Holiday Mamasita: How was your Thanksgiving "Stuffing"?

Some of the accoutrements to Katie's splendid cooking

Katie H.'s Blue Ribbon Bird!

I was adequately stuffed this year, but mostly I was satisfied. The good food was of major importance, I admit, but my favorite part was all the family togetherness. I feel so lucky to have a family that loves to spend time together: from the little kids, to the teenagers/young adults, to the old folks, we spend as much time together as possible. Many people have commented on this phenomenon, and on why we seem to be so pleased with each other's company. I don't know exactly why it's true, but I know we were always loved unconditionally by our parents, no matter how stupidly we behaved, ( and we try to carry the tradition on with our own kids), we laugh at ourselves and each other on a constant basis, (if laughter leads to longevity, which I believe it does, then we should all live long lives, and we add a few years with each gathering), we root for each other, feeling that an achievement by one of our members is a feather in our own cap, not something to envy, we clear the air having big blow-ups when needed, feeling secure in the fact that it will all blow over, and we are rooted by our much loved and often remembered common past. We are a clannish group, descended from our esteemed Scottish kinsman, Sir Walter Scott, and love to pass down the 'old stories' much as he did.

Welcome one...

welcome all.

Smiffers

Elsita

Matt, Julie and Ellie

Mr. Bramble pants, Danny, Matt, Pat and Rick

Daniel (our newly married Nephew-in-law)

Gammy consulting her cooking bible

Our week together, started early for me, on the Friday night before Thanksgiving, when I drove down to San Diego, to meet my younger brother, Pat, at my parents house, to help put the place back together after an extensive remodel of the lower level. We needed to finish laying the laminate flooring in one room, (Pat, my mom and new nephew-in-law, Daniel, had already finished the rest of the house, thanks guys!), to sort through my Nana's boxes and boxes of stuff, (she is 97 years old and living in an old folks home), deciding what to keep and what to pass on, to put the bedrooms back together, and then, get ready for 33 people for Thanksgiving and beyond! It was a daunting task, let me tell you! We took 6 truck loads to the dump and 4 to the thrift store. (A special shout out to my nephew, Kacy, for having a great attitude and helping with the heavy lifting whenever asked!) I have to admit I enjoyed getting the chance to go to the dump with my dad, just like when I was a little girl. Simple pleasures! Amazingly, we were still speaking by Wednesday afternoon, but we still needed to get the upstairs in shape, do most of the shopping, all of the cooking and set up the dinner tables! Yikes! No rest for the weary! By this time the troops were descending. My husband and daughters had arrived the night before and were ready to help. I am so proud to say all the older girls rolled up their sleeves and scrubbed the kitchen leaving it ship shape and Bristol fashion. Everyone really pitched in, giving credence to the old saying, 'many hands make light work'. I knew there was a reason we had so many kids! The stamina of my 71 year old mother was very impressive. I don't know many women her age who could muster the will and energy to do what she did. Her selfless devotion to our family is probably the biggest reason we love each other so much! Once again, miraculously, everything got done and done well, for that matter. We sat down, our plates laden with Thanksgiving splendor, ready to dig in when, clink, clink, clink, someone had the nerve to propose a toast. In our family, it is a tradition, for various family members, to stand and make a loving toast to the family. If no one starts the ball rolling, the kids will invariably start yelling, "speech, speech!" What always starts with a smile and a laugh, quickly transitions to quivering lips and tears, but ultimately leaves us feeling grateful, appreciated and full. It is of utmost importance to mark special occasions with words, to thank and remark upon the unique nature of such gatherings, no matter how hard it is to do. The more you do it, the easier it becomes and the whole affair becomes more memorable.

Natalie, Nana, Mason and Kacy mucking it up!

Natalie and Smith

Mason, Natalie, Daniel, Carrie, Maddie, Kacy and Emma

Gabrielle on top, Lizzie, Gretchen, Elsa and Smith

Traditional sweet potatoes with marshmallows

Now that's a pretty bird!

Praline Sweet Potatoes

10 lbs. Yukon Golds

One of the two tables we had set

We continued our love fest on Friday, by going to my nephew, Kacy's, high school football playoff game. It was a bitter-sweet occasion, as we have had the good fortune to be in the playoffs for the last 4 years over Thanksgiving break, but because my nephew is a senior this year, it will be our last for a few years. We bundled up in our green and black, ready to cheer on #20, Kacy Smith. My little nephews Smith and Madsen wore their team warm-up jackets with Kacy's name and number, and "Scottie in training" logo, and sat mesmerized by the game. Our team, the Helix Highlanders, have a powerhouse program and are competitive year in and year out ( Reggie Bush and Alex Smith, to name a few alumni, went there...in fact my brother, Pat, went to prom with Alex Smith's sister when he attended Helix!) but this year's team is one for the record books! They are so good that they have a good chance to play for State Champion, but because they are so good, the games have gotten a little boring, because they roll over their opponents. The game ended with the 2nd and 3rd stringers, who are very good too, and a score of 44 to 7, with a running clock, but Kacy had a great game. Last year Kacy made First Team All East County, First Team All League, First Team All CIF, First Team All Academic, and all as an underclassman. He's not my son so I can can brag. I can't wait to learn what accolades he receives this year! Our hearts swelled with pride, as we left the field for the last time ( until another Smith dons the sacred Scottie uniform).

The party progressed on Saturday, with a trip the mountainside town of Julian, to take a ride on Smith Ranch's Christmas Train. By this time we were down to 17 people. We wound through the hills, on our way there, singing Christmas Carols ( at least in our car, we did) and tried not to get too car sick. After our train ride we spent a little time in the packed town of Julian and then headed home for our final night together. My mom paid homage to our Mexican ancestry by making her usual Mexican feast of sour cream tacos, shredded beef tacos, tamales (a friend of mine made them in Santa Barbara), and rice and beans. Yummm! Muy delicioso! Then those of us who were left standing, had a competitive game of boys vs. girls Trivial Pursuit: Pop Culture version. Let me just say, it came down to sudden death and they got the question, 'what creepy spin-off of Gummy Bears became popular in 1981?' Gummy Worms, duh! Nice job with the answer, Anthony, but we got robbed!! We'll have a rematch next year and the girls will no doubt be victorious!
Our week of revelry came to a close, but I was "stuffed" with a host of wonderful new memories, a couple of extra lbs. and a deep sense of fullness. My cup runneth over. I hope your Thanksgiving left you feeling as satisfied.