'twas the monday before thanksgiving...

 this weekend i gathered all of my favorite recipes,

and compiled my thanksgiving shopping list.

we {as in the 5 of us gib's} are going to have our very first little thanksgiving dinner.

all to our very own selves.

which means...

we also,

get all of the leftovers all to our very own selves.

we are beaming with excitement over it all:)

i pulled out my better homes and garden cookbook to brush up on my turkey cooking and carving skills.

except i've never cooked one OR carved one before,

so it was a little more than brushing up.

or less if you're like me and like to 

fly 

by 

the 

seat 

of your pants.

it was actually more like a glance of cook times,

and deciding that i didn't really need to know how to carve a turkey anyway,

{but looking at the pictures tickled my taste buds to preanticipation joy--yep, i made that one up folks}

b/c clearly the carving is going to be sean's job.

as it was my dad's,

and my dad's dad,

you know.

i'm venturing away from the classic green bean side to a medley this year,

which sean is less than pleased about.

due to tradition.

but i told him he will not be disappointed.

and agreed to include green beans in the medley as a compromise.

my parents and siblings will surely disown me for breaking tradition when they hear of it as well.

not to fret,

i vow to win them ALL over to my medley one day.

beautifully mixed in processed cheesy goodness.

i can't wait.

i'll also be making beth's pumpkin cheesecake recipe,

{who i got to squench and chat with on saturday night at megan's wedding--

oh the bride was just BREATHTAKING! the buttons up the back of her dress

made me want to pull out my wedding dress and sew on buttons down the back of my own from top to bottom. her necklace was so delicate, and her hair was up in the most beautiful swirls of blonde.}

the pumpkin cheesecake {as i think pumpkin pie is overrated} will be

complete with homemade whipping cream and pie crust.

beth and i will be eating the leftovers this weekend,

along with using all of the leftover turkey to make turkey noodle soup for the next 6 months,

as i have decided to do a full turkey instead of the mini turkey i thought i was going to do at first.

when i told the kids about our menu they got excited about grandma max's sweet potatoes 

b/c of the melted/roasted marshmallows that go on top.

brennan's exact quote: 

"i WUV that idea!!! i WUV marshmallows!"

and then he asked if he could have whipped cream in his mouth too.

when i told him we were making a turkey he told me they take a long time to cook.

i can't decide if we should cut out the rolls,

but i know for sure we will NOT be cutting out the stuffing,

as IT is my favorite side.

i can hardly wait to soak it all in.

left: beth and me     right: meg {the bride} and me

max had four glasses of the apple bubbly,

chase a sip or two,

although i think most of it ended up on his shirt,

and we all ate beth's homemade crackers 

that i declared i must make to go with my baked bri cheese on thanksgiving day.

from the phototography stuido of brennan...

he's skilled.

we know.

we're signing him up for a photography class

STAT.

he takes at least a hundred of these beauties every day.

i wish he would work with my angles more though.

and shoot from my good side.

bahahahahaha.

let the gobbling week begin!