Nothing ever goes as planned, but you have to be thankful anyway.

Thanksgiving. Where to start?

Dad and his wife weren't able to make it. I cried. It was the right choice, given weather, but we were so disappointed. No Dad meant no boat trip. And really, it would have been a silly attempt.

Why you ask? Who the heck asked for snow! That's what I want to know. I like looking at snow. I don't like having snow. This is why I continue to live in Western Washington. I don't hate rain, we get plenty of sun, it never gets too cold and I can wear flip flops almost year round. I don't like snow. I don't appreciate the temperatures that come with it and I absolutely refuse to drive in it.

So thank you snow for ruining part of my Thanksgiving. Moving on.

I was pretty excited about hosting at our place. The problem every Thanksgiving is that I'm a crazy control freak that tends to throw fits. This in turn, I'm sure, makes no one thankful for me. I'm the queen of awkward moments with my family. I got off work at 1:00am Thanksgiving day and began additional prep.

Around 4:00am I went to bed, setting my alarm for 9:00am. Excitement woke me at 8:00am and I got right to work. Made stuffing. Stuffed the bird.

Put together my centerpiece. I thought these flowers were too pretty not to incorporate.

I had help making the rolls that weren't ready in time. The rising time took way longer than the directions stated and we ended up with store bought rolls. We also tried making non dairy mashed potatoes and they turned out HORRIBLY. My dad made a second trip to the grocery store ( thank you Safeway for being open all day) and picked up mashed potatoes from the deli.

I've been dying for a set of white dishes and I picked up this set just for the occasion. They're white ceramic with an adorable beaded edge.

They turkey ended up done almost two hours before everything else. Holy crap, what a crazy day. In the end, the food was amazing in spite of the screw ups. I've learned a lot about time management this year and what can be done ahead of time next year. I'll absolutely be writing a how-to guide for myself that includes a cooking schedule. This is serious business folks!

I'll be sharing all of the recipes we used throughout the next week. They're delicious and can be made for just about any special occasion. Hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving! We ended our day by laying around on the couch in front of the fire and enjoying pie. I sure love my family. I hope every enjoyed their weekend and happy Monday!