How time flies!

Goodness! I have not had a minute to sit let alone come up with anything semi-witty to say.

The thanksgiving week was great! my parents came into town Wednesday night and stayed until Monday just after lunch.

They were not the reason I have not had time to blog necessarily. But time with family was great.
Wednesday night we completely absent-minded-ly forgot the homeless dinner we help with every year! Duh- There we were home, baking pies, readying the house for the grandparents, it totally slipped our minds.

Oh well, the way it turned out, we barely got the pie finished by bed time anyway.

Sorry to you needy! However, it is a big event and sometimes the volunteers are too plentiful and stumbling over one another to serve or clean anyway. Nope- still doesn't make me feel less guilty.
After my parents arrived in town with my mothers sister Karen, in tow, we had about an hour to chat with her while she waited for my cousins to show up to get her. That too was nice as i don't get to see her as often as I would like to.

The next morning we woke up and began making the thanksgiving feast- sans the Turkey, ham, potatoes, and relish plate that my mothers youngest sister (the host) was to supply. Well that, AND the house we ate at.

I got creative, -which I should not be allowed to do on a traditional holiday-, and decided to try some flavorful breads in my herb stuffing this year. I had sent my daughters off to the store with instruction to get one loaf of sourdough and one loaf of another darker bread. Possibly a Pumpernickel or a Rye? My younger daughter voiced her distaste for rye, and so, I received a beautiful dark loaf of fragrant pumpernickel. [The stuffing turned out OK, but a later batch using 2/3 sourdough to 1/3 pumpernickel was much better].

Dad also got creative. As he is not the cook on thanksgiving and really, most other days too, but was craving deviled eggs. So he asked how hard they were, and with a little direction, made some pretty darn good eggs.
Mom made her sweet potatoes, and parsnips,. Rachel created some cordon bleu asparagus wraps. Then we loaded up all the food, and some pie and headed off.

It was about half the crowd we normally have. My cousin, her son, was back in Guatemala he had served his LDS mission there, went back to visit, and met a girl. her oldest daughter was at her in-laws, and my son was in Alabama still. ( my first thanksgiving without all my kids). But dinner was delicious and games and chit chat afterward was typical of this family.

Now- let me get off subject (thanksgiving I mean) for just one moment.
I would like to point out a peculiarity in this family. (one of, oh so many)

Let me preface- My mother is the oldest in her family of 5 girls. Maxine my mother is the oldest, followed closely in age by Diane then Karen, then a few years down are Dawn and the youngest - Beth.
It was Beth's house we spent thanksgiving at. It has been said by many- that of the 5 sisters, Maxine the oldest, and Beth the youngest, look the most alike.

Beth has been married more than once and her children are spread out in age. She is also only about 10 years older than me. At the time she was having her youngest (twin girls) I had already had two of my kids. This is a picture of my two girls, and her twins.

I think that they would be considered to be second cousins? Anyway- there is a point to this. The first girl, is my baby, Rachel turning 16 on Saturday Dec. 6. . Next to her, Jessica 17, then My older daughter Chantel 17. and then her other twin Erica. The craziness? Her twins could very well have been twins with my girls.

Rachel and Jess?

Drama students, scholars, both wore glasses at a very young age, same personalities to a Tee!

Erica and Chant? Boys, boys, boys, sports, clothes, hair, makeup, wore glasses later in thier teens. Again- personalities? to a tee!

and even thought the twins are identical, can you see the similarities to my girls? It is crazy. And I am their mother, well to two of them.

Just thought I would share the madness!

Cranium and another game, imaginiff got so out of control

That these guys:

Could no longer 'hear' their football game- who needs sound in a football game?! Don't you make your own calls anyway?

Hey guys! He who yells the loudest...

................wins the game?

But it was a lot of fun, we had some good times and way too much food and pie. Then hurried home, we weren't hitting the sales early on black Friday but Beth had to work at 4am. UGH! I better call and make sure she is still breathing.

the rest of the weekend was just a lot of shopping, family, some Mexican train matches (if you have not played it, you should) and more turkey and pie.

On Sunday night, as we had left all the leftovers at Beth's, we cooked up a second thanksgiving dinner. Still not sick of it. And it gave me a chance to tweak the stuffing recipe with a little less pumpernickel.

I met mom and dad for lunch Monday on their way out of town. Cant wait to see them again at Christmas.

Jeremy also called this weekend. He was able to participate in an adopt a soldier program. He was adopted by a local family and had thanksgiving with them in their home. If he couldn't be with us, I was glad that he still had the family atmosphere. He mentioned their dog, and how she resembled ours. he got their contact information and made some lifelong friends. How sweet is that?!? We sure miss him!

Well, that is our holiday- in a nutshell. Not too different from many a blog entry for Nov. 21st.

Happy belated Thanksgiving. I will attempt to keep up with this, but this time of the year, it is hard to find the time.