Mastering our Thankfulness

It’s Thanksgiving week and we have a lot to be thankful for this year.  First and foremost is the grill and the fact that I can do a chicken for us.  I did a prep run the other week and all was great.  Timing was spot on.  Sides were easily manageable.  Heat control was on point.  I over cooked by about 12 minutes, but my meat thermometer was dead (not everything needs batteries and wifi, but that’s another rant) and I was going a bit on feel.  Considering the last time I roasted a chicken, let alone on a grill, was over 4 years ago, I was happy.  The only other complaint was the gravy.  I got a bit heavy handed with the flour and it was a little over thick.  Both things are easily fixable.  Again, after 4 years away from doing to cook to be a little over done and the gravy a little over thick isn’t the worst.  It’s fixable and the chicken I’ll be getting for our Thanksgiving meal will be about 300-400g heavier, so that should account for a bit extra cook as well.  All should be spot on.

If all goes to plan we will have that on Saturday.  Mainly because the girls have school on Thursday and Thanksgiving is J’s favorite meal, so it’s nice to take a day and just do the meal.  Have some wine and cheese before hand while it cooks and I prep.  Hang out.  Then, once done, eat early.  Eat much.  Enjoy it all.  Have more cheese and snacks and pie.  Make an evening of it.  Also, left over sandwiches or eggs and fried mashed potatoes!  Plus, a whole chicken to make stock from after the fact.  Use them bones to make a pot of goodness.

The other thankfulness is that J is knitting again.  Not only does that make her happy, it makes Kiddo happy as well.  As you can see, she hates the new scarf.  I wonder if we will ever be able to get her to wear it.  LOL.  In actuality, it’s harder to get Kiddo to NOT wear it.  She wanted to sleep in it.  We noped that, but Kiddo lobbied hard for it.  Seriously hard.  Let’s make a deal type hard for it.  Still no.  For a lot of reasons, Kiddo.  Deal with it.  J is currently working on a hat for the Kiddo.  Some of the friends might be getting some gear as well, since in Ranza (Kiddo’s make believe world) it is the long cold winter.  It started a month ago and lasts until June.  Last year, Ranza suffered the Long, Cold, Harsh winter.  Those only (we are told) come around every 34-71 Ranzan years.  YOU figure it out!  HAHA. The difference, you wonder…. Long, Cold Winters only get cold, between 0 and negative 20C.  It might snow, but only a few times.  Long, Cold, Harsh Winters are between negative 4 and negative 300C.  Everyday is a blizzard and there can be Snow Typhoons and Tornados, plus the wind can blow up to 200 MPH.  It’s harsh for a reason.  Even Poley can get frost bite in a winter like that.  It’s serious stuff.  

More thankful for Kiddo in school.  She just got her report card.  A’s across the board, save for the B+ in math.  Highlights include an A in technology (her least favorite class) and Art.  Kiddo loves to draw and create.  The A+ in Chinese was a big win for all.  She is KILLIN’ the Chinese learning this year.  Other notes are that she is a classroom leader and always the first to share the weekly writing the class does.  She loves to write and share…. I wonder where she gets that from?  HAHAHAHA

Lastly, we are thankful for J submitting her Capstone in her Master’s class.  It’s her last thing.  She got it done and turned in.  Now, we wait for the acceptance and the piece of paper.  We are not worried at all, as J’s prof, in her last meeting and “pre-assessment” of her project was that it was “Well organized and professionally presented.  Obviously the work of a passionate educator.  It looks to be well researched and thoughtfully put together, using not only resources, but in class activities.  You (J) seem like a natural leader, a wonderful teacher, and someone who is passionate about her job, but also passionate about leaving her mark and making things better than when you started.”

With feedback like that and previous perfect marks before the Capstone project, we are certain that it’s not IF, but WHEN, and then it’s just getting them to mail us the paper for J to add it to the Binder of Doom (patent pending) for the next time she needs that stuff for a job or application or work permit or what have you.

So, a BIG congratulations to J on finishing it.  I am super proud of her and can’t wait for the bug to bite her again and for her to decide to get her PhD.  Again, not IF but WHEN.  She says, “I don’t know.  It’s so much work.  I might not do it.”  Yeah, and I won’t eat steak ever again.  I’d say 3ish years.  Maybe 5.  She’s gonna be Dr. Ladypants.  I’d go with Doc J, but that name is already taken by… Well, Doc J.  So, I guess I’ll just have to call J (when she get’s the PhD) Doc MummaLady.  Doc Teacherpants.  The righteous and honorable doctor Thanksgiving meal eater?  Wordy, but so far my favorite.  LOL

Only a few days left and a short week, as they have Friday off (another thing to be thankful for) and Friday, as of right now, the plan is to take Kiddo to LegoLand.  Yeah, we have a LegoLand now.  We had one in SD, but never went.  My good Budy JY had a membership and took his boys and always talked it up, but we put our extra cash towards the Zoo and Balboa park while in SD, so we never got a chance to do the LegoLand thing.  Here, however, it’s affordable and sounds like a blast, so why not take the time to go explore the place?  Besides, not all schools in China have off that day, only a few select schools, mostly American based and a bulk of the English Language schools here are actually British, so that will tamp down the crowds a bit.  Sounds like a blast.  Also, with temps forecasted to be about 12 (55ishF), we don’t mind the bundle up and it’s not THAT cold, but for a native…. Trust me when I say it’ll keep them away.

Let’s go, Kiddo…. It’s almost Thanksgiving and you’ll get to have, for the first time in your memory, an actual Thanksgiving meal.  Last time I did this, you were 4!  Also, in the next few weeks, we’re going to start planning CNY and the trip.  Get ready for three weeks in warm weather again.  It’ll be fun, not only going, but the planning and watching you get ramped up for that.  For now, keep kicking butt at school, keeping warm in new mumma knitted stuff, and just being the cutest thing.