i hope you all had a great thanksgiving!  i spent the holiday at my parents’ house as i usually do, along with my brother and both grandmothers, and we had a lovely time.  i always enjoy taking a break from my “city home” to visit my “country home” – it’s so peaceful and quiet there, and life just seems to move a little slower, in the best of ways.  besides cooking and consuming the most delicious thanksgiving dinner that was a collaborative family effort, we ran a 5k together on thanksgiving morning, watched football [which turned out to be the only downside of the whole weekend… literally ALL of our teams lost…], did some christmas shopping in dallas, had our annual christmas tea in fort worth, celebrated my mom’s and dad’s birthdays [which are yesterday and today], leafed through lots of old albums and mementos from mine and mike’s childhoods and also those of mom and dad, had a yummy dinner at mimi’s house, watched a scary movie one night, took the dog for walks, laughed a lot, and just had a wonderful time.

 and then today i got to bring back soooo many fantastic leftovers + my christmas decorations, so i spent yesterday evening decorating the tree with christmas movies playing in the background, some leftover turkey in my belly, and a cup of amaretto-spiked silk holiday nog in my hand.  not a bad way to end the break, eh?

here are some snapshots from the holiday…

 

{it was so nice to be back home.}

{i don’t know if it was his new haircut or what, but i swear this little guy was giving me the stink eye almost all weekend!}

{mom made the best brunch for us on thanksgiving morning… a sausage-and-mushroom egg dish, an apple coffeecake, and a fruit-salad type of thing that is my VERY favorite.}

{dad grills the turkey every year, and he does quite an excellent job.}

{check out that bird!}

{mom always sets a lovely table.  the woman sure can cook, too, as can both of my grandmothers.  they all outdid themselves!}

{my thanksgiving plate!}

{…let’s zoom in on that, shall we?}

{i took it upon myself to start a new tradition this year – one in which we will take photos of the whole group every thanksgiving.} :)

{i love fall evenings.}

{thanksgiving dessert… birthday cake!  i made a german chocolate cake, as usual.}

{making a wish}

{they’re the best.  i’m glad they’re mine.}

{our christmas tree}

{…and mimi’s.  sigh.  i love christmas trees.}

 

{i gave mom and dad these antique glasses for their birthdays.  they have been on a port kick and i think these glasses will be perfect for a small amount of after-dinner sipping.  they just had their kitchen redone, so in the background, you can see their new granite countertops and tile backsplash!  i love the way it turned out.}

{they also got a new bed/nightstands/linens…}

{aren’t those new pillows gorgeous?}

{i love the way the light shines in their room}

{my baby dog.}

{dad smoked some pizza for us on his new green egg that was his birthday gift.}

{YUM.}

i’m so thankful for these moments, the wonderful food, and most of all, the family i got to share them with.  these people make my world go ’round.  i love you all so very much.

xoxo