A Day of Thanks

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving.   We did.  We actually took the 12 hour drive to my parents house this year instead of staying home.   We ended up leaving after work on Wednesday, a few hours before originally planned, so when we popped into my parents house, in what they thought and were eluded to it being an 8 hour trip, they were very surprised shocked to see us.   It was a nice little surprise to give.  :)

My mom did most of the cooking while all of her guests brought some delicious side dishes.  I just love Thanksgiving at my parents.  My mom doesn't hold back and ALL the food is just absolutely amazing.  Everything is out of this world delicious for your taste buds.  We had two turkeys; a 22 pound oven cooked turkey and a 16 pound smoked turkey cooked by my dad.   Then there was fruit salad, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry-orange muffins (made by yours truly), brussel sprouts with hazelnuts on them, creamed corn, creamed onions, stuffing, country green beans w/ bacon, squash, carrot casserole, and I haven't even gotten to the desserts yet.  (Do you see why I love Thanksgiving?  I love food!)  My sister made her amazing mint chocolate brownies, a few pumpkin pies, and a pecan pie.   All very good.   We had 19 people total for our turkey day dinner and 2 of them being super cute pregnant bellies.   (Have I mentioned I can't wait for spring?)

I was able to spend most of Friday with my sister.  In all the years that I've been going down to my parents house, I don't think my sister and I have ever spent time like that together, just the two of us.   It was really nice.   There were some goofy moments shared, which I loved.

Saturday, the three of us (mom, sis, and I) hosted our cousin's baby shower.   Kristin is the sweetest person you will ever meet.  I was thrilled to be able to give her a shower.  Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures of the actual shower.  Hopefully, my sister did.
We did a Woodland Themed shower since my cousin and his wife live on a farm and they just love all God's creatures.   Here are a few pictures of the decorations and food.  

 

I truly love this time of the year.   I love the coziness of the wood stove.  The sipping of the hot tea (or cocoa for the kids).  Movie nights.  The visiting with family you don't get to see all the time.  Even the rain coming down outside, as I type this.
I love the excitement in the kids and the sparkle in their eyes when all the holiday decorations come out of the attic.   Starting with the pumpkins and scarecrows and ending with the lights on the house and the sparkling tree in the window.  This is my favorite time of the year.

 

So, all in all I had a great 4 day weekend and I hope you did too.  Spent all of the days with my family and loved it all.   Food was eaten, siblings shared time together, grandkids and grandparents hung out together, and a special baby girl was celebrated.

 

Good bye November and Hello December!!