Thanksgiving

I'm realizing that there is a possibility that I don't have a single picture from our Thanksgiving celebrations this year. I kind of can't blame myself - I had my hands pretty full that day. This year was a Preslar year for the feast, and with my SIL Tonja having moved to Vernal and my SIL Kathleen having to work that day, I figured it was up to me to host - which I was happy to do as long as I could use my dad's home. It's really a great place for hosting - the top floor is all open so you can all be together talking and playing games or whatever while the cooks are cooking and the bakers are baking. I was really grateful to my dad for letting us take over his place like that, and I was so happy that he stuck around and joined us. I love Thanksgiving morning with my dad - I have such strong memories of him being there during all the preparations and helping mom. The smell of turkey and spices and so much warmth in the house and quiet music in the background and having the family all together...I just love it.

Look - here's a photo I found. It's of my bullet journal and my planning page for the meal. I love cooking Thanksgiving dinner, even though it's quite overwhelming. I feel great about my turkey finally. It has taken me years but I have come to realize the BEST way to cook turkey. First - you MUST roast dark meat in the oven. Get some legs and thighs. I like to brine them. Then roast them. There is no other way to get that awesome turkey gravy. Then do a turkey breast in an instant pot. It's so fast and so good. It's pretty magical.

Ok in lieu of great Thanksgiving photos here's two photos of my baby brother, whose birthday is in November, and for whom I made a cake the day of my niece's wedding. We ate cake instead of installing Christmas lights on our big tree outside like we did the year before. It was a good trade. Cake with my brother instead of lights on the tree. (We did manage to get them on the house so I was totally satisfied.)

Peter at 16 or so with his crazy hair

Grown Up Peter who is my bestest buddy

Oh yeah and here's another photo! Emma played in an end-of-year recital and totally rocked it. She played Gavotte by Gossec. I'm always so nervous I can hardly hold still but she just calmly played and was totally awesome.

Oh my gosh look - I did find a few measly pictures. None of the whole meal or the whole family - but Here are some of us gals prepping the food:

 Romney had so much fun making dough-faces out of the leftover bread dough. Such a fun artist she is.

Oh and the pies - aren't they pretty? Emily and I had our traditional pie day the day before. I swear, next time I make pies I'm going to make them in 6" pie pans. I can't NOT make pumpkin, or apple, or key lime, or something chocolate....I just have to have all of them. But of course we ended up taking home like 3 quarters of all the pies and I monched and nibbled at them for days afterwards. 

Wow - I had more pictures than I thought. These photos are pretty precious to me now, as you'll see in an upcoming post. I didn't get one of my dad with us, but we really had a nice afternoon together. Here are three of the four boys....I feel dumb I didn't get more pictures of everyone. I used to get so annoyed when my mom would insist on taking a ton of pictures but mom...you were right! I was wrong! I will be the annoying photo-snapping mom. I'm glad we at least have these.

After a very nice meal together that I felt very good about, I think we may have started a new tradition. We cleaned up and hugged my dad and then took Sam and his family back to our house to watch the first Christmas movie of the season. I was chomping at the bits all November long to get going on my Christmas music and movies and though I definitely snuck a few before Thanksgiving, it was really fun to make it official that night with Sam and Kathleen and their kids. We watched what we always love to watch first - National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. This was the first year that all three of my kids watched with us, and I had to make them cover their eyes a time or two, but really that show has become one of my favorites.

So it was a lovely celebration of Thanks. Anyone who knows me already knows this, but this was to be my dad's last Thanksgiving. I'm really sad I don't have any photos of him there being funny and being part of our dinner. He was really slowing down by this point though none of us knew why yet. I'm feeling very tender about the fact that we will not get to use my dad's lovely space for this tradition again, and that it happened for the last time without us knowing it. I was so grateful that we had him there. Love you dad.