A Very Happy Thanksgiving

It was the BEST Thanksgiving we have ever had! Everyone had a great time and we had everyone here. Bill and I love to entertain and cook and this was the best of both. We started on Wednesday with set up and some prep. Only one minor cooking injury with a popping cranberry flying out of the pot and burning my arm! As Bill always says, "you burn, you learn!"

Bringing back some great cooking ideas from the Fabulous Food Show that my dear friend Aimee and I attended in Cleveland a couple of weeks ago, Bill and I added some new dishes and techniques. I am always looking for a sweet potato recipe for Bill and finally hit success with Roasted Sweet Potato and Bananas. It turned out great! Bill loved it and that was my goal.

We always have a great time cooking and this year we had lots of help from Cyndi's Au pair, Jana. She was very excited to learn how to make a turkey and jumped right in washing dishes and making salads, peeling potatoes, and chopping veggies. Awesome to have an extra set of hands all day!

The kids had a great time with their cousins and the hit of the day was the big long table with all 20 of us sitting around it. I had envisioned having all the food on the table to pass but there was just not enough room to do that.

It was truly a blessing to have all of our family here, enjoying each others company, and having great food and conversation. Bill and I are busy trying to see how we can do this big table thing again for Christmas. Tape measures are flying to see where we can put the couch and other furniture and set tables up around the tree.

Here are the highlights of the day.

I started off $5 richer collecting my bet with my dad on Donny Osmond winning Dancing with the Stars. I knew I should had bet more! Or well, it came attached to flowers so that was worth something!

Place cards by the girls, here is Whitney's made by Erin. I made the votive candle holders with double sided tape and micro beads.

My favorite picture of the day, at one point the whole counter was filled from end to end with everyone pitching in to help cook.

Dad and BJ assist in the removing of the turkey from the oven.

I loved the way the table turned out!

Bill and his masterpiece, a very fine turkey, he did well!

We are very fortunate to have such an abundance in our lives.

Desserts, desserts, this was only about half!

Erin with BJ. Whitney was strategically placed at the opposite end of the table. Hmm? The highlight of Erin was when BJ went to get something from the table and Erin told him she would hold his seat for him and literally held onto the arm of it until he returned.

Alec with a very pitiful amount of food for dinner!

Lindy was my little decorator helper. She embellished the table for me with fall decorations.

Dad on cleanup duty.

Our annual tradition. Each year we make ornaments and give them to everyone after dinner. This year we did the glass balls with paint swirled in them. We used fun colors, pink, lime green, orange, yellow and applied snowflake stickers to the outside. The girls chose coordinating ribbon for the top. Very fun and pretty, a hit with all the recipients.