Thankfulness. Family Time. Plus Two New Knees!

Thankfulness has been my motto for years, and I’ve never been more thankful than I was over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend this year!

Two New Knees – Thankfulness Indeed

As many of you know I have spent the last six months pretty much in self-imposed isolation. I needed knee replacement surgery on BOTH knees! The first surgery in August went off without a hitch and I spent the next three months in physical therapy. I missed so many family activities and day trips, but the results were worth it.

My second surgery was scheduled for early November. But in October Peepaw gave me an unappreciated gift when he brought Covid home with him. UGH!!! Of course two days later I tested positive, and my surgery was cancelled. I can’t begin to explain the depression that set in for me. I had tried SO HARD to avoid it, and I had been successful ever since the pandemic began. Thankfully the vaccine and boosters helped me to avoid serious complications, but I expected my long awaited second knee surgery would have to be postponed until next spring.

Luckily my incredible surgeon had a surgery cancellation several weeks later! I was so happy to be able to reschedule, but this later surgery date meant I would only be days into my knee recovery instead of weeks when our family arrived to share Thanksgiving with us. It was a real worry for me, but I was determined to welcome them all in spite of my recovery status. You see, our entire family has not been together for FOUR YEARS!! 

Finally…FAMILY Began To Arrive

First to arrive on Wednesday afternoon was our son Nick and their youngest, Claire. (Nick’s wife Sarah and their daughters Emma and Delaney were scheduled to arrive later that night.) So, after some serious hugs (and clean hands) Nick headed to the kitchen to prepare his signature brine for the 23-pound turkey I had bought before my surgery. (It had been thawing in the refrigerator for a full week since it was such a big bird!) So while Nick got to work, I curled up in bed with Claire. I thought she might get a charge out of seeing Peepaw and Meemaw as seniors in high school. Our yearbook brought up many questions and laughs…for BOTH of us!

Later that night the rest of our “Indy Girls” safely arrived, and granddaughter Delaney made a beeline to the kitchen to share the space with her Dad. She whipped up TWO pies, A pumpkin one, and a mixed berry one. (Both were absolutely “Meemaw Approved the next day!)  Eventually we all got some sleep late that night, to prepare for the thankfulness overload to come the next day when the rest of our nearby family would be arriving.

Three Pup Cousins!

The arrival of our Iowa family was met with lots of smiles…and some barking too, since Nick’s family had brought their cute teddy bear pups with them from Indiana.

And our son Aaron’s family brought THEIR teddy bear pup to meet her “Pup-Cousins” for the first time.

It was pup chaos for a few minutes! But soon they were all best of friends…for the most part.  🙂

As this long awaited family reunion began I was again assured that our family had the Thanksgiving meal well under control. And for the first time in my life I’ll admit I was happy to bow out of the kitchen and head back to bed to rest up for the meal to come.

Nick had that monster turkey well under control in the kitchen, and all the side dishes began to materialize too.

Peepaw added all five boards to our dining room table. (That table had been his grandmothers!) And the grandkids helped to get everything ready for the feast to come.

He also added a card table to make sure we all had enough room to spread out and enjoy the meal. And what a meal it turned out to be! I even felt well enough to join my family instead of eating in bed! Thankfulness indeed!

Dinner Is Served!

And what a meal it was!!! I have always known we are blessed with good cooks in our family…but giving them all a chance to show me their skills all at once? Priceless!

Nick’s brined turkey was divine. Absolutely the most moist and flavorful I’ve ever eaten. And his dressing and mashed potatoes and his homemade gravy? I’m proud to say even better than mine. For real. Plus, no Thanksgiving dinner is complete without yummy green bean casserole, ala Emma! And Sara’s glazed sweet potatoes? Something to dream about!

Miss Delaney made her delicious from-scratch cranberry relish, and grandson Luke made a double batch of his amazing homemade dinner rolls.

(Let’s just say there were only four rolls left after dinner…and those were gone before the sun went down.)

Sara added some gorgeous color and flavor to the meal with her beautiful and delicious green salad with apples and walnuts.

She also brought a big glass bowl filled with her amazing grape salad. (I’ll ask her if she’ll share both of those recipes with me so I can share with all of you.)

To say I was nearly overcome with thankfulness and joy that day would be an understatement. It had been YEARS since we had all been together around that old table. The laughter and the stories and the voices of the people I love most…such music to these old ears.

Our stomachs were soon filled to the brim.

Uhh…did someone mention PIE?

Pie? Oh My!

Delaney’s luscious pumpkin pie was Thanksgiving on a plate.

And her mixed berry pie was a rainbow of fruity goodness!

Somehow I missed a photo of Sara’s luscious pecan pie. And Chef Luke whipped up his favorite pie to share with everyone. His banana cream pie topped with his beautiful meringue.

What a meal…and what a team effort by our family to make this Thanksgiving worry free and delicious for me. I’ll always remember it and my thankfulness knows no bounds.

Even Peepaw stepped up in his usual fashion to clean up the kitchen and spearhead the washing of all those dishes. What a team effort.

BINGO…They’re Never Too Old!

After dinner it wasn’t long before some of the guys headed to the basement to watch football. But Claire had other ideas. “Can we play BINGO Meemaw?”

I was totally shocked to hear that request. Yes, BINGO had been a tradition for years…whenever the grandkids gathered at our house. The “prizes” back then were ten cent toys from my favorite thrift store. Those memories will warm my heart until the day I die! (You can see those memories for yourself right HERE.)

I mistakenly assumed the grands had outgrown that tradition. But boy…was I wrong!

But now they didn’t need Peepaw to roll those magic bingo balls. They quickly devised their own plan.

Unfortunately, I had no prizes of any kind to offer. Until I thought of a prize they could now all agree on…Cold Hard CASH!!! 

Daughter in law Sarah summed it up well. “Bingo is this family’s tradition.”

Well said Sarah.

Yes, our family traditions will be worth remembering for years to come.

As our first day together was winding down it was time for me to head to bed to let my new knee rest. But wait until I share our family and food adventures still to come during that holiday weekend. 

Thankfulness always.

And more pie!!!