springdellgirl

Thanksgiving 2011



We had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend. We had Thanksgiving at the lake and then spent the weekend at my Mom's house in Sandpoint...with a foray into Spokane for some shopping on Saturday. It was a lot of fun. It got off to a bit of a rocky start though. When we returned home from Stacey's house last weekend Ailey woke up in the night with hives. Thinking that she was allergic to something she ate we gave her some Benedryl but it had no effect and she got worse. We ran her into the doctor who diagnosed her with Erythema Multiforme which means she had an allergic reaction to a virus. Weird. I had no idea that was even possible. Anyway it is nasty stuff. The poor kid missed 3 days of school prior to Thanksgiving break. She had hives EVERYWHERE. Her lips and eyes were so swollen she could barely talk, smile, or see. She was miserable. With this particular illness you get horrible joint pain...some days she couldn't walk...other days it was in her hands and she looked like a little arthritis patient. I felt so bad for her!!

This was a good day...you d0 not want to see a picture of one of her "bad" days. Wow.

When we got out to the lake on Thanksgiving day the weather wasn't too bad. I was thrilled that there wasn't much snow and that the lake hadn't frozen over yet. It was beautiful.

We hiked up on my grandma's property to cut down Christmas trees for Stacey and Kelley. I am a *bit* too particular about my tree!! (We planned to go farther north the next day to cut down a big Christmas tree...we had permits from the forest service...but we never ended up going.) Poor Ailey couldn't walk earlier that day and got to ride in Elle's stroller and then got packed into the woods on her daddy's back.

Ailey in the stroller and a cat that took a shine to her on our walk. Yep...she likes cats about as much as I do.

It was beautiful in the woods. I was packing Bryn on my back in the areas where it was hard for her to walk and she whispered to me "I in the deep dark wood."

Stacey and Ken. I wish I could have gotten a picture of Stacey's husband, John, in his fetching chapeau. I think it might have been a hat my great-grandpa wore...or maybe more like my great-grandma. :)

This year it was just our McClellan family (Kirk and Jordin and their families couldn't come) and granny of course. It was delightful. Not that we don't enjoy seeing all the extended aunts, uncles and cousins...it just wasn't such a MADHOUSE. No eating in shifts...there were places to sit etc. It was a really nice, fun and relaxing holiday. We fired up the wood stove...my mom was actually using it to heat up food...it was cozy and fun.


We set a table using foraged items and some of my grandma's special Thanksgiving decorations. We ate by candlelight. It was gorgeous.


My mom made turkey, mashed potatoes, her amazing gravy, sausage stuffing, and pumpkin pies. I made two pecan pies, two cherry pies and sweet potatoes...and brought the fixings for Shirley Temples our favorite drink of choice when we were little. Stacey brought rolls, a brussel sprout gratin, chipotle cranberry sauce and jello squares. Kelley made the most delicious green beans and a relish tray. The food was DIVINE!!

The lake clearly has some magical healing properties. Later that afternoon, Ailey's joint pain eased up and her hives went away. Hallelujah. The doctor said that she could be sick for up to 14 days. She is still hive-free as of today (Tuesday). It was so nice for the cousins to have some "cousin time". We had music from the 1940's playing, lots of laughs, and family time. It was a great day to reflect on our blessings and to be thankful for one another. I can't even tell you how many times I have fallen asleep on the old blue couch to the sound of laughter coming from that kitchen and the conversations of my grandparents, parents, and aunts and uncles. It is one of the best sounds I know. I am so glad that my children get to experience that as well.

River, Bryn and Ailey

Dane and Kam

Elle Rockin' Out

How cute is my sweet Brynnie? She particularly loved the Shirley Temples, mashed potatoes and jello squares.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

(Hope It Was Great.)