Hoping you have a wonderful day celebrating in a way that brings you joy and contentment. May you be surrounded by love and loved ones and food you love. May you eat too much, laugh too much, hug too much, and just plain have too much fun. Take a moment to count your blessings and share a smile. Go to bed contented and at peace.
Howdy! And welcome to another terrific Tuesday!
Before I get into the subject of the blog today, let me tell you that I will be giving away two (2) of the original editions — mass market editions as the book was original published — of the book, SOARING EAGLE’S EMBRACE, book #3 in the Legendary Warriors series. I’ll do a drawing from all you who leave a post on today’s blog. So, without further ado, let’s have a look at the Iroquois, their festivals and especially their Harvest Festival.
Yummm… The smells of pumpkin pie, turkey and cranberry sauce reminds me of happy times with family and friends and I hope it does the same with you. And, this time of year is now upon us. Now, before I continue this post, let me say a few things about the word, Indian.
At the time Columbus discovered America, the country of India was not called India. It was known as Hindustan. And so Columbus’ “mistake” in thinking he was in “India” doesn’t make sense when seen in this light. Russell Means (Actor and Freedom Fighter) did much research on the word, Indian, and took note that Columbus (Italian) used the words, In Dios, meaning In God, to describe the people he met as a Godly people. The same words — or words quite similar — are used in Spanish, also, According to Russell Means, this is most likely where the word came from.
When I was writing about the Iroquois, I did some study and discovered the Iroquois had many festival days each year and one of them…which we all are familiar with …was the Harvest Festival. If you haven’t seen the movie, Squanto, staring Adam Beach, you might think about getting the video and watch it. It’s a wonderful movie and goes into detail about the first Thanksgiving. So, please bear with me as I talk a little about the festivals of the Iroquois (and most of the Eastern Indians, as well).
Thanksgiving was one of several festivals amongst the Eastern Indians. There were many festivals throughout the year, and they tended to follow the seasons.
All the Indians believed in God, the Creator. And their celebrations were to honor the Creator. The Iroquois celebrated six festivals, wherein they gave thanks to the Creator for all they had. These festivals would open with speeches by leaders, teachers, and elders. And of course there was much dancing, which was done not only for the fun of simply dancing, but it was also a sense of worship. It was thought that because the Creator needed some sort of amusement, He gave the people dancing.
In spring — early March — it was time to collect together tree bark and sap – this was needed to repair houses and other things, such as canoes, bowls, etc. Spring was also the time for planting. This was the maple festival. Next was the Planting festival. Here prayers were sent to the Creator to bless their seed.
The Iroquois’ main food source was corn, beans and squash (the three sisters), and of course deer meat or other meat when available. Family gardens were separated by borders that were broad and grassy — they would even camp on these borders and sometimes they would raise watch towers.
The next festival of the Iroquois was the Strawberry Festival. This is where the people gave thanks to the Creator for their many fruits (like strawberries). It was summertime. The women gathered wild nuts and other foods, while the men hunted, fished and provided various meats for cooking. Again, each festival was greeted with much dancing and merriment. Did you know that the Iroquois believed the way to the Creator was paved with strawberries?
The festival after the Strawberry Festival was the Green 
Corn Festival. Again, the people thanked the Creator for the bounty of food that had been raised all through the summer. Dancers danced to please the Creator and musicians sang and beat the drum. Again there were many speeches to honor the people and the Creator. There were team sports. Lacrosse was the game that was most admired and it was played with great abandon by the men. Women played games, too, and often their games were as competitive as the men’s.
The festival following that was…are you ready? Thanksgiving — or the Harvest Thanksgiving. By this time the women had harvested the corn, beans and squash. Much of it would be dried. Much went to feed families. Husks were made into many different items. Dolls, rugs, mats. Did you know that the dolls didn’t have faces? Now was the time to gather more nuts and berries. Men were busy, too, hunting far away. Bear, moose, beaver were all sought after and hunted. Again, there was much celebration. Dancing, speeches, prayer. And of course — food. It was this particular festival that was shared with the newcomers to this continent.
Can you guess what the next festival was? Although this festival took place around Christmas time, it was not a celebration of Christmas — but if you guessed this, you were very close. The next and last festival of the year was New Year’s. At this time, a white dog was sacrificed as a gift to the Creator. This was also a time for renewing the mind and body. (Does that not remind you of our New Year’s resolutions?) At this time, the False Face Society members would wear masks to help others to cleanse themselves of their bad minds and restore only their good minds. There was again much celebration, much dancing, much merriment and enjoyment as each person would settle in for the long winter ahead of them.
The First Americans indeed did give this country very much, not only its festivals which we still remember to this day, but also it gave to this nation a fighting spirit for freedom. In these times when there seems to be a forgetfulness about our American roots, it is wonderful to remember that the American Indian and the Love of Freedom went hand-in-hand. I know I am thankful for my family and my husband and daughters and my granddaughter and grandson. I’m thankful to be able to travel this beautiful country. I’m thankful that I was raised in a country where one could voice one’s opinion regardless of the wishes of the “King,” even if those freedoms are not as easily found today as they once were.
Our country is not only beautiful, but it was built on solid beautiful principles.
Well, I’d love to hear your ideas on this post. Don’t forget: there will be a drawing for the gift of the original version of the mass market book, SOARING EAGLE’ EMBRACE, so please come on in tell me how you and yours celebrate the beautiful holiday we know as Thanksgiving.
This is not the original artwork for the paperback book, but it is what I have for the book that is for sale at Amazon. This artwork was done when I was publishing the work at Samhain Publishing.
The holidays are upon us! I had barely dropped bags of Halloween candy into my shopping cart when I turned into the next aisle and was bombarded by a full-blown display of Christmas. The retail community had completely overlooked the day set aside for gratitude and giving thanks.
This revelation gave me pause, as I wondered how the celebration of Thanksgiving came about. Was it suggested by a group of civic-minded people or just one person? How was it decided to celebrate the day on the fourth Thursday in November?
So, like much of my research, down the rabbit hole I went. To my delight, I discovered once again it was a woman who led the campaign, giving us a day set to give thanks for the blessings and freedoms we enjoy today.
Suddenly finding herself a widow and single mother with children to support–including a brand-new baby–Sarah wrote a book, Northwood. Its success led to a job offer for the “editorship” of a new “ladies” magazine, turning Godey’s into one of the most important periodicals in 19th century America. Though it is now remembered primarily for its fashion plates, crafts, and household tidbits, it covered social issues as well.
Year after year, Godey’s Lady’s Book published the same plea. Each year the campaign brought new success. By 1851, 29 out of 31 states celebrated a day of Thanksgiving. However, not on the same day so she continued to insist the holiday be celebrated on the exact same day.
Despite her claims, she had not achieved the ultimate endorsement; a proclamation from the President. In 1861, with civil war looming, she focused on national unity as her strongest selling point.
Finally, under these conditions and the stress of considerable loss of life, a devastated Southern economy, and public support for the holiday, President Abraham Lincoln endorsed and proclaimed, “a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelt in the heavens.” Furthermore, he stated, Americans should “fervently implore” blessings from the Almighty to “heal the wounds of the nations, and to restore it…to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility and union.”
Successive presidents continued the tradition and proclaimed a yearly Thanksgiving at the end of every November. Still not satisfied, Hale’s magazine urged Congress to recognize the holiday. Unfortunately, she didn’t live to see the Congressional Proclamation of the Thanksgiving story (which finally took place in 1941), but by the 1870’s Thanksgiving was already a part of America’s culture.
The national holiday has become just what Sarah Josepha Hale envisioned: a celebration of home and hearth and the blessings for which we are grateful.
Two lucky winners will each receive an e-book edition of my upcoming release, “Ivy” Christmas Quilt Brides. Just leave a comment below telling me how you celebrate Thanksgiving in your home.
**********************************************
He was the town bully.
She was his target.
Has anything changed?
Years ago, Ivy Sutton was drawn to the new orphan boy in town. Unfortunately, she soon became the focus of Grady Walsh’s mischievous deeds in school.
Ivy is back home in Harmony, Kansas for good but is she willing and able to forgive the boy who made her childhood unbearable?
Grady Walsh lost his heart to the sweet girl the day she gave him a quilt. Now, as a well-liked and respected tradesman in Harmony, can he make up for the reckless actions of his youth? Or will another steal er away before they have a chance to discover a kind of love that might heal the pain from the past?
Morning!
Cathy McDavid here. I’m going to do something a little different this month. Since my day to post for November is Thanksgiving, I wanted to, of course, wish everyone here a happy holiday. My hope for you is that you’re spending time with loved ones and friends and, if you’re like me, eating too much delicious food.
It’s traditional for many people on this special holiday to express gratitude for the blessings in their lives. I’ll be doing that and including all of you wonderful readers here at Petticoats and Pistols.
I’m also going to make a suggestion and ask you to not just express gratitude for your blessings but to “give” on this day of National thanksgiving. And you don’t have to spend a dime.
Here’s my list. I doubt I’ll accomplish every item on it. But even if I accomplish only a few, my life will be a bit brighter and happier. And the best part? I don’t have to stop at just one day ?
So, what about you? What will you give on this Thanksgiving Day?
A warm smile
A kind word
A friendly wave
A show of appreciation
A compliment
A visit or phone call to an old friend
A friendly chat with a neighbor
An available ear to bend when a loved one needs to talk
An offer to help with chores
An open mind
An even more open heart
A reassuring touch
A hug
An “I love you”
Warmest wishes to you, my dear friends.
Cathy McDavid
What does the poem Mary Had a Little Lamb and Thanksgiving becoming a national holiday have in common?
Sarah Joseph Hale, born in New Hampshire in 1788, is largely responsible for both.
After being widowed, and with five children to support, Sarah wrote poetry as a
way to make a living, and one of her most enduring poems is Mary Had a Little Lamb. Sarah became the editor of Godey’s Lady’s Book, a family-oriented magazine in 1841. As editor, she began to crusade for a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to commemorate the pilgrims’ famous feast. Interestingly, the southern part of the United States was slow to get on board, as they considered the feast of 1610, when supply ships finally reached Virginia, to be a more important occasion.
Thanksgiving was unofficially celebrated in the Northeast and Midwest throughout the 1840s and 1850s, but it wasn’t until the contingency of southern states were absent from congress, due to the Civil War, that Abraham Lincoln was able to declare Thanksgiving Day as a national holiday in 1863. For some time after the way, the southern states considered Thanksgiving a Yankee Abolitionist Holiday, but eventually unity was reestablished and turkey and cranberries became part of a national tradition.
Now, about the turkey…
In Sarah’s day, people assumed that the pilgrims ate turkey as part of their feast due to the abundance of wild turkeys on the east coast, while in actuality, they probably ate venison. A turkey is a practical centerpiece for a celebratory dinner, being larger than a goose and able to feed more people. Godey’s Lady’s Book featured many recipes for Thanksgiving and many of them featured turkey. Other publications pushed the idea of turkey being the traditional protein for the Thanksgiving feast, including Georgia’s Augusta Chronicle, which in 1882 announced, “Every person who can afford a turkey or procure it will sacrifice the noble American fowl to-day.”
Do you celebrate with a traditional turkey dinner? Or do you create your own traditions?
Howdy!
Welcome, welcome to another terrific Tuesday.
Autumn, how I love it — the crisp air, scented delicately with falling leaves and the smoke from wood stoves; Cinnamon and fresh apple cider, pumpkin pie, turkey and cranberry sauce, apple pie, the last of the corn on the cob…
And what about the “feels” of autumn? Traipsing through leaves, racking them up and jumping in them; picking up a leaf and tracing its pattern; warm days, cool nights, the pleasure of feeling Mother Earth prepare for a few months’ sleep.
And how about the touch of the Fall atmosphere upon one’s skin? And don’t you love the sounds of autumn? Cold nights and warm blankets, football games announcing the players; the sounds of cheerleaders and marching bands; long practices — even the quiet sound of leaves falling to the ground. How I love it.
Of course, to the people who lived close to the earth in our not-so-distant past, the look and feel of Fall was as beloved then as it is today. So much was this the case that the Eastern American Indians devoted an entire festival of fun and merriment to Autumn — and that festival was called the Harvest Festival.
Naturally, we are all pretty much aware that our Thanksgiving has a lot to do with the colonists’ association of the Eastern Indian tribes, and in particular Squanto who helped the new people who had come into this country. Although sometimes the history of our Thanksgiving is attributed to an English celebration, I’d like to put forth a differing point of view, if I might. At the end of this blog I’d love you to tell me your point of view..
When the colonists first came to this country, history tells us that the colonists were escaping religious persecution, and, indeed, this is true. But a deep dive into history also reveals that many people came to America as slaves or indentured servants because England was at that time emptying its prisons. But, regardless of why they came to America, we also know that their first winter in the new world saw the colonists ill-prepared for what was to come and many of those people suffered that first winter.
Seeing this, a particular American Indian man and a Native American tribe decided to help these colonists and taught them about the earth and how to plant the corn, beans and squash so they could obtain a bountiful harvest. They showed them the best hunting grounds also, as they went about trying to help these people survive.
The particular man who came to the aid of the colonists was Squanto, who had been captured by the English and brought to Spain. He somehow found his way to the monks in England, who, in turn, helped Squanto to return to his home. Some versions of this story say Squanto escaped incarceration in England and in doing so, was discovered by the monks. Some say he was sold to the monks as a slave.
But, whatever was the cause, Squanto came to live with the monks in England and was taught how to speak and how to read and write English. Imagine the colonists’ surprise when an Indian stepped out of the woods and spoke English to them.
Because of the American Indians’ help and their teaching the colonists how to plant the food that would grow in the soil of New England, as well as the Eastern American Indians sharing the knowledge of the best hunting grounds, when Harvest came, the Indians and the colonists had a bountiful harvest and they came together to celebrate what the Indians called the Harvest Festival. Th colonists came to call the same celebration Thanksgiving.
It is written the Indians bought much food to the colonists: deer meat, turkeys, corn, squash, beans and shared it all with their new friends, the colonists. And the colonists, in turn, shared what they had with the Indians. Also, there were many games and much fun celebrated on this first Thanksgiving which were common to the Harvest Festival of the American Indian tribes.
Now, the Harvest Festival was only one of six festivals of the Eastern American Indians. It was part of an ancient celebration wherein He who was and still is known as the Creator, was thanked for a good harvest season
Before the Harvest Festival began, the women would have already harvested the corn, beans and squash. Much of it would be dried. Corn husks were made into many different items, such as dolls, rugs and mats. Did you know that the dolls didn’t have faces? It was also a time to gather more nuts and berries. Men were busy, too, with hunting far away. Bear, moose, beaver were all sought after and hunted. When the Festival began, there would be much celebration, such as dancing, speeches and prayer. And of course — food. From the American Indian point of view, it was this particular festival that was shared with the newcomers to this continent.
Perhaps it’s because this one festival — Thanksgiving — was shared by the American Indians and Colonists alike that set the tone of Thanksgiving for future generations of Americans. And I do believe that the love of autumn and giving thanks for that which the Creator had given has its roots in The Harvest Festival, so beloved to the Eastern Indian Tribes.
Thanksgiving to me is also about family. Besides Christmas, which has many other distractions, for me Thanksgiving centers in on family.
SHE PAINTS MY SOUL is my most recent release — only a few months ago. In this particular book, besides it being a tale of romance and adventure, there is a strong element of family in this story.
The hero and heroine in this book are who they are in the story because of what has happened to them and their families. The hero is ruined by what happened to his family, and he has completely lost his way. The heroine, never having had a family, yearns to marry and create a family of her own.
And so, because I think of Thanksgiving as a celebration of family, I’ll be giving away an two e-book copies of SHE PAINTS MY SOUL.
Leaving a comment enters one into the drawing — just please refer our Giveaway Guidelines — over to the right of this page.
And so, in closing I’d like to ask your opinion. Do you think the roots of our Thanksgiving comes from a celebration that is found only in England, or do you think it comes from our American Indian heritage and their Harvest Festival? Is it uniquely American with its roots in Native America? Or do you think it might a combination of the two?
For me, I think our Thanksgiving has deep roots in Native America, not necessarily England, and that the ancient celebration of the Harvest Festival is still celebrated as a time of giving our thanks to God, The Creator, for the gift of plenty that was and is to be found within this country.
Thank you for reading, for coming to the blog today and for being loyal readers of the Petticoats and Pistols blog.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Happy Thanksgiving to Everyone Here at Petticoats and Pistols!
While I have many fond memories of this holiday, one stands out in particular from when I was in first grade. For a class project, we made a cornucopia. Each of us brought in an item to be placed in the cornucopia. My contribution was a small, dried gourd. Growing up in Connecticut, our cornucopia was very traditional and looked a little like the one below.
The teacher also gave us a little lesson on the history or cornucopias, or, as it’s sometimes called, a horn of plenty. The name is Latin in its roots and the earliest references to cornucopias are found in Greek and Roman mythology. It’s become associated with the harvest (an often late summer and fall occurrence in the Northern hemisphere) and prosperity.
Original cornucopias were likely made of woven baskets or pottery. These days, people have become very creative, both with the material used to construct the cornucopias and what goes in them. Here’s some really clever ideas.
Lots of healthy fruits
Not so healthy candy, but yummy!
Pretty flowers
Pastry filled with Waldorf salad – my favorite
And if you have nothing on hand, use a paper bag 🙂
I hope whatever your plans are for the day and the long weekend, they’re filled with fun and joy and lots of good food. Whether you’re celebrating with family and friends over a big dinner on Thursday, watching football, Black Friday shopping, traveling, or simply enjoying a little R&R at home, we here at P&P wish you and yours all the best.
Howdy!
Welcome, welcome to another terrific Tuesday.
Autumn, how I love it — the crisp air, scented delicately with falling leaves and the smoke from wood stoves; Cinnamon and fresh apple cider, pumpkin pie, turkey and cranberry sauce, apple pie, the last of the corn on the cob…
And what about the “feels” of autumn? Traipsing through leaves, racking them up and jumping in them; picking up a leaf and tracing its pattern; warm days, cool nights, the pleasure of feeling Mother Earth prepare for a few months’ sleep.
And how about the touch of the Fall atmosphere upon one’s skin? And don’t you love the sounds of autumn? Cold nights and warm blankets, football games announcing the players; the sounds of cheerleaders and marching bands; long practices — even the quiet sound of leaves falling to the ground. How I love it.
Of course, to the people who lived close to the earth in our not-so-distant past, the look and feel of Fall was as beloved then as it is today. So much was this the case that the Eastern American Indians devoted an entire festival of fun and merriment to Autumn — and that festival was called the Harvest Festival.
Naturally, we are all pretty much aware that our Thanksgiving has a lot to do with the colonists’ association of the Eastern Indian tribes, and in particular Squanto who helped the new people who had come into this country. Although sometimes the history of our Thanksgiving is attributed to an English celebration, I’d like to put forth a differing point of view, if I might. At the end of this blog I’d love you to tell me your point of view..
When the colonists first came to this country, history tells us that the colonists were escaping religious persecution, and, indeed, this is true. But a deep dive into history also reveals that many people came to America as slaves or indentured servants because England was at that time emptying its prisons. But, regardless of why they came to America, we also know that their first winter in the new world saw the colonists ill-prepared for what was to come and many of those people suffered that first winter.
Seeing this, a particular American Indian man and a Native American tribe decided to help these colonists and taught them about the earth and how to plant the corn, beans and squash so they could obtain a bountiful harvest. They showed them the best hunting grounds also, as they went about trying to help these people survive.
The particular man who came to the aid of the colonists was Squanto, who had been captured by the English and brought to Spain. He somehow found his way to the monks in England, who, in turn, helped Squanto to return to his home. Some versions of this story say Squanto escaped incarceration in England and in doing so, was discovered by the monks. Some say he was sold to the monks as a slave.
But, whatever was the cause, Squanto came to live with the monks in England and was taught how to speak and how to read and write English. Imagine the colonists’ surprise when an Indian stepped out of the woods and spoke English to them.
Because of the American Indians’ help and their teaching the colonists how to plant the food that would grow in the soil of New England, as well as the Eastern American Indians sharing the knowledge of the best hunting grounds, when Harvest came, the Indians and the colonists had a bountiful harvest and they came together to celebrate what the Indians called the Harvest Festival. Th colonists came to call the same celebration Thanksgiving.
It is written the Indians bought much food to the colonists: deer meat, turkeys, corn, squash, beans and shared it all with their new friends, the colonists. And the colonists, in turn, shared what they had with the Indians. Also, there were many games and much fun celebrated on this first Thanksgiving which were common to the Harvest Festival of the American Indian tribes.
Now, the Harvest Festival was only one of six festivals of the Eastern American Indians. It was part of an ancient celebration wherein He who was and still is known as the Creator, was thanked for a good harvest season
Before the Harvest Festival began, the women would have already harvested the corn, beans and squash. Much of it would be dried. Corn husks were made into many different items, such as dolls, rugs and mats. Did you know that the dolls didn’t have faces? It was also a time to gather more nuts and berries. Men were busy, too, with hunting far away. Bear, moose, beaver were all sought after and hunted. When the Festival began, there would be much celebration, such as dancing, speeches and prayer. And of course — food. From the American Indian point of view, it was this particular festival that was shared with the newcomers to this continent.
Perhaps it’s because this one festival — Thanksgiving — was shared by the American Indians and Colonists alike that set the tone of Thanksgiving for future generations of Americans. And I do believe that the love of autumn and giving thanks for that which the Creator had given has its roots in The Harvest Festival, so beloved to the Eastern Indian Tribes.
What do you think?
And now for something very special. Recently a reader contacted me to talk about some of my books and I found out — upon emailing with her back and forth — that she makes Native American clothing and jewelry. In fact, very kindly she sent me some earrings that are made from deer skin. They are shaped in the form of a feather and are hand cut so delicately. They are absolutely beautiful. And, I’m going to give away a pair of these earrings to one of you lucky bloggers today.
I’m going to try to get my husband to help me upload a picture of the earrings here so you can see them, but I will also describe them because I am technology-challenged. Please excuse me on this. We lost internet last night for a while and so my husband was not able to post a picture. But, see below for the description. Update: Red Feather just sent me a couple of pictures of the earrings, and here they are:
The earrings are a light brown or tan color and, again, are shaped like a feather and have a gorgeous copper-colored chain that hangs down the front of the earring. They are hand-made, hand-cut and are so very, very beautiful. The creator of these earrings is a woman by the Indian name of Red Feather who has made other unique creations with Native American Style. email: garvinpa@aol.com
The first picture is the picture of the earrings I will be giving away and the second picture is of several different colors of the earrings.
To enter into the drawing for the earrings, all you have to do is comment on this blog. All the terms and conditions of give-aways on this site apply. (They are off to the right here and easy to read and short.)
So, in closing I’d like to ask your opinion. Do you think the roots of our Thanksgiving comes from a celebration that is found only in England, or do you think it comes from our American Indian heritage and their Harvest Festival? Is it uniquely American with its roots in Native America? Or do you think it might a combination of the two?
For me, I think our Thanksgiving has deep roots in Native America, not necessarily England, and that the ancient celebration of the Harvest Festival is still celebrated as a time of giving our thanks to God, The Creator, for the gift of plenty that was and is to be found within this country.
Thank you for reading, for coming to the blog today and for being loyal readers of the Petticoats and Pistols blog.
Happy Thanksgiving.
I’m part of a Black Friday in October Sale!
Friday October 21-through-28
I put my book, Thankful for the Cowboy on sale a few days early so you can get a copy for 99 cents right now.
I also realized I’d never made this novella into a print book. So if anyone prefers print, go grab a copy, it’s on sale, too, the lowest price Kindle would allow.
Tom MacKinnon rides up driving a wagon with a second wagon trailing him. He and his sister builds windmills.
They’ll ask for very little money and, in exchange Lauren Drummond, newly widowed mother of four nearly grown sons, will help them learn to survive in the Sandhills of Nebraska. What to grow, what to hunt, how to build a sod house.
Tom’s windmills will save her ranch during a terrible drought.
Lauren needs three windmills before the oncoming winter freezes her few remaining, extremely shallow, ponds, or her growing herd of cattle is going to die of thirst.
She eagerly agrees to teach him the ways of the Sandhills. She’s not ready to think of another man. But Tom changes her mind. His little sister and one of her sons find love together before Tom and Lauren do.
By the time you read this, I will have already celebrated Thanksgiving with my family . . . yesterday.
But the rest of you are likely preparing for a big dinner on Thursday, which means – if you’re like me – you’re making multiple trips to the grocery store to get everything you need.
Now I realize, to play this game, prices are going to vary all over the country. Therefore, my winner will be chosen with the TOTAL cost closest to mine.
You can win a $10 Walmart gift card!
I shopped for these six items in my local Walmart. Please list the price you think each item would be by number in the comments along with your total.
I’ll reveal my grocery prices and total when I announce my winner later tonight!
Ready? Set? Go!
