I Forgot This Was Friday! Happy Day After Thanksgiving!

 Hey everyone! Happy day after Thanksgiving! I guess I totally forgot today was Friday, and I should have posted some pictures! I got busy cleaning up after yesterday's feast, and totally forgot all about posting and/or reading anyone else's posts. So I have some catching up to do as soon as I finish writing here now!  Normally on the day after Thanksgiving I am too lazy to start putting away all the Thanksgiving decorations, and I try to make it last just a little longer. (You can read more about that here if you want to)  But today I was ready to take it all down and get it cleaned up so I can start decorating for Christmas. I know many of you have already started your Christmas decorating, but I just can't handle more than one holiday at a time, so I've been waiting. Now I am ready to get started! It seems like the fall decorations were up forever...(they were...since September!!) Now I am tired of seeing orange and gold and brown...I'm ready for some reds and greens and all things Christmassy!  However, first, let me share a little about our Thanksgiving for those of you who don't read my Facebook page.

Thanksgiving morning dawned bright and beautiful:

The night before Thanksgiving and all through the house, a creature was stirring, and it wasn't a mouse...

There was our son Scott, busily baking my mother's famous Orange Cookie recipe. It's a family tradition whenever the family is coming for any event, my mother would always bake a batch of Orange Cookies for the grandchildren to enjoy. Of course, the big children enjoyed them as well! Here is a link to a previous post about that, and it will lead you to another link with the recipe. (In case you are interested).

Time to taste test them...

Here's hubby to do the honors, and he pronounced them "very good".

Meanwhile, I had already baked my pumpkin pies and they were ready and waiting for the hungry crowd the next day:

And the "Adult Table" was almost set. I decided to use paper and plastic this year due to the Covid situation. I figured the less opportunity to spread something the better, and less time having to clean up too. Everyone else seemed to appreciate that as well.

This was the "Kids' Table", but all our "kids" are pretty big now. I used the placemats that my mother had made for my family when our children were very young. 

So back to Thanksgiving morning...it was such a pretty morning I decided to sit out on the back porch and snap beans and enjoy the beauty of Still Waters Pond:

Here's me, snapping away. Obviously this is before I was appropriately "dressed for dinner".

Once the family began to arrive, my niece set up this beautiful Vegie Turkey Tray! Isn't he cute? And healthy too!

She also brought this sculptured Butter Turkey...he was too cute to cut, but we did anyway:

Now, here's the "Adult Table" in full action:

And here's the "Kids' Table", with the "kids" having a good time...

One of these "kids" is the mother of two of these kids...and the other "kid" is my baby! Can you figure that out?

Back to the "Adult Table", which is debatable...I had to sit down and get my picture taken too, next to my sister. Please don't say we look like twins. We aren't. She's my "Little BIG Sister", and I'm her "Big Little Sister", because I'm about 5 inches taller than she is but she is my petite big sister.

Time for the family photos:

My niece and her family. Now you know which "kids" belong to her! They were acting up as usual.

Oh, and here my sister is taking a picture of me:

And this is the picture she took:

And here I am taking a picture of her!

Here's our sweet kids...Benton and Rose. I still call them "the newlyweds"...they just celebrated 3 years of marriage a couple of weeks ago!

And here is The Steiner Clan, and we've included our daughter in law's sister Sherrie. I said she is our new "Adopted daughter".  

And here we are: The two "Mursch Girls"

Doris and Pam.

After the rest of the gang left our "kids" stayed outside until dark, playing "corn hole"

And then the sun went down.

And we stop and "Give Thanks" for all the Lord has done for us. Amen.

So, "that's a wrap"... Thanksgiving is technically over...but not the thankfulness!

I trust you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving, regardless of how big or small your group may have been. We stuck to just my sister's and my immediate families, people that we each were comfortable being around and felt safe to do so. It was a wonderful time to celebrate getting through a long difficult year. So thankful our families have been safe, healthy, and have stayed employed. God has been so very gracious unto us and we are most grateful.  We definitely are counting our blessings and give thanks to God for all that He has done for us.  

And now we prepare our hearts for Advent and the celebration of the birth of Christ, the Savior of the world!  I will start my Advent/Christmas posts this weekend.  

Psalm 145:3-9

3.  "Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised;

And His greatness is unsearchable.

4.  One generation shall praise Your works to another, 

and shall declare Your mighty acts.

5.  I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty,

and on Your wondrous works.

6.  Men shall speak of the might of Your awesome acts,

and I will declare Your greatness.

7.  They shall utter the memory of Your great goodness,

And shall sing of Your righteousness.

8.  The Lord is gracious and full of compassion,

Slow to anger and great in mercy.

9.  The Lord is good to all,

and His tender mercies are over all His works."

Until next time, stay safe...but don't forget to spread the love of Jesus to everyone you meet. That is one thing that ought to be "contagious" because it could heal the pain and sorrow of the whole world. God bless you all, and good night.