Friday, November 27, 2009

Cooking Light Winners - And My Thanksgiving in Pictures!

What great stories about your first pets! I was expecting to just see a name in the comments, but was pleasantly surprised to read so much more about your pets...they are wonderful, aren't they?!? Now, without further ado, I present to you the winners - congratulations Gigi (pet's name: Tiger) and Debby (pet's name: Schatzie) - you've each won a year's subscription to Cooking Light magazine! Please email me (40somethingsjourney@gmail.com) your full name and address as soon as possible so I can get these ordered for you!

And now, I present to you my Thanksgiving in pictures:
Paco the Wonder Dog resting with Max
Soooo sleepy...
...and he's out!
Never one to play favorites, Paco later bonds with Sam while watching Mythbusters.
Getting the veggie tray (premade from Sam's Club) ready - easypeasy! Note the two casseroles on the counter behind me - one is stuffing and the other is sweet potato casserole (recipe from Cooking Light a few years ago, ironically!)...both will go into the oven when the turkey comes out.
My plate - yes, it's too full, but really, considering it's my Thanksgiving dinner, I'm actually doing good. Turkey, gravy, sweet potatoes, stuffing, green bean casserole (kids love it - why mess with tradition?) and canned cranberry sauce (hey, I grew up on this stuff and still think it's the best!). This year EVERYTHING came out so good! I wish I could guarantee that the meal would always taste this great - some years the gravy is meh, or the turkey is just ok, but this year it all was fantastic!
Max and I - please note my silverware is in the "I'm finished" position on my plate while everyone else was continuing to have more. I am proud of myself for stopping!
Sam and Jeff - it's "No Shave November" and Sam's Amish beard is in full swing! Both boys are looking a little scraggly - it's getting toward the end of the semester and they have been swamped with schoolwork - no time for haircuts!

And in full disclosure, I had a piece of pumpkin pie later on...and then another, much smaller piece. But that was it - in my mind, I am done - back to my regularly-scheduled eating. I am proud to say that I also worked out this morning - I met my workout buddy Kathleen at a local gym where we used a one-day free pass. I did the treadmill for about 25 minutes, walking and running, the elliptical, the stair climber, and we also used some weight machines (mostly for upper body). So four workouts this week vs. one huge meal...I think I'm gonna be ok!

P.S. Sam thinks the pictures above are unflattering to him so to appease the boy I took another picture this morning:
Sam and Paco, ready for the day!

18 comments:

  1. Sounds like a great day - and I love Paco! :D

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  2. Way to go on working out on Turkey Day!!

    I am sure you are having a great time with your boys - happy Friday!

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  3. What great pics, from a great day! You did awesome!!!!

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  4. Great pictures! Looks like a warm happy family day.

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  5. Wow - thanks so much for the Cooking Light, Shelley! I really need some new ideas and this will come in SO handy.

    Your thanksgiving looks warm and wonderful. Hope you have a great rest of the weekend.

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  6. Seems to me you've had a wonderful Thanksgiving and it's great to see your boys! They're cute!

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  7. Poor Paco. He looks like he has a really hard life. ;-)

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  8. Yay! Thanksgiving dinner looked yummy! Mine was very similar, except I served chicken (only 3 eaters). My kids were shocked that I didn't serve a vegetable. I have leftovers for breakfast AND lunch today!

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  9. Congrats to the winners! Looks like a great day. You have a beautiful family.

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  10. What a beautiful family you have! My favorite pic was of you with your silverware in the "all done" position! Great job.

    You look wonderful in the pictures!

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  11. Oooo yummy looking food pictures..And wait-no fiesta ware! :) Getting all formal on us..

    So proud of you for your eating..and the 'finished' fork position..Our meal was today, and I think I did pretty well.

    Your dog is hilarious, or at least in these photos.

    wow, and u are back to your workouts again already. U continue to inspire. Oh--any unprompted comments from the fellas?? Chrissy

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  12. Squeee!!! I can't believe I won! I'm so excited!

    Your doggie is so cute. Love his markings. And dinner looks fabulous. I grew up on the canned cranberry sauce too, and always thought it was the best. This year I converted to Trader Joe's brand that looks like homemade. Your boys look like nice young men!

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  13. Aww, such great pictures - looks like you all had a great day!

    I didn't read the bit about the pumpkin pie, lol!

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  14. Aw, Happy Thanksgiving. Look how well you did! I didn't take any photos of my plate :)

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  15. Thank you for coming by my blog today and commenting on the 'giveaway' post! I really appreciate it!!!

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  16. Shelley,

    Thanks for sharing your wonderful Thanksgiving pictures. You and your family look to be having a wonderful, comfortable time.

    And congrats on your day, pie and all.

    BTW - I enjoyed my holiday in your town. Fantastic weather for a game - and boy, was it exciting!

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  17. Hi Shelley,

    Wow, great pictures of your Thanksgiving day! I think you did just fine and you got in exercise too! You look great and you have a nice family.
    Thanks for sharing! Keep up the good work.
    Debi

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  18. Hi Shelley,

    Looks like Thanksgiving was a great day at your house! How wonderful!! :-) Seems like I visited your blog once before, while blog hopping a few months ago, still learning about this 'blog stuff.' Ha Ha! Today, I found you by way of Fran's blogroll. (the over-40 part caught my eye!)

    Love the pet theme for a giveaway. Since I write two blogs (running as an over-40 diabetic NON-athlete & a foodie one focused on clean, healthy eating), I've been contemplating what kind of giveaway I'd like to do on each and what kind(s) of question(s) to ask. Ironically, Cooking Light was one of my thoughts, too.... isn't it THE BEST resource?? Not sure about the contest part yet. Hmmm...I've got some ideas brewing!

    Anyway, enjoyed reading yours today, and 'meeting' your family (tell Sam he looks great in ALL the pics!). It's fun to get to know fellow bloggers w/ stories and family pics.... such a great community in which we write, isn't it??

    I'm adding you to my blogroll now...!

    Hugs from Orlando,
    robin

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