the second floor of 41st Street to watch the Macy's Day Parade from a friend's office.

It was seriously the best view. Look at the people on the street. This same year Lucy was little, little and we tried to get up the stairs from the subway but there were magazines stacked in the way. It was like trying to walk on a waterfall of magazines. We were seriously frightened. There were so many people and we felt a little bit trapped hiking up the stairwell of slippery papers.

But we made it. This is my cousin Lucy. She's now a teenager! Susan and Lucy will be visiting Stone Hill this Thanksgiving. We are so excited and getting the house ready for them and our grandmother.

Kermy...I love you!!!

I am maybe the biggest band geek ever. Growing up going to every Michigan home football game sealed it. I loved watching our band and even though they were our opponents the University of Ohio script Ohio is my all time favorite half time moment. We have a friend who played for the "best damn band in the land." So I love a good parade with the bands, the pom pom girls, spirit dancers and the whole schabang. I'm a fan.

This was taken two years before Steve Irwin died. While digging through old photos, I forgot I had this shot. Rest in peace crocodile hunter.

Hall of Famer Joe Namath waving right at us for the picture! 

I love this photo of our friend with the reindeer in the background. She is designer Dana Buchman. It's Dana's office that we would visit every year. We had many a Thanksgiving with her family. She is from Memphis and has known my family for years. She dated my uncle John and they stayed great friends. Her husband's family started Farberware and OXO Good Grips. Sam Farber makes THE best apple pie. He created the Good Grip for his wife Besty who has arthritis. They are a wonderful family and welcomed us like family many years at their table.

Me, Dana, Annie Rose, and their cousin. Charlotte is on the cover of Dana's book. We had many a late night, apres turkey kareoke sing along. Her girls are all grown up now too and I feel old as hell!

Click the image to purchase Dana's book.

Dana's studio was in the old Perry Ellis building.

Her office had her signature zebra print as a wall to wall carpet with the most beautiful shade of purple suede chairs.

Welcome hallway with my favorite photo of Dana.

I will cherish these memories from New York forever. I only wish I had known E. when my Uncle Johnny was still living. They would have adored each other. John was an architect and his last project was the Baryshnikov Dance Foundation on 37th. I can't wait to attend a production there one day.

Santa always ends the parade...and then we would trudge back to the Lower East side through the throngs of folks and get ready to head to dinner at Tom and Dana's. Pure blissful memories.

Many thanks to the multiple years that Dana and Tom hosted me along with John, Susan and Lucy. I always felt like a lucky kid taking the train from DC visiting the big apple during this time of year. It was seriously the best blessing being with John and Susan all those many years for long weekend visits. I love that E. and I have been to Brooklyn in Susan and Lucy's new home. We love you guys and CAN NOT wait to see you next week.