Thanksgiving

I spent the better part of two days baking, chopping, cleaning, preparing, mixing and cooking and when I rolled out of bed Friday morning my legs ached from my knees down, my belly was still full up to my neck and my hands were swollen from too much salt. But, I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat, it was totally worth it as it is every year.

For many reasons it is perhaps my most favorite holiday, only now that I'm an adult. And that is often what I'm most thankful for, the holiday itself, the new traditions we're creating here for the kids, the chance to celebrate with family for family's sake, to recognize our collective blessings and state them aloud. There are so many good things about this day. Then there's the food.

Homemade sausage cornbread stuffing (a new addition),







chocolate cheesecake with an Oreo crust (new this year too, gotta have chocolate),



among all the other favorites

including very old linens on very old tables,

using every square inch of furniture,

down to the simple place cards that I let my girls make every year. I love to see how they change. We even managed a super-moist and tender turkey convincing me once again that it's all about the brine. Trust me. It's one of the best parts, me and my husband in our pajamas, wrestling a 16 lb turkey into a big pot of salty, sugary, watery mix and then flipping it over the next morning. You should try it.