true boy tales: Food and Family

Friday, November 27, 2009

Food and Family

That's what it's all about, right? We had a lovely Thanksgiving dinner here at our house with almost all of our family. Jon and I are so lucky to never have to decide who's family we're spending the day with because both of our families spend every single holiday together. Yes, every single one! It's truly awesome for us. That started when we were first married because neither of our families has extended family close by and our parents became such great friends right away so now its just the way it is and we love it! (I'd love to hear if anyone else out there has such a great set-up. Sometimes I wonder if we're the only ones!) I made the Ottley's famous sweet potato casserole. I've learned that whatever you cook, you get all the leftovers, so of course I offer to cook the best part. :) Bennett had a ton of fun playing with all of his cousins all afternoon and Dawson enjoyed lots and lots of cuddles from all of our family.

Dawson taking a pre-dinner snooze with Auntie Claire:

Bennett about to dig in to the Thanksgiving feast:

Grandad and Nonny cuddling their grandbabies:

2 comments:

Grant and JodieNovember 30, 2009 at 10:59 AM
wow have, that is too good to be be true with both families spending the holidays together. i hear so many people complaining about that having to drive all over to see everyone i wish more people would be open to that. grants fam is here and mine in IA so we never have either option but were happy to be with whoever we can!
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mandaNovember 30, 2009 at 12:11 PM
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for the book lovers {my recent favorites}:

Brain on Fire by Susannah Cahalan: An incredibly haunting medical memoir. There's a lot of medical info to read through but I didn't find those parts boring and difficult to wade through. I thought she shared just enough. But if you like a book that's easy to read, this isn't it. I couldn't get this one out of my mind for a very long time. An unforgettable true story.
Me Before You by JoJo Moyes and What Alice Forgot by Lianne Moriarty: I'm just going to lump these two together because they're in the same category. I'm calling them deep chick lit. A perfect summer book to get lost in. Read them. Both. I promise you from the bottom of my heart that you will LOVE them. (I liked them both way better than Where'd You Go, Bernadette.)
These Is My Words by Nancy E. Turner: Most of my favorite books have a main character with a whole lotta grit. I wasn't quite sure about this one when I first started it but, oh, did it sweep me in and not let me go til the last page. I also love a book that makes me "emote out loud" as I like to think of it. This one had me smiling all the way through and crying my eyes out at the end. It follows a young girl through her life in the Arizona Territories in the late 1800's. A must read for anyone who likes Historical Fiction.
Someone Knows My Name by Lawrence Hill. I LOVED this book. Its a very well researched historical fiction novel about a young girl kidnapped from her village in Africa and sold into slavery. It follows her through her whole life and the unbelievable heartache and trauma she lives through. I've been telling people I liked it as much as Unbroken but the main character is so much more endearing and has so much spunk.
Another Place at the Table by Kathy Harrison. I have a thing for modern day memoirs of utterly heartbreaking stories (Like Breaking Night and Blackbird). This is a Foster mother's first-hand account of the children she took in over the years and the unbelievable trauma they went through before they came to her.
Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls. I loved this lighthearted yet emotional story of a strong woman making the best of a hard life in the Southwest, beginning in the 1930's. I love her writing style--just cuts to the point of every story without too much "fluff" and yet tells it in a way that you can picture everything in vivid detail. Her memoir, The Glass Castle, is one of my all-time favorites, and this true-life novel about her grandmother didn't disappoint.
The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh. Modern day fiction about a girl raised in Foster homes and her struggles throughout life. She learns about the Victorian Era language of flowers and that becomes a huge part of her life. I finished it in two days. An easy read but very emotional and moving.
Zeitoun by Dave Eggers. The true story of a man's experience after Hurricane Katrina when he decided not to evacuate in order to look after several properties he owned. Quite an unbelievable story and so hard to believe this happened in the US only a few years ago.