JD and I were super excited to host our families for Thanksgiving this year. My parents, his parents and Brandon and Theresa (his sister) all drove up for the weekend. We wish that Chase and Jackie could've joined us from Las Vegas but we can't wait to see them at Christmas!
Not gonna lie here, I thought it would be a lot more stressful than it was. We woke up around 7 to put the turkey in the oven, hung out for about two hours and then started prepping everything else. I probably had about 10 minutes of stress spark through me, but I was pretty calm (and crazy focused) besides that.
Mom and dad brought up this amazzzzing butcher block industrial island to fill the massive open space in our kitchen. I've been wanting an island with a butcher block top and this one was beyond perfect. I honestly don't know how we would've made it without this piece at Thanksgiving. We would've had to serve food off the floor. (You think I'm kidding... but I'm not.)
The Menu:
Honeybaked Ham
Cajun Fried Turkey
Cornbread Dressing
Green Beans
Mashed Potatoes
Spicy Mac & Cheese
Sweet Potato Casserole
Pancit (Filipino noodle specialty)
Eggrolls (both of these were kindly provided by Mrs. Josie)
Turkey Gravy
White Gravy
Rolls
JD was the carving master of the day. He cut that cajun turkey up like a champ.
Of course, we had to set up the perfect table setting. Remember my charming jar with the buckeyes and acorns? Well, apparently you're supposed to let buckeyes dry out before you put them in a contained space. It didn't take long before the mold started to settle into the bottom of the jar.
#decorfail
So I hand-washed the jar at least three times, threw it into the dishwasher, and headed to Hobby Lobby for a quick solution (thus, the neutral color palette of fun decor balls in the crisp and clean glass jar).
My Gingin sent up this gorgeous tablecloth she cross-stitched years ago. It was the perfect touch to our table and meant the world to me that she passed it down to us.
Whenever my family comes to town - it never fails - we have a list of projects to do with Handyman Dad. Projects that we have thought up but aren't quite sure how to execute. But it also never fails that Dad knows how to make them happen. Here's a glimpse at one of our special projects from the weekend:
It's not completely finished but one of these days, I will give you a tour of the cool things we've done to the laundry room (after I get those cool things painted). ;)
Oh, and one last thing before I go....
War Eagle!!
