First Thanksgiving in Our New Home

Being our first Thanksgiving in our new home, I looked forward to getting to host dinner at home.  As I started the food preparations the day before, I started to get a little homesick, thinking of days gone by when the day before Thanksgiving was spent in the kitchen with my mom, working side by side all day.  I'd like to say my sisters were there too, but let's be honest.  When I was a teenager, they were too little to appreciate (or want to do) such things.  So it was me and Mom.  Boy do I miss that.  Every single year I miss it.  Sigh.

But I posted this on Facebook later that same day:

Was feeling quite homesick this morning. Then realized I had the wrong attitude/ perspective. First, I have a FAMILY, who loves me, and I love them, and our close relationships make us miss each other when we're not together. 2nd, I have a nice, warm house to clean. 3rd, I have food to prepare for my family, not just sufficient for our needs, but an ABUNDANCE. Those are just the 3 things I needed a perspective change on. Too many other blessings to list. I am blessed!!!!!!!

I surely AM blessed!  Too many blessings to list.  One great blessing is that Cooper likes to help me cook.  Most days if he's not out playing with friends when dinner time rolls around, he's there by my side, pulling his step stool out of the pantry, wanting to help me cook.  I love it, and call him my sous chef.  When he complains that he never gets to do any of the "fun" stuff, like cut with sharp knives, I remind him that the sous chef helps prep the food, and takes orders from the head chef without complaining. Ha!  No, but really, he is quite the little helper, and helped me make a couple of things for our Thanksgiving feast.

 I really enjoy cooking, especially when there's more than just Nate and the boys to cook for.  As I looked over our Thanksgiving feast, I felt so blessed to have so much.  I roasted a 20 lb turkey, made stuffing from scratch (my FAVORITE), mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, corn,cranberry sauce, and we had rolls (which I did not make this time due to too many things for one oven to handle).  

 We stuffed ourselves and enjoyed a nice Thanksgiving feast.

 Hudson enjoyed everything too.

 Aunt Denise, Uncle Jim, and Allison (visiting from Massachusetts) joined us for the day.

 Hudson was a little tired by the afternoon.

 It was such a great day; a wonderful time with family.  So thankful to have Denise and Jim close by to enjoy holidays like this with them.