I Am Thankful For ....

I always look forward to the Thanksgiving holiday, it is always so fun to be with family and to celebrate everything that we are thankful for.  We have a very traditional Thanksgiving in our family, we have special recipes that we cook every year that we only make for Thanksgiving dinner.  My mom and dad start cooking two days before the big day, they are just the best, I love their cooking everything they make is sooooo delicious and I think it is so cute that they cook together.  I am thankful for my parents.

My mom asked me to put some decorative finishing touches on the table to make it a little more festive.  So I added a few fresh fall colored flowers in silver julips then set the table using my mom's fabulous autumn time dishes.  I am thankful to live close enough to home to be able to come home for the holidays and to be able to help my parents out in anyway that I can.

My dad and I are the bakers in the family, we both just love to bake!  So I always help him with the rolls.  He likes to be in charge of making the dough, but I help him shape each roll.  I am thankful for all the things my parents have taught me, espcially the things I learned and things I learned to love based purely on their example.

Jenny brought this fun craft for the kids to do while we finished up some of the cooking.  You make the turkey's tail feathers out of silk flowers.  I though they turned out so cute!  I am thankful to come from a family that values and supports the arts and creativity and who all love to craft and create fun things.

My mom had made these cute turkey crayons and gave one to the girls along with brand new coloring books, filled with blank pages just waiting to be colored!  I am thankful for being a part of such a thoughtful, caring and loving family.

I got to brush the freshly baked rolls with melted butter, I love doing that, it is makes them look so yummy.

Mom making some gravy, me finishing the rolls, and my dad carving the turkey. I am thankful for every single minute I get to spend with my family doing the things we love to do.

These stuffing balls are my favorite Thanksgiving food, we only make them once a year so I think they are very special.  I am thankful for my family traditions.

The gravy boat we used this year belonged to my grandmother, I thought it was sooo pretty!  I am thankful for my grandparents and ancestors and for everything they did to give me the life I live.

The girls ate early and then cuddled up to watch a movie while us grown ups ate our meal.  This is the "nest" it has been in our family for years, me and my sisters used it when we were kids and it is just the best thing in the world, it is the most comfortable thing in the world when you are a child.  I am thankful for being blessed with such a happy childhood and all the memories I share with my sisters.

The wonderful finished buffet, everything was AMAZING!  I don't even know how it is possible but I it seems like it gets better every year.  I am thankful for being blessed to have enough food to eat at every meal.

Nora had learned a couple of Thanksgiving songs in her kindergarten class that she spontaneously shared with us.  She wanted grandpa to sing along even though he had never heard the songs before, it made for a pretty good post dinner show ...  I am thankful for all my adorable nieces and nephews and the joy they bring to our family.

After dinner we went to Century 16 Theaters to see Puss in Boots. I thought it was hilarious, Jenny and I laughed the entire time. I love humpty's gold sweat suit. Then we came home to have dessert. My dad made his traditional pumpkin pie as well as a lemon cheesecake for those weirdos that don't like pumpkin flavored things (pumpkin flavored anything is my favorite!) Both desserts were delicious! I am thankful for my happiness and the simple pleasures I get to enjoy that make my life so fun.

Jenny brought another craft for the kiddos, gluten free cookie and candy turkeys!  The girls had a great time making them and their turkens looked fabulous.  They didn't last too long, most of them got gobbled up seconds after being created.  I am so thankful for my sisters and everything they do to make family gatherings so fun.

I am so thankful for all my many blessings, no words can describe my gratitude