Thanksgiving Weekend 2010

Thanksgiving 2010 was a great success. This was my third year to host our families in our home and it seems to be getting easier and more fun each year. I really enjoy hosting and inviting all our family members to our home, and I hope it’s a tradition we can continue for several years. Matt and I started our holiday weekend on Wednesday. He took off work, so he could help me and have a little downtime before company started arriving. I started cooking and cleaning Tuesday night and finished Wednesday just a couple of hours before my grandparents arrived. Matt was a great help and willing to do anything on my list that I asked him to. Granny and Grandaddy arrived Wednesday about 2:00 and we visited and played a couple of rounds of Skipbo. My mom had a hair appointment scheduled Wednesday afternoon so Barry dropped her off and then made it over about 3:30. We visited for awhile and my mom got to our house around 5:00. We all ran down to Wendy’s for an easy supper and then headed back home to play cards for the rest of the evening.

Thursday morning we had a light breakfast. I made a lemon poppyseed cake and we had some fruit to go with it. We watched the parade and my mom and I did a few things in the kitchen. Matt’s family arrived around 11:00 and we just relaxed, watched the parade and got things ready for lunch.

Snickers was the newest member of the family this year. She is my parents' new dog. She kept us entertained.

We had a great Thanksgiving lunch. My mom took charge of the turkey (someday I promise I’ll learn how to make one), and my grandma brought dressing. I made mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, cherry salad, a new cabbage salad, gravy, and rolls. I also made macaroni and cheese this year especially for Matt. He’s not a big fan of Thanksgiving food (turkey or ham or the side dishes), so I decided to make him a dish I knew he’d like. It went over really well, so I think it will probably become a new staple on the Thanksgiving table. For dessert, I made a pumpkin roll, cheesecake and Granny brought an apple pie. I don’t know if it’s just because I’m pregnant but everything tasted so good this year!


After lunch was over, and the dishes were done, everyone just relaxed. Grandaddy and Madeline spent the evening working on a puzzle. Matt helped them some. We also had the Texas vs. Texas A&M game on, and a few of us played cards too. It was just a relaxing time spent with a full house of family.

Friday morning Matt and Barry cooked breakfast and we said goodbye to Matt’s family and Granny and Grandaddy. That morning/afternoon Barry and Matt spent the day golfing. Barry has recently taken up golfing as his new hobby and asked Matt to join him for the day. While the guys were golfing, my mom and I went shopping of course. We didn't join the crazy early morning shoppers but spent most of the day out and about. We went crazy at the maternity store in the mall, and I should be set with clothes for awhile. The sales lady seemed so happy probably because she got a HUGE commission. I had a better time shopping for maternity clothes this trip. Last time, I was only 11 weeks pregnant and wasn't showing and the clothes just looked so big and were hanging off of me. This time, I have a little bump (or bulge as Matt calls it), so the clothes fit better and actually looked somewhat cute. I still think my mom has a better time when we go maternity clothes shopping than I do. I'm pretty much totally in maternity pants, but haven't had to wear any maternity tops yet. After the maternity store, we browsed a few other stores. I got some new shoes and some Thanksgiving decorations that were 50% off. We also found a couple of cute baby stores and looked around to get some ideas for furniture, etc.
Friday night we just ate leftovers for dinner, played settlers and watched some football. Barry and I stayed up to watch the Boise State vs. Nevada game. That was a crazy game. I kept saying, "I'm going to bed after this drive," and then something crazy would happen and I'd have to stay and watch. We finally made it to bed about 1:30 in the morning.

Saturday morning, we went out to breakfast, and then my mom and I finished up some errands. We were mainly just browsing at a few stores and picked up a few things at Target. Meanwhile, the boys went home and destroyed my kitchen. We had scheduled to have ceramic tile installed the following Monday, so they spent all day moving appliances and scraping linoleum. They worked straight up until the bedlam game started. My mom and I supervised and ran to Lowes a couple of times to get them tools. They both worked so hard. I know Matt was so thankful to have Barry's help. He always just jumps right in and is willing to help. It made the job 10 times easier for Matt that Barry was there. We both owe him a big thank you.

Of course we watched the game Saturday night. By now, I'm pretty used to losing, so even though we were favored, I never got my hopes up too high. It was a fun game to watch, and the Cowboys played much better than last year. I told Matt last week that even if we didn't win another game the rest of the season, it was still the best season I've seen since I've been an OSU fan, so I wasn't too upset, and it didn't ruin the weekend or anything. I kept reminding myself that there is more to life than football and I was glad that we decided not to buy season tickets.
Sunday after church Matt and Barry finished removing the linoleum in the kitchen before Mom and Barry left. I took a nap that afternoon and we spent the evening playing Settlers with some friends. It was a great weekend, and we're both looking forward to celebrating next year with our newest Baugher :).