First, I'm sharing this sweet picture of Joseph peeling potatoes the day before Thanksgiving--which is when I do most of my food prep work. He peeled ten pounds' worth for me!!
Dad and mom hosted the holiday this year, with the entire family gathering together.
Relaxing while Mom, Char and I work in the kitchen.
I was so busy helping Mom get all the food ready that I didn't take a family photo, as I have done the past several years. All I got was the table settings!
Fernando helped Mom pull the turkey out of the oven. Mom had had a break last year--it was my first year preparing the bird and hosting Thanksgiving--so our 20-pound bird was a monster for her! I think she's ready to give up Thanksgiving turkey-baking for good!
Mom didn't brine the turkey--purchased from our farmers Eric and Samantha over at Nature's Choice Farm--and it turned out delicious. Yay for us!
After dinner, we cleaned up and spent the afternoon relaxing, playing, and sharing conversation.
I took the below for Dad and Mom to use in their Christmas cards this year. :)
Thomas chillin' with his tablet.
Ping-Pong! This brought back memories from my teen years, for sure.
Danny, with goofy face as usual.
Danny discussed computer monitors with Grandpa, with his Uncle Jeff looking on.
No one forgets dessert on Thanksgiving Day. I had rolled out crusts for four pies, experimented with fashioning some creatively-edged crusts. At the end, I had enough extra dough left over that I exclaimed, "Boy, there's enough dough here I could probably make another pie!"
Thirty seconds later, Joe appeared at my side with a pie tin. "Here you go, Mom!"
"Um, I didn't mean..."
Then, "And I know just what to fill it with!"
Thirty more seconds, and he re-appeared with two cans of plums, gifted to us by my generous friend Heather.
He added, "And we already have crumble pie topping for it in the freezer!"
Hence, the 7th pie on the right in back--plum pie! (Mom made two of these pies...)
The pies were enjoyed by all, with fresh whipped cream, and ice cream brought by Jeff.
The cherry on top of the day ended up being the Chicago Bears' victory over the Green Bay Packers--what a thrilling game down to the final seconds!!
Thanksgiving usually encompasses the four-day weekend, with leftovers lasting that whole time and me not having to cook, with pie being eaten at various times and for various meals, naturally. This Thanksgiving, however, was tinted with sorrow at the passing of Fernando's Tia (Aunt) Dora. Providentially, we were able to obtain last-minute free plane tickets to fly out to Los Angeles to be with his family, and what a Godsend it would be: Fernando hadn't really visited his family in the seven years since his mom's death, and I hadn't been out in eight (when we visited with our boys).
We would miss a wedding over the weekend, but other than that our schedule was clear (more Providence!), our guys could take care of themselves (thank You for leftovers!!), and we had a ride to and from the airport. Before we knew it, we were off and flying.
Back to life,
Christine
Visit my photography blog
Visit my photography website
