Happy Thanksgiving!

Ava- Thanksgiving 2010

What a great Thanksgiving!  Red got home from duty, went to sleep after staying up all night, and Pumpkin and I got to cleaning.  We did laundry, dishes and vacuumed, she is always so happy to help!  Then, after she went to for a nap, I got started in on some deviled eggs.  Shortly after, our friend Courtney came by to join in on the cooking.  We made sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole and strawberry spinach salad- yum!  Red Deep-fried the Turkey.  When he brought it up from downstairs, I have to admit, I was worried.  It looked, quite, um, charred?  However, he quickly averted my fears when he peeled away that tiny layer of black to reveal, juicy, tender sweet turkey!  We injected it with a Spicy pineapple rum sauce from Pampered Chef I had sitting in the pantry.  Then, we rubbed it down, on the inside and out.  I wish I had planned that more thoroughly, we could have roasted some pineapple with it!  We enjoyed a very relaxing day of cooking.  Since it was just the three of us, we were able to have dinner whenever every thing got ready and clean up as we felt like it and in between eating desserts.

Tomorrow, we get to decorate for Christmas!!  I am so excited to pull out those boxes and try to find a Christmas tree.  I always flash back to a memory of my Mom, dad, brother and myself at a Christmas Tree Farm with a saw.  We had found the tree, and dad and my brother were cutting it down.  We hauled it back to the suburban, tied it on top, and took it into the house.  Christmas always seems like such a wonderful time of year.  The smells, the flavors, the cookies!  I love it all.  This season seems so crazy.  Thanksgiving kick-started the long list of things to celebrate for our family.  Next week, Ava's first birthday.  Four days later, our Second Wedding Anniversary.  Then, Christmas, New Years and Valentine's day!  I am so thankful we have so much to celebrate.