Vegitarian Thanksgiving???

Yeah right, like that would ever fly - no matter where in the world you are. So I bucked up and ordered a turkey. And I wouldn't just say a turkey, this was a 22 lbs turkey. And not one of those frozen kinds that are nicely cleaned; one from the local butcher with some feather stuff still in it (not to mention the neck skin that seemed to stretch for miles). But enough about the nasty bits - I got it cleaned and stuffed (taught Mark that there are two cavities in a bird you can stuff).

By 10:00 it was in the oven...by 10:20 the oven door was shut. Had a bit of an issue with the size of the oven. Turns out they are much smaller here than my mom's. But good smart Sally figured out which way to put it in and luckily we got a bendable pan. So the turkey is in and we were off to get ready for the day.

As a traditional Fender thanksgiving goes this year's theme was a "Halloween Party." Perfect, because we didn't get a change to celebrate Halloween. I must say we did have some amazing costumes. Mr and Mrs Shrek showed up, along with a witch, a pirate, a cat, that scary guy from scream, a few vampires, a school girl, a "true" Australian, a guy from the future, a rockstar, and of course a party isn't complete without Paris Hilton.

I somehow got very lucky and the bird was done on time, it stopped raining long enough to eat and everyone was able to pull off their "Fender Thanksgiving Recipes" without a hitch. While most were confused about my cousins fruit salad and how that goes with Thanksgiving, it was the first thing that anyone said they were thankful for during dinner. While some thought the turkey was the best (bless their hearts), others went for the stuffing, some the cranberry sauce, and others (exculding those who made it) loved the green bean casserole (aka: Fat A$$ Beans).



The day consisted of our traditional Uno games (although there was a lack of $h#t talking that is normally heard around the table). Sally also introduced a few UK traditional games (or a Letchford household traditions). The first was the cereal box game. Its simple, start with a cereal box and pick it up with your teeth. Note you cannot touch your hands, elbows, or knees to the ground. Still simple enough. Once everyone has picked it up with his/her teeth the cutter cuts down the box about an inch and the process begins again. After awhile the box gets shorter and everyone has to get closer to the ground. A few have started to drop out and then it gets to a piece of cardboard laying on the ground with no sides sticking up. Needless to say, we need to figure out a way to make this game a bit more difficult next year as we had about six people tie for first.

The game after dinner included a cookie and your face. Yep put the cookie on your forehead and move it (with no hands) down your face and into your mouth. I would say that some people were awesome (Sally, Rodger, Keith and Mark) and some of us need a bit more practice (cookies flying off the face and onto the ground.