Thanks for Thanksgiving!

Ah, Thanksgiving...what a wonderful, family togetherness day!

Ours started at 8 am, with me getting up to put the very large turkey into the oven. Brent had to go get it from the party room fridge, where it had been defrosting for six days. Thanks, honey!

After getting the beast into the oven, and getting breakfast and showers and dressed, we decided to have a family fun activity - painting christmas tree ornaments.

This tradition is one we started a few years ago. It has roots in a christmas long ago, where my family painted ornaments, and I was the kid who painted the camel yellow, and the angel yellow, too, with red wings, I think.

Well, now, it's my turn to pass on the tradition. I buy those cheap, wooden ornaments at JoAnne's and we paint them. We date them, and they always go on the tree.

Also, part of my reason for doing this every year, is for my children to have ornaments to hang on their christmas trees when they finally get old enough to move away from home. I always take them ornament shopping each year, and they get to pick one special ornament out, plus the one they painted. Fun stuff! Braden gets such a kick out of putting "his" ornaments on the tree each year.

Brent painted a gingerbread man.

Braden painted a Rudolph face.

Mommy painted a Santa face.

And, Nana painted an angel.

We also ate lots of turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, our special recipe cranberry relish, and we got adventureous and tried a new type of stuffing - with sausage and dried cranberries! So yummy!

Of course, before dinner, we had to go around the table and say what we are thankful for. As always, family tops the list. I love my family! I'm so blessed this year. I hope your Thanksgiving was as memorable as ours, and that you had a chance to think what you're thankful for.