Thanksgiving Weekend

Thanksgiving in Southern California?

Sunny and fair.  

Gloriously sunny and fair.

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Cooking for a crowd is something I do on a regular basis so this meal is nothing new.  First up was a pot of Italian wedding soup that I left simmering on the back of the stove for whoever needed something to eat throughout the day.

I'd never done that before but it proved to be brilliant...I just kept pointing at the pot and no one went hungry, which meant no one annoyed me with 'when are we eating' questions all day long.  I'm so doing this every holiday from now on.

It was so pretty outside and I love any holiday where we can eat in the garden.  

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The food?

All the standards...though I did make the Pioneer Woman's sweet potatoes (with vanilla in them) and they were AMAZING.

The pilgrims and Indians?

(are we allowed to say Indians?)

The usual suspects, minus Matteo and add in Alex's girlfriend Emily.

These two were thankful for Walmart being open on Thanksgiving Day.  Where else do you go when you need a new football?  

We ventured out late morning on Black Friday...shopped a little, had some coffee, window shopped a lot.  

Window shopping was in our price range thanks to an unplanned set of tires on one of the boys cars.

Fun.

Not.

We did break out the holiday decor.  No tree yet...I think that will come next week, but I just love, love, love our little house on our little street all the time, but especially at Christmas time.  The outside looks like a  little gingerbread house...so pretty.

Do you spy our new couch?  

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And then?  A surprise party for our boy in the middle.  Somehow he decided to turn 21 and he hates to be the center of attention, which makes a surprise party all the more fun.

He has good friends.

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This felt like a true weekend...we hung out with our boys and ate good food and played with friends and saw a movie (Mockingjay...soo good!) and went to church all together.  Now the push is on...that guy that I like so much is now working every. single. day until Christmas, but that's nothing new around these parts.

There will be parties and concerts and work and boys and basketball.

Ready or not, it's happening.  And I think we are ready.

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And just like that, the weather has changed.  Today is chilly and rainy and grey...it's Alex's actual birthday and the short ribs are roasting in the oven (his choice, to be turned into stroganoff) making the house smell heavenly.  

The Bronco's are playing and the fireplace is lit and the laundry is laundering and I'm in my pj's.

Nice.

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