1. Oh my word!!!! I forgot how time consuming and messy a pumpkin roll is to make! That thing can trash a kitchen faster than anything else on my cooking list! However it sure is good to eat, so it's worth it! I made this on Sunday, froze it, and just it got out of the freezer today. I'll slice it in the morning and put it on a platter.
2. I tore my house apart, but FINALLY found my sweet potato recipe my sweet friend Kim gave me a couple of years ago. It was a huge hit at both of our thanksgivings last year, so I made 2 pans again this year, one for each meal. It is my second favorite Thanksgiving dish behind my Nana's dressing recipe.
3. My own personal grill master is going to be getting up around 5:00 am to start smoking our turkey and apparently a pork loin (no clue why he thought we needed that!). I'll be fast asleep, so hope he has fun with that. :-)
4. I found these cute little place mats on Saturday when I bought the ones for the dining room table. I thought they were perfect for the kiddie table. I may have even bought some more plastic ones for Christmas and some more for the winter to put at our table for daily use. My cousin Koko sold me on that idea and I love it! She is a veteran boy mom and 1st grade teacher so she is a genius on all things wild and messy boy!
5. Who out there also LOVES Black Friday shopping? My mom and I decided to do a little change up to our usual routine this year so we didn't have to take a certain toddler with us. We are going to leave around 8:30 Thursday night and head down to an outlet mall about 30 minutes from my house to be there when they open at 9 and hope to be home by 1 am. That way all we will need to do the next day is Hobby Lobby and maybe Target. Much better than fighting the mall with a cranky toddler. The other awesome thing is that as of this morning this brand new car is parked in my driveway and I'll get to drive it there. Goodbye unreliable Nissan, hello shiny new Explorer!
6. I'm a little sad because I feel like this is the last year I'll be able to put Nicholas in smocking (only t-shirts, no longalls at this point). Don't worry though, we have stocked up on holiday smocking and appliqués. :-) He will be styling some tomorrow and during the Christmas season. I saw this picture of him the other day from last year. I can't believe how much he has grown up!!!
7. I always use my corning ware and formal china for Thanksgiving, but this year I've decided to make it a little more simple. I'm using the dishes Nana gave me and foil pans. I will use the serving dishes for my cranberry sauce, corn, and turkey, but my casseroles have all gone in foil pans. No shame here, just easy clean up!
8. I made this banner last year and I try to remember this everyday, not just on Thanksgiving.
Hope you and yours have a wonderful Thanksgiving and weekend!
