Tardy Thanksgiving happenings

Well, my Thanksgiving update is pretty late. But in my defense I was attempting to post a video to make you all VERY jealous of my Thanksgiving festivities. But blogger is not cooperating with me. So I'll have to post a still picture instead. BOO! The video was of our friend Guelel playing and singing for us on Thanksgiving. The prefect end to a fabulous family get together. Oh well....



So, the Thanksgiving festivities have come to a close for another year. The family and I had a fantastic time. It was everything that I could have hoped for. The girls got to spend time with their cousins and the house was filled with the sound of children's laughter (loud, piercing, high pitched, shrieking little girl laughter). For three days and nights house rules were forgotten, meals were trucker sized, bedtimes fell by the wayside and the love and laughter were plentiful. We all return to our normal lives full. Full not just on the vast menu of tasty goodness that was consumed, but full and replenished in the strength of our family bond. I wish that we could spend time together like this more often. It reminds me of why we returned to the mainland - why it was so hard to live across an ocean from our family. The holidays there were small, and though they were no less filled with love, they were different. Now, I will have to admit that a Thanksgiving dip in the Caribbean Sea could not be replaced by even the cheesiest of macaronies, but I would trade that for the soft brown cheek of my newborn baby cousin any day!


Alright, all mushiness aside. Here are the top five reasons that MY Thanksgiving was sweeter than YOUR Thanksgiving! 5.) This year's Thanksgiving spread consisted of dressing (made from my homemade buttermilk cornbread), green bean casserole, macaroni and cheese, greens, smoked turkey, roast duck, basil and lime marinated salmon, sweet potatoes, homemade pecan and apple pies, lemon bundt cake, caramel cake, almond cake, peanut butter cookies, ginger snaps, lemonade and sweet tea!





4.) The population of our humble little abode swelled from a meager seven to a mind boggling 25+



3.) The awesome place mats that the girls made for the kids table AND the newly refinished red drop leaf table (belonging to my great great uncle) which served as the kids table.




2.) My girls and my niece. Nothing more to say there. They're awesome.


And the number 1 reason my Thanksgiving was sweeter than your Thanksgiving - our Senegalese friend Guelel gracing us with post dinner entertainment. A very awesone video should be posted here, but as you can see....it's not.

Thanksgiving festivities in the works

Finally, everyone in the house is well and the Thanksgiving festivities are underway this week. Yesterday, we took a day trip to Tupelo to do a massive shopping trip in preparation for holiday guests. This is the first big Thanksgiving dinner that I will host. I feel a little nostalgic, thinking of the big holiday dinners that my grandmother hosted when I was kid. The house was filled with the noise of children and smells of fall. It's strange to think that now I am creating those same memories for my children and nieces and nephews. It will be their noise filling the air now. I'm excited.
Along with nostalgia comes the dread of how much work I need to get done this week. I have to at least try to contain the toy tornado that rips through our house daily, wreaking havoc on what could be a wonderful, clutter free house. The cedar chest is mere steps from being complete. A good buffing and new hardware are all we have left to do. We have components for a autumn inspired centerpiece, as well as, a place mat project that I promised the girls that they could create for the kids table. We will do this awesome project that a came across at domestifluff to create our place mats http://www.domestifluff.com/2009/02/how-to-make-a-stenciled-retro-utensils-print/

I'm not really sure what the centerpiece will develop into, but we have really cool candle holders that we found at the local Goodwill, some candles, gourds (also found at the Goodwill) and a few other odds and ends. So we shall see what happens.

Needless to say, there will be no traditional school for us this week. We will discuss family and do some writing and poetry about autumn and things that we are thankful for. We will discuss Native Americans and their culture and do some projects around that. Other than that, there will be lots of house cleaning and cooking. Family starts arriving on Wednesday. Let the festivities begin!