It's beginning to look a lot like...

CHRISTMAS!!! Today was one of those days that was busy from start to finish. My legs and back have that "been at Lagoon" all day ache. But I'm not complaining. It was a really fun type of busy. First, I plugged in the tree that Bri and I decorated last night. Isn't she so pretty and sparkly? :)

Then I put up our Christmas garland:

And when the house was sufficiently festive, I set to work making my first ever Thanksgiving dinner. We get to go to South Carolina to visit Brian's family for the holiday, but with the gluten-free stuff, we figured we'd make everybody's life a little easier and pack a dinner for me. On the menu: Herb roasted turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, candied yams, green bean casserole, biscuits, yogurt jello and blueberry cheesecake. Everything was homemade, and I have to be honest...I went into it feeling like I had NO idea what I was doing. But after lots of calls to my mom, it all ended in a pretty yummy feast, if I can pat myself on the back a bit. I was excited to have done it! And Brian was thrilled about his "manly rite of passage". :)

It really was quite scrumptious, and worth the achy legs...and calories. :) Happy holidays everyone...thanks for humoring me. :)

Today I'm thankful for:

1-Flights to South Carolina, and missing out on the 11 1/2 hour drive back in traffic (thank you Danna and Larry!!)

2-A mom who's creative, and taught me to love to create. She's a gourmet cook, does amazing holiday decorating, and came up with some of the most incredible ideas for school projects! :) She definitely passed her love of creating on to me. I'm nothing compared to her, but few things are as fulfilling to me as creating something...whether it's a meal, a Christmas tree or a holiday garland. It makes me so happy. Thanks mom for teaching me to let my imagination fly!

3-A husband who does dishes. All the time. It is rare I ever touch a dish. I'm always grateful for that, but never so grateful as I am today :). What a mess!