After the dinner

There's something about having Thanksgiving dinner with your mom's traditional dressing (stuffing), that was passed down from her mother, to make your Thanksgiving complete. It's the little things like that, that make my holiday's feel complete. You won't find any pictures of the preparation of Thanksgiving dinner in this post because everyone prepares a little something to bring with them, and I really don't think a post of me taking the frozen pie crust out of the plastic wrapper and placing it in the oven is picture worthy. But you will find lots of pictures of my favorite part of Thanksgiving day which is after dinner when you find the family relaxing,

some snuggling,

some taking naps,

and others being harassed by Grandpa.

Madalyn had to work, but was able to make it before all the leftovers were put away.

It was a nice surprise to see Chase walk through the door and visit for a few minutes.

Doesn't Bob look like he's getting a little too comfortable in that chair.

The part of the day that puts the biggest smile on Grandma's face is game time. 

As the family has grown, everyone is busier and the opportunity for family games is often rare. I miss playing games with my family because we always have so much fun. So yes, after dinner was the best part of my Thanksgiving day.

It may look like we're gambling here, it's a game called Wits & Wagers that is family friendly for all ages. Luckily for me, we get to bet on other players answers, so I don't feel like such a trivia loser!

Thankful

I have been a bit melancholy the past couple of weeks, nothing unusual, just my yearly pre-holiday blues that I seem to go through. When I got home from work these were waiting for me on the kitchen counter.

I am so thankful for a husband who knows how to lift my spirits with a simple gesture. I'm also thankful for a husband who has no fear of heights and will do crazy things like this, just to make sure I have Christmas lights on our pine trees.

And since tomorrow is all about what we are thankful for, I would also like my family to know how thankful I am for them. It's so nice to have family traditions that get us all together during the holidays.

The Witches & Spiders Were Out

The witches and spiders were out last night! Okay, they might not have been the scariest looking witch and spider I have seen, in fact they were pretty darn cute.

 One pretty little witch

 and one plumped up spider =

fun in the fall leaves before trick or treat time.

 And speaking of fall leaves,

 I'm not sure I'm ready to let all of this color go.