Thanksgiving 2014

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. I really enjoyed cooking an elaborate meal, eating as a family of four and saying our thanks on the dinner table. I also enjoy that this holiday doesn't come with any obligations such as gifts or cards and we truly can enjoy eating and then relaxing (as much as that is possible with two active children). My chalkboard sign at the door says it all:

We got creative this year and made some turkey family handprints. I love how they turned out and I will put them up every year.

While I cooked in the morning, daddy took the kids for a walk. We also watched some of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and Amelia was delighted to see Santa arrive in his sleigh.

For dinner I made creamed corn (from scratch), homemade stuffing, a turkey breast, a ham, stuffed mushrooms, sweet potatoes and mac & cheese. According to the empty plates and my loving husband: "It was delicious!". And Elliot loved his first Thanksgiving feast too, especially the turkey.

The rest of the day we spent relaxing on the couch, watching some football and playing in the backyard. The weather was just great as a cold front is passing thru and the temperature has been in the high 60s during the day.



In the past few years I have not been shopping on Black Friday as I tried to avoid the crowds and rather shopped online for good deals, especially since the sales started creeping into Thanksgiving day. Even though I said that I would not go shopping on Thanksgiving day, I went last night to Walmart (out of all the stores). I needed a new phone and the deal was too good to pass up. I must say, I was pleasantly surprised by how easy going my shopping trip went (I got there at 7pm and deals started at 6pm and 8pm) and by the helpfulness of the sales people and by how many items they had in stock. The crowds were decent, I got my new phone without waiting in line and some other great deals I couldn't resist. Nonetheless, if it wouldn't have been for the phone I wouldn't have ventured out. And after 2.5 hours at Walmart (it took one hour to check-out), I was happy to be back home.

My heart is full and so is my belly, thanks to lots of leftovers. The food was great but the company was even better. I love my family and I'm thankful that we are healthy and that I can spend every day at home with my kids. I hope every one had a happy Thanksgiving!