Welcome! “Where Bloggers Live” started out kind of like HGTV’s “Celebrities at Home,” but…with bloggers! We all like to peek behind the scenes and see inside people’s homes, interests, and lives, so every month this wonderful  family of amazing women shares their work-spaces, homes, towns, and thoughts, with posts based on specific prompts. It’s been so interesting over the years to see the different ways each of us interpret the topics.

Before starting this month’s theme…I want to talk a bit about our good, late friend, Iris, and how thankful I was for her friendship for so many years. We’ve blogged together here for five years and emailed between monthly posts. But I’ve known her a lot longer than that. I first met Iris on an Ebay Yahoo Groups email list in 2005. I was selling everything under the sun. She was selling charming cross-stiches she’d done and patterns she’d created.

There was a core group of about 20 of us on that email list who got pretty close. As we were all working on ebay from home, we exchanged emails all throughout the day. We knew most everything about everyone’s lives. We shared stories happy and sad, and kept up with how one another’s families were doing.

People who say the internet keeps you isolated, are so wrong. These people were as close as family at that time. Some of us met at Ebay Live in Las Vegas in 2006. Good times.

I can’t remember now what prompted it, but for some reason Way Back When, I sent Iris a big box of Kosher Salt (I’m sure it made sense at the time). Then she sent me a beaded dragonfly pin she’d made (my ebay shop was Dragonfly Vintage). I sent her a little elephant figurine (she collected them). When I was sick she cross-stitched me an inspirational saying. Both these items are in my “keeping forever” tubs at my daughter’s house while I’m traveling.

She was a quietly strong woman. She’d been through so much while we were all on the ebay list together. She lost her beloved husband, Charles. She battled and beat breast cancer. She suffered through the loss of her little heart dog, Frosty. She never complained. She always made sure everyone got a response to their email, even if it was just to say, “I wish I could help but I don’t know about ___,” just so no one would ever feel not heard.

Iris was a quiet, steady force behind my computer screen for so many years. I’m so sorry she’s gone…but I’m thankful she was in my life for as long as she was.

RIP, Iris xoxo. Farewell, friend.

And I’m not sure if we’d mentioned this previously, but our lovely blogging sister, Leslie, is stepping away from the blog, due to…well, LIFE. I get it. We all get it. But she will surely be missed. She always had encouraging comments and really insightful observations on posts. I’m grateful for her ongoing friendship.

So our little group is growing smaller…but we still have Jody, Sally, Daenel, Mary, and me. I’m thankful they’re all still joining me in this monthly endeavor,

OKAY. Onto the month’s topic: Thanksgiving Favorites.

My sister did always do a really lovely Thanksgiving

I am not a huge fan of Thanksgiving, honestly. It’s a LOT of work, trying to get so many dishes all on the table at the same time, a turkey that needs to be in the oven for hours, sides that compete for oven space, SO many dishes to wash and clean-up afterwards…and all for…a meal that is eaten in under 15 minutes. I love the CONCEPT of Thanksgiving…of making a point to think about what you’re grateful for. To share with loved ones how grateful you are that they’re in your life.

Thankful be all hearts and gay within our home on Thanksgiving Day.

But I just don’t get that excited about this particular holiday meal. Turkey – no thanks. Except for the skin.

But the SIDES. Buttery mashed potatoes with gravy and biscuits with butter, stuffing. My sister made a really good orange-cranberry relish, hers was about the only cranberry thing I’d ever eat. My mother always made a lime jello mold with mini marshmallows, maraschino cherries, and walnuts. That was tolerable cuz I could just fish for marshmallows and cherries.

I always loved that I got Katie Thanksgiving Eve into Thanksgiving Day…cuz in the morning we’d make fancy breakfast and just have a relaxing morning…before she left in the late afternoon to go have turkey at her father’s.

Even the traditional desserts don’t get me all that worked up. Pumpkin pie, it’s nice but it’s nothing I get excited over. Apple pie is nice.

French Pancakes aka crepes

I think the best part of the Thanksgiving meal is the leftovers. Open-face turkey sadwiches with stuffing and cranberry relish and gravy for days. And even better than that, cream of turkey soup.

In NY, the weeks before and after Thanksgiving were about the only times all year that you could get cream of turkey soup.

OH – and fancy Thanksgiving breakfast. Crepes with special boozy fruity jammy filling while watching parades in our pajamas.

Y U M

So you can have your turkey. I’ll choose sides (literally).

Potato pancakes for days from leftover mashed potatoes

Hope you’ll take a look at my friends’ blogs as well and see what their Thanksgiving favorites are!

Daenel at Living Outside the Stacks
Em at Dust and Doghair
Jodie at Jodie’s Touch of Style
Sally at Within a World of My Own

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