Happy Thanksgiving!
Art, Barrett and I will be having a quiet Thanksgiving at the beach.
We left Raleigh this afternoon and drove through the wind and cold rain.
We have our fireplace logs on right now and are watching a movie.
We had Thanksgiving at my dad's house on Sunday.
Since Brooke is living in DC and on call tomorrow, she was not able to come home.
She did have last Sunday and Monday off and was able to come home then, so my family decided to get together for the holiday then.
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We went to the last NC State football game of the season on Saturday.
We tailgate with over 20 - 30 great friends and couldn't miss our last home game with them even though the team has had a very bad loosing season.
Brittany and BF1 tailgated with us too.
As soon as we got home from the (sad) game, we were busy in the kitchen (again).
Barrett loves to cook and helped me out a lot preparing things to take to my dad's.
We made fresh cranberry salad, squash casserole and marinated carrots.
(We also took a Honey Baked Ham.)
Barrett has become a great baker and wanted to make the desserts.
She made a pecan pie and a pumpkin pie.
She even decorated the pies with piecrust cutouts.
The pecan pie had a squirrel and acorns on it.
She dressed for the occasion….
Actually that is the dress she wore to the football game - NC State red - and once we got home and started cooking, she put on my grandmother's apron.
She just looked so festive I had to make her pose outside for a picture,
On Sunday morning, Art picked Brooke up from the airport
and once she got home and freshened up we headed to my dad's house.
He lives 1 1/2 hours away from Raleigh.
I have a very small family.
I have one brother who is married and they have one daughter, M.
(M got married this summer and is expecting the first great grandchild early summer!)
It is still so strange to not have my mom around.
This is our third holiday season without her and I do not know if I will ever get used to not seeing her buzzing around the kitchen.
She is missed.
We got home late Sunday, unloaded the car, put our comfy sweats on and headed out to the late movie.
Even though w were tired we wanted to see The Hunger Games - Catching Fire together since we all read the books.
I actually didn't fall asleep!
That's saying something!
On Monday while Art was busy making bacon, the girls and I went shopping.
I would love to say it was Christmas shopping, but it was not.
Let's just say we had a lot of fun!
(oops!)
When we got home, I made the girls go outside in the freezing cold to take Christmas card pictures.
It was very very cold!
They were not happy.
I got a few good shots and a lot of bad shots.
This pretty much shows you the trouble maker……
Charlie would not cooperate.
He was either looking sideways or wiggling.
Lola was the total diva and thought the photo shoot was all about her.
She is perfect in every picture!
Tomorrow, Thanksgiving will be quiet for us.
This is the first time my family will not be together.
Brooke is in DC on call.
It is amazing she will not be on an airplane, especially with all of the airline delays and weather drama tonight. She cannot be here in NC, because when you are on call you have to be an hour away from the airport. She and the new BF are cooking in DC. Yes, she landed on her feet in the BF department
and is very happy.
The new BF2 seems to be a great fit.
The most impressive thing about him is that every time I have talked to him,
he has complimented and gushed about Brooke.
Mom's like guys that gush about their daughters!
Brittany didn't come to the beach so that she could go to BF1's Thanksgiving.
After six years of dating, this is the first year she has had the opportunity to go.
Art, Barrett and I will have a simple Thanksgiving together.
We have decided to pass on the turkey since we had that on Sunday and are having beef instead.
We are making fresh cranberry salad, mashed potatoes, gravy, marinated mushrooms and a salad.
Friday we are going to visit friends in Myrtle Beach and fight the crowd at the outlet mall there.
(Myrtle Beach is only thirty minutes away.)
Although this is a different Thanksgiving for us, I am looking forward to it.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Safe travels!
Hug your mamas!
And your dogs!
