Thanksgiving 2016!!!!

Thanksgiving has come and gone again for another year. We had a great time with family and friends. We tried starting our day with the parade like we do every year, but the kids quickly got bored so it didn't last long. Plus, we got busy right away with preparations of food and table settings. My daughter, Ashley, has the job of setting the table and she loves it. She won't let anyone else do it! The past couple of years she has also taken on the job of making apple pie. She is very successful at it!! My other daughter, Hailey, has her jobs each year of preparing the relish tray, cranberries, buns, and of course lefse. If you don't know what lefse is you are missing out on a real Norwegian treat.
The easiest way to explain it is it looks like a tortilla made with potatoes. You dress it with butter and
 sugar or brown sugar, roll it up, and enjoy! Yum!

The boys, Brendan and Adam, help with odds and ends such as bringing in extra chairs, tables, or running out to the freezer or fridge in the garage to get us this or that. I, of course, have a very important job. I cook all the traditional yummy foods. My hubby usually has the job of cooking the turkey though. We have for years used a turkey fryer to cook our turkey. We tried it once and were sold and have done it that way since. Except this year, he got the day off because some sweet friends who joined us for Thanksgiving, brought the turkey. It was a special treat!!

After we ate and cleaned up and refilled the dishwasher for about the 3rd time, hehe, we sat down and enjoyed a movie or visited until our tummies could endure a piece of pie. I went away from the traditional pies a bit and added a chocolate chip cookie pie for my hubby. His favorite dessert is obviously, chocolate chip cookies. Lol. We also had pumpkin, which is a must, as well as Ashley's apple pie. It was all wonderful.

We ended our day by saying good bye to our friends and thanking them for the incredible turkey, and then drew names for Christmas. The kids love this part! They look forward to getting and also giving gifts. We set a budget and everyone updates the gift list I keep on our main computer to make buying a little easier. Of course, Mark and I exceed the budget a bit and buy a little extra for the kids. We don't go crazy though because we don't want it to become a greedy time of the year. We want it to be special and fun and another fond memory as a family who loves and works together.

I am so thankful for my family. I think I thank God everyday for them. I feel like I have done what I wanted to do when I see them get so excited about days like Thanksgiving. I pray it will always be a day they will look forward to.  I pray yours was a day with fond memories as well! Until next year, Happy Thanksgiving!!!