Thanksgiving 2017

I host! I totally host holiday gatherings now! My parents, two sisters, a bro-in-law and a niece came into town for Thanksgiving this year. I've technically hosted once before, but that was a smaller group with less family, and this felt more official.

Our new house accommodated guests nicely. Our immediate family bunked upstairs in the master suite and four visitors took 2 bedrooms and 2 baths downstairs; grandparents stayed in a hotel. 2nd Brother slept fine on the loveseat at the foot of our bed despite the uncomfortable position shown below. The other two kids were on mattresses on the floor:

We covered the kids' table with this disposable write-on tablecloth my sister had seen at Target. It was a big hit, and we left it on for a couple days after:

The other table was our portable Costco one with plates and glasses newly purchased for the occasion. I kept the table decor simple because you know what? It's not my thing to have a fancy table, so I ain't doing that. I did get Thanksgiving napkins and we put out candy turkeys with name cards sticking out of them.

Here are some candy turkeys close up. 2nd Brother made the one that looks like it has boobs--he is allergic to nuts and couldn't have the peanut butter cup body:

The food was so good! I adore Thanksgiving food and would make it all the time, but kids and husband can take it or leave it. I got a turkey and stuffing from Dream Dinners, made the sweet potato casserole, bought King's Hawaiin rolls, and made pumpkin bars for dessert. Mom did the gravy and my sister made the mashed potatoes. 

I also invited Sister's school friend and her parents to join us. They are here for one year from Japan for a work rotation, and of course hadn't ever experienced a Thanksgiving. They brought this adorable cake:  

We had a small talent show after dinner. Sister and her friend recited a poem from school, the boys played the piano, and my niece played her violin, which My Husband tried out afterward:

 The weather that week was beautiful, and we spent some time near the beach: 

The girl cousins enjoyed the pirate ship ride:

 The convertible we purchased from my aunt and uncle in early November was popular with the guests. It's a 1999 Mazda Miata that only had 46,000 miles on it. We managed with one car for awhile as My Husband walks to work, but we're happy to have a second one now.