ThankFULL

Thanksgiving was a very FULL and fun day. We counted our many blessings and probably should have counted calories a little more carefully.

Although the headcount 'round our table reached fifteen, no one went hungry. We were well-stocked with plenty of provisions to feed the masses. It was a two turkey kind of day -- gobble, gobble!  One turkey was smoked on the grill, while the second one was baked in the oven in a more traditional manner. Both birds were moist and yummy, thanks to several hours of brining, but the grilled turkey was the unanimous favorite.

Gobble is a clear, succinct, one-word description of the day's events. I really tried to not overeat, but aside from the fowl fare, there were way too many of my favorite things: sweet potato casserole, mashed spuds, homemade noodles, fresh green beans, good ol' canned green bean casserole, orange-cranberry relish, yeast rolls, and two kinds of dressing. And then there was dessert on top of that! I was a wee bit beyond "politely full," but not quite to the "miserable" stage.

Dad, my three brothers and their wives, two of my nephews, and my mostest favorite sister all made the trek to Keller to join us in giving thanks. What a blessing it was to have most of our family at our home. Of course, we missed  having Mom, Florence, and other family members here with us.

Here are the photos from Turkey Day. There are ALWAYS photos, you know!

 I am thankful that I have a daughter who can fold dinner napkins.

We all were thankful for two tables and plenty o' chairs so we didn't have to crowd around one table.

 I am thankful for my beautiful, kind, helpful, generous, loving, etc. sister!

 Oh, so thankful for tasty carbs...

We joined in a big circle for prayer, but I only had enough time to snap off one photo before the praying began, so the other nine family members didn't get shot. They were thankful for that!

 I'm VERY thankful for my daddy. 'Nuf said!

 Uncle Todd is thankful for such a fine nephew.

  "The Birds" are thankful for one year of wedded bliss!

We are all thankful to have Robin as a relatively new addition to our family. ;-)

 I was thankful to have so many wonderful AND photogenic helpers in the kitchen. 

I am thankful for a turkey-carving pro bro. He is such a cutup... 

These three were thankful that I only made them endure three shots with my Canon before getting the right photo.

We were all thankful for the opportunity to get a group photo. (Thank you, Thomsons, for shooting the Thompsons!) The only thing that might have been better is a group hug, or perhaps a photo of this group group hugging.

We are thankful that our driveway could accommodate five cars, while the garages held three vehicles. Nobody had to park on the street. We are thankful, too, that all of our guests had safe travels both coming and going.

 Yep, "ThankFULL" pretty much sums the day up.

All Treats, No Tricks

The stage was all set...

...but only a handful of neighbor kids rang our doorbell. 

Perhaps we have a reputation for being too scary. 

Or we're bad treaters.

Thankfully, there were no tricks.

Cat's-eye marbles were used for the orbs of this squash-cat.
Purr-fect carving, Liesey-Lou!

We only heard "ding-dong" seven times. It's quality, not quantity, right? It was certainly a treat to open the door and see these faces:

Preston/Buzz Lightyear

Alex and Amelia

Claire, Quinn, Gordon, and their parents

Katie and Millie

Maddey and 'Mima

I neglected to take pictures of the two other groups of masqueraders, but by the end of the evening, when we added up all of the smiling faces (including parents), we had a total of seventeen people at our door. Maybe next year we will make it to twenty. That might be setting expectations too high!

Avast, me hearties!  'Ere's one more picture of a lovely lass.  

Okay, so a landlubber like me doesn't really know pirate-speak, but I had to give it a try. (Perhaps a hearty yo-ho-ho would be appropriate here.) Millie's not the swashbucklin' type, any way. At least I don't think she is... Arrrrr!