Month of Thankfulness - Day 28

A couple of other things about our Thanksgiving week away. (Just for my own memory.)

Our Friday night meal at the family reunion was pizza. This is a tradition in the family. Hubby's aunt (the one in the adorable vest and boots) always made homemade pizza on Saturday nights. She makes THE best homemade pizza. I've watched her make it, but it seems to be one of those secret things that can't be passed on.

There were fifteen pizzas like these in the photo. A bunch of us moms helped with putting the toppings on.

It was delicious.

We talked that night about a cousin of Hubby's who has passed away and how he just loved that pizza. He could eat a whole one all by himself. Good memories.

Saturday we drove to Columbia, Missouri to spend a day shopping in a town with real stores and to eat pizza (yes, again) at one of our favorite pizza places. We lived in Columbia for a number of years and I always enjoy going there and remembering when the kids were little-bitty.

Sunday we drove back home and five minutes after we arrived our son and daughter-in-law pulled in the driveway! Yes, we knew they were coming. They were on their way to the Twin Cities and stopped for a night along the way. Sooooo fun to have them here for a bit. We shared stories about our Thanksgivings and just had a lot of fun together.


I spent today still catching up on laundry. Being gone from home for ten days sure does create a ton of laundry! After I put this last load in the dryer, I'll be done! Well, except for the fact that we keep taking showers here and we keep getting clothes dirty.  

SIGH.

It's never really done, is it?

I've also been working on catching up on sleep. Last night I slept for ten and a half hours! It felt so good! I know the "experts" say you can't really catch up on sleep, but then why do I feel so much more rested today after that looong night's sleep?

I am thankful for...
...good memories from the family reunion
...a whole ten days spent with my hubby (the withdrawal is never easy)
...laundry that is all washed and dried and all put away
...homemade spaghetti sauce in the freezer that makes a yummy quick meal
..sleep

Month of Thankfulness - Day 26

I know, I know.....

 I should really call this "Month of Thankfulness Minus One Week."

When I set out at the beginning of the month to write daily about things that I am thankful for I didn't think through that we would be gone for a good part of a week. And that we would be without any phone service or internet.

Thus my silence for the last week.

As I wrote about before my week off, we had a marvelous long weekend hanging out with our kids the weekend before Thanksgiving. As we were driving out of their town, I told hubby that I was so excited that the fun wasn't over. Where were we going? To a family reunion! This was a reunion of my father-in-law's family. There were a total of 59 family members and some extras. It was a wonderful time. My father-in-law has five siblings. They were all there, but sadly my father and mother-in-law were not able to make it. They are struggling with some health issues. (Father-in-law had surgery today to remove a superficial cancerous tumor from his bladder.) So Hubby and I represented that part of the family.

Here is a photo of the five siblings (ages ranging from 68-84). One sister is reading from their mother's journal. They sat here for quite a while reading the journal and laughing and telling childhood stories on each other. Such a treasure. The brother second from the left lives in Argentina. I haven't seen him since 1994. I so enjoyed listening to them and taking photos.

We gathered at a church camp that a cousin is the director for. Perfect location for a huge gang. Lots of housing, big dining hall, a kitchen to fix oodles of food in and several people who love to cook for crowds.

Thanksgiving Dinner consisted of something like three roasted turkeys, two smoked turkeys, some deep fat fried turkey nuggets, six turkey breasts, and a ham. Oh and a little tofu turkey. All that and sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, stuffing, green bean casserole, corn, 40 or so pies and rolls.

The Post Thanksgiving Dinner Coma:

It was such a good time with family we don't see often. People were there from three countries, and nine different states. The ages ranged from 4 1/2 months to 91 years. So awesome to have everyone together.

I must end this with a picture of Hubby's 81 year old aunt. She is so styling. She knit that long vest herself. In fact she made up the pattern herself!

I can't decide what I like the best, the vest, the necklace or the jeans tucked into the boots.

I am thankful for...
...family (even the one I married into)
...good cooks
...yummy food
...a wonderful weekend of fellowship