What I'm Thankfull For

Happy Thanksgiving! We finished our dinner and the massive clean up about an hour ago. Now I'm just taking a breather and reflecting on what I am thankful for. I'm not getting good iPhone reception here, so my photos are not transferring to my laptop. That's what I get for not bringing my camera and relying on the "cloud." I'll have to post those when I get home over the weekend.

I can still be thankful without pictures.
1. My family--- of course. I would have to top the list with them. Even when we all disagree about the game we're playing, or how to play said game, I look around and marvel that we are all together. Not only are we together, but playing together---and that the kids/teens WANT to be with us. That's good.

2. Great food---surely at the top of the list. We arrived late Tuesday night (actually Wednesday morning). Sandy has been cooking all week. She had French toast casserole for breakfast yesterday. We had parmesan shrimp last night (fabulously delicious). For breakfast today we had pumpkin bread, and homemade cranberry orange muffins. Our Thanksgiving meal consisted of turkey, 2 kinds of dressing, homemade cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, gravy, yeast rolls, green bean bundles, carrot casserole, sweet potato casserole, corn pudding and spinach casserole---2 apple pies, 1 pumpkin pie and mascarpone cupcakes. Lots and lots of food---but we're putting a pretty good dent in it. 12 people for almost 4 days takes a lot of food.

3. Nicky's bloody Mary's---he's the family designated bloody Mary maker. He makes a great one. I always say, with the celery, a bloody Mary is the drink that acts like a meal.

4. Sandy and Greg's lovely home---and so thankful there's room for all of us. The teens stayed up very late watching a scary movie and didn't even wake us. Of course, after staying up until 2 a.m. the night before and past midnight last night, we were probably dead to the world.

5. Morgan is on the mend---she had some sort of stomach bug. It seems to only have lasted 24 hours. With the exception of a little shopping yesterday, she hasn't missed anything.

6. Our jet setter was able to spend a couple of days with us. In all fairness to Mindy, she had her plans set before we planned this trip. She flies out of Charlotte tomorrow morning to Memphis. She'll spend the rest of the weekend there and drive to Oxford for the Ole Miss game.

7. That Mitchell passed his drug test. Apparently his high school does random tests. We joked with him about this. He's one athlete that doesn't use steroids!!

8. Gorgeous weather. It's beautiful here---warm and sunny. Sort of like home. But for the Lapps, quite a departure from their cold, often times snowy Thanksgiving in Michigan.

9. I brought everyone's poker money. These kids are killing me. I lost again last night---about $7.00. I don't think there will be a designer purse with my poker winnings this year.

10. That when I get home, my Christmas decorating will be nearly done---I did quite a bit of it last weekend. Tomorrow, the ladies that decorate the outside will be there. When I get home, I don't have much else to do.

I'm going to end with a gloat! You know how I love to rub it in about how I'm always so on top of things for the holidays? Well, don't hate me, but I've already wrapped some gifts!!!