Happy Thanksgiving!!!

I know it's a little late, but there's a story behind this as well! :)  I'm taking a quick break from the house developments to share our holiday story with you. But don't worry, next week I'll finish the kitchen saga and unveil the finished product!

This year Robbie and I hosted the Schmidtberger family thanksgiving at our house. Since there are now at least 3 separate family thanksgiving celebrations to coordinate within the family, we decided to host Thanksgiving dinner on Friday instead of Thursday. This turned out well for several reasons - we had more time to prepare for the big meal (especially since it was my first time cooking the turkey!), we were able to relax and take it easy on Thursday, and we didn't feel pressured to participate in the Black Friday craziness on Friday!

So Thursday when we rolled out of bed around 10am and Robbie cooked us breakfast a little before 11, it felt a little weird not going anywhere for the day. It was almost like a "snow day" because everything was closed. For once the phone did not ring at all with telemarketers (because it did again today at 9am to wake us up!). And the "only" things we had to worry about were inside the house.

Thanksgiving night was time for me to start baking our desserts - traditional pumpkin pie, apple crumb pie, and my family's special cream cheese pumpkin pie. Friday morning Robbie and I both got up early to start the cooking festivities, but I also couldn't resist throwing together some monkey bread for breakfast (cinnamon pull aparts for those of you who don't know what that is).

Robbie and I couldn't resist long - so it's already missing some pieces! :)

We finally pulled out our china for the first time, and I had fun decorating the table for fall. The turkey went in the oven around 9:30am (after spending an hour in a couple cold baths to make sure it wasn't frozen!), so then we could relax for a little while until our guests arrived.

Finally it was time for dinner and everything was becoming ready at the same time - craziness! Robbie cut the turkey, his mom mashed the potatoes, and I pulled all the side dishes out of the oven to put on the "buffet" table. Below you can see a few shapshots of our feast - a great combination of foods and efforts from the family!

And, of course, the star of the show this year - our new niece! She didn't get to share in the joy of eating with us, but she did look very interested in participating - hopefully next year! :)

Finally, I thought I'd end the day in a little reflection of a few things I am very thankful for this year. First, I am very thankful for my Savior, who never leaves us nor forsakes us, despite our own failings. I am very thankful for my husband, who also stands by my side in the good and the not so good times. This year I am also very thankful for our new home, which, despite the large amount of work it has added to our busy lives, we hope it will be a source of blessing for more than just ourselves in the years to come.

There are so many other things I am thankful for and truly blessed by. I hope you too have found or will find joy in spending just a moment to reflect on God's many blessings. Happy Thanksgiving!