We had a really nice Thanksgiving.  It started the day before.  My Dad left early in the morning and it was the first time in several days that it was just the kids and me.  We spent a very enjoyable day cooking & baking together while it snowed like the dickens outside.  We listened to Christmas music, too.

We made apple pie, buttermilk pan rolls, butternut squash, butter & apple sauce. 

I'm so proud of myself because I let the kids help make the individual rolls and didn't fix them after they were done!  LOL  I tried a new pie crust recipe and I have finally found the crust I will use from now on.  I always hated making pie because I hated making crust.  But, this crust was easy & didn't fall apart on me-and is flaky & delicious!  Those jars of milk on the counter were warming to room temp to make butter.

Ever since I learned to use tapioca granules I have been so pleased with my apple pie because when you cut it, it doesn't run out all over-it slices & the insides stay put.  Here's the butter churn making the butter for me:

Alyssa Rose is still a little small for the highchair, but she enjoys sitting in it for short amounts of time-especially with an apple in her mesh bag thing.   Here's a close up of my little girlie:

Here's the pie & the rolls all done.  It was SO hard not tasting!!

So, that was Wednesday.  We were invited to have Thanksgiving with friends-Chris & Pat-so I made this food to bring to their house.  Thursday morning Pat & Jonah went hunting at Chris & Pat's house.  My Pat called me around 9:00 all excited to tell me he shot a monster 8 point buck.  It was so neat because Jonah saw it first & his eyes were big as saucers as he whispered to Pat that he saw a "shooter." 

I should explain that where they were hunting they practice QDM-quality deer management.  So, there are several requirements that have to be met before you shoot a deer.  One of them is that the rack has to be outside the ears.  They estimated that this buck was 4.5 yrs old-he was a big boy-lots of meat on him-and that's the most important part.

Anyway, when Pat saw the deer, he whispered back, "yeah, bud, that's a shooter."  Then he shot him-a single sure shot right thru the heart.  That's what I like to hear because I can't stand the thought of a deer suffering for long.   Jonah was so excited he threw his arms around Pat and cried. 

The other Pat got a doe and another guy got a doe, too, so there was a good harvest.  I think it is extra special when they get a deer on Thanksgiving.  I feel so thankful for the meat and it also makes me feel connected to the past.  I actually have an ancestor that came over on the Mayflower.  We make a point of reading the story about the 5 kernals of corn & listen to "Squanto" on CD.

Pat brought 2 of the deer home, picked up me and the girls and we all went over to Chris & Pat's.   That was a lot of fun with lots of great food and the really special thing about it is that we spent a good deal of time going around the table taking turns telling about what we are thankful for while we ate.  It wasn't rushed and was so genuine & heartfelt.  My dh got choked up several times.

After dinner, dessert & lots of visiting, we packed up and went to Pat's family's for more dessert.  That was a lot of fun, too!