Grace was cute. We were playing games in the afternoon and she kept asking, "Umm, Mom, shouldn't you start cooking? Tomorrow is Thanksgiving." She went to work at 5 and that was when Zee and I went into the kitchen. We worked hard together and were able to get everything done before Grace got home from work at 10. She is my left arm, that's all there is to it! We sang Christmas songs, played my "Walk" Playlist to keep us hopping and got the job done, leaving only the turkey, rolls, mashed potatoes and gravy for Thursday morning.
After the kitchen work was done, Zee and I got into the hot tub while Doug went to get Quayd from work. They came in and joined us as soon as they got home. I was snowing on us the entire time. We have a nice covered patio, but the wind and snow were blowing in from the north, which is the only side that's exposed completely. We were so excited for snow that we didn't care one bit! Our big forecasted six inches of snow ended up being just over an inch. But, the wind... it has felt like we are going to blow away for the past two days. Non-stop, 50mph wind gusts. Crazy and cold!!!
Doug put the turkey in at about midnight and we were asleep instantly, but I woke up a few times in the night to check it. We cook it upside down in the browning bag for ever at 220. This years turkey cooked eight hours. It was divine!
We were up and moving by 7, but we didn't really start cooking until about ten. I got the table set, made the place cards, showered and got dressed, and just chilled with Doug before even thinking about cooking. It was mostly baking everything, since Zee and I did the prepwork the night before. Sweet!
Alan and Jill and family all arrived around 12:30. We popped the rolls into the oven and let them bake while enjoying eggnog punch and visiting a bit. (Carol's eggnog punch recipe is always a hit!) Our nephew Alec brought his girlfriend, Candace, and Adam brought his girlfriend, Kim. The more the merrier! We've spent the weekend together at the ranch with Candace, so were were already comfortable together, which made for lots of laughs at the table.
Our table talk was to simply share a blessing from the past year and how it's changed your life. Wow. All three of our kids mentioned the move, which made me happy. Doug's which I can't share here, made us all laugh! I have thought about it for a few days. I could make a whole list, but I only shared one. On my mind were:
The move, definitely the biggest!
Liza and Buddy's move back to Utah
Doug's calling to serve in the YSA Bishopric
Zaylee's adoption
Doug's shift changing back to straight days
Making several new friends
Sounds trivial, but having a hot tub has really made an impact when my foot is killing me!
These are several major blessings from the past year! There are so many more, but these have been life-changing, literally!
After dinner, we cleared the dinner table a bit, then set up the banquet table near the fireplace for some game time. We gathered around the table and played LRC, using quarters. ZJ won $6.50 and you've have thought she won the lottery. We usually play with Jingle bells, but, we thought it would be fun to play for money this time. Everyone brought $3 in quarters and they had a ball. My friend, Natalie, told me last night they played with dollars and her 16 year old son won $63. Her comment on Instagram, "There's nothing like a little gambling with the family on Thanksgiving." Doug and I laughed out loud when we read it. It really is a fun game and much more fun with money than M&Ms.
After game time, Jill and I went for a walk around the block. Literally, we felt like we were going to blow away. There were 45mph gusts and I just checked the temp. It's COLD!!! Too cold to snow, indeed. We didn't last long outside. It was miserable, but we made it around the block, then came home and built a fire, had pies and gabbed until 8PM. In the middle of all the gab, there was some napping, some more game playing on the playstation or whatever it is, and did I mention napping?
Here's Jake in the den...
Alec and Candace in the living room...
Doug and Alan in the downstairs family room
These two brothers are true clowns. I love watching Doug and Alan together. They have so many of the same mannerisms and their sense of humor is very much alike. I think that the kids bond with Alan and Jill is mostly because of their easy going nature, which is also very much like Doug's. Honestly, next to Doug and my sons, Alan is truly my favorite man on this earth.
And did I mention napping?
The pies! Oh my! Feeling my southern genes, I decided to make a sweet potato pie on a whim, since I had a few extra sweet potatoes. As we were enjoying the pies and desserts, I took my first bite of sweet potato pie and it sent me back to my childhood. I could taste Grannie and my great Aunt Lillian's sweet potato pie and every memory came flooding back to me. I was sharing the memories and said a normal word in a very southern accent, adding er at the end instead of pronouncing it as an "a" and everyone just busted out laughing. I didn't even realize it, but the little girl from North Carolina totally came out of my mouth. So strange. It was a literal memory coming to life.
Alan and Jill headed home around 8 and I checked my phone for the first time in the day. Carol had been calling about shopping, but I passed. I'm aggravated about the Thanksgiving Day shopping! I feel like commercialism has not overstepped their bounds into on of the few family days left and refused to participate. Carol was doing with her girls, so it worked for her, but I didn't want to leave everyone behind to go out and shop. I did want to be with Carol and the girls, but not enough to miss out on the family time with Doug.
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