Thanksgiving

 

I am truly thankful for the many blessings we have!  We had a great, relaxing week off of school!  The kids were so grateful for the freedom to run and play with no school to worry about.  Byron & Gracie love to prepare a traditional Thanksgiving meal.  We all chip in a little bit though!  Daniel made pumpkin pie all by himself, and Ally was in charge of the mashed potatoes.  We use the fancy china, but other than that it is pretty laid back.

 4 out of 5 family members have had some form of a cold, nothing too terrible, but a lot of coughing and whining.  We spent several days just chillin' and trying to get better. 

 Ally & I got up at 3:30 am to drive an hour and brave the nonsense that is Black Friday.  Pure silliness, we got a few bargains, but nothing we couldn't found at another time or online, and very little to justify the gas needed for the drive.  I needed a Christmas tree, or I would have never ventured out into that craziness.  I threw last year's tree away at the end of the season when its few remaining pre-lit lights burned your fingers when you touched them.  That can't be good!  We were about 10 minutes late for the Home Depot tree bargain we hoped for, so we hunted all day for the perfect tree for just the right price. 

We came home, worn out and sleep deprived, and set up the overpriced tree.  THEN, I walked into the shed to retrieve the ornaments and found... wouldn't you know it?  Much to my surprise, there I found the replacement tree I bought in last year's after Christmas sale.  Nice.