last picture

Finally - the last picture I have from Thanksgiving. Here is Karl carving the turkey. There was much fuss over the knives. Mommy has two antique carving sets that her father used - and possibly also his father - but the knives aren't very sharp anymore. Adam's father - my uncle - used to be a butcher so Adam knows how to properly sharpen a knife. So he sharpened Mommy's "chef knife" that you see in this picture. It's not quite a carving knife, not really a chef's knife. But she prefers using paring knives for everything so it doesn't bother her. There's only ever a problem when I come over and complain about her lack of a proper knife for anything. Then again - it isn't my kitchen.

dinnertime!

We get things started with a picture of me and Mommy. You can also see my pumpkin and Alison's tomato Le Crueset. Always a Thanksgiving tradition.

Unfortunately, the pictures took a nose dive after this one and forced me to create this research paper on:

Reasons the long table shot picture needs to be eliminated.

Exibit A: Can't see my face or Mommy's that clearly - although if you look closely, you can see that Mommy is not smiling as she is unprepared for the picture. Brenda and Shelly look cute, but it's a harsh angle for most people. And Gerri is completely lost. Bad all around.

Exhibit B: Jake is referred to alternately as a tree or as a giant. Here you can see why. I'm fairly average sized and have a large head, yet I look quite petite with a tiny head next to Jake. Again, this is the result of the long table shot. There wasn't anyone else left on Jake's side of the table while we were taking pictures and that would have been an especially sad shot. Jake all by himself. So I jumped in. If we were doing orchestrated pictures, there would have been no need for the Jake the Friendly Giant shot and we would have all looked like normal-sized people.
Exibit C: Candid shots don't work so well when combined with the long table shot. Brenda vaguely sees that my mom is about to take a picture, but is completely unprepared.
Exhibit D: Again, no one is ready for this picture. Alison and Shelly are prepared, but still, it's not an ideal angle and Alison is way too far away.


One good thing this shot is for is highlighting the tomato and my adorable new green apple. My pumpkin was cut out of this shot, but that's okay. Alison already ruined the surprise for herself by asking if she was going to get a mini of her own for Christmas and me being the horrible liar that I am said no, but with a huge grin on my face. But she will not find out what type until 12/25. I can at least keep that part a secret!
I have one last picture to add, but am having issues. I will try again tomorrow.

side note...

I know I should continue updating the actual day, but I ran across this on the Washington Post's Going out Guru's Blog. Anyone who knows me knows that I'm obsessed with the various chats on the Post's website. I reference them all the time. Now, most of these are not terribly exciting, but I fully laughed out loud at the first one. I only wish I had read this earlier because my brother-in-law so would have done that. And it would have been hysterical.

The Gurus' Favorite Thanksgiving Things
1. Getting all '70s retro at the dinner table by constantly referring to the roasted, basted bird as a jive turkey. Example: "Can I carve anyone another slice of jive turkey?"

2. Making garlic mashed potatoes with my sister, then indulging in a two-to-three hour food coma courtesy of two Thanksgiving dinners -- one at my parents' house, the other at my boyfriend's parents' house. (Courtesy of Julia)

3. Replenishing my Tupperware collection after folks send their hapless bachelor friend (me) home with leftovers. (Courtesy of Rhome)

4. After she's been spent half the day making a huge meal, asking my mother, "How come we can't just have popcorn like Charlie Brown?"

5. Continuing my decade-long streak of never once catching the ball during my friends' annual "Toilet Bowl" touch-football game.