Happy Thanksgiving!

I can't believe another holiday is behind us!  So much had to be figured out to make our family Thanksgiving come together and it did!  From the newly installed oven to the extra tables in the dining room. 

Of course, no surprise, guess who forgot to take a photo of the table settings?? Yep - yours truly. Completely forgot. I was so happy to have figured out how to make a dinner table suitable for 18 adults. yep. Eighteen adults and seven children! and we did it! 

I also discovered that convection ovens rock! lol - the non cook here was thrilled to learn I could put all six sides on three racks to cook evenly at the same time. Even if I only make big meals a few times a year, I will never go back to an ordinary oven :) - of course the sad thing about it is that I no longer set the sweet potato marshmallows on fire LOL. (Long story) 

Food wise the big hit for the night was the mac and cheese made by one of my in-law's in-law LOL. Yeah, my cousin's wife's sister's husband. Absolutely to die for and I'm hoping to get the recipe! 

As good as Thursday went, my favorite day is usually the Friday. No more time in the kitchen, no more planning and coordinating. Just family.  The advantage to a big house is there's room to roam.  I had some of the family playing board games in the dining room. (notice the two tables? LOL- for dinner there was a third for the kids!) 

and others were playing chess upstairs - the grandpuppy of course made the rounds from room to room lol.

 and of course - they say the kitchen is the heart of the home - so some folks just hung out chatting and best of all, laughing.  As you may see - there are still cabinet doors missing, and handles missing, and that's the old island, but it served its purpose well! As soon as we get the last details and the island done - I'll snap a photo of the whole room for you! 

There was also puzzle work at another table but like the dining room table, I forgot to take a photo! And if you're curious - the lady with the French beret is my mom. She no longer recognizes those she doesn't see often, but she still has a flare for style lol. 

All in all, a lovely weekend. The only downside is the diet starts tomorrow! LOL. 

As for book updates - any day now you'll be able to purchase Just One Date and Just One Spark early from my website store.  We're still hopeful they will be available at all vendors in January but it's still not confirmed. Just One Dance went off to the editor last night - hopefully this will be the last round! 

​So - what was the favorite food at your house?