Happy Thanksgiving!!!

 

We had a really nice Thanksgiving.  Plenty to share, but I am so very tired.  But it's a good kind of tired.  A tired from getting to do a lot of things that I love and enjoy.

I spent nearly 15 crazy hours out shopping with my Mom today and I'm slightly fatigued.

So much to be thankful for this year.  Truly.  Faith, family friends, food, shelter, good health.  It sounds so unimaginative, and yet, isn't it everything?  

In my day to day life it's easy to take these things for granted and fuss over the small stuff.  

It's a blessing to have the luxury to fuss over small stuff.

And before I drag my tired body up the stairs and get some much needed rest, I have to share what I am SO thankful for at this particular moment.

When I left the house this morning there was still a lot of thanksgiving that needed to be dealt with.  Just the usual party clean up, but sort of on steroids because of my need to pull out nearly every blessed piece of crystal and china and silver that we own and make a big fuss out of everything.

It's so much work for everyone--not just me--Mike and Dan hand wash everything.  (For the record, to really loud rock music.  And how old did I just now sound typing that?  Anyway, we all concede to the music because they are working so hard while we sit and talk and pour over the Thanksgiving ads).  

Anyway, back to my mess of a house.

I turned my back on it and left this morning, but in the back of my mind was trying to figure out when I would fit in getting it all taken care of around things we have planned for the weekend and decorating for christmas...I had concluded it would probably take me most of the week to get it back in order around the day to day activities of our life.

But Mom and I returned home tonight to see white lights from my christmas tree greeting us through the living room window! 

While we were gone shopping, Dan:

Cleaned up the rest of the mess from dinner/dessert.

Put away all of the crystal and china and silver.

Took down the tables that we add on to the dining room so we can accommodate everyone.

Washed the tablecloths.

Ran an errand to buy a christmas gift that I asked him to purchase.

Took the kids to the park.

Took my van (and all the kids) in to be serviced.  The kids weren't serviced.  Just the van.

Fed the kids dinner.

Read stories, and tucked them in.

Got out ALL of our Christmas decorations.  This is quite a feat in itself.

And set up the Christmas tree.

Oh, and he vacuumed the house.

Seriously.

I am so Thankful.

I needed that.

It is such a relief for me. 

I can't relax when my house is a mess. It stresses me out. 

It was a HUGE gift for me to walk home to a peaceful, clean home.

Tomorrow morning we'll be taking the children to see Santa.
And then we'll come home and decorate for Christmas.
Sunday is church and making Advent wreaths.

I'm really looking forward to all of those things.  

So much fun to be had.

So much to be Thankful for.

So much more to share, but sleep is calling. :)
Somewhere in there I'll post about Thanksgiving and our marathon Black Friday.
In the meantime...

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!