Thanksgiving prep.....

Well, last night's birthday part was spectacular!  :o)  Our son is now home for the holiday and all of his siblings are at a new place of happiness!  :o)  They could have stayed up all night catching up!  :o)  It was a beautiful sight to see!  They are thrilled that he will be here for his birthday this weekend too!

Now,......Thanksgiving!  :o)  My all time FAVORITE holiday!!  Really!  I LOVE THANKSGIVING! Why?

Well, it's encompasses everything I love; family, GIVING, faith, and food!  ;o)

There are no worries about presents to buy, sizes to fit, lines to stand in, tape, wrapping paper, needles to vaccuum up every day,... college students come home, families gather around and enjoy each other for hours, stories are told, memories are made .... it just keeps getting better and better!  :o)

I will have the honor of getting to cook my little heart out (for days), fill my food (and my family and neighbors) with love, give a bazillion hugs, spend time (guilt-less) sitting and visiting, watching movies (and football) with my kids (who get to have time off from school), snuggle by the fire,..... it is just awesome!  :o)

So, this weekend, I will take my general list and get meticulous.  I have to make sure I have all the ingredients for a moist cornbread dressing, LOTS of vegetables (butternut squash and beets come from our garden this year!), enough yummies to bake pies with my daughters and neices, extra yummies to make cookies with the girls too, .......woohoo!  :o)

We will continue to fill our "blessing crock" with little pieces of paper that we have written 'things we're thankful for' on and when it's overflowing, we'll read them all out loud on Thanksgiving Day.  :o)

I am just bursting with excitement and can't stop smiling!  :o)

Do you have any special Thanksgiving traditions?  I'd love to hear about them!  What's your favorite recipe?  Mine is totally my grandmother's cornbread dressing recipe!  Do you go shopping on Black Friday? I used to, but I've finally come to my senses!  ;o)  Do you go get your Christmas tree on Friday?  We will this year so our college student can be with us!  :o)

Well, as you go into this weekend, I hope you'll be looking forward to Thanksgiving with the special people in your life.  I know for me,....every day is a day to give thanks!  :o)

Have a great weekend!