A Feast and Some Thanks

This Thanksgiving I wanted to get the kids a bit more involved. We offered them a choice of one dish they wanted to prepare. Rylie picked the creamed green beans and she did a good job. Karter wanted to do the mashed potatoes (oooh, should have thought that one through a bit before offering that one as a choice.) On Thanksgiving morning about 5:30 I saw a light on downstairs. I quietly made my way down to see who was up and what they were doing. I peeked around the corner and found Karter standing on a stool peeling potatoes. I asked what he was doing so early and he said I'd told him he'd be peeling all morning so he thought he'd get started early. After I told him I didn't mean at 5:30am, he insisted on finishing so I left him to his task. About 10 minutes later he came running to find me. He'd cut his finger on the peeler. After we got it cleaned up we discovered that he'd cut the tip and down the entire side of his finger nail (so now he has a major hang nail). It looks so painful.

One thing I am thankful for is that I figured out I can make most of my Thanksgiving dishes at my leisure the day BEFORE Thanksgiving. I simply put the ingredients together in their baking dish (or in their serving dish) and place them in the fridge. Then on Thanksgiving day I throw the few things that need cooked into the oven while the turkey sits and cools. Oh how this makes the day much more enjoyable. We are also blessed with a cleaner kitchen because the mess we made is cleaned up the day before.

I did get a little worn out on Wednesday and there was one dish I wanted to make but decided to wait until Thursday morning. Ooops. Halfway through the recipe I read, "cover and refrigerate over night." I took my chances and refrigerated it for a few hours. It wasn't quite as good as it could have been but still good. (Thanks Leslie for the Frog Eye Salad recipe!)

We decided to just do a turkey breast this year. It was yummy but I kind of missed the sight of the look of the traditional bird sitting on the table.

We sat down at the table and after our blessing we went around the table to list a few things we were thankful for. A few notable items: Karter said he was grateful for electricity because then all the electronic things can work. He said he was also grateful for transportation and paved roads because it is easier and faster to get around. Emorie was grateful for her toys and blanket. Rylie was grateful for family, food, and her home because without those things she wouldn't be able to live.

After dinner we cleaned up the dishes and salivated over the pumpkin pie... SO YUMMY!

(The kids are not praying here... they are rubbing their hands together and licking their lips in anticipation of receiving a piece.)

After pie, we then ran off to the theater and watched the new Disney movie BOLT in 3D. Honestly, I could have done without the 3D part. Emorie didn't understand that she had to wear the glasses so she got the blurry version of the movie. Karter said he didn't want us to buy the movie because he didn't like the 30 minutes of previews. Silly boy!