the only casualty was the TV remote.

Thanksgiving came and we conquered it!


We hosted at our house this year and I loved every minute of it!  My heart was indeed thankful, just as our mantle indicates......

A lot of firsts happened this year......I made a turkey,  (thanks go out to Pioneer Woman whose tutorials and recipes helped build my confidence and made me feel like a true cook!)

I made a pie crust and a cheesecake from scratch,

Olivia had a holiday feast and program at her school, (I got teary over this fact, which we all know isn't a first;)  She looked adorable in her turkey hat, don't you think?

and I consumed several bottles of wine while cooking up the feast.  Well, maybe that's not a first either, but that's not the point of this post ;)  So, lets move on......

Olivia was lots of help with the cooking and baking.

The menu included:  roasted turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, corn casserole, glazed carrots, stuffing,green beans, rolls shipped all the way from Indiana, deviled eggs, brushetta, cheese plate, veggie plate, spinach dip, pecan pie, Dulce de Leche pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin spice cupcakes, and pumpkin chocolate chip cookies!  Can I get an amen?!  I think I'm still gaining weight by thinking about that menu!  Friends and family divided up the menu and we owned it!  There wasn't a single dish that I didn't want seconds on.

Andy's parents drove all the way from North Carolina to join us for the holiday (I will blog more about that soon with lots of pictures!), my sister and her family came down from Oklahoma City, and our friends the Blums and the Wests joined from a few streets over here in Altus.  It was fabulous!  Seventeen in all, but I think we could have squeezed in a few dozen more!  The more the merrier, right?!

Olivia checks out the table!
Look at all that food!!

the kids table

the adult table

 Cathy's Andy gets serious carving
the turkey while my Andy looks on

the play set got lots of use!

Carter looking like a BIG boy!  Oh, how I love this sweet boy.

And as the title indicates, the house was no worse for wear, but the remote is still to be found!  However, it is a small price to pay for the love and fellowship that filled our house.  I hope each of you had just as wonderful of a holiday.

Now, lets set our eyes onto Christmas (and find that TV remote!!!!!!)