Going Through Life One Blog Post at a Time
Andy finished up the outside Christmas decorations this evening. He hung the big wreath on the house, added the Santa, and put the projector in the ground to give the impression of lights on the tree. I really love it and it feels much more like home this year!
It is Christmas decoration day! I swear that we did not have that many boxes of decorations last year. They MUST be multiplying while in storage…
Jim and his crew left this morning for South Carolina. It was sad to see them go because we had a great time together! Dave, Kristena, Avry, and Addyson are not leaving until tomorrow, so we decided to start our day with a tasty breakfast at Cracker Barrel. We spent the rest of the day not doing much at all other than hanging out and relaxing. It was another great day with Andy’s family and it is hard to believe that our holiday is nearly over.
We spent the day in and around Columbia because the weather was even better than yesterday. In the morning, we all did our own things. Dave and Kristena headed to Bass Pro for some Black Friday shopping, Andy and I went with Jeremy for beer shopping, and Jim decided to work on our yard. We arrived home to this pile of vines that he pulled down and a yard of raked up leaves. I think Jim is going to have to come visit more often…
On the way out of town, we stopped at Bear Creek Trail to take some pictures. Jim wanted some pictures of him and his kids, but that of course led to more pictures of this crazy crew of eight.
The next stop was Rocheport where we spent part of the afternoon enjoying the Black Friday Wassail Walk. Everyone seemed to enjoy the little town. We took a hayride…
…and the kids enjoyed S’mores while the adults enjoyed some beverages.
Our final stop before home to make pizza was Logboat Brewing Company to show off the Candy Cane Crib. The kids thought that was amazing and fun! The display is even larger this year because there is more space. I think the Candy Cane Crib outdid themselves this year!
We spent the rest of the evening eating that amazing pizza (do you think that everyone enjoyed it?!?)…
…and relaxing by the fire with some minor shenanigans. Jim and his crew leave tomorrow. It will be hard to see them go.
Dave and family arrived safely right about 1:40 am. I happened to be up getting some water to drink, so I got to say hello and give hugs. It is so great to have everyone here! Thanksgiving morning started slowly as everyone got some much needed sleep. We enjoyed breakfast and then food prep for our feast began. I have to say that drinking Mimosas with Kristena and Megan while prepping stuffing is just a fun way to make food!
It was a gorgeous day with temperatures in the 60s, so we spent a lot of the day outside. We got out the Bags game…
…while Kristena took lots of pictures of the kids.
We also enjoyed some time on our back deck while the kids played some cards inside. It just does my heart good to see them all together again.
Thanksgiving dinner was fabulous as always. Jim carved the turkey and we all enjoyed everything. I have to say that the 18-pound turkey, 12 pounds of mashed potatoes, 2 loaves of bread, 2 pies (pumpkin and apple), and everything else was almost not enough to feed 13 people. We had some leftovers, but not anywhere close to what I expected!
The rest of the evening was spent recovering from all the food, relaxing, hanging out, and being family. It was a perfect Thanksgiving Day!
Jim and crew arrived this afternoon for the beginning of our Thanksgiving holiday. It was so great to see all of them and it was especially good to see the brothers back together again. Two years is just too long! We spent the day hanging out and catching up. We ate some great barbecue and shared some great drinks.
Did I mention we shared some great drinks? Well, the best ideas sometimes come to you after a few drinks, leading Jim to barricade the kids in the basement (or at least long enough to take this picture and laugh hysterically at the thought).
It was just a great evening all around. I love this family even if they tend to make me a little crazy! Sometimes, they even manage to surprise you. This beautiful box filled with Chicago-style Deep Dish Pizzas arrived this evening via UPS. It is tradition that we eat pizza on Friday. Andy and I were planning to take the crew to Shakespeare’s, but we will be eating at home instead. Bring on Lou Malnati’s!
Special thanks go to the rest of the crew – Dave, Kristena, Avry, and Addyson – for sending this box of love. They will be arriving about 1:30 am. I can’t wait to see them and really get the Blume Thanksgiving going!
Andy spent all day in the truck today driving to Belvidere, IL, and back to pick up a Cedar Closet that once belonged to his Grandma Vi. After a bit of repair work and possible refinishing, we hope to add some shelving to make a pantry. Special thanks to Dave and Kristena for storing it for the past year!
