Dorothy Doodle

Dorothy Doodle came to town,

riding in a car,


Stuck a feather in her hat

oh wait...I mean her collar.

Dorothy Doodle sit right up,

Dorothy Doodle dandy.

Mind the Grandpa

kiss the boy...

And with the cows

have joy!

Excited to celebrate Thanksgiving...Dione and Dorothy the puppy made the drive all the way from the big city of Los Angeles home to The Garlick Press.

Dorothy had so many adventures that growing up as a city pup just doesn't allow. Don't worry this was post Thanksgiving dinner...so these turkeys were all safe!

Olivia and Henry have grown up with puppies stepping on their toes, jumping over their heads, and licking up crumbs they leave behind. Playing with Dorothy was right up their alley!

It's no secret that this family is a pack of dog lovers...every single one of us!

So welcome to the family Dorothy Doodle Doo...we're happy to have you! And thanks for bringing Dione home with you.

Fakes-giving

My absolute favorite part of Thanksgiving is cooking and baking with my daughters...I think they both feel the same. Since Cass will be celebrating the holiday with hubby's family this year, I thought it would be fun if we had our own early "Fakes-giving!"


Discussing pie recipes, Dean jumped into the planning details and suggested we make a pumpkin pie completely from scratch. He's always FULL of good ideas and so helpful when it comes to pie!

Surprisingly...though I am known as the pie queen, I have never made my own pumpkin pie puree. Cass and I did some googling where The Pioneer Woman assured us it was super easy and totally worth the effort!

Ugh...I always inadvertently leave my cabinet doors open when I cook.

Grown specifically for baking, we carefully cut the perfect pumpkins into halves...

maybe enjoying the cutting part a little too much!

Convincing Dean that this is the part he's always good at, he helped us scrape out the pumpkin guts.

This was probably our least favorite part. I use the word "our" loosely since clearly I am behind the camera and not elbow deep in pumpkin guts!

Ready for roasting!

After roasting the chunks for twice as long as The Pioneer Woman instructed...the pumpkin was finally fork tender and ready to puree.

Puree...and puree...and puree some more!

We were so proud...practically Pioneer Women ourselves!

As for the results...yes! One Hundred and Ten Percent yes! The flavor, the texture, the pie! Absolutely worth the effort and I would do it again!

Thanks a bunch Dean...that just made Pie Night more intense and complicated!

Pausing The Press to Give Thanks

Undeniably there are some things we absolutely wish were different here at The Garlick Press...however, we are truly grateful for bounteous blessings.

Gathering my girls together, donning matching aprons and cooking up a feast! It is so satisfying to see my grown up daughters excited about cooking a traditional Thanksgiving meal. Mama Cass and Lawyer Girl are both excellent chefs...and Olivia, you should see her stir! 

Of course there is admiration for the toddling toddler...watching Olivia as she gains independence, wobbling for balance and strutting around the house feeling so BIG! And she is learning new words daily.

But my favorite word happens to be when she reaches out those chubby pink arms, looks at me with her gorgeous innocent eyes and calls me "Nana!" Making my heart skip a beat or two, I am so so grateful to be her Nana!

Lawyer Girl sneaks a moment with Nephew Baby, the youngest addition at The Garlick Press. Henry is 100% boy, intelligent and generally happy. He moves across the floor with something we call "The Wounded Soldier Crawl." Henry and Nana are buds too!

It's times like these that I"m grateful for the chaos that ensues when we congregate together. Four dogs, six adults (now that The Teenager is taller than me I guess he is adult-ish), and two babies. 

I will always be especially thankful for The Teenager; I don't know how I would have survived the last three years without his daily presence in my home and in my heart! Plus...I really LOVE his freckles. Henry, if you are lucky you'll get freckles like your Uncle Chet. The Teenager is the best uncle...all the babies love him!

As the oldest of my offspring, I admire and revere the wife and momma that Cass has become. Being one of her children has got to be so much fun as she makes each day an adventure! Momma Cass is deep in baby laundry, diapers, baby food, and keeping up with crawling and toddling little people.

Yet she still finds time to read; not just picture books, nearly one hundred novels a year. I have seen her reading Harry Potter to wide-eyed Henry or Little Women to inquisitive Olivia.

Brilliant and driven, Lawyer Girl is accomplishing something I never even dared dream about. Not only envisaging her future as a lawyer, Dione is accomplishing her goals and more. She is the only person I know who gets giddy when discussing anything related to the law! I am grateful that she is happy in her life and close enough to fly home for holidays!

Like most of our celebrations, we take Thanksgiving serious at The Garlick Press, and go all out...right down to our pies!


Pie...so grateful for pie...but not as much as Dean is!  By the way...pie night is just around the corner!

With gratitude and respect, I love my wonderful son-in-law Bob who works so hard at providing a beautiful life for the grand babies. He adores Cassandra, especially when she says something funny. He is the first to laugh out loud, admiring her sense of humor. And you should see how Olivia and Henry adore their Daddy.

 Learning how to use utensils...both hands at the same time!

 Henry's first Thanksgiving was fabulous. I don't think either baby said a word the entire time we were eating dinner. And that's something, with two babies at the table!


Dear hubby Dean...who makes my whole life complete. We've been through so much together. I remember concerned friends and family wondered if our marriage would survive losing a child, because so many do not. I'm grateful not only that we survived but that we are living and loving each other with every breath we take.

As we sit down to share this Thanksgiving table with family members, I also have to express gratitude for double ovens, electricity, and fresh turkeys from the store; thanking my lucky stars that I am not a pilgrim plucking feathers for my holiday bird!

Oh yes...and chocolate cornucopias...yum! Doesn't it look like Izzy is telling Dean a secret..."Say Dad, could you please pass the cornucopia!"

 Patient, lovable Izzy...I'm even grateful for the pooch...she makes the days delightful!

 These three appear to be thankful for a Thanksgiving nap.

Oh yes...and Izzy is most thankful for leftovers!

Hope your Ho Ho Turkey Day was wonderful too!

Additional thanks... As I posted this one, I noticed it was my 200th post! I am thankful for those who read The Garlick Press and also those of you who leave comments. I love them all...and each one inspires me to keep writing and photographing life.