Thanksgiving is about far more than the food, but I have to say that the Feast this year was absolutely delicious! Spaghetti Squash au Gratin (Kat), Brussels Sprouts (Nancy), and Glazed Baby Carrots (Catherine), were fabulous new additions. Swiss Cheese topped Spinach and Green Bean Casserole (Cecilia), brought the number to five great vegetables so we decided to forgo the corn this year! Two turkeys (Mom and I) and two hams (Wendy and Jackie), mashed potatoes, candied sweet potatoes (Lindsay), seasoned stuffing, a rich gravy and whole cranberry sauce filled our plates, but not for long!
Enjoying this meal with 64 members of our family and close friends filled each of us with gratitude for God's magnificent Bounty and for the abundant Blessings He has poured down on each of us this year.
We gathered at 11 am to start our day with fruits, vegetables and cheeses (Holly), Note: Let's split this very big job up next year! Then, most of the group left on our traditional Thanksgiving Walk which had 54 people on it!!!!! A friend of mine said-"That's not a Walk- that's a Migration!
Uncle Tom chooses our destination each year .Many young babies were able to attend, carried along by their excited parents sharing this tradition with the next generation. Last year, the walk was ATV friendly, and Grandpa and Larry ( hobbling with a bad knee) made it. This year, Grandpa chose to spend the whole day with his Bride, keeping us company back at the house. Larry walked like a Boss and is the official "Cal Ripken" of the Thanksgiving Walk with 30 uninterrupted years in a row, by God's Grace!!! The challenge is on- who can beat that record?!!
After everyone left for the Walk around 12 noon, the folks at the house had a cup of coffee together and then scrambled to reheat each dish and carve the meat. Dinner is usually scheduled for 2 pm but I think it was more like 2:30 when we served it. No one minded because the weather was so fine, folks could visit inside and out. Some of our folks join us for different parts of the day, especially the young people who have commitments to spend time with each side of their families. We don't mind a bit, we are just happy to see them for the time when they can make it. Mom's theory is NO Guilt!!! With that attitude, the young folks WANT to be with their large extended family- they know that this is fun and a great blessing.
I was able to take only a few pictures very quickly as I was really busy enjoying the day so please forgive their lack of finesse.
There is something about this picture that makes me desperately want to move the eggs from the top container into the available slots in the bottom one!!!
While the men, boys and older gals got outside to play The Turkey Bowl; The Cheetah Club, their little auxiliary members (younger sisters and a niece) and the small boys, celebrated Angela's tenth Birthday with a "Brave" themed party. A Cheetah photo frame was created by each girl. Kimberly took these pictures to document the party for us.
One of my favorite desserts of the day were the cannolis made by Uncle Bill and Aunt Hannah, that had been tucked away frozen from their summer visit and brought to this large family gathering by Aunt Nancy.
Since last year, we've had some new babies, A wedding and a new cousin, Dominick, an engagement, an enlistment, graduations, new homes, lots of new puppies, new jobs and by God's mercy, no deaths. Not in every year has the news been all good, but whatever life brings, I hope that we will continue to gather on Thanksgiving to show our Gratitude to the Lord of Life and Love who continues to provide for us all.
