One Dinner, Countless Gratitude

Another year, another Thanksgiving Feast. What a blessing... To have the resources and ability to create and enjoy a feast. Our hearts are full.

Summer seemed endless this year, hot and bright. Then the breeze picked up cooling the air on different days. The rain seemed to tease as well though the gardens everywhere around us were definitely grateful for the quenching drink.

Then on the day before Thanksgiving, I wake up to this...

A lovely reminder that Fall is here-- time to rejoice and slow down... After much decorating, where top and bottom were dressed as the outside...

It was time to prepare the dining room and set the stage for the upcoming feast...
So the mirrors were dressed up to be witnesses to the falling leaves dancing with the chilly wind outside... And the table was set to feed a family and two LDS missionaries with great sense of humor who again taught us that Jesus Christ is alive and here to teach us about life.
So to express our gratitude, we fed them some "home-made from scratch" dishes that even the chef and best critic of the house were impressed.
Autumn Soup (butternut squash & potato with leek and coconut milk) with Texas Toast & Cocktail Shrimp topped with Roasted butternut squash seeds; Cliff House Clam Chowder (a Maine recipe tweaked); Glazed Spiral Ham alongside Sausage & Corn Dressing (home made sausage); Oatmeal Dinner Rolls; Roasted Game Hens over Portobello Couscous. We drenched our thirst with Cran-Orange Fizz & Ice Water. It was rounded out by desserts of Sugar cookies, Pecan tarts and Apple pie, Thanksgiving Pie. It was indeed a feast... What a blessing to have such opportunity in the midst of this depressing economic trials we are facing.

We were a little down since our eldest girl is in Hawaii, but soon she'll be home with us and that helped us to cheer up and wish her the best Thanksgiving as well in her BYUH home... The ward fed them both spiritually and physically. Can't beat that...

And of course, we can't ignore our newest source of gratitude... Our new family members, our new "babies"-- Zeus Bolt & Percy Jackson! (think mythology and you'll figure out which is which)

They are absolutely a delight! They keep us on our feet and keep us cleaning the carpet. LOL

We wish and hope that you and yours... Also had one dinner, a feast over countless gratitude.

Happy Thanksgiving!