Friday evening, I have eaten crow!

     Well either my relatives are reading my blog or we have all grown up.  The food was hot, the table settings were gorgeous, there was enough food and all was great.  I even got my own bed.  I mean my own bed.  Not that I needed my own bed but it sure was nice.  I about died when Mom brought out the ham she was going to cook and it was a bone in sliced spiral ham.  Delicious is all I can say.  When I got out to my sister in laws house here were tables set up and all the adults had chargers, a plate, silverware all set up on elegant tablecloths and a place for each adult.  It was decorated with large pieces of cut wood used as platter holders.  Antlers and elkhorns were used as a country rustic theme.  Cloth napkins and little burlap wrapped treats full of trail mix for each plate.  Just so cute and so much thought and work put into it.  I was really impressed and I am now eating crow.  The turkey was small but their were two of them and we did not need to cook the second one at all. Plenty of food and when we were running low on mashed potatoes. low and behold there was another bowl hot and ready.  So I take back all my hateful, snide comments.  We have grown up and I think I have to grow up, or throw up as I ate at least 6 pieces of pie.

     Hubby made a great meat and cheese and cracker tray that was gobbled up before dinner.  I made the stuffing and an extra pan of oyster stuffing for hubs, his sister's loved it.   One of his sister's and I made 8 pies the night before and I made an olive and pickled relish tray.  Everything was delicious.  The great nieces and nephews were darling.  Hubs got to hold babies to his hearts content. He always had a baby on his shoulder.  I came in after the bon fire and played through a Christmas carol book.  I had my great nephew Donovan (18 mo.) on one side of the piano bench and my great niece Rylie(2 yrs.) on the other.  They helped me play all the way through the book.  Donovan has bright red hair and is such a nut.  They both thought they were great on the piano.  It was so funny when I would stop playing Donovan would turn the page and wait until I would start and then they would both start pounding away.  Too cute.

     We got home this afternoon about 3 and I had several customers pick up and drop off.  It will be a busy next couple of weeks.  I did no shopping to speak of except a few groceries tonight.  Things are pretty lean here and I will be watching my money carefully for the next couple of weeks.  Not that I don't always watch it carefully but Christmas is coming if you guys don't know that yet.

     I am not a fan of Black Friday.  I just don't need anything bad enough that I will go fight the crowds to save  a few dollars.  I am going to cut back on Christmas again this year.  Last year I felt like I cut back and no one complained.  After all the kids are 21, 26, and 33 I think they can handle this.  We need to concentrate on what is really important which is Christmas itself.  Family and tradition will not be altered just the useless gift area.  I have a several yards of dietcoke polar fleece so the girls will all get a pair of pj. pants out of this and I will buy 3 red t-shirts for Christmas pj's.  Then something to wear, something to read, something they want, something they need.  That is it.  Stocking stuffers and I am done.

     I had a great Thanksgiving, I hope all of you did too.

Have a nice evening.

Kim