Thanksgiving 2022.

 Today we celebrated our first Thanksgiving at Stillestead,

and it was glorious!

In the morning, before anyone woke up,
 I set the table and started dinner.

It was nice to get a few super-productive hours of alone time in 

before the gang got up.

I was in the kitchen most of the day cooking but had

plenty of helpers.

 Claire worked on the beautiful

hand-painted turkey place settings for the table.

Oliver and Gigs were upstairs watching football with Gramps and Umi,

Lottie split her time lingering in the kitchen with me 

and playing in her room.

Around lunch, Chrisitan made a mean charcuterie board that we grazed

until around 6:00, when we finally sat down to eat our feast.

Before sitting down, Christian said the most beautiful 

prayer thanking the Lord

for ALL our blessings. We are overflowing with blessings!

Right after Halloween, we put a jar on the kitchen table

with slips of paper nearby so that each day, we could write down

one thing we were thankful for that month.

Claire read them out loud at the table.

There were funny ones ("burritos for dinner...again") 

and lovely ones 

("Claire, because she tickled my back during scriptures").

Menu:

Citrus Beet Salad

Jane Rolls (that took me 80 hours to make)

Sweet Potato Cassarole

Herb Stuffing

Carmelized Brussels Sprouts with Pistachios

Frog Eye Salad (thanks, Ollie!)

Baked Cranberry Brie (for dipping)

I was so thankful Umi and Gramps were with us- especially since 

Oliver will be gone soon, and my family's

 dynamics are changing so much.

Right before the prayer, Jane called! It was perfect timing!  

It was like we were all together.

My heart was breaking and melting all at the same time.

The missionaries stopped by for a plate of food 

and stayed to hear Gramps talk about his father, grandfather, and other

relatives and also to embarrass them and Claire about dating and marriage.

 But this is what Thanksgiving is all about!

I served wassail and pie for dessert.  I made three kinds:

pumpkin

banana cream

chocolate cream

 and we stayed up late talking and laughing at good memories

until Gramps couldn't keep his eyes open, then Umi went in

her room and called her sister, Jani, in Utah,

and the rest of us went upstairs and watched a movie.

Correction: I cleaned up while everyone watched a movie.

Basically, I was the Thanksgiving slave.

Gobble, gobble, I'm not doing anything for the rest of the week.

Amen.