My nephew's Thanksgiving Collage

I promise I do have a post (actually, due to the amount of photos, two posts) coming your way about my aunt and uncle's kitchen remodel -- they hosted Thanksgiving this year.  HOWEVER... Official Thanksgiving photos arrived today!  So you can all read about (rather: look at photos, read captions) another day!  Tonight I am posting Baby K's First Thanksgiving Collage Image

As the image collage states - Thanksgiving 2013

Okay, an extra one just because he is so cute when he tries to stick out his tongue!

Thanksgiving Day Part II

Welcome to Thanksgiving Day Part II ... Partially because I was tired, partially because photos and blogger were not getting along ... Today I am finally getting to share Thanksgiving with everyone!  Have decided to do a photo "dump" seeing as it should go through the day quickly.

Another blessed holiday with family, food, and fun!
(P.S. Christmas Eve/Day in less than a month!)

Decorations - Fireplace Mantle

Decorations - Pilgrim Craft (upside-down flower pots)

Decorations - Turkey Craft (Walnuts, wooden hearts
painted yellow, felt, fall leaves, googly eyes)

Hostess finishing gravy and bread
(Beautiful kitchen remodel, congrats
to my aunt and uncle!!)

Appetizers 1 of 2

Appetizers 2 of 2

Great-Grandparents with all three of their
great-grandchildren (all boys so far!)

Dinner 1 of 2 (salad with toppings; assorted veggies
and cranberry dishes; honey baked ham at the far end)

Dinner 2 of 2 (mashed potatoes; cheesy potatoes;
two different turkeys; light and dark gravy)

Baby K with the hostess flowers
(and a first Thanksgiving bib)

Dessert area!

Again, so thankful for all of the blessings in our lives -- Thanksgiving gives us a special day every year to stop and remember to enjoy (and eat, and visit, and....you get the picture!) Hope you enjoyed dropping by, Thanksgiving Day Part I posted here

Thankful

Thankful Full Of Gratitude

Today I am so very, very thankful for many things... okay, a small part of me is still selfish and grumpy at the computer/internet/blogger for NOT allowing me to post Thanksgiving photos... Yet I am overwhelmingly blessed and am taking the opportunity to write a brief THANK YOU message.

God, my parents, my sister, family friends, extended family, people who I have not seen or spoken to in ages, those whom I have spoken with in the past few days... I might get into negative "spots" and have trouble seeing all that I have to be thankful for in that moment, but looking at my whole life, the last nine years, the last two days, the last sixty seconds -- I am more blessed than I could ever deserve, and I am very deeply thankful for everything good and bad and in-between that has brought me to this moment in life.

Dear God, I want to take a minute,
Not to ask for anything from you,
But simply to say THANK YOU,
For all I have.

Note: On Thanksgiving Day (28th) we celebrated with most of my mom's side of the family (four of the five sisters with their significant others and many of the "kids" such as myself)... The day after Thanksgiving, TODAY (Nov. 29th) we had a wonderfully [sort of rare] opportunity to celebrate with three of the four siblings on my dad's side of the family (and their significant others and a few "kids") -- hopefully this Christmas season we can celebrate again with both sides of the family tree, so fun!!

 I hope all of you can find at least one single thing/person/thought/etc to be thankful for, today and everyday ::HUGS::

Happy Thanksgiving, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Thanksgivukkah?

Okay, so apparently today was/is a once in a lifetime event -- both Thanksgiving and Hanukkah fall on the same day!  So a very Happy Day to all!  : )  The shirt image is one of three images I liked that I found online...

Seeing as my family only celebrates Thanksgiving, most of my photos/images today (and tomorrow, Thanksgiving Day Part II -- sorry, late and I am thankful but tired!) will reflect that...

Was up early enough to catch the last of the sunrise, just as the clouds were losing the pink tint (apologies in advance, cell phone had poor quality in my opinion).
 

SO many things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving Day, but my life family friends - God has given so much and I do not always take the time to say thank you.  Blogger is acting up for me, so I shall just leave you with one more actual photo.  Had my sister and her son (my nephew) with us the last two days which was lovely!

My nephew - 2013 his first Thanksgiving

Promise of more photos -- decorations and food mostly! -- to come ::HUGS::

If you have good thoughts

"If you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely" ~Ronald Dahl (I realized I have read most of his books) ... I like the giraffes in this image, and the quote brings up a nice image... I am in a much better place than I was a couple of months back, but I still feel like I am not quite up to the "you will always look lovely" -- even when I have a ton of good thoughts! I have been frustrated by my perceived lack of progress -- well, it is actually a lack of progress at this moment in time.  I have hit a plateau, a wall, a block, something.  Trying to find people to hang out with, things to get me up and out and motivated.  I will keep at it and things will be fine.  In the meantime, thinking of others who need prayers and good thoughts! Off to help with a few things and to read more of my book.  Trying to avoid going to any stores until at least Monday (if I can) -- there are lots of sales but too many people so overall am having a nice weekend with the dog curled up next to me.  Did have Thanksgiving dinner with relatives, but decided against going to the movie theater just yet.  Keep forgetting to take pictures of the setting sun, very pretty almost every night the past week!

Being Thankful

Giving thanks, being thankful, thinking of so many here and gone... Love, blessings, good thoughts, prayers, and everything helpful on this, a special day, set aside to help remind us that life is filled with things to offer Thanksgiving -- we just need to look closely if we are not seeing it -- special support to those family and friends who need it <3

HGTV and Cooking Shows

I found this comic piece online and just HAD to post it!  I realized that this is more or less how most of my family (and family friends) watch so many shows!  Not exactly the yelling part, but there is absolutely conversations between the television and those watching the shows -- not to mention discussions during tv breaks :)

Prior to getting cable (and yes, that was many many years ago now, but still it is worth mentioning) I remember Jeopardy was the only show that anyone really talked to the television -- oh, and Wheel of Fortune.  Nowadays however, most shows on HGTV (Home and Garden Television) particularly House Hunters, and shows on the cooking network, particularly Chopped -- well, there are lots of comments made.  It  makes it fun most of the time, but I never stopped to compare it to watching sports...

Talking to people (or about them!) who are on a show is pointless yet amusing... Have also realized that the closest most of my family and family friends watch when it comes to sports is whenever the Olympics are on.  Sometimes there will be a football game on, but none of us really are the types to throw a gathering because of/surrounding any particular sport.  I do enjoy watching ice hockey live (Staples Center, etc) and the occasional basketball game but really going to Dodger Stadium at times when growing up was/is the most involved I have been in sports. (Although my sister did play soccer for a couple of years when she was about four or five, so technically soccer as well)...

Hopefully everyone is enjoying the weekend and thankful that there is another holiday this week -- even if you do not celebrate Thanksgiving, it is always nice to take some time out of our lives and remember to be thankful for what we have (even if what we do have does not seem like enough -- or if it seems like too much!)