Hello to you all, and depending on where you are in the world good morning or good afternoon. It is early morning here in northern Illinois, and it is foggy this morning. We haven’t seen but a fleeting peek of the sun since last Tuesday. We are getting used to these dark and dreary days.
For the Thanksgiving holiday we drove to my brother-in-law’s house which is 4 hours away. However, it took closer to 5 hours to get there as traffic on Wednesday was a bit crazy–no surprise as it was the day before Thanksgiving. We headed south and drove around the city of Chicago. As we left the city the rain started and didn’t stop the whole way. The big story, however, was the wind. I drove for a little bit and it took concentration and effort to keep the car on the road–very tiring.
We woke on Thanksgiving morning to a light dusting of snow. It was so pretty, but didn’t last the day. My brother-in-law and his family live on a beautiful lake and this is the view from the main floor of their home.
The kitchen was a busy place on Thanksgiving; everyone lent a hand getting dinner on the table. Our three girls all sat at the breakfast bar and us ‘old people’ sat at the table.
We had green beans, roasted squash, mashed sweet potatoes and white potatoes, cranberry cilantro relish, stuffing, salad, bread, and of course turkey and gravy.
For desert we had pumpkin pie, berry pie, apple turnover, and pumpkin cheesecake! I couldn’t decide, so I tried them all!
We arrived back home yesterday evening. The traffic wasn’t bad. That’ll happen today! Ugh! I am sorry for all of you that have to travel today–not fun. Tomorrow it is back to school and back to work.
I will be having my Christmas ensembles available for sale starting this week. I am not sure which day that will start, but keep an eye out if you are interested in a new ensemble for your Little Darlings, Pukipuki, or Amelia Thimble.
Enjoy your Sunday friends! ❤
Cindy Rice Designs 
Hi Cindy, I will say good morning from where I am ! It is cloudy here and we had another 2 inches of snow last night to bring up to 11 inches since last Tuesday night/ Wednesday morning. We are getting used to the clouds also! That is quite the drive and adding another hour to it was not fun. I feel for you driving in that weather Cindy. I am glad you made it safe and sound. What a lovely view from your Brother in laws deck. I am sure it is so nice in the summer! Many hands make light work! ( I didn’t realize you had 3 Girls) all the food sounds and looks delicous . The desserts are similar to what we had also! Happy Advent to you, Terri xo.
Hi, Terri. Oh, I feel for you with all that snow! 😦 I hope it warms up for you and all of that icky white stuff can melt before more starts to fall. We’ve had rain all day. It’s been in the high 30s, but when the temp drops tonight it will turn to snow. We will most likely wake up to a winter wonderland. The drive was longer than anticipated, but worth it. It was so nice seeing family. I have one girl. My brother-in-law has the other 2 of the trio. They are all close in age and for a few semesters were all at the same university which was really nice. They all get along great! Happy Advent to you also, Terri. ❤ Stay warm!
Hi Cindy, it did warm up a little . there was sunshine Yesterday and we are promised some today too. I hope you didn’t get too much snow. I figured I misread your post as I had thought you have one girl. That was nice the 3 girls were at the same University ! Have a great day, Terri xo.
We’re even having rain here in northern CA, and it is also gray and gloomy. But, it is adding some much needed snow in the Sierra.
Your traffic nightmare looks like around here. Way too many cars and trucks although, we missed the traffic heading down and back from our daughter’s home. And I’m sure your daughter enjoyed being with her cousins. Are they close in age?
Love the lake home. Looks like a view from every window. And that dining table is lovely. I’ve always wanted a similar one made from redwood. Quite amazing to think that it was made from a single plank of wood.
What a picture worthy feast! Love how you captured pup’s nose looking hopeful. Everything looks so yummy. I’m going to search for a cranberry/cilantro relish recipe. Who’d have thought? We had Lingonberry which is always good.
Can’t wait to see your Christmas outfits. Some dollies will be thrilled. 🙂
Hi, Joy. That’s great you’re getting rain. You need it out there. We are soggy here–too too much. Living in CA you know traffic, don’t you? The girls are all close in age–within 2 years. For a few semesters all three were at the same university which was fun for them and my daughter roomed with her cousin who is her age sophomore year. They have a beautiful home with a breathtaking view. That table was made from a plank of redwood that my father-in-law picked up somewhere long ago (he was in the lumber business). They found it in his shed and had it made into a table. I’ll ask my sister-in-law about that recipe. It was really good and so fresh tasting. I have never tasted a lingonberry! Thanks, Joy. ❤
Here I thought the table was from a different type of wood from your area and it was good old redwood. 🙂 Glad they had the foresight to save the plank. We have a smaller sized slice in the garage that I would love to see made into an end table. And thank you about that recipe. We have a lot of Swedes/Danes in the family so we pick up Lingonberry at Ikea. 🙂
In the north of France, it was very gray today, 4 ° 4 this afternoon .. You had to spend a nice day with your family …. Hum !! desserts, always very difficult to choose for greedy hi hi !!
Thank you for the beautiful photos
Good evening, Fanfan
traduit avec google
Hello, Fanfan. I wonder if the sun was shining anywhere today. It rained here all day and will probably turn to snow when it gets colder at night. I love deserts and on Thanksgiving we don’t need to choose. It’s a day for eating and giving thanks. Thank you, Fanfan. ❤
We lived in Duluth Minnesota until last May. They got 21 inches of snow over the Holiday. Wow! Our family there have a lot of shoveling to do! My husband and I stayed in Texas for Thanksgiving. It was lonely without them but now we are happy to be warm and comfy. I’ll be watching with my Little Darlings for your Christmas ensembles. We love to read your posts together. Thanks.
Hi, Rebekah. Wow! Your family got so much snow. It seems to early to have that much. I hope it warms up so that it can melt otherwise… ugh! Lucky you to be in Texas all warm and cozy. Thank you so much for reading along with you Little Darlings. That is sweet! ❤
Jusqu’au Nouvel An, nous sommes mon mari et moi à Toulouse, en France. C’est la ville où j’ai ma famille et des amis et où j’ai vécu la plus grande partie de ma vie.
Pas de Thanksgiving chez nous même si nous mangeons nous aussi pas mal de plats à base de citrouille à cette époque de l’année.
Pour nous aussi pas mal de brouillard, de froid, de nuages et de pluie. Mais toujours pas de neige.
Quelle belle situation pour la maison de ton beau-frère et quelle vue splendide sur le lac. Cela fait un peu oublier la circulation si difficile.
Bonne continuation pour la préparations des tenues de Noël!
Bisous.
Bonjour Maria. Quel plaisir de passer un mois de vacances en famille! J’imagine que de bons souvenirs seront créés et que de nombreuses célébrations auront lieu. Prendre plaisir!
Nous allons également déguster des recettes à la citrouille et à d’autres types de courges le mois prochain. Ils sont très copieux et parfaits pour les températures froides.
Merci d’avoir écrit, Maria. Profitez de la saison des vacances! ❤
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Hello, Maria. How nice that you get to spend a month long vacation with your family! I imagine lots of happy memories will be made and many celebrations will take place. Enjoy!
We will be enjoying recipes with pumpkin and other types of squash this coming month too. They are very hearty and perfect for the cold temperatures.
Thank you for writing, Maria. Enjoy the holiday season! ❤