Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving was a little different

this year, but it was still a wonderful day.

We had some good friends over

for a fantastic feast!

I decided to make a gingerbread

house this year.  As most of you know, 

it has been a tradition for me and my 

cousin to make gingerbread houses

on Thanksgiving to be displayed

at the funeral home Christmas

Memorial Service.  I haven't

made a house the past two years,

however.  This year, I needed

to bring back the tradition.  

It was definitely bittersweet this year. 

Lauren and I would sit at

Pa and Mimi's glass top kitchen

table with our hot glue guns 

and all of our candies, cookies

and other treats.  We would

turn on some Christmas music

and get into the holiday spirit.

All of our houses had a theme - 

the theme always had to be a 

Christmas song.  We had some

really good times sitting around

that table, with our moms

and Mimi checking our progress 

occasionally.  

I went back through several years

of Thanksgivings and found some

great pictures of us making our

gingerbread houses.

So, for your enjoyment...

Thanksgiving 2009

Away in a Manger and Holly Jolly Christmas - 2010

I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa, Holly Jolly Christmas and Walking in a Winter Wonderland - 2008

Thanksgiving 2005

Thanksgiving 2006

So, this year, in honor

of Pa and Mimi, I did one

of their favorite songs.

It's not technically a Christmas song.

This song was actually played

at their funeral - 

"When They Ring Those Golden Bells."

There's a land beyond the river

that we call the sweet forever

And we only reach that shore by faith,

you see

Yes I want to see my Jesus

Shake His hand and have Him greet us

When they ring those golden bells for you and me

Don't you hear the bells a-ringin'

Can't you hear the angels singin'

It's a glory hallelujah jubilee

In the far off great forever just beyond the shining river

When they ring those golden bells for you and me

When our days have known their number

When in death we sweetly slumber

When the Kingdom mends the spirit to be free

There'll be no more stormy weather

We'll live peacefully together

When they ring those golden bells for you and me

Don't you hear the bells a-ringin'

Can't you hear the angels singin'

It's a glory hallelujah jubilee

In the far off great forever 

just beyond the shining river

When they ring those golden bells for you and me

When they ring those golden bells for you and me

Now, onto the Thanksgiving Feast!

I thoroughly enjoyed setting my new table

and using all of my beautiful dishes.

My mom got me those turkey salt and pepper
shakers a couple years ago for Thanksgiving

On the Menu:

We had sliced beef brisket, macaroni and cheese,

green beans with honey almonds, mashed potatoes,

and garlic cheddar biscuits.  

The annual Mac and Cheese Picture

I found some of our annual Macaroni and 

Cheese pictures... there are quite a few...

but here's a taste.....

Mimi and our aunt Paula were
being silly, trying to be like us.

Pumpkin shaped sugar cookies and pecan pie were our desserts

We really enjoyed Thanksgiving

with our friends.  We spent the evening 

looking through black friday ads from the paper

and watching football on TV.

This week, I have been getting

the house prepared for Christmas.

I made a Christmas wreath,

which was a lot of fun.

 I had to take a few ornaments off

my Christmas tree to finish my wreath,

so I went to Hobby Lobby and got a couple

new boxes of ornaments for our Christmas tree...

I decided to take everything off the tree and

start fresh.  I added a couple more strands of 

lights and some more ribbon.

The finished product turned out 

quite fabulous......

And my super sweet husband brought

me a beautiful flower arrangement yesterday

when he came home from work.

He's very sweet.

I hope you all had a

wonderful Thanksgiving!