Thanksgiving Blessings

It is hard to imagine that another year is nearly gone! It seems like we were just preparing for the turn of the century .... 2000! And we are now approaching the end of another decade! In today's world that is about 1/9 of a lifetime! WOW! It just reaffirms in my mind that we need to make each day count. There is so much out there to learn and do!!

That said, on to the holidays of 2009 .....

Niccole prepares the pie bar

... while Mike and Will take a little rest

The night before Thanksgiving we had our traditional "Pie Night" which, of course, included more pies than we would ever eat. Everyone was able to have any kind and as much as they wanted! Yummy!!! Chris, Niccole and boys were with us for the holiday and Matt, Amanda, Mike, Christina and kids came for the Thanksgiving Eve event. Before digging into the "dessert", we had soup in bread soup bowls (had to have some sign of healthy eating!). Delicious!

Grandpa & Noah watch over the "dessert"

And the little ones show off their "turkey" hats which they made
(Caitlin, Brigham, Carter, and Hiram) ... wait .... where's Jake?

Tried to get a picture of Jake alone .... by the time the camera flashed, this is all that was left! Just feathers .....

Try again! There we go ..... and Jake!

Finally .... a group picture .... what a fine looking group it is!

We had a small group but a great Thanksgiving Day. It was so good to have Chris, Niccole and boys with us! Nicci and I got up early to get the turkey in the oven and the food preparation taken care of before everyone else got to moving. As soon as everyone was up and dressed we left to have breakfast out (a tradition started by Chris & Nicci a few years ago for their family) and then on to a mid-day movie. We went to see "Christmas Carol" in 3D. Grandpa thought it was a "great movie"; Grandad thought it was a "loud movie"; and the boys thought it was a "scary movie". I guess everyone will have to see it and judge for themselves! If any or all of those appeal to you .... then I suppose it is recommended.

By the time that the movie was over and we returned home, the turkey was done so we made the final preparations and we sat down to a BIG feast! So good!!! And lots of leftovers to enjoy for several days to come! There were only the 9 of us so it was pretty quiet but we had a great time, good food and all that goes with T-Day.

Of course, Nicci and I then rose early Friday morning ..... 3 a.m. !! Is that considered morning?? We had to get in on the Black Friday madness! It isn't just about the shopping or getting the great deals anymore ..... it is just as fun to see to what lengths people will go to literally get their hands on the "good deals". I didn't see the physical combat this year like we have other years but I'm sure I just wasn't in the wrong place at the wrong time. Christina joined us for part of the morning craziness. As always, it was fun to have a few of "my" girls together. And we ended up with some pretty good buys, too. We were home by about 10 o'clock and felt like we had done our part in that tradition, too. However, Christina and I DID venture back later in the day!

All in all it was a fun weekend. Thanks, family, for being who you are and sharing your time with us! I am so thankful for all of my kids and families. You are at the top of my "Thanksgiving Blessings" list .... and I have so many blessings to be thankful for .... not only at this season but each day.

AND

Thanks again, Chris, Nicci, Noah, Brig, Hiram and Jake for coming to be with us!

Christmas is on it's way!

I know that Christmas is just around the corner when I think about getting the lights ready to string outside and realize that the only way that is going to happen is if I get out the ladder and get them up there. It is also when I get the "bug" to do some creating! I finished making a wreath for the front door this morning. Still can't make myself hang it up on the door yet but it sits waiting for a few more days to pass! Meanwhile, I will try to find some more projects to help me get into the "holiday spirit"! Maybe pull out the Christmas music!! That always helps!