Thanksgiving and Gratitude

We had a wonderful Tennessee Thanksgiving this year! Our morning began early as I got up early to prepare our 15 lb turkey. He was a handsome fellow, and I cross-referenced no less than six recipes to decide what to do with him with the amount of time I had!

I ended up buttering him with a rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper rub and stuffing him with half an orange, a head of garlic with the tops cut off and a few springs of fresh rosemary. I never realized that my kitchen could smell SO good! It reminded me a lot of being at my grandmother's house and smelling the turkey cooking as a little girl.

About 1:30, we took the turkey to my Mom and Dad's house to join the rest of my family. Our elderly neighbor, Miss Peggy, came along and joined in the festivities. We all had a wonderful time being together and celebrating our many blessings and eating delicious food! Here are a few pictures from our time together that day. I'm working on uploading a few more, but I can't get to them right now. I'll keep working on it.

Ava and Daddy check out Mr. Turkey. Fine looking bird...



Watching the Macy's Thanksgiving parade has been a tradition in our families for a long time. Ava enjoyed watching the big balloons and the marching bands go by. I still run to see Snoopy. :)



Turkey is prepared!



15 lbs into the oven...



Ava had a fun morning playing and watching the parade. We looked up at one point and found her wearing this hat.



Ava and Daddy watch the parade together.



Ben said that when his brother, Vince, was little, they used to tie a string to him and hold him up in the air like one of the balloons in the parade. Ben decided to try this with Ava!



The bird is done and ready to go!



The famous Thanksgiving feast. Yum!



Our Thanksgiving table. From left to right are my Mom, "Mimi" and Ava, my cousin Katie, Ben, me, our neighbor, Miss Peggy, my Aunt Syd and Uncle Lonnie, Aunt Jill and Uncle Rick, my cousin Wes, and Daddy, "Papa." My other cousin, Lacy, is in New Jersey dancing this year and couldn't make it home. We really missed her!!!!

Many of the Thanksgiving traditions that we enjoy were started by my grandmother, Ruthie, and this was our first year without her being there. There will never be a Thanksgiving that I don't remember her. We truly missed her this year. What a feast she must be having in Heaven!



I am so grateful for my family, each and every one of them. I love you all!