Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Thanksgiving 2009

Happy Thanksgiving

Old Family 4 
Old Family 5
These are some fun pictures my mom sent to me that she found in my Grandmothers stuff.

How fun are these?


Pictures of Thanksgivings past when my mom was just a toddler. 


I remember these Thanksgivings at my Grandpa and Grandma Ayars House. 
All the adults crammed together around the big table in the living room.  Grandma would put all the leaves in that table, then add on to it with every card table she could find.


The grandkids (there were A LOT of us) sitting in the middle of the kitchen with two picnic table pushed together and filled to maximum capacity. 

You would be surprised at how many little butts you can get on a picnic bench.
Each and everyone of us with black olives on our fingers goofing off during Grandpa saying grace.


Then there was the bread board that pulled out of the counter.  She would put two stools up to it on either side for us to sit.  That was called the dollar table.


Of course we would fight over who got to sit there.



Grandma had a kitchen table that was always off to the side of the kids tables.  It was filled with pies, cakes, cookies, and sweet breads.
This was so hard to stay out of!

If it wasn’t for my love of mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, homemade dinner rolls, pickles and olives I would have been having desert first.




On the Thanksgivings that we would go to my Grandpa and Grandma Weathers house it was totally different. 

A much smaller group. We would spend all morning giving Grandma a bad time about putting guts (the giblets) in the gravy and stuffing.  Telling her we wouldn’t eat if she put it in there.


Finally she would give in and forgo the guts in the gravy and sulk the rest of the day. Or at least until she kicked your butt and took all your money in a game of cards.


To this day we are a GUT FREE House on Thanksgiving.


While the turkey was doing it’s thing there would be a lot of card playing going on, football game watching, and looking through all the store ads getting a strategy together for the next morning.


Yes! I learned to gamble and shop at a very early age.



Thanksgivings are a lot quieter now.  My mom makes enough for an army and all 5 1/2 of us stuff ourselves silly.
I still look through all the ads and map out a strategy for the next day. Even if I need nothing.


There is still a lot of football watching going on, smack talkin about teams, and some card playing.


Isn’t that what it’s all about?


Have a wonderful holiday! 


Functional or dysfunctional

Family is family

if they fight, bicker, accidently get drunk (it happens to the best of us. I’m guilty of it myself. Another story for another time)  make snide remarks or show up late just remember, it’s never going to be Norman Rockwell! 


That’s what makes it fun.
If it was perfect it would be boring and uneventful…you would be sitting around and staring at each other all day.


You will miss all that when they are gone.


I might put olives on my fingers for old time’s sake tomorrow.



Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!



5 comments:

Linda Q said...

Looks like some Rockwell moments there in those old photos, how cool to see!
Enjoy your day, stuffed and all, you can walk it off shopping on the weekend!
Blessings,
Linda Q

Andy's Attic said...

What a great story of your history!
Hope your day is full of all you want!
Annette

Barbara said...

That sounds very close to the Thanksgivings of the past in our family...I really miss them (at times). Today is too quiet.
Have a wonderful day!
Barb

Lisa Johnson said...

A belated happy Thanksgiving to you Timi! I am finally getting caught up on my blog reading after being away a couple days. My hubby is up your way tonight. Going fishing with his buddy tomorrow in Bothel. I should have had him stop by and say hi to you. Hope you are having a fun weekend and the elastic is holding out in your sweat pants. I'm wearing my "big Jeans" today after stuffing myself. Ugh!

Love you!

Lisa

adozeneggs said...

I used to put olives on my fingers too!! Of course until I ate too many and made myself sick.
Hope you had a fantastic Thanksgiving!