Build A Mansion and They Will Come. We Had a Huge and Wonderful Thanksgiving

Today started the most backward & upside-down Thanksgiving ever! Not at all bad, just really crazy fun surprises flips & COMPLETELY full of Gratitude!We had turkey soup with the sister missionaries  the night before Thanksgiving with the missionaries for dinner. Oh, and we had turkey sandwiches for lunch before the soup. I'm getting new glasses. (thought I'd add that) And we are doing it all over tomorrow. I took a picture of my pass-along cards for me to give out to my friends. They are new and wonderful. Oh, do look at the wonderful new lds.org. and mormon.org They will be up and starting to run TOMORROW! The pass-along cards go with it. Oh, and just a note, you know, the firefighter is my son's buddy on mormon.org. He one that made a wonderful video. They are in the same ward and have firefighting in common. Brothers, yes!

Well, it's tomorrow, now and Kiely, my little newlywed cooked maybe 8 or 9 pies, a turkey, dressing and it was sooooo yummy with cran-raisins and walnuts. She is an amazing cook. So our my other daughters. Yum. Marnie made lots of food and Tressa did also. I was so surprised by my mother's fake funeral potatoes. She tricked us with pineapples instead of potatoes and the dish was wonderful.

I can't believe I didn't take pictures. Steve was still on duty and his crew came with the ambulance and paramedics. Wow! I think this was the first year there were no calls. Dustin and all his kids...it was so fun. Even my neice from Santa Fe was able to come with my sister Lori and her Steve. Huge household of family. Marnie...big houses make for big events, huh?

I did take most of my decorations that I had made over to the party and my "Thankful Manzanita Tree" was a hit. It had a little owl perched on the branches with the leaves. I loved reading all the gratitudes on each leaf of the tree. Lee Lou Blogs and  they were beautiful.  The colors so bright and fun. I always take pictures of decorations so I don't have to think about where it all goes each year. Journaling with pictures.

I regret not getting pictures, but I've done so many lately that I thought my family was just worn-out.  I did want to play a Turkey Bingo that I saw on another site. I would have had to wrap 42 presents and then we would have played a game where you put the presents on the middle of the floor set the timer for like 5 to 10 minutes depending on the amount of guest and then roll dice until someone gets doubles. That person receives a present and is out. The game is played until all the presents are taken and the time is up. The blog that I looked at had a trick present like sardines, but that wouldn't have gone well with my Norwegian family, they like that stuff. Anyway, after everyone has their present you are free to take someone else's present. But just one time. Good dollar store goodies. It wouldn't have "flied" with all the guys on duty. Maybe, next year.

We need a new tradition. hahaha  It used to be the Twilight Zone Marathon until the kids complained about black and white TV. Then, we watch a TV version of Tremors, how dumb, huh? But, we like it because we could say the dialogue...at least the nice version. Never football...how weird is that?

Here's some of my decorations &

  The Print-outs are from the Lee Lou Blog Site: