Lovely Holiday Weekend

Thanksgiving has come and gone. I hope all of you had a lovely time with family and friends wherever you spent it. We have hosted my family since we first bought our farmhouse back in 1999. 

It is my favorite holiday full of family, food, and friendship. I feel so fortunate - I guess that is what the holiday is about! With the animals outside grazing and the fire blazing in the fireplace inside, the setting couldn't be any more perfect. Thank goodness my mom and sister Lynn arrive a couple days early - it gives us a great chance to catch up, relax before the big day, and do some last minute shopping. This year we hosted 21 people - I think it was the largest group that has ever been at our house. 

We made these little cornhusk dolls as napkin rings the day before. Fun craft seen on Martha's site that goes quickly and is easy for kids. Hardest thing was finding the cornhusks.

With many of Julia's cousins away at college now, we were able to introduce their foreign friends to the American Thanksgiving tradition. We had guests from Norway, Sweden, and Australia. I conceded to throwaway plates as I couldn't stand the thought of washing all those dishes. Big decision on my part but it made clean-up so much easier.

Every year The Farmer hooks up his tractor to a haywagon and we take an old-fashioned hayride on our dirt road. This year, we were treated to a flock of wild turkeys. Totally surreal experience considering the bird cooking in the oven back at the house. 

We rode up the big hill and then the turkeys lifted off. Man, can those birds fly. 

The wagon had quite a load of people, didn't it? 

Turkey was delicious - carved meticulously by brother-in-law David. Sides contributed by all the guests.

Several years ago we formed our own kind of Black Friday tradition with no shopping involved. Whoever can extend the Thanksgiving Holiday travels to my sister Nancy's home in New Hampshire and we do some kind of communal craft activity. I must say this has become one of the nicest traditions our family does and probably one of my favorite days of the year. Time to sit around Nancy's dining room table, catch up with everyone's busy lives, eat leftovers (although this year there was barely a scrap of turkey left), and not stress out too much. 

This year we did not have a real craft theme. It was a mish-mosh of crafts we have done in the past. From needle-felting.....

Anna from Australia had never felted before but caught on quickly

to knitting......

Niece Celia casting on.

to Mom building one of my favorite crafts - the Birch Holiday houses (tutorial here). She made a church to add to her little collection.

Niece Olivia is a master and can make anything with wool. Here she is working on a nativity scene.

My niece Celia had just finished a Color by Kristin Fair Isle Pullover that she proudly modeled for me. She used French Roast 3276 and Natural 3216 to make my design that was featured in last fall's Vogue Knitting 2011 issue. 

 

 

Remember the design? 

 

The pattern is not available on-line at the moment but VK still is selling the back issues of the magazine here. This was Celia's first sweater! What a knitter! I hope she keeps it up. Amazing job Celia!

The holiday is all over now and the dining room will go back to its normal life as shipping room and catch-all for our farmer's market supplies. It will be ready and waiting for next year though. I hope you all enjoyed your American holiday too!