'Tis the Season!!!!! Thanksgiving has come and past. It was a beautiful day for our family! For the past 12 years, when we didn't go to Utah for the holiday, I've been the primary meal planner and chef for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. But this year, with me in full blown surrogacy mode, my mom didn't want to cause me any undue stress and asked to take it back. I loved the idea of not having to spend days upon days of cooking and baking but as the day drew closer I began to not only feel guilty I wasn't busy making bread for stuffing, doughs for cookies and pies, sauces, and prepping the other goodness we call Thanksgiving dinner. I also felt bored, it was hard to get into the season not doing anything...so I begged mom if I could bring something...anything. She finally relented and said I could bring 2 pies (pumpkin and pecan) and the cranberry sauce. So Wednesday afternoon after Scooters left for the long weekend Summer and I started our pie making. I love sharing the moments with her in the kitchen, teaching her how to cook and bake, hoping it will set in with her for when she has a family!
We got two pumpkin pies done and the dough ready for the pecan, but I needed to rest and ended up falling asleep. I woke up bright and early Thursday morning to finish my pies and make the cranberry sauce. Geeze I never realized how much sugar is in a pecan pie!!!! It's a good thing I don't really care for it! :) After my pecan pie was in the oven I called mom to see how she was fairing in the kitchen. She had the turkey in and was getting ready to prepare the stuffing. I asked if she had bought rolls because I just wasn't feeling like I was contributing enough and wouldn't mind whipping up some sweet dinner rolls if she would like. She said if it wasn't too much she'd love it. So I popped the ingredients in the bread machine as we continued to chat.
Dinner was scheduled to be ready between 2:30-3pm so I kicked ~J off Skyrim around 2pm to get his shower and get ready to go. Then the kids and I loaded up the car with my giant rolls, 3 pies, and cranberry sauce. The dog jumped in the car as well and we were "Off to Grandma's House".
Dinner was of course behind schedule. Mom did pretty well after not cooking much in over 12years. She got a new Thanksgiving Cookbook from Williams-Sonoma and found some delicious recipes! The brie wheel was to die for! Jamie missed the green bean casserole, but I really enjoyed the fresh green bean dish made simple with just garlic and tarragon. All-in-all though it was a terrific feast!
After dinner we had some lovely conversations with my brother-in-law Billy and sister Randell. My brother and sister in Kansas City, KS called and we all had a chance to speak to them as well. The kids played hide-in-seek and shot mini-marshmallows from the marshmallow shooters mom & dad had gotten them. They had a BLAST! The dogs had fun running in the yard as well together. :)
When dessert had been cut and everyone had settled down mom and dad presented Jamie and I & my sister and her husband with an early Christmas gift. She had told us both she was giving us something early as she really wanted us to use it this holiday season and hopefully build a tradition onto it. So we opened it and WOW we all loved it! It is the best Christmas gift we've all gotten in a long time and something I've wanted for quite awhile but never really went out and bought one. An Advent Calendar! Jamie had never heard of one but once we explained it to him he thought it was the coolest thing ever!!! :)
The tree folds up and is stored in the side compartment of the box while the garland and tree skirt are stored in the Santa box. Each little drawer has a new ornament to hang each day from Dec 1-25. Next year we'll add small gifts, money, and treats for the kids to discover. This year however pulling out the new ornament each new day is a surprise enough. :) I am absolutely in LOVE with this gift!! It is perfect and beautiful!!!! Mom and dad did AWESOME!!!!!
The kids ended up staying over the night at my parents with my nephew Ethan, so Jamie and I came home alone, to a quiet house. He went straight for the XBox to continue his Skyrim game, while I went to the bedroom to rest, relax, and watch the traditional "Peanuts" holiday cartoons and Lifetime holiday movies. :) It was an awesome Thanksgiving!!!!
