Burned Meat, A Broken Crock Pot, And A Dropped Cake Can Make Fun Memories

Grandma Lu was laughing so hard while she was talking to her brother today. He was telling her all about their Thanksgiving dinner, or rather what was left of it. He and his family had traveled many miles to be with a dear family member. So of course, the cooking was done in a kitchen that was not familiar to them. Things just seemed to get out of hand all at once. There is an old saying, "too many cooks in the kitchen." Or don't watch TV while you are cooking a big dinner?  I don't know what happened but here are some pictures of the disaster. This meat was so burned that it had to be scraped and scraped to get to the meat that was not burned! Oh my goodness.

Then someone must have moved the wrong way or bumped it but the crock pot flew off the counter and broke into all kinds of little pieces.You must also know that there was a little dog very interested in what food there was that flew onto the floor! Her brother said that the clean up made an even bigger mess.

There were seven (7) folks all scurrying around trying to clean up the mess in a little kitchen. Her brother said, "What fun memories we made this Thanksgiving. Ones we won't soon forget."

Once again there are wonderful photos to preserve those memories.

There are some photos that Grandma Lu didn't get however that she sure is sorry about. Addison and Westin's grandma dropped a three (3) layer pumpkin cake upside down on the floor. Oh what a mess I bet that was! But you know what? Everybody that Grandma Lu talked to had laughed about the "bad stuff" that happened. "Bad stuff" can make really fun memories!

Grandma Lu also has photos from Marlee's friends and some of their Thanksgiving tables.
Marlee's friends and family, and Grandma Lu's friends and relatives all had a good Thanksgiving.
There is a group picture of Laila's great grandparents and some of their family having a fun day.

Even the dogs were happy and ready to watch television. Do you remember Zeus? He's a good dog. He is guarding the remote. He wanted to watch the annual Dog Show that comes on right after the Macy's Day Parade.

Let's find out what Grandma B's tables looked like. She had lots of company so she and her mother and Marlee's Papa fixed lots of food. Grandma B did not burn a single thing! Everything turned out just perfect.
They probably had more help too. I wonder who did the dishes? Hmm.


Some of the recipes and a lot of pictures will be on Marlee's One More Bite cooking show. There will be some guest cooks. One (1) grandpa that I can think of and a grandma and of course, Grandma B.
 Grandma B will show us how to make homemade noodles. Maybe other people might show us how they do that too. I bet it will be a lot of fun to watch.

And then the last picture in this story is a picture of Cooper's grandpa carving the turkey for their Thanksgiving dinner. It looks like he is enjoying himself a lot!
Today we have pictures from Tennessee, South Dakota, Missouri, and Florida and Rhode Island and Iowa. Everyone in these pictures are grateful and thankful for their family and friends; even the burnt stuff! (Big grin)

Happy Thanksgiving To All Marleewood Friends And Family!

Even though Marlee and her friends went home early yesterday, some of her new friends were busy busy busy making decorations for their Thanksgiving table at their home school table. They were

Brandon's great nieces and a great nephew.
Kylee, Kenlee and Aadon were making "hand turkeys" as fast as they could. They would look so pretty on the table for their special dinner. Their mama, Kelsey, stops by sometimes and enjoys all the activities. They all might drop by Marleewood from time to time to help with crafts. That would be so much fun! I know that Grandma B has some plans for Marlee for crafts at her house.
 Well, that is about all of the news today.
Grandma B is busy making her last minute pies.
Grandma Lu is at home having coffee and watching the news. She got all of her baking and cooking done yesterday. Today she is Thankful for that.
These are new pictures today for new friends. Marlee is such a lucky little girl, isn't she to have all these new little friends?
Thanks for the pictures and for reading about Marlee's adventures.
I have a feeling that Charlie is going to be very busy in the Holiday Shop, as will Ginny in the Daycare.
                               HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!

The Day Before Thanksgiving And Keepsakes

The day before Thanksgiving is sometimes a very busy day for some folks. If they are expecting a lot of company for Thanksgiving dinner there are pies to make, and some salads, and desserts, and even some snacks.

Grandma B had a turkey soaking in brine, was getting a brisket and ham ready too! She had made some snacks and cookies and candy. Even Marlee had made some snacks. She was a good helper.
Grandma Lu had told the children and some grownups at Marleewood some Thanksgiving stories.
Grandma Lu has a friend that has kept a Thanksgiving keepsake for many years. One that her granddaughter, Samantha, made her when she was just a little girl. It was so nice of her to share a picture of this precious plate with us.
Sawyer's grandmother sent a picture of a Thanksgiving center piece that her granddaughter, Talia, made. Isn't that pretty?

Grandma Lu's daughter loves to have lots of company for Thanksgiving. She and her husband have six (6) children. Her husband has brothers and a sister that live close by. One of his sisters is a missionary who travels a lot. Sometimes she does have Thanksgiving dinner with them though. So Melanie, Grandma Lu's daughter, and her children love to cook and bake for everyone. This is a picture of some Thanksgiving treats that Melanie's children helped make.



Yum, chocolate and marshmallows! Sometimes they have so many people come to their house they use three (3) or four (4) tables so everyone can sit down and eat.
Grandma Lu has a napkin holder that her oldest son made her. It also, is very precious to her. She keeps it in a glass case. He was seven (7) when he made it. It is a mold of his hands.

Her youngest son made her pictures of turkeys with his hands, and her daughter gave her a Memory Jar. It is a pretty glass jar with many slips of paper in it. Each slip of paper is a different color with a memory typed on it. Sometimes she gets the jar out and reads those little memories. Such fun.
Even though there will only be three (3) people at Grandma Lu's house this year she will be using some old old dishes of her Grandmother's and her mother's. They also have precious memories for Grandma Lu. She has a lot to be thankful for.

Grandma Lu Tells The Story Of The First Thanksgiving

When Grandma Lu was at Marleewood yesterday the children and the grownups convinced her to tell another Thanksgiving story. Thanksgiving is kind of hard to understand when you are little.
Grandma Lu sat down on an old rocking chair with a cup of hot chocolate. Marlee gave her a Thanksgiving snack that she and her "B" and her Papa made just special! Grandma Lu just gave Marlee a great big hug and said, "Thank you so much, Marlee. It looks like you worked really hard on these snacks. Oh, Yummy, they are so good!"
 She listened to the children's questions and answered them a little at a time. Then she set her cup on a little table beside her and said, "Okay, kids, this is how I was told the way Thanksgiving happened a long time ago. In fact, it was the very first Thanksgiving dinner.

Long before my great grandmother was born there was a very bad man. His name was Henry and he was a king. A king is like the head of a country. He was the king of a country called England hundreds of years ago.
Well, he thought that everybody should go to the same church as he did. If he found out that they didn't then he would punish the people. It was much worse than a "time out". He finally got so many people mad at him that some of them got together and had a secret meeting.
There was over a hundred people that decided to go to a place that some people called America. The only way you could get there was to go on a big boat called a ship. Their ship had a name too. It was called the Mayflower. The people were called pilgrims because they were the first people to want to live in America and be free to go to any church that they wanted to. They were on that ship for a long long time. Only fifty-three (53) people made it to America because some of them didn't have enough food to eat or got very sick. This is a cartoon picture of the Mayflower.

The pilgrims' ship came to a place called Plymouth Rock. It was in a state called Massachusetts.
All of a sudden, Ginny and James said, "We have friends in Massachusetts! We have family there too! Grandma Lu laughed and said, "Yes, I know you do. You have a very famous state, don't you?" They nodded their heads and said, "We sure do. We have heard that part of the story before."
Grandma Lu said, "Great news. Can you share some more of the story?" The children shook their heads and said, "No, Grandma Lu. You go ahead and tell the story, please."
"Well, the Pilgrims lived there for about a year the way I heard it told. They had made friends with the Indians that lived there before the pilgrims got there. Do you see the black and white picture of two (2) people? They are pilgrims. They dressed differently than we do now, didn't they?
One of the Indians could speak English like they did. He taught them how to raise corn with some seeds that his people shared with the pilgrims. The Indians taught them how to gather berries and grapes and how to fish the waters for lobster, fish and birds that lived near the ocean.
Ginny started laughing and said, "I have an aunt that just loves to eat lobster!" She giggled and said, "She says lobster funny. She says Lahhhbster!" Everybody laughed at the joke. They all had met her Aunt Diane and liked her. Remember she lived next door to Marleewood. (Cookies....) Grandma Lu took another sip of hot chocolate and asked for another rice krispie turkey that Marlee had made. Then she continued her Thanksgiving story.
"It is said that the Indians taught them that turkeys were good to eat too as well as deer.
 You aren't going to believe this, but they didn't have any potatoes, or butter or flour. They didn't have an oven or stove either! So everything that they cooked  had to be cooked over a camp fire like we do sometimes when we go camping.
It is said that the Indians showed them how to raise cranberries too. The books say that they had cranberries at their first dinner just for the red color, not for the good taste because they are very very sour. Marlee doesn't like sour pickles so she probably wouldn't like sour cranberries.
After the pilgrims had lived there for about a year they had  pretty good gardens. Their corn and some other things that they planted did very well in their new home. So they decided that they would celebrate with a day of prayers of thanksgiving and have a nice meal.
There was a big difference in how the pilgrims celebrated wasn't there? You know what else? They celebrated for three (3) whole days the first time.

Marlee is such a good listener.

The pilgrims didn't have a set date for Thanksgiving like we do now. They would set aside a day of prayers to thank their God for their good crops. Thanksgiving Day would not be a holiday until Abraham Lincoln the president of America many many years later decided it would be a good idea to just celebrate their blessings and get together with friends and family."
When Grandma Lu was finished everyone was quiet. They had never heard that story before. Then the Grandmas and friends small and grownup decided that they were very thankful that they lived in America. They also were thankful for the pilgrims and the Indians that lived here many many years ago that celebrated the very first Thanksgiving.

New Friends And A Thanksgiving Story

After all the people had left Marleewood and all the things were put together for the babies and children in the Daycare, it was time to relax. The Grandmas and Marlee and of course, her close friends were sitting in the living room catching their breath after such a crazy wonderful day.

There was a knock at the door. They all wondered who it could be. Marlee thought that everybody had already been there today. She opened the door with Grandma B right behind her. There stood a lady with her two (2) children. Marlee knew those kids. It was Ginny and James and their mama. How fun. Of course, she invited them in. Everyone welcomed them to Marleewood. They said if they didn't mind they would like a tour of Marleewood. So Marlee took them around while the Grandmas made a snack and some drinks.

Soon everyone sat down and starting talking about Marleewood. Ginny asked if she could help with the Daycare. She told the Grandmas that she had helped take care of James ever since he was little. She loved him very much and would like to help. Her mama smiled and agreed. She told the Grandmas that she was a very good helper with younger children. They all agreed that she could start right after Thanksgiving Day.

While they were visiting they got to talking about Thanksgiving. The older ladies all had fond memories. The little ones of course, couldn't remember their first Thanksgivings. All of a sudden a rush of cold air came into the room and there was Grandma Lu. Everyone gave her a hug and asked her what in the world she was doing out in the cold. She said, "Well, I was kind of lonesome. My kids and grandkids are all grown up. I needed some company."

The little ones knew enough about Grandma Lu to know that she loved to tell stories. So they said, "Will you tell us a story, Grandma Lu, please? The little ones were like sweet memories to her. She said, "Sure, what would you like to hear?" The Grandmas answered, "Tell us a Thanksgiving story please." Well Grandma Lu grinned and said, "Well, I have lots of them. Do you want me to pick out one for you?" They all said yes. So Grandma Lu began.
"She said a few years ago, I had a friend. Her name was Carole. She and I did everything together. We shopped, we canned vegetables and even made wine together. Such fun we had. We even went to Grandma B's beauty shop together to have our hair done. Well, one year we decided to have a huge Thanksgiving dinner for many of our friends. There were several of them that didn't have any place to go. So we invited over thirty (30) people to her house."

James and Ginny and Marlee and Charlie and all their friends raised their hands and said, "Why didn't your friends have anywhere to go and what is Thanksgiving? We don't understand that."
Grandma Lu answered their questions with a sad look and said, "Well sometimes people don't have any family like you children do. Sometimes people don't even have a home they can go to. So that word, "Thankful" that we have been talking about, well my friend Carole and I were very thankful that we had homes, food to eat and plenty to share with our friends. We were thankful that we were warm too, but most of all we were so thankful that we had so many friends. They seemed to always be there when we needed them. Stashia is always there for you isn't she, Marlee? It's the same way when you get all grownup. Remember when your mamas and daddies and grandmas and grandpas always remind you to say Thank You when someone gives you something? That tells people that you are thankful for whatever they have given you; food, toys, water, or even for hugs. I think a really simple word for thankful would be "glad." I'm so glad you are my friends, yes it fits, doesn't it?"
"Getting back to my story now. We didn't have fancy food that day, but we had so much food that we sent food home with people when they left. We had turkey and dressing and salads and pies. But guess what was the best part?"
The children couldn't guess. They just sat still and waited for Grandma Lu to continued her story. "Well the very best part was, that we had music! We had friends there that loved to sing. They had guitars, and microphones. People danced and laughed. For just a little while their troubles were forgotten. For that I am very Thankful. Always be thankful for your family and friends. Do you understand a little bit better now?"
The children were little, but they seemed to understand the big dinner and music. But they still wondered why people had Thanksgiving Dinners. The children convinced Grandma Lu to tell them another Thanksgiving story another day. A story that would explain how Thanksgiving celebrations all got started in the first place.

Marlee's Small Town Neighbors And A Mysterious Lady

If you read the last story you will remember that Marlee and the Grandmas and some of her friends went out to eat, drink, and forget that the shoppers would return soon. They caught a break at the cafe and met some new friends.
All of a sudden Grandma B realized that they had been gone for almost two (2) hours! Oh oh, that meant that there wasn't anyone at Marleewood to sell Charlie's merchandise.
They all got up and threw their trash in the cafe's trash bin. They got their hats and coats on and walked over to Marleewood. They couldn't believe what was in front of them! There were lines and lines of people waiting for them to open the door. Of course, Grandma B's friend had walked along with them. Remember, her name is Nikki. She was shocked at all the people. She and the grandmas walked up to the people and asked what they were doing with all the bags and boxes of things that they had with them.
The people started to gather up their things and walk closer to Marlee and her friends.  Then they all started talking at once. Finally Grandma B said, "Please just one person at a time. What is going on here? I don't understand why you are all here."
A lady walked up to "B" and said, "We know that you are doing a good thing at Marleewood. You are providing a Daycare for our children. We love that we can shop and buy things without having to worry if our children will break anything. They don't mean to, but they love to crawl and jump and play. They shouldn't be doing that in a store. So by Marlee starting a Daycare we can shop and enjoy ourselves. We just want to help with some things that we don't need anymore so that the Daycare can
be open all the
time. Is it okay if we donate things to Marleewood? We are so Thankful that you are giving back to your community."
 There was the lady from the grocery store, and even daddies and grandpas with trucks backing up to Marleewood.
The grownups were just all laughing and hugging each other and shaking hands. Some folks didn't know each other, but that didn't matter. Do you know why? Because every single person wanted to help Marlee and her Grandmas and her friends.
Oh my, there is even a gift from a good friend of Grandma Lu's. They went to school together years and years ago. But she heard about Marleewood needing a daycare. She sent some quilts for the babies and one that we shall see later for a doll. How very nice of her. Won't the babies be Thankful for the warm quilts?

Look at the big Lego desk. That was sent to Marleewood from far far away. My goodness!
Someone even donated a bed and a baby mat.There were so many things that it took a long time to get everything unloaded in to the Daycare room. It was a very good thing that it was big room wasn't it?
There were things for babies and also for bigger kids that wanted to play and not go shopping.

Grandma B was speechless. She loved her small town, but she had no idea just how wonderful the people here were. So she did what a lot of ladies do. She got tears...Oh dear, then everybody said, "No no no , don't cry. Let's be happy.
 Oh there's a highchair! Oh boy, they could sure use that. Oh look at all of the baby toys. Kanyon and Addie and Liam and lots of babies would like those.
It was just amazing how wonderful people are, isn't it?
Brandon and Grayson wanted to help too. They are wonderful helpers aren't they? Marlee and the Grandmas were Thankful for their help.
Cooper and Sawyer were busy helping put things together.
Quietly standing by the door there was another lady. She was holding something soft and cuddly to her heart. It was pink, do you remember the little soft pink blanket and teddy bear?Everyone was so busy that they hadn't noticed her.
Finally Marlee walked up to her and said, "Hello, who are you? Are you bringing things for our Daycare too?" The lady looked down at Marlee, smiled and said, "As a matter of fact I am. My name is Danielle and I live far far away. I was driving down the street on my way home, when I saw this little pink cuddly bear/blanket. It was laying on the sidewalk. Some poor little girl dropped it I'm sure. Do you think that you could keep it here at Marleewood in case she and her mama came looking for it? I am sure she would love it. If no one comes for it please give it to a little one in your daycare to love and take care of. I'm sure she would be thankful."

 Marlee took the little pink cuddly toy and smiled. She nodded her head yes. Marlee turned to get her Grandma B and tell her what that lady had said. But when she looked back she was gone.  Just as quietly as she had come in the lady had left. No one saw her, but Marlee.
Marlee had lots of questions for her Grandma B. We will talk about one of them in the next story.