I rolled out and cut out about forty biscuits before 8:30 this morning but after that, I really did not do much in the way of cooking until just a little while ago when I started our supper.
Turns out that brunch at Lily's is much, much, MUCH less stressful than a big Thanksgiving dinner at my house.
Huh.
Huh.
That's just some of what was brought in or made at Lily's. There was also bacon, grits, two different egg casseroles, sausage gravy, pumpkin croissant bread pudding and spanakopita. Oh. And biscuits.
They looked better than they tasted. They were just sort of heavy this year which is weird because they rose in a lovely fashion.
The kids ate in the living room and watched the Thanksgiving day parade.
Do you notice the Pringles there on the blue plates? Maggie served those. For some dang reason there were no Pringles on the grown-up table which felt a little unfair.
Do you want to hear the sweetest thing? Gibson told his mom this morning that this would be the first big family get-together with Hank and Rachel as a married couple. What twelve year old boy thinks of that? And it was also our first big family get-together in Lily's new house. Or at least the first one I attended.
They have a table that Lauren's mom gave them that all the grown-ups can fit around and that's ten of us. We took advantage of that, telling stories and laughing and eating delicious foods and being all social and stuff.
And it was not stressful. I know we won't do this every year but I sure did enjoy it.
Before we ate, there was a basketball game going on in the street in front of the house. That sounds crazy but Lily's house is on the end of a cul-de-sac and there's no traffic and plenty of room for two nets and backboards. Even Boppy got involved in it. Levon is really developing an interest in basketball which thrills his granddaddy.
Here's another thing that happened before we ate.
Yes. I know that looks a great deal more like Halloween than Thanksgiving but when I saw Gibson's kitty, Nico, (or Magnificent Princess as he calls her) balancing on the chair backs, I had to take a picture.
It was just a really sweet time. Nothing crazy or too loud and although there were plenty of different things to eat it wasn't like Thanksgiving usually is where there's so much food you can't even take one taste of everything because that would still be too much.
After lunch, we all hung out for awhile. Maggie came in to tell us that the cousins wanted her to paint rainbows on their faces and so she needed to get the make-up and then this happened.
I am not sure what became of the rainbow idea but this will do.
Lauren is doing better after two weeks of little to no improvement. Just the other day she went to get her MRI and although she could drive herself there, she could not lay down in the MRI machine in the position they needed her to be in. She's going back next Thursday to try again. But she was able to sit up and walk around a little today and join us at the table.
Can you see Chloe there, patiently hoping for a slice of cheese or pepperoni? I think it was Chloe. It could have been Pepper. They really do look alike.
Before we left, I went and got Owen out of his room for just a moment because I'd hardly seen him. He is very much a teenager now but he is also still very much a love.
He is so BIG! Not just tall, but big like a man. I am having a difficult time coping with this reality.
I got one picture of Auntie May and Levon.
Two cuties whom I love so much.
I was going to take a nap when we got home today. I mean- I deserved a nap. I've had to set an alarm three days in a row this week! But when we got home I started doing stuff and the next thing you know, it was way past a reasonable nap time. And I am tired but it's all my own damn fault. I'm the one who wanted to make a miniature Thanksgiving dinner for me and the man and that involved making stuffing which is my favorite part of Thanksgiving, and getting the chicken ready to roast, and making a few deviled eggs, and picking and cooking greens, and snapping and cooking green beans for a green bean casserole because I love that too. I already have mashed potatoes left over from a few days ago and the cranberry relish and biscuits already cut and ready to bake.
But still. All that wasn't nothing.
And now I feel stupid. Why, Mary? Just why? I could have bought a frozen pizza at the Dollar General (yes, they are open today) and heated it up and Mr. Moon would have been fine with that.
But. You know. And I have no grounds on which to complain at all.
AND...Gibson's coming to spend the night tomorrow. We are way overdue having him come stay and he probably looks forward to it more than any of the others. He's a middle child but when he's here, he is the one and the only and we love him up.
All righty! Another Thanksgiving in the books and it's been a real sweet one.
You know what else is sweet?
I do not have to set an alarm tonight. I can sleep as late as I want to! I am so looking forward to that.
You know what else is sweet?
I do not have to set an alarm tonight. I can sleep as late as I want to! I am so looking forward to that.
I know two women with whom I've texted in the last 24 hours who have both said, "I think I'm done with this."
Boy, do I get that.
Love...Ms. Moon
I'm glad it was a good day. So much better without the stress of doing everything everywhere all at once.
ReplyDeleteThe grandchildren are amazingly taller in every picture, can't keep up.
I can't keep up either. It's just insane how fast they are shooting up.
DeleteSo nice that there was little stress this Thanksgiving and you were happy in the bosom of your family. Lovely Gibson appears in three of the photos but in each he's holding his mobile phone like a sacred object. It's not his fault - of course it isn't - but what is modern phone technology doing to our kids?
ReplyDeleteI wonder and worry, as you do about the screens. You will also see August and Levon who are not allowed much screen time absolutely entranced by the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade on the big screen TV. What you don't get is what you want but that doesn't mean unlimited phone time is a good thing.
DeleteI love the black cat!
ReplyDeleteIsn't she a pretty thing?
DeleteHow nice to see May. She lights up a room.
ReplyDeleteShe does. And she was dead tired. Worked a 12 hour shift yesterday on her feet.
DeleteYour breakfast Thanksgiving family gathering works very well.
ReplyDeleteMany of my friends have passed on the holiday dinner torch and they are now dinner guests that bring a dish or two.
It all works and honestly it is the gathering everyone together that makes the day special.
You are so right. It is the coming together and being together that makes the day.
DeleteA beautiful time! Enjoy your sleep in.
ReplyDeleteOh, I did!
DeleteGood!
DeleteI know! Having to set an alarm is such a violation. I feel like it's a punishment of sorts. But, sometimes you have to compromise. 🙃
ReplyDelete(i think you & i are spoiled)
Happy Thanksgiving to you & yours!
We are spoiled. I used to get up so very early but I was always exhausted and napped whenever I could. I don't nap these days because I get enough sleep at night.
DeleteBrunch sounds great! We let a good grocery store cook the dinner. I made vegetarian stuffing and gravy for one daughter and cranberry orange sauce, vegetarian daughter made her chipotle sweet potato purée and creamed onions and her sister made the pies. Wonderful son-in-law did all the dishes. Everyone has just gone home leaving us with a ton of leftovers,,but without usual exhaustion. Margaret
ReplyDeleteOh, Margaret- that sounds lovely. We too have vegetarians in our family and Lily made one of the egg dishes vegetarian and we all made sure there was plenty of meatless food.
DeleteA little late but happy thanksgiving! I am thankful for all I have and I am thankful for you, Mary Moon. Xx
ReplyDeleteAnd I for you, Cristina.
DeleteI did notice the Pringles, I love those! The original plain flavour and the onion flavour. I've tried the cheese flavour but didn't like that one bit. I'm glad you all had such a wonderful day.
ReplyDeleteI just thought that was the funniest thing ever. It was such a variety of foods that we served that the Pringles just fit right in.
DeleteMagnificent Princess looks like a decoration! The nickname suits. What an amazing family. That’s the way to do a big family meal, too. So much less production and formality. Tell Maddie I think she looks incredibly elegant.
ReplyDeleteWhen we pulled up to the house, Magnolia was outside playing basketball with the boys in her fancy dress and beautifully braided hair with the big hair bow. She is a fashion icon around here.
DeleteIsn't Nico a beauty?
Sometime ago I decided I didn't want to do "traditional" for Christmas - as in turkey and all the sides - so we don't anymore. Last year we had raclette because we'd gone away the night before. I mean it's not written in stone somewhere is it, and if you get more pleasure out of doing it differently that's great. Sounds like you had a wonderful time - but Boppy going out to play basketball, that's gotta be cheating!
ReplyDeleteI had to google "raclette" and now I need that. Badly. Thank you for educating me.
DeleteBoppy was a damn fine ball player in his day and he can still get the ball in the hoop.
I'm glad you had such a fun gathering and everyone looks so happy to be there! We had a lovely feast and I was happy that everyone enjoyed it. It was a lot of work but since I am retired, I could spread it out over a couple of days so it didn't seem as bad. I'm glad it's over but it turned out to be a good day.
ReplyDeleteI always try, if Thanksgiving is here, to do the same- spread out the cooking for days but no matter how much I do beforehand, it always seems like when Thanksgiving dinner time rolls around, I am NOT PREPARED AT ALL.
DeleteDave and I were just saying we want to make our get-away Thanksgiving our tradition. So much easier than cooking and entertaining!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad the brunch idea worked out and everyone got together. The face painting cracks me up. I didn't even think about the possibility that Lauren wouldn't be able to endure being in an MRI machine. That does pose a problem, doesn't it?
Steve, I'm still marveling at the idea of floating meringues. Now THAT is how to do Thanksgiving.
DeleteWhen Lauren goes back for an MRI next week they're giving her extra pain meds and using a slightly different machine, I think.
It sounds like a typical Moon gathering regardless of the time of day or occasion. by that I mean wonderful and full of love and laughter. I didn't have to set an alarm all week to get everything done but so tired last night, I slept all night only waking once and going right back to sleep.
ReplyDeleteI, too, was really tired last night and slept late today. I'm tired tonight again. Dang. Neither you nor I are very good at relaxing.
DeleteI'm glad y'all had a good time, even nicer that your family all likes each other.
ReplyDeleteDid Lauren take something for pain before trying the MRI? That would probably help a lot. I hope she's able to get it completed soon.
Love the photos.
She's been on a lot of pain meds but since she drove herself to the last appointment, I doubt she'd taken anything heavy but they want her to med-up this next time.
DeleteI went to my grandson' Zach's home for a non-traditional Thanksgiving and boy, was it! It was the first time he and his wife of one year have hosted it and he is quite the cook. I took a Marie Callender Dutch apple pie. We started out with appetizers of puff pastries with feta, spinach, and onion filling, Erin's (Zach's wife" famous bean dip so famous she actually has a 7x11 casserole with Erin's famous bean dip written on the side. Then a bit later, Granddaughter Hannah's salad, with pome-granate seeds, mixed greens, goat cheese, etc., and Granddaughter Emily's Texas caviar salad with corn, tomatoes, black beans, and jalapeno. Then for third course Zach smoked turkey breast that was fork tender with a gravy sauce and cheesy potatoes provided by Erin's grandmother Lyle. The next was a seafood boil with shrimp, mussels, crayfish, potatoes and andouille sausage that Zach cooked in the back yard in a turkey fryer. Unfortunately, he overdid the spice/flavoring packets, and it was far too spicy hot for us Northern Midwesterners' taste. What a waste of VERY expensive ingredients! He was so disappointed. Oh well, he is young, and we all know there will be other disasters in his culinary life. Finally, we had desserts - my apple pie, a pumpkin pie, and key lime pie, all with Guernsey French vanilla ice cream and or whipped cream. Their house is small so everything but the boiled dinner was buffet style - a large table was set up which would have been very unwieldy if it had been up all afternoon. It was a really great afternoon - the Detroit Lions (11-1 this season) won against the Cubs, and we all got to be together. My son and wife got to spend their thanksgiving on a St. Augustine beach fishing which is their idea of gratefulness. Flying back tomorrow. Me? I am tired - still in robe and nighty at 11:16 a.m. But thankful.
ReplyDeleteThat dinner sounds terrific! With the slight exception of too much spice in the seafood boil. But hey- I over-spiced just last week. It happens. We go on. I would love that salad I bet. I think that spicy greens with goat cheese is one of my favorite things in the world.
ReplyDeleteHonestly? Your son and his wife probably had the best Thanksgiving of their lives.
It was the Chicago Bears not the Cubs. I am an old lady.
DeleteWe had a smaller than usual Thanksgiving, only 6 of us, but the heart was there + a finely cooked turkey and dressing, mashed potatoes (by the grand sons), sweet potato casserole, salad, fresh cranberry sauce, pie and pumpkin cake. More than enough for a couple of days plus turkey soup. It's the gathering with family that feeds our souls. Your family gathering looks heartwarming as usual. Sending love to you all. x0x0 N2
ReplyDelete