a few days late...but full of thanks

Both Christmas trees have been put up. The rest of the Christmas decorations that live in the trunk with the ornaments all year have been placed around the house. This weekend, we'll put up my grandmother's Christmas village that she passed down to me and the Nativity scene that she hand painted. And I'm feeling a little ashamed that, after my rant last week, I still haven't posted a recap of our lovely Thanksgiving weekend.

Sooooooo.....

This year, we are thankful not that our guest list was cut by over 50%, but that my little niece or nephew who was threatening to arrive eight weeks early decided to stay put for the time being.

We are thankful for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, even if Grandma and Papa were not the grand finale of the parade, as Grace had predicted.

This year, we are thankful that my parents were still able to make the trip and eat at our table.

Sam is thankful for the quality time spent with both Grandma and Papa and is especially thankful that they hauled his "new" desk down from Michigan.


Both kids are thankful for being able to play pirates with Grandma and for housing a resident narrator for a few days.


Grace is thankful for the chance to hone her skills in the cosmetology field (notice the lovely use of barrettes on both Grandma and Papa) and for the opportunity to enjoy a little pampering of her own.


We are thankful for the Lexington Christmas parade...even if we did see the big, mean, scary Grinch (scared little Sam always makes us turn it off and still hasn't made it to the end of the movie to find out that the Grinch becomes nice).


Grandma and Papa are thankful that the kids went down for a nap each day.

And we are all thankful to feel so truly blessed each day.

AND...I'm also thankful for my friend, Jeanine, who celebrated her birthday on Thanksgiving...girl, you know I always remember, but still never seem to make it to a mailbox with your card.

AND...I'm thankful that the cheesecake I was tooting my own horn about last week actually tasted as good as it looked. :)

Now...on to the Christmas season...