What Happens at Thanksgiving...Stays at Thanksgiving

That title makes no sense, but I couldn't think of anything else.

Wonderful, wonderful Thanksgiving. I ate soooooooooo very much. Totally worth it...I don't even care. We drove down Wednesday late afternoon and little Noah, on his way home from college, rode with us. We stopped by my 'rents' house, threw Noah out, and drove on to David's parents' house. Since his family was headed to visit his mom's family for Thanksgiving, we had a Thanksgiving brunch with them Thursday morning. And it was faaaaaaaabulous. I'm still full from that. I went into a brunch coma afterwards. Then, we headed back to my parents' house and spent the rest of the holiday there.

We had Thanksgiving lunch at my Grandparent G's house and then had Thanksgiving supper at my Grandparent A's house. Both equally amazing (both had sweet potato soufflé). Totally forgot my camera, so just picture my awesome family however you want.

Back at le house on Friday and Saturday, I helped Mom decorate the house for Christmas. She decorated a little sparingly this year just in case the gals came early or soon after Christmas...bless her precious heart...she's coming to stay with us for a few (stay as LONG as you want, Mom) weeks after the girls come to help me out (PRAISE THE LORD!) and she didn't want to have a lot of stuff to undecorate. While I was taking pictures, I thought I'd share a little bit about the house that I grew up in...from age 2 until I went off to college.

Yes, it's a log cabin...in the woods. My dad chopped down the logs himself...held together by mud and tar...gleaned from the back pasture (a.k.a...log cabin company built it).

Noah and Dad spent the day trimming bushes and blowing leaves off the roof...right onto my freshly-swept porch, but whatever. Noah, in his pajamas...God love him...his hair. I cut it later that afternoon.

The front walkway...complete with haint tree.

Front porch...behind me is the swing that Sara broke...like a million times.

Front porch

Front field

Sara also tipped over this swing. Geez, Sara, what's your problem?

Mom's windchime collection

Front do

The keeper of the gate

Let this be a lesson to all stray cows that may roam these here parts.

Living room

Mom keeps this tree up year-round. No lie. It used to be a HUGE tree (fake and live...changed throughout the years) in the "play room", but they moved it into the living room where the pinaner (piano) used to be.

Living room

The play room...where we grew up doing school. (We were homeschooled...but not in a creepy there are 22 kids in our family kind of way).

My dad collects guns...all originals, no replicas. From all over the place. Some from the World Wars, some from the Civil War, some from who knows whar.

The pinaner

I learned so much at this table....from reading and writing to if I talk back or say "this is dumb", I have to write a 10 page essay about something really, really boring.

Family photos

This is Mamaw G...and they say our generation has "suggestive" swimsuits. Bow chica bow wow, Mamaw.

My mom going off to college.

Mom and Dad getting married...aww, Dad...bravo on growing the beard.

The dungeon. Horrible things happen there. See the medical instruments lining the left wall? Yeah...they've been used. Nah, this leads to the movie room. This is also where I used to do school when I got older.

Breakfast table

Copper and Todd...and Uncle Bill (the cow)

He flew a little too far South for that winter.

Me and the sistah...pretending...

Every year, I climb up in a tree to get mistletoe. This year, I had to get Peter, David and an extendable tree trimmer to help me.

Heck yes, 27 days til Christmas!

My room...I loooooove horses...if you couldn't tell.

The stockings were hung by the chimney with a nonchalant attitude...

Mom always has chocolate...I love going home.

Half of the back porch

Back deck...the pool is hibernating.

Dining room

Christmas is not complete without a black cat named Flea.

This picture really has no relevance except that Noah totally missed the ball.

Yay for Christmas!

Saturday afternoon, the boys and I decided to take a trek through the woods on the new trail that Dad blazed with the tractor. Dad likes to make trails in the woods.

Here we see the infamous Weed Boys in their natural habitat. They smell funny and they eat a lot. Shh...don't spook them.

Well, lo and behold, it's a Daddy on a tractor.

Bye, Tractor Man!

Lead on, Toto.

Into the depths we go.

Seumas decided he wasn't going to walk across, so Noah had to carry him.

The fierce rapids below

The natural placement of these logs is quite rare in these parts.

Dad said, "Follow the orange flags." Poor colorblind Dad. I wonder how long he's been following these orange flags.

We emerge into a sparsely-treed field.

Where the spikey plants have hair.

Even the bushes know it's almost Christmas.

Except for these...

And a-home we a-go.

Only to find a crazy old man roaming the fields...hey Papaw!

Saturday night, we headed on over to Miz Di's for a fish fry! Growing up...I mean, literally, since the day I was born, we had fish fries over at her house all. the. time. And it was amazing. I haven't been to one in WAY too long.

CHEESE GRITS! LOOK AT THEM!! LOOOOOK. AT. THEEEEEEMMM!! I think I might cry again...

Hush puppies...ooooooh, so yummy.
Blueberry delight
The BEST baked beans you will ever have. And I got the recipe...woot woot!

Oh fish...oh, sweet fried fishy fish...could I please eat all of you?

My plate...it makes me so happy.

Good times...

And that's about it! Sadly, it had to come to an end. My last road trip before the gals arrive. It was fabulous!