Happy Thanksgiving 2007

We have been working hard on getting the kitchen renovation completed. I say "working hard" and it is really more like "hardly working". What we are working hard to do is to find time to work on the kitchen. By the time the work and chores are done...well, so are we.

It's difficult to do a good job of anything when one is so tired. Soooooo, anyway. We have been putting the top coat on the newly made doors and drawer faces.

I spread cardboard for protection on the dining room table and on the nook table. I ran out of space and so had to set up the card table as well.

It hurt my back a little because I had to bend over but I was pleased with the results.

There is just a satin finish on the wood which I think is very pretty. Between the coats which take 6 hours to dry I do a very light sanding using 220 grit sandpaper.

It doesn't raise dust and can be easily wiped off before the next coat which is applied using just a rag.

There are no brush strokes to worry about. I actually think that it looks very nice. We now have 3 coats on and can do more after they are hung but before the handles are installed.

Alex showed up and in just a couple of hours he had everything hung.

Two of the doors he had measured incorrectly and one was split. He will probably get those taken care of at the first of next week.

Dad had so much work to do and I really should have stayed home with Alex to lighten his load but I was having a wonderful time looking through magazines at the Home Depot.

I know, your Dad spoils me and I let him.

So while Dad and Alex took care of cabinets I also went grocery shopping for the things that were needed for Thanksgiving Dinner.

I was to bring yams, a relish dish, and some rolls. I couldn't get over how guilty I felt letting someone else do the dinner but I remember my Mom feeling guilty and Grandma Coates felt guilty when she wasn't doing the cooking too.

It must be a sort of "right of passage" for Moms to let go and let their kids do the entertaining. I can tell you that I didn't miss the work one bit!

Since Gaylynne and I communicated via our husbands there was a mixup about the pumpkin pies. She thought I was bringing them and I thought she was baking them. She didn't let it bother her one bit.

She was amazing and just made a couple while I was making the gravy, Dad was breaking the green beans, and Don was toasting the almonds.

Gaylynne had already made banana cream pie, chocolate cream pie, and apple pie.

She used Grandma Coates' recipe for crust and though they show up dark in the photo I can tell you that they were delicious!

I don't even know what time it was that dinner was put on the table...that's how relaxing the day was for me.

Before we started working in the kitchen we watched movies of their vacation to Sea World, Knott's Berry Farm, and Disneyland.

That was great fun. What an amazing time they had. They tell us that there are some nice parks very close to New Braunfels, Texas so perhaps we can all get together and vacation together.

I almost forgot to take pictures and just after the blessing Gaylynne and I ran for our cameras and documented the dinner.

Don and Gaylynne called to the girls and requested that they set the table. It didn't take them long at all and everything was ready for us to take our places at the table.

There was soooooo much food.

I'll just let the next few photographs "speak for themselves".

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Lori and Matthew, we missed you so much but it helps to know that you had a nice day with Matthew's Mom and Uncle.

Congratulations to you for your first Thanksgiving Dinner. I'm so glad that it was such a success.

Brian, we were sorry that you had to work but we do understand how important it is to be able to pay your debts. We missed you a lot. Maybe we can all get together next year.

Teresa, Stuart, and Audrey. We know that you had a wonderful time with your family but we certainly missed you. See you on Saturday!

And Mom, we know how important it was for you to be with your sister. We missed you very much. You will be happy to know that Gaylynne filled in for you with the delicious pies.

Thank you to Don, Gaylynne, Courtney, Melanie, Emma, and Dayton for giving us a very memorable Thanksgiving Day. And thanks, too, for the left-overs. Guess what we're having for dinner!!!