Thanksgiving 2007

I just need to learn to take the camera out and take pictures of things like this. 20 of my parents 23 grandchildren were at my house, and not a single picture of all of them together with my parents! How sad is that? I am hoping that Hil will post some pictures later when she gets home, but until then, I have none.

My Thanksgiving week began Sunday night when my brother-in-law, Shawn Mc (Heather's husband) came up with their 3 sons. Heather and Holly were to arrive on Tuesday. Shawn Mc arrived so that he could go deer hunting with my Shawn. On Tuesday, Heather & Holly got here, along with my parents, and Brett & his family. On Wednesday Chad & his family arrived. Chad's wife, Kimber, just had a new baby...Ella...on October 5th. She is a cutie. Early Thursday morning, like 5am-ish, Hilary and her family arrived from Ft. Knox, KY. They had a long 10 hr drive and couldn't leave until 5pm Wednesday. They had pulled over a few times a long the way to sleep here and there. They weren't planning that, but it happened, and I rather have them here then dead. And about 8am on Thursday morning, Scott, Val & Jared arrived from Killeen. They left like at 3:30am.

When I was growing up, Thanksgiving dinner at 6pm. Not before ever! Not even 5:59pm! Always 6pm, and always we were dressed nicely and had the house cleaned, and the table set perfectly. If we even ate an olive before dinner, we were in trouble (sorry Mom, but it's true!). Dad would make pies with nasty pie crusts (sorry Dad, but it's true!), but the turkey would be carved perfectly and everything else made just right. Dad just didn't have a good pie crust recipe, and I hated that they were never done right. They were either not cooked right, or they were burned. He would burn a few at first, and then not cook the rest long enough so that the crust would not burn. No one knew what Pampered Chef was back then, and their pie crust protecters (not that I use them because I do make perfect pie crusts!).

Thanksgiving dinner at the Miller Family aka as the Pritchard Family Reunion is now at 12 noon. Besides all my family who comes, but Shawn's family comes too. Plus extended family...like aunts/uncles/cousins from his parents side. Thanksgiving 2006, when I was 8 months pregnant, we had over 60 people eating here. This year because Shawn's mom family did not come (sickness), we had about 30-40. It wasn't as hectic, but I felt I was soooooooooo not prepared!

Dinner was prepared at 12:30 with 3 different types of turkey, ham, sweet potato casserole, smashed potatoes & gravy, green bean casserole, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and oh the desserts! I made 5 pies. I did...and all were eaten and eaten fast! I made 2 pumpkins, 2 pecans (from the pecans that my mom brought up from Killeen) and 1 apple. I also made a Reeses Peanut Butter bar dessert, and then what everyone else brought. I ate a lot, and gained weight.

Speaking of weight... Hilary is like skinny! I knew she had lost like 100 lbs, and 50 of it was at least since April when I saw her, so I hadn't seen her skinny skinny yet (she was like this when she married in 1996). She looks so good, and I am so jealous! And as I am typing this, I am thinking of more food and when I can get to Sonic to get me a drink. So sad, I know.