Well, I did it! I successfully hosted my very first Thanksgiving!
Let me tell ya, it is not the easiest task to do, and for someone who suffers with horrible time management skills, it is definitely a process that will take some practice. But nonetheless, it all still worked out great, thanks to a bunch of help from everyone.
Despite the fact that I felt like I was running around like a turkey with its head cut off (<—bahaha) Jay and I still managed to get the table set, the house cleaned, and appetizers out before anyone arrived. Phew!
I ended up finding these printable place cards online a couple of days ago, along with the rest of my Pinterest projects. I used some cardstock, printed them out, and wrote out everyone’s name for a nice, personalized touch at the table.
For appetizers, I kept things fairly simple; I wanted enough to keep everyone satisfied in case I ran late with my estimated start time (which I most definitely did), but I didn’t want anyone to stuff themselves either.
Shrimp cocktail (you’re welcome, Dan)
Cheese, pepperoni, and Wheat Thins (which Jay did an awesome job of putting together, right?)
Caramelized Onion Dip with chips and celery (amazing, btw…I’d definitely recommend making this for your next get-together)
Before our family arrived, Jay and I actually had quite a few amusing moments while preparing the turkey. For one, he cannot stand to look at the innards; for me, I could care less and dug right in. Then, we realized the turkey was still semi-frozen. I freaked out, Jay kept me sane, and we eventually thawed that puppy out by placing it in a bucket of water for about an hour.
When I went to prep the bird, I realized we had no twine to tie it up so I sent Jay out to the store to pick something up. He ended up coming back with some crazy metal spike things which, in turn, resulted in us naming our turkey “Franken-Turk.” Eventually, I got our herb butter rub on there and into the oven he went.
Done and done.
Shortly after, the family arrived, everyone hung out, enjoyed some snacks, and chatted away while watching football.
I also finally got a chance to relax and pour myself a much-needed glass of wine.
As much as I was totally enjoying hosting Thanksgiving this year, I was equally excited to just have the whole family together for the day. I <3 my family. 
I was also super excited to be able to have hosted a Thanksgiving meal for both of my grandmas.
Even if one of them doesn’t like getting her picture taken…ahem, ahem!
Thank GOODNESS I have a family who is also very loving and understanding about dinner being slightly behind schedule. And when I say slightly, I mean that I told them we’d probably eat around 3:00-ish, but didn’t sit down until almost 5:00pm. Whoops!
In my defense, it is pretty darn difficult to try to time seven different foods to finish cooking at the same time AND have them all fit in one oven/stove top. To anyone who has mastered this, major props to you!
We were hard at work for sure, and my mom was an unbelievable help. I honestly don’t think I could have done it without her.
Of course, we still managed to have some fun along the way…
Even if the rest of the family was sitting and waiting very patiently at the table for their food.
Sorry, fam! It’s on the way!
Finally, the turkey was cooked and ready for carving.
Not too bad, right?
The rest of the food eventually started to finish up and come together. To round out the table, we had:
The turkey
Apple Cranberry Stuffing, my mother-in-law’s amazing corn bread
My mom’s stuffing, candied sweet potatoes, and homemade cranberry sauce
Homemade dinner rolls which, despite the browned bottoms, were quite tasty.
Unphotographed brown butter mashed potatoes and green bean casserole, and a of course…
A couple of happy hungry faces.
By this time, I was pretty darn starving. I didn’t snack nearly as much as I usually do from being so busy in the kitchen, but that’s probably a good thing anyways. I needed to save room for the main event!
I enjoyed a little bit of everything and also went back for another roll and piece of corn bread. If there wasn’t dessert awaiting us, I probably would have gone back for thirds.
BUT, there was dessert awaiting us…and LOTS of it, too!
Apple pie, my Skinny Pumpkin Pie,
Homemade French Silk pie made by my in-laws, and my Layered Pumpkin Pie Toffee Cheesecake.
I honestly couldn’t choose; I wanted all of them. It is Thanksgiving right? I decided to skip the apple since it was store-bought, and ended up taking a small piece of the three homemade desserts.
Everything was absolutely delicious, and I was so happy with the way the cheesecake turned out. It is so rich and full of flavor. YUM!
By this time, the family was starting to get a little sleepy and SOMEbody may have passed out on the couch…three different times.
Fall asleep once? We’ll let you be and just laugh at you.
Fall asleep twice? We’ll throw peanuts at you.
Fall asleep three times? Well now you’re just askin’ for it.
But hey, I have no idea who did that. 
Gotta love family, right?!?
*****
Today has definitely been a FULL day but an amazing one at that.
I am so incredibly thankful for so many things; the loving, supporting family I have, my amazing friends, my health (for the most part), my wonderful husband, my adorable fur ball Cody…I really could go on and on.
But anyways, I hope everyone who was celebrating today had a wonderful Thanksgiving, ate lots and lots of delicious food, and were able to spend time with those you love. I know I sure did!
So now it’s about time for me to go slip into some cozies and zonk out on the couch. Luckily, I don’t have anyone else here to throw peanuts at me in case I fall asleep.
Questions for the Evening:
What was the best part of your Thanksgiving?
What was your favorite thing you ate today? Did you try anything new?
If you weren’t celebrating Thanksgiving today, did you do anything fun?
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