Lots to be Thankful For

I know Thanksgiving was a long time ago but school was super crazy during the holiday season... mainly because I had one thing on my mind....getting an entire week off work! 

This is the part of the fam who could be at Thanksgiving this year. I missed Teresa and Mike because I was using my fixed lens on my camera.

Family gatherings are all about the food in my family. It is so nice to be apart of a family where everyone is exceptional cooks.  These are some of the things that were on the menu.

This is a special tradition in our family, one that has been in place since I was born. Every Thanksgiving and Christmas we have homemade eggnog. Now before you start saying the usual "ewww" and "gross!" this eggnog tastes just like vanilla milk. It has vanilla instant pudding in it to give it a little thickness. How can you go wrong with vanilla milk with fresh whipped cream to top it off...okay, maybe it is an acquired taste but my husband who never would have touched eggnog to save his life before we were married likes it.

 What would Thanksgiving be without the pie. I made the apple and coconut cream and my mom made the pumpkin. It was my first time making coconut cream pie but it was a success and will forever be on my Thanksgiving pie list.

A new tradition that my mom started a couple of years ago is to write on a tablecloth what you are thankful for. This is the tablecloth that lines the table when we eat so we can be reminded of how many things we have, and have had in the past, that there are to be grateful for. Each year we add to the list. Tradition is that you trace your hand and make it into a turkey. I think this is more fun for the little ones so that they can see how much they have grown in a year. Since the only way my hands are growing is getting thicker I decided to break hand-turkey trandition and make one of my own. Here are a couple pics.