thanksgiving day

the last ship arrived
in the wee hours of
thanksgiving morning...

tessa (paul's sister),
 kevin (hubby), julia,
christian, seth & adam...

everyone is here safe and sound!!!

final count:

25 meyer family members

22 staying at the house

31 for thanksgiving dinner

how fun is that........

let the games begin!

what better way to start 

thanksgiving day than......

a turkey bowl

brrrrrrrrrrr....it is cold!

then back home.......

it's time to start getting ready for the 

feast!

thanks for ironing the serviettes, abigail......

paul decided to barbeque one of the turkeys.....

my sister, alisa arrived with all of her family.....

she was responsible for these delectable 

hors d'oevres...

half of which are missing from the photo!

at the children's table, abigail and julia are organizing the

thanksgiving mix

lesson

each ingredient in the snack mix symbolizes something associated with thanksgiving...

bugels corn snacks - shaped as a cornucopia, a horn of plenty

traditionally shaped pretzels - represent arms folded in thanks or prayer

candy corn - during the first winter, the pilgrims were each allotted only 5 kernals of corn per day because food was so scarce

dried cranberries - thanksgiving is the celebration of the harvest

sunflower seeds - seeds represent the potential of a bounteous harvest for the next season if they are planted and well tended

goldfish crackers - the indians taught the pilgrims to put a small fish with each seed when planting to fertilize the plant

everyone is starting to dress for the occasion.....

you two are too beautiful!

handsome men everywhere.....uncle jerry and sebastian.....

auntie alex and her little turkey chick, charlie....

these sisters love a holiday!!!

adored grandma mervyl with granddaughter #3 of 8...

le menu:

starters

cheese balls - tex mex, sharp cheddar, smoked salmon, port wine

assorted crackers and chips

smoked sausages with mustard and sauerkraut

relish tray

cranberry guacamole with corn chips

butter nut soup served in the favorite turkey tureen

mains

barbequed turkey

roast turkey

roast lamb

spiral sliced ham

cranberry chutney

mixed greens salad with blue cheese and dried cranberries

red cabbage

paul's favorite stuffing

mashed potatoes

turkey gravy

sweet corn souflee

sweet potato bake

broccoli with cheese sauce

fresh rolls

desserts

pumpkin pie with whipped cream

pecan pie

apple pie with vanilla ice cream

paul's birthday carrot cake!!

a prayer of thanks from grandpa.......

then....

ready, set, go!

the teens and twenties table......

an absolutely divine thanksgiving feast.......

then the finale.......

happy birthday to you,

happy birthday to you,

happy birthday dear paul,

happy birthday to you......

hip, hip hooray!

all you wanted for your birthday was....

family, family, family!

the only thing you could have wanted more was to have the rest of the family here....

we are so grateful for each and every one of you and love sharing these special times with you. 


thank you for being here to celebrate with us!

happy 50th birthday, my darling.......

it was a weekend to remember filled with fun, food and laughter shared with those you love......

here is to your next 50!

i am here by your side......xxxoxoox