Thanksgiving in London

It's after midnight on Black Friday and I'm finally getting some down time after a long week. The last few weeks have been spent reading, studying, doing mock exams, freaking out over statistics (like, who really gets that stuff, right?), and generally being a full time student.

This week, though, I took a bit of time out of my student schedule to make my first Thanksgiving meal myself and celebrate my first Thanksgiving away from home. This post may be a bit sappy, which is a different turn from my usual, but hey, "if you can't tell the truth at [the holidays] then when can you?" (name that movie)

I was feeling a bit down at the beginning of the week as Thanksgiving was approaching. I realize that I've been so fortunate to be able to spend all of my holidays with my family until now and that the experience I am having here is the best thing, but it's still a bit hard to be away from home this time of year.

The funny part...
Now, even though I promised sap, this story starts out like a typical "Liz" story. In London, they don't really sell turkey like they do in the States. Especially at this time of year. That said, I ordered one online through Tesco to be delivered to me, frozen, on Tuesday evening after I would arrive back from class. I was Skyping with my parents and Grandma when the Tesco Man called letting me know he was downstairs. I quickly said goodbye and ran downstairs in slippers and without a coat.

When I got to the courtyard of my building, the Tesco Man was standing in the bushes (yes, like actually sort of in the bushes) in total darkness because of course the lights weren't working at a moment like this and just held out a crate to me. With his eyes, he told me to take the turkey out of the crate and handed me a receipt. The turkey was not in a bag. It was just a frozen turkey. Just like that.

I grabbed the turkey out of the crate, said thank you very quickly, and started to run back into the building because the block of ice turkey was starting to freeze to my skin. I am looking at the turkey in my arms as I run up 4 flights of stairs whisper yelling "it's so cold it's so cold it's so cold" and realize that this turkey is tiny. It's like a baby turkey. I cannot emphasize enough about how small this turkey looked to me at the time. It was small, but in my panic and frozen arms, it looked like it was no larger than a newborn baby bird.

To set the stage - I had ordered a turkey to feed 11-14 people (I had invited 12 to my dinner) and at this point in time, 20 people were now coming. How, I do not know. So I'm looking down at this infant turkey wondering how in the hell I'm going to feed 20 people when it looks like it would feed about 6 children. Spoiler alert - it was fine, but only in the sense that it was cooked perfectly and everyone got to taste it. We did not get full on turkey. See: making extra potatoes. 

The next hour is spent on Skype with my family cry-laughing and attempting to wrap the turkey in plastic bags to carry it down to a friend's fridge.

Back to sap...
On Wednesday, I baked a few pies and some cornbread with my friend Nora. She is from Germany and we haven't gotten to know each other too well yet. It was so nice to spend a few hours baking and talking with a new friend. We got to reflect on our own family traditions, talk about how we both think that London is amazing, and just generally girly things. It really got me in the holiday mood and with the smell of freshly baked pies and Christmas lights, I was feeling a bit better.

Thursday morning was again, a bit tough, but I had invited a small army to dinner, so onward I went! I made the obligatory "oops" trip to the grocery store to pick up the few things I was missing and then got cooking!

A few of my friends came over, Susana and Vicky, both from Spain, and helped me to prepare the small feast. I was able to Skype with my family again briefly and finished up the cooking at the time I actually planned to serve it! A THANKSGIVING MIRACLE.

We carried the food up to the top floor common room. Here's what it looked like.

And the turkey up close.

All in all, I made a turkey that (after a lot of man handling and a small freak out about the neck rolling around inside of it - this was discovered a long time after I pulled out the bag with the other insides) turned out great, sweet potatoes with marshmallow topping, mashed potatoes, cornbread, cranberry salad, green bean casserole, stuffing, pumpkin soup, roasted veggies, pecan pie, pumpkin pie, and even homemade gravy. I'm so proud of myself that I actually was able to pull this off! I've never before cooked for that many people and I've definitely never made a turkey. It was delicious!

Before we ate, I made everyone go around the table and say what they were thankful for. As there was only me and one other American, the "thankful" thing went a little over the top and we ended up applauding everyone after they spoke. It was actually really cute and I got all mushy feeling over it.

Even though the last few weeks have been oh so stressful (thanks, grad school), I'm still forever thankful for all of the things I've gotten to experience over the last few months and days like yesterday make me realize that this was the best decision of my life.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Bringing it Back

Well hey there - it's been awhile! After a long break over the spring & summer, I've decided it's about time to start up the blog again.  To recap the spring and summer as concisely as possible: it was great! Hot days spent at the pool, cool beers on the deck, and a truly beautiful wedding for my very best friend leave me with some pretty wonderful memories of the last few months.

And now it's fall. My favorite time of year. October brought apple picking, lots of baking, comfy sweaters, and boots. Really, you can't argue that all of those things aren't the best! I'm not sure if it's the weather or just the itch to bring a little life back to Lace&Dinosaurs, but I think either way, I'm excited to try some new things on this blog this year.

That said, I'm going to start with an old reliable for me - favorites! Since it's been ever-so-long since I've done one of these, here are just a few items I'm really digging right now.

Michael Todd Organics - Blue Green Algae Toner 

This toner changed my skin! I've been using it for quite some time now and I can honestly say that when I stop using it, my skin just isn't as great. It's antibacterial AND hydrating so it helps to keep your skin clean and prepped for moisturizer. For realz - it's awesome!

Bath & Body Works Mahogany Teakwood Candle 

I'm just going to come out and say it - this smells like a man. It's awesome. That's all.

Kindle 

I was definitely one of those people who was opposed to an e - reader for a very, very long time. I enjoy the feeling of holding a real book and just the idea that it's a physical thing you can touch & feel. But, after one of my handbags broke due to the weight of a particularly heavy book, I decided it was time to broaden my horizons and get a Kindle. And you know what? It's freaking cool.

Bow Necklace - Forever 21 

Forever 21 is known for its cheap (and easily broken) jewelry, but this one was quite the find! It's delicate and adorable and I wear it nearly everyday. The best part? It hasn't broken yet! Oh, and it's a bow. Duh.

Boyce Avenue 

In my search for new music, I discovered this cover band. They cover just about everything and it's great to listen to anytime you need to chill out - give their Pandora station a try! You won't regret it!

Reign 

I know, I know - this show is definitely for a younger crowd. It's on the CW for goodness sake. But, I am thoroughly enjoying it. Anything related to the royals in the UK immediately catches my attention and even better, the fashion in this show is KILLER. Not always (most of the time, actually) historically relevant, but I love it all the same. I mean, those head pieces? COME ON.

Welcome to November!