Thanksgiving 2016

We were very blessed this Thanksgiving to have most of my siblings and parents join us.  :)  It was a happy and peaceful family gathering!!

The Latest and Greatest :)

Between my art class and the holidays, I've had pretty much no free time!  But I'd rather be busy than unable to do anything, which was the case back when my illness was bad.  I am thankful for the good health to be busy!!

Our calendar has been pretty full despite the fact that I haven't been taking many pictures.  We stayed home for Thanksgiving, enjoying a wonderful feast, just us three.  Originally, we were planning to eat out with Greg's parents and do the big meal the day before, but that didn't work out.  We shared our leftovers with them though!

My favorite meal of the year!

That evening, we hung out with my mom and a couple nephews at Triple Play.  We asked them what they wanted to do, and they said the arcade!

Then, we had a late meal at Denny's.

On Black Friday, my cousin came to visit.  We played a couple of board games and lots of Smash Bros.  We had a great time with him.  :)

He may not look too happy here, but he should be!  He was winning the most!

I went to a tea recently with our co-op.

Other than that, Kylen has had his usual activities - of which there are many - and I've been working on all things related to Christmas!!!  :)

Happy Belated Thanksgiving!

We aren't out shopping today . . . but we ARE delving into Christmas.  Greg is putting up outside lights, and I'm working on our card.  This week, my focus will be on finishing preparations for our co-op's Christmas party.  I guess it's about time to change colors on here from brown and green to red and green!

We celebrated Thanksgiving twice!  We had friends over for the traditional feast a couple weeks ago.  It was our first time to host a Thanksgiving meal in 15 years of marriage.  It went pretty well!  The only problem was that the turkey was cold by the time we sat down.  I have a few ideas to remedy that in the future.  Anyway, we had a great time with our company, and the meal was delicious.

Our leftovers were long gone by yesterday evening when we joined Greg's parents at a restaurant.  Note to self: do not eat a restaurant's Thanksgiving meal just after their buffet has ended.  You might get dried out leftovers!  The turkey and ham were perfect, but the stuffing was awful, the veggies undercooked, and I think they forgot to add seasoning to the potatoes.  And this was a place that usually serves up fantastic food.  At least the appetizers, bread, salad, and dessert were terrific!

Can you tell food is important to me?  Lol!  I haven't even mentioned anything I'm thankful for!  Well, I AM thankful, and not just for food!  I am thankful for all of our blessings!  I'm thankful for my family, friends, and home.  I'm thankful for the freedom and peace we enjoy living in this country.  I'm thankful for my computer, my camera, and all our modern conveniences.  Most of all, I am thankful for my Lord and Savior, Jesus!!   =)

The Wishbone

We saved the wishbone from the turkey.  When Greg and Kylen snapped it, the two sides broke off while the center went flying.  It landed in my hair.  I guess it was a three way tie!

Thanksgiving 2013

Greg and I cooked "the big bird" for Thanksgiving our first year of marriage, when we were 2,000 miles from home.  The following year - and every year since - we have either gone to my parents' house or to a restaurant with Greg's parents.  The more time passed, the more daunting the prospect of preparing another turkey became.  Thawing, cooking, carving, making sides . . . it all seemed overwhelming.  But, I really missed leftovers and didn't like shying away from hosting.  Well, last week finally seemed the perfect time to give it another try!  Greg's nine days at home meant we could do everything at a relaxed pace.  I even chose a different day: Wednesday.  We had planned to eat out with Greg's parents on Thursday, but that didn't work out.  Then, some dear friends invited us over.  We were doubly blessed.  Not only did we have a wonderful meal at home, but we still got to share the day with others!

We soaked the turkey overnight in a salt brine, rinsed it, stuffed it with celery, carrots, onions, and a bay leaf.  Baked it upside down until two-thirds of the way through to make the white meat moist.  The juices made fantastic gravy, although we discarded the veggies.  I'm sure someone would have gotten a good laugh if they had seen us handling that raw turkey carcass, but the meal was a raving success!  We're still enjoying the leftovers.  :-)

Thanksgiving 2012

We had a really nice time at Mom's for Thanksgiving.  There were around 20 of us including my younger brother, sister's family, and Grandma.  Lots of good food and games!

 

The Table

Mom & Grandma

Our Two Nephews

 

My Sister and Her Family

Kylen, Greg, and Dad

Happy Thanksgiving!!

I wish I could think of something truly profound, poetic, or inspirational to write.  I'll just say that I am incredibly thankful for many things today, not the least of which is my Lord, family, and good health.  I am grateful that my husband has a job in this tough economy and that for the most part we still enjoy many of the benefits of freedom.  I am thankful that we are able to homeschool.  I am thankful for a holiday that helps us to pause for a moment during this busy season and reflect on all that we are thankful for.

Now please excuse me, as I prepare to enjoy the blessings of a traditional Thanksgiving feast.  :-)

Thanksgiving 2008

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We had a nice, relaxing day, since we are always blessed in going to my parent’s house and they only ask us to bring a couple of things. Greg’s parents joined us and two of my sibling’s families.

We took a couple of pictures while waiting for the rest of our group to arrive. Notice my weak smile and my mom’s head is cut off. Lol! Oh well! My jaw was giving me grief that day, but I was still thankful for all of our blessings, which are numerous! And today my jaw feels MUCH better!

They always do such a beautiful job of decorating the table!