Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy (belated) Thanksgiving to all!!
We have so much to be thankful for and it is important that we not forget our blessings.




We hosted Thanksgiving at our house this year... for the first time. I am typically very involved in the cooking process, but we've never hosted before.



Especially since I just hit the 9 month mark... I definitely could not have done it without the help of the hubs and my mom. They were unbelievably instrumental in helping getting the house rearranged and tables set up for dinner.


"Please drop something....Please drop something!!"






The "adult" table... (ha! It's my house so I made the cut!!)



The table for the kiddos.



We always have a buffet line of sorts. So, here is the table before it has been loaded down with the delicious Thanksgiving feast!



Amazingly, DM actually picked up the camera. He was kind enough to grab a few action shots.



Of course, he snagged one of the rapidly expanding belly.... I'm not even sure if this picture really does it justice!



Thanksgiving Creme Brulee.... YUM YUM YUM!


My beautiful sister (and mother) helping out making some appetizers for the youngsters.



Speaking of youngsters... here they are lined up for dinner!



An attempt at a smile... no such luck....





I hope your Thanksgiving was as wonderful as ours!

Relax!

During football season (especially once cold weather hits) a lot of our weekend afternoons are spent curled up in the den watching game after game on TV.




Whereas it used to bother me tremendously (and, on really nice days it still does)...on chilly days I've learned (or, am learning) to appreciate it. Because it means snuggling up with puppies and taking advantage of whatever relaxation we can find. And I'm all about relaxation...

Holiday Idea

I just thought I would share this.

A couple of days ago, we received a very sweet baby gift from some friends in Texas. It came wrapped in Christmas decor (yikes...it is just around the corner!) and I must admit, there was something about the wrapping that I loved.

This little guy! The little felt Santa that you can turn into an ornament. I've used ornaments as wrapping accouterments many times before so perhaps I am a little biased... but nevertheless I thought it was very cute!

And, it can be something you try out this holiday season!

Amusement

While in the mountains... we went to a little amusement park- to be discussed further at some random time in the future when I finally get around to it.



The boys (well, most of them) decided to hop on a ride or two.



This one was called "The Tornado" and it was basically a cross between the teacup ride and the giant swing ride you see at amusement parks.



You hop inside this little round pod which has a wheel in the middle. That wheel controls how fast your specific pod will spin. Meanwhile, the entire pod is swung around in a circle along the perimeter of the ride.



Did I explain that well? No? Sorry, I haven't had much sleep and, ummm, also I don't know how to explain it.



The boys loved it...



And it looked pretty fun too! As long as you don't think about whether or not the maintenance on a machine like this is up to date, whether your pod will unhinge itself and go flying over the edge of the mountain, etc. You know, things like that.



I'm pretty sure they weren't thinking about that.



They probably weren't either

Roaring Gap :: Two

While in Roaring Gap, I tried to snag a few pictures my youngest niece Miss L. But, she pretty much wanted nothing to do with that idea. We were able to coax her to stand and look towards the camera but our attempts at making her smile were futile :)



But as you can see, she is super cute! The entire thing only lasted a couple of minutes, if that, and while she did not smile once for the camera... she definitely did entertain us!






At one point Mama asked her to "show us your teeth"... meaning smile. Well, she opened wide and literally did show us her teeth!







And then she was finished indulging our fantasies of smiling little girls dressed in pink... On to more important things. Blowing up balloons!

Blowing Rock, North Carolina

After we went to Grandfather Mountain we drove to nearby Blowing Rock. Which I love. It is so quaint and wonderful and if nothing else, look at their hanging baskets!



The little "tourist" section really is wonderful. It is a street of shops and restaurants with great small town feel and architecture.



Honestly, this is my kind of small town. It is very quaint and friendly but has maintained a different level of class than you sometimes are able to find in small Southern towns. I really love it... a lot.



Plus, the crisp mountain atmosphere is perfect for growing the most beautiful flowers.



They have a couple of b-e-a-utiful churches.



Take another look. Or don't. It's up to you.



Across the street is the Episcopalian Church. Their landscaping, which I did not adequately capture in the photos, is absolutely stunning. Very much the English country garden feel. Love, love, love it.




Again.



Again. Okay, I won't make you look at any more.



One of the reasons we went to Blowing Rock was for this restaurant. The Storie Street Grille. We've been there once before and DM developed a severe crush on their sweet potato fries topped with gorgonzola. And I mean severe. He used to talk in his sleep about how much he loved them. Okay, okay he didn't.



Or maybe he did and I didn't hear because I was asleep. You never know....




They do have excellent food. I ordered the lasagna, which was fantastic, and also enough food to feed the entire Blowing Rock population. But their food really is delicious!



Also? Did I mention their hanging baskets? Mine look pretty much the same way if you think dead brown twigs shooting in random directions out of a basket that hangs pathetically from the front porch looks the same as these (don't judge me!). If you do, you are also my new best friend. So come on by, new best friend, and gaze at my beautiful hanging basket bounty! It will be glorious!