Tag Archives: Thanksgiving

Comfort Food = Celery???

Kerri Carpenter, , , ,

When you think of comfort food I’m sure you don’t immediately go to celery. But for me, celery has a very special place in my heart because it’s a family tradition. Without further ado, please enjoy my video on the comforting powers of celery….

Here are some close ups of the celery-making process. First you mix the softened cream cheese with minced Spanish olives, a little bit of the olive juice, and chopped walnuts.

 

Then slather (yes, slather, isn’t that a great word!) onto the cleaned and trimmed celery.

 

Lastly, cut the celery into bite sized pieces. Enjoy!

So…if I have an awesome Thanksgiving and it doesn’t go viral, is it still awesome?

Alethea Kontis, , , , , ,

Hello everyone!

How was your Thanksgiving, US folks? Mine was incredibly stressful, thank you. Oh, it’s all stuff I won’t discuss on the internet…you know. Suffice it to say that I hope yours went a lot more smoothly than mine.

In one way, though, my Thanksgiving was awesome.

Here’s what happened: The first day we were at the in-laws, Joe’s mom presented him with a handful of 4-5 inch tall comic book figurines. She had cleaned out something, somewhere, and despite Joe having no recollection of these items, Mrs. B was sure they were his. They were all posed for action: Wolverine, The Punisher (missing an arm), and Captain America.

I lifted Captain America to examine him. The stamp on the back read “1989,” which would have meant Joe bought these when he was at least 19 if they really were his…but they were his now, and within his power to redistribute as he saw fit.

“Can I have Cap?” I asked.

“Sure,” he said.

I had my phone with me, so I posed Cap next to the apple butter and snapped a quick picture of him to share with my online friends, with many of whom I had spent previous Thanksgivings and was currently missing like crazy. As soon as the shutter closed on Instagram, I had an idea. A brainstorm. An inspiration that would save my fragile soul from the impending wretched holiday.

Because…see…here’s the thing. Authors have this amazing superpower they often forget about: They have the ability to create entire worlds in which people can escape from their lives. And before that author is published and read by millions of people around the world, there’s only one person escaping from life in that world: The Author Herself.

I desperately needed an escape…and I had just found it. I would tell a story.

As soon as I woke up Thursday morning, I began snapping photos of Cap. This was the first one:

Cap — saving the world, and it’s not even 10am.


Cap — saving the world, and it’s not even 10am.

This went on — off and on — all day long, posting my triptych via my Instagram app (crossposting to Twitter, Tumblr, and Facebook). . I used Cap as an excuse to get outside and go for a walk — it was chilly, but a gorgeous day everyone else was adamant about wasting inside. This resulted in my favorite pic, composition-wise:

Turkey needs another hour in the oven…Cap takes this opportunity to get festive.


Turkey needs another hour in the oven…Cap takes this opportunity to get festive.

After dinner, Joe and I left the house again…because we were awake, incredibly stuffed, and Joe’s Grandmother needed a television. Coincidentally, a few places were having sales! Now, Black Friday is not a tradition with us, but this time I was raring to go. And so was Cap.

CAP IS NOT LEAVING HERE WITHOUT A TELEVISION.


CAP IS NOT LEAVING HERE WITHOUT A TELEVISION.

While standing in line, I had a chance to check in with the internet and see how well this was being received. There were a few “Likes” on Instagram and a few replies on Twitter. Tumblr didn’t really give a crap.

Facebook, however, had exploded with comments…and these comments went on for a couple of days. Turns out, Cap wasn’t just saving my Thanksgiving…he was saving a lot of other people’s as well. And as those were people I care about, it made the result all the sweeter.

When all was said and done, did the internet remember an American superhero experiencing the trials of American Thanksgiving? No. They remembered a guy who got onto a plane and tweeted a fight with a woman that degraded into passing notes with foul language and a slap at the gate. Even better, this scenario NEVER HAPPENED. Just yesterday, the guy admitted it was all fake.

My fun little story didn’t get retweeted by Joss Whedon or Stan Lee. Marvel wasn’t banging my door down with a picture book deal, and I wasn’t picked up by BoingBoing or io9. Instead, some rude ABC Producer’s fake tweets got attention in every major news outlet, because–literally–at the end of the day, the sensational scandal won out. It always has, and it always will. I have to say, I was disappointed in America that day. Cap was too.

But in my magical little corner of the world, I made my friends smile. That’s what started me on this strange career, and that’s why I’ll stay on this path for the rest of my life. I am a Jedi who will continue to put good things out into the world. I will fight for the Goody Two Shoes and the Mary Sues…and Cap will back me up every time.

So…how was your Thanksgiving?

To see the full album of "Caps Best Thanksgiving Ever," click here: http://www.tumblr.com/search/capsbestthanksgivingever

Cap’s Best Thanksgiving Ever

To see the full album of “Cap’s Best Thanksgiving Ever,” click here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151730393112085.1073741834.709582084&type=1&l=2cf1d1cee4

For those on Tumblr: http://www.tumblr.com/search/capsbestthanksgivingever (start at the bottom)

 

A Time For Thanksgiving…

Dana Rodgers, generosity, mermaids, ,

th-1It’s November… The days are getting colder, it gets darker earlier and Christmas is just around the corner.

What do you think of when you think of November? NaNoWriMo? The time change? Veteran’s Day? Thanksgiving? For me, November is a time for giving thanks. Here are a few of the things I am thankful for in my life:

  1. I am thankful for my family. Without the support I receive from my husband and children it would be impossible for me to work a full time job, take care of the day-to-day stuff and still find time to write.
  2. I’m thankful that my family is healthy and that we have a roof over our heads and food on our table.
  3. And I am thankful for my job and my co-workers. Just like most of the rest of the world, I’d rather win the lottery and spend my days lounging on a sandy beach somewhere. Preferably with a hot cabana boy to bring me fabulous fruity drinks, but since that sadly doesn’t seem to be an option, I am thankful that my job allows me to take care of my family and save for college, and that my coworkers make that cursed day job tolerable most days.
  4. I am thankful for my friends. I feel so fortunate to be blessed with so many wonderful angels in my life, like every single one of the Waterworld Mermaids. These people lift me up when I am down and challenge me to be better person everyday.
  5. And finally, I am thankful that I live in a time and place where my accomplishments are directly related to how hard I’m willing to work. I have found that the things that are the most valuable in life are those things you have to strive for. I’m glad I get the opportunity to follow my dreams.

So, now that I’ve shared my top five, it’s your turn. Please take a moment to share some of the things that you’re thankful for.

Thankful for Being…Crazy?

Loni Lynne, mermaids, ,

Not my usual ‘thankful’ Thanksgiving idea but I had a brain spasm this morning–or my Muse kicked me in the seat of the pants or something…

Needless to say, I could rant poetically about all the ‘sweet, gooey things’ I’m thankful for and everyone would agree with me in a sentimental sort of way but what about all the ‘Crazy things’ we are thankful for?

Here goes:

I’m Thankful for…

  • My hubby not being able to put his clothes in the hamper. This means I have a ‘normal’ husband and we’ve lived to tell tales ‘good and bad’.
  • My daughters who enjoy goofy conversations, movie quotes at the dinner table and feeding off the crazy energy of each other. This means my daughters can entertain, hold conversations that will take anyone out of a sad or bad mood, and work together doing so.
  • Screwy schedules.  Over the years as a mother, housewife, volunteer, writer/author and all around ‘Jane of all trades’, I’ve developed the talent for multi-tasking and dealing with chaos.
  • Friends who love me no matter what. They see me with make-up, without–in stressed out moods, happy go lucky, etc. and accept every one of my ‘Sybil-like’ moments and still call me up for coffee days and writing sprints.
  • My laptop–for taking all my frustrations in words and stories and still being there for me the next day (most of the time). Hey, laptops get sick, too.
  • My editor. She learned how weird my sense of humor is with the side notes/changes in the review margins of my recent story–and we’ve become friends since then. (You are the best, Judy!)
  • For the times my hubby has had to go away on business. With him gone, absence makes the heart grow fonder. We cherish the moments we spend together when he is home.
  • For Skype–and whoever created the program. It’s as close sometimes as we can get as a family–when hubby is away.

There are so many other ‘crazy’ things to be thankful for, I’m not sure I could list them all.  What are some of the ‘crazy’ things you are thankful for?  Would love to hear them.

All the best and a blessed ‘crazy’ Thanksgiving…wherever you may be!