Growing Up Reissy Cup: Thanksgiving

Our new house is great for entertaining. We were able to get our beautiful wood dining table out of storage and put it to good use. We have so much space in our great room that we could have another seating area and a piano! Our great room is still kind of empty (just the computer and desk, dining table, bar stools, and kids' play kitchen, but it has been nice having the extra space for family dance parties, roller skating, and running around. The great room also was the perfect place for our Christmas tree.

My friend, Jamie, suggested we do a Friendsgiving this year. She has three children, too, and they are all about one year younger than our kiddos. I also invited our old neighbors. Kristine and Dan have had us over many times for Easter, 4th of July parties, etc. so I was happy to be able to host them for a change. Unfortunately, Kristine became ill and could not attend, but the rest of the family was able to make it.

Anna Kate in her cute Thanksgiving outfit from Dinkney.

Emily eyeing my turkey fruit platter!

Ta da! My beautiful Thanksgiving table and china.

This was the first time I had ever hosted Thanksgiving or cooked a turkey. I was quite nervous of messing it all up, but I tried to stay positive. I could do this, right? I prepared by watching lots of Barefoot Contessa videos and googling "how to cook a turkey" about a hundred times. haha! I overcooked it just a little so it was drier than I had hoped, but it was still pretty good with some gravy. I was so afraid of undercooking it that I left it in another 20-30 minutes even after I was pretty sure it was done. I definitely need to get a meat thermometer next time I try to do it. It wasn't as hard as I thought to prep the turkey, but coordinating the meal and having the house all ready is a challenge, especially when you have three little ones. I tried to keep things simple. Our guests each brought a few things, I prepared everything I could in advance, and set the table the night before. Our dining table looked lovely! The easiest way to keep from being homesick on a major holiday is to be busy. Make plans. Last year we did a trip to Bodega Bay during Thanksgiving week and then had dinner with friends Thanksgiving evening. This year we hosted the meal ourselves. Next year, I think I'd rather take another trip. haha! Joking. Kind of. Emily has the whole Thanksgiving week off, so it is a nice time to take a trip. I guess we'll see what next year holds! This year I was very thankful for my family and all the people gathered at our table. It was a pleasure to host them and celebrate our great country and our many blessings from God.