Our "Giving Thanks" Party!

 

This past Tuesday, the women of our family gathered for a "Giving Thanks" party.

The idea was for us to have a chance to be together...just the girls... and write Thank You notes to people that we have been touched by for some reason or another. It was such a fun evening! We had "Walking Tacos"...a Hot Chocolate Bar, and after we wrote our notes, we made Carmel Apples.

 It was so fun to see the women, both young and young at heart...talking,

 laughing, telling stories...and just loving being together.

 We have good women in this family, and I am grateful for them!

From Our Home To Yours...Messages From The Chalkboard

Thanksgiving...And...Missionary Monday!

 

We had such a great Thanksgiving! We returned home last night from spending a few days with the Grandparents S. and the rest of family. It is always a treat to see the family...we do have a great time together! The Brotherhood (my brothers) are some pretty impressive men! I sure do love them!!

 

Next Thanksgiving...I will have the Missionary Boy home;) Imagine that!!! The Gratitude Tree came down today...it is always good fun to see what The Darlings write each day. Some days they mock me...I know...it is hard to believe that they would do that...but it does happen! Most days they really do write some heartfelt notes of gratitude. Those are good moments for a Mom;)

 

It's a little dark...but...it's still The Missionary Boy!!! A great letter today... BIG changes in the mission...and great learning for The Missionary Boy!! Oh how I love missions!!!!

This is what my house looks like most Monday mornings! We love it!!! Today Breakfast = 2 dozen eggs, 4 packages of sausage, 1 gallon of milk, 1 gallon of OJ, 1 loaf of bread for toast, bottled peaches, cinnamon rolls and all the other fixings;) Following breakfast...a little laundry...a friendly game or two of pool or maybe a church movie or two! We sure love having the Elders around!!

 

Our Thanksgiving...

(our traditional Gratitude Tree)

Thanksgiving was many things for us this year.....It was...

*a very tender letter from The Missionary Boy..to The Farmer...which invoked many tears..

*a full memory card from the camera of the The Missionary Boy...complete with a couple of short videos;)

*a Thanksgiving breakfast with family we don't see enough....

*a great Thanksgiving dinner prepared by Grandma Vicki....

*a trip to the movies Thanksgiving night...with all the cousins

*great conversation and great food shared with "The Brotherhood" and their wives

(I sure do like those brothers of mine!  They are an impressive group of men!)

*Shopping with PreShie

(found was the most fantastic Christmas dress I think she has ever owned!)

*a couple of chance meetings with two very dear friends I haven't seen in years

*another movie with my kids;)

*a special temple sealing where a cousins new baby was sealed to her and her husband

(it was the most delightful experience I have had in awhile...what a special little baby!)

*an early morning trip to the temple for baptisms...for the Darlings and their cousins,

followed by a yummy breakfast...

It was the perfect Thanksgiving weekend...filled with wonderful family...incredible food...

and a lot of gratitude for it all!!

Thanksgiving.....Mexico Style!

This year was a "Mexico" Thanksgiving! Some years we go to Mesa and other years, we have been known to escape to the beautiful mountains of New Mexico to a little hotel that we love.

This year was Thanksgiving....Mexico style. And it was great!

Mexico doesn't celebreate Thanksgiving...but then again I am sure you already knew that;) The weather is still very mild, not too cool and the tress are fantastically beautiful with changing leaves. We have not had Thanksgiving dinner as an entire extended family, for several years. So our very brave cousins invited the whole family to their home to enjoy dinner together. It totaled 67 people, and it was great fun! The food was wonderful. The tables were beautiful and the company was the best! Just what Thanksgiving should be! So while the rest of our little neck of the woods was "business as ususal" we were enjoying Thanksgiving together as a very large family, feeling very blessed. Thanks to those very brave cousins for giving this great gift to our family!