Our Thanksgiving

Well, I've been meaning to update you on the Thanksgiving festivities at our house.  Unfortunately I came down with morning sickness that weekend and, due to many late nights, a good case of exhaustion so I haven't taken the time to sit down and write.
Jackie came out the week before and sat down and got me organized.  She forced me to allow others to do some work, too and listed all of the dishes I could prepare in advance.  It wound up being my saving grace in all of this.  She also loaned me a card table and five chairs which worked out great to put in the family room.  With 21 diners in all even my 90 inch table couldn't hold everyone!
Well, everyone arrived late Wednesday and came out to the house.  Most people ate but since it was after 8pm some had already had dinner on the road.  Only one family cancelled at the last minute but we had an addition of two more so it all worked out well.
I failed to take very many pictures... I think I was too busy talking but I did take a few..

This is a picture of Makaily on Thanksgiving morning.  She and her dad and I went out to take care of the chickens.  We were all still in our jammies and Makaily donned my pink plaid rubber boots and barn coat.  She looked so cute and was definitely very serious about her job.  Her dad dropped the bucket of scraps while 'Kaily and I went in search of eggs.  Luckily we found two!  She also found this barred rock who didn't mind being pet first thing in the morning!  Talk about unusual!  She turned around and gave 'Kaily a look but didn't shy away from the lovin'.
I took most of Thanksgiving morning off and let Joe and the others take over the kitchen.  After all, thanks to Jackie's plan of attack, most of my work was done for the day!  I was in total heaven with all of my family around.  Twelve kids and nine adults roaming (and sometimes running) around the house and the yard!  We gave thanks and all ate an amazing dinner of turkey, homemade stuffing, cranberries and cranberry salad, mashed potatoes and homemade rolls, gravy, pumpkin and apple pies, green bean casserole and sweet potatoes with marshmallows.  It was really great and a lot of fun.

This is a picture of a table we set up by the fireplace.  Jackie made the centerpiece and it looked so beautiful in the middle of the table.  I added some pumpkins from our garden, candles, silk fall leaves and grapevine pumpkins.  Pretty nice for the kids' table!
We finished the evening with a kettle fire outside.  I wish I'd have gotten a picture of that for our landlords but I just got so wrapped up in enjoying everyone that I forgot.  I was sitting at the fire and passing out marshmallows to the kids and just absorbed the moment.  It was dark out and there were kids swinging on the rope swing.  Some other kids were playing flashlight tag and some of us were around the fire.  About four or five guys got in the hot tub and they each took their littlest kids in with them.  Some people were inside playing video games.  I wish every day could end that way!

When we came inside, Uncle Jim got out his dremel so everyone could carve their names and ages in the table leaf.  Everyone wrote their name with Sharpie marker first and then Donna Marie went over it all with the dremel.  I sent a picture to my Mom.  I know she would've rather seen the table unmarred but I told her it was my forever table and that it was going to tell a story.  I think it turned out perfectly and I'm so happy with it!
I passed out the Christmas catalogs from Penney's and a Sharpie for each kid to mark what they wanted from Santa this year.  I told the parents that I was promoting commercialism among their children. :)  The kids loved them, of course!
The next morning everyone had to leave for one reason or another so we fed them all breakfast and off they went.  Most of them encountered a little snowfall on the mountain and I think that was probably the perfect end to the weekend.
Family is the most important thing in my life.  I do miss them all but am grateful to be able to live in the most beautiful bit of country on God's green earth!