Thanksgiving Treasures

We were SO blessed to be able to spend the Thanksgiving Holiday in delightful company!

This little guy did a fabulous job helping me make Cranberry Kissed White Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls.

All of that hard work deserved at least a little taste....right?

The finished product was certainly hard to resist...

So why not just dig in?

But it wasn't all about cooking.  Some Trolls were in dire need of a makeover...

although I can't say I saw much improvement.

There were books to read,  checkers to play,

 and some outside football despite the freezing cold.  BRRR!! 

Ok, so the little one never made it outside to play football, but we still had fun dressing her up to match Pap-Pap.

Friday's highlight was a much anticipated visit to the Crayola Factory in Easton, PA.

You could make your own crayon label, melt a crayon into a mold, and play with some Crayon Clay

                                      

which was obviously quite entertaining for some.

But you didn't have to be a kid to have some fun.  Even Grammas and Pap-Paps could be easily entertained.  (At least this set was!)

There was some interactive play with Crayons on a screen.

(Note the second purple crayon on the screen mimicking Pap-Pap G.)

We got to decorate a heart with melted crayon colors

and draw a picture which was cut into a puzzle.

It was really quite fun for all.

And on Saturday,  I was able to enjoy the afternoon with my youngest daughter,  in Lititz, which is beautifully decorated for the Holiday Season and always a delightful afternoon out at this time of year.

The Wilbur Chocolate Factory has a unique chocolate display featuring fairy tales.  We had no trouble spotting many of our favorites.

This sleigh and reindeer display added to the holiday decor of the town.

If you live near Lititz and haven't visited in awhile, I highly recommend an afternoon out.  The shop owners are welcoming to window shoppers.  And you can pop into Tomato Pie( right across from the Wilbur Factory)  for a bite to eat, or just treat yourself to yummy latte.

Believe me, you're bound to find something entertaining.

Like a bear sporting a mustache.  A first for me...that's for sure!

Dinner for a Dozen

Or.....in other words...  "The More, the Merrier!"

Was I up for the challenge?  You betcha!

After making space by removing pretty much anything not bolted to the wall, I realized that there was just no way I was fitting a dozen people around my dining room table.

I'll admit it, I did fret a bit.  After all, there are only so many ways that one can arrange chairs around a table, and I had exhausted every possibility.  And it didn't exactly calm my psyche to find the remains of a rodent embedded in the back of a padded barstool that has been in my basement for years. (Needless to say.....that chair is history.)

So, I finally called in my handy hubby to see if he could offer some ideas.

His first brilliant remark:  "Why don't we put the kids at a separate table?"

Really?  We're going to sit a 4 year old and 21 month old by themselves?  And how exactly did that help, since I had already planned to put the baby into a high chair anyway?

He sheepishly looked at me and said, "I was thinking more along the lines of Amy and Stacey."

Oh, I'm sure they would have loved that idea!  He must have forgotten that they grew up......years ago!

It didn't take long for him to kick into handyman mode.  I had pulled out an old folding table that I would have sworn I had thrown out,( but obviously did not), and I had attempted to see if I could use it to extend the eating area.

Before I knew it, I was looking at a perfectly fitting extension.  My husband had taken a piece of plywood, cut out an angle on either side, and fastened it to another layer that resulted in a relatively level eating surface that gave us the extra room that we needed!  All of this in less than 30 minutes from start to finish, after I had spent hours rearranging furniture to no avail.  I should have asked earlier!

Throw on a tablecloth, add some china place settings

And you'd never know about the modifications.

especially with some clever edible place cards and decorative napkin rings to distract the eye.

Dinner was fabulous and loads of fun from start to finish with plenty of options, particularly for dessert.

Pecan PIe

Baked Pumpkin Custard

Pumpkin Chiffon

Kahlua Cheesecake

or Decadent Chocolate Turkey Cupcakes, which are not only yummy, but entertaining as well.

Dinner for a Dozen........Loads of fun!

Have you ever seen a merrier crew?

Going to the Dogs

This family is BIG on tradition, and Thanksgiving is one of my favorite days of the year.

Sure...... there's the turkey and stuffing, pumpkin and pecan pie.  But while we're waiting for the bird to roast, and anticipating the delectable flavors of dessert,  the highlight of our afternoon is settling into the family room and watching the annual National Dog Show.

Well, as it turns out, the venue for this special event is held less than an hour from where we live.  So, how could we resist making the trip to see this competition first hand?

Once through the doors of the Expo Center, we were bombarded with excitement.

Flyball Relay Races where we witnessed some very eager participants

Competitions where judges scrutinized each dog to determine the Best of Breed.

Fluffing and primping

And one little guy kept himself busy watching movies on an ipad 

I think that he must be near sighted.

We met John O'Hurley, the entertaining commentator

and Julia, a past Corgi Champion

She has the cutest eyes, don't you think?

And we sat and watched the first four groups of competition.  This guy was patiently waiting for the judge's decision (and looking for a treat while he waited).

And, speaking of patience, when 4 1/2 hours of the big competition had passed, and there were 2 more categories to judge yet, Marty and I decided that we'd really seen enough for one day.

So, this blog does not need a "spoiler alert".  

Just like you, we'll have to wait until Thanksgiving Day to learn the results.

But I'm OK with that.  After all, it's more fun that way, don't you think?

Celebrating my Heritage

While last evening was spent listening to relaxing, melodious ballads, today was quite the contrast as we found ourselves amid the echoes of Slovak music and dancing in the Cathedral of Learning at the University of Pittsburgh.

As you can see, it was a glorious day in Eastern Pennsylvania, and we took total advantage of the fact that our trip this weekend coincided with the annual Slovak Festival held on campus.

We arrived a bit early, which gave us an opportunity to pose with the panther.

That young lady on its back is the 3rd generation Pitt engineer on both sides of her family, with her father, mother, and their respective fathers all having graduated from this alma mater.  I suppose that you could say it is "in the genes".

She shares that accomplishment with her older brother, yet another Pitt engineering grad, who is the proud father of two of our entertaining grandchildren.  Since we were enjoying the afternoon out with the eldest, how could we resist snapping a photo of him on the panther as well?

But it was time to get serious and head inside to check out the festival, and, in particular, partake of some delicious, homemade Slovak food.

Pirohy..........Kielbasa.........Halushky

Lahodný.......chutný........skvelý!  (translation: Delicious.....tasty......great!)

And so it was!  But the afternoon was not all about food.  

The entertainment ranged from adorable young tots

to talented young adults

with some interesting "seasoned"performers adding to the amusement.

Let me just say that celebrating my Slovak heritage is quite a bit of fun

and, needless to say.......quite filling!