Thanksgiving, Plan B

Thanksgiving, Plan A was to drive to Illinois, go to a wedding, and visit family for about a week. But I was just too sick to make any of that happen. This is what happened instead: We stayed home the entire week, banned cooking (to minimize messes and food smells), did as much cleaning as we could, and tried to catch a mouse that got into our house. Although it was not our original plan, I still found a lot to be grateful for during this holiday.

#1: I am grateful Ramona gets to go to a good school that is so fun, too. The week before Thanksgiving, her first grade class put on a reader's theater play. She got to dress up as a pilgrim and was talking about the performance for weeks beforehand.

Since were responsible for coming up with a costume, when the deadline approached, I dragged myself out of my nausea-fog and sat down at the sewing machine for the first time in a long while. Ramona already had a solid red shirt, so I pulled together a red skirt, then pinned on a white apron and added a white shawl-thingie. I made the hat out of posterboard and hoped it would be good enough for my little first-grader.

It was. :)

Forest, Mika, Paula, and I all went to watch the performance. We were so proud of our little pilgrim. One of her lines was: "Land, ho!"

#2: I am grateful for pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.

Despite the cooking ban, we did make one thing on Thanksgiving Day: cake mix pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. I probably ate at least a dozen that afternoon--it was one thing that actually sounded appetizing.

#3: I am grateful for Star Wars. 
It has been so fun watching the original trilogy as a family the past few weeks. Sitting on a couch and watching movies is one thing I am pretty good at these days! Ramona, Mika, and Paula have also gotten so excited about the characters. For one homework assignment, Ramona drew a picture of an Obi Wan Kenobi pen and was more pleased than she has been with any other drawing assignment.

We spent Thanksgiving afternoon watching "Return of the Jedi" and decorating turkey place mats.

#4: I am grateful for thoughtful friends.
This pregnancy, I have been more sick than I have been for any other pregnancy--and maybe just more sick than ever. We have also been more blessed than ever by the deeds of thoughtful friends. Multiple meals have been brought to our home and we have received lots of words of encouragement. On Thanksgiving, the Snodgrasses brought an entire Thanksgiving meal that was so plentiful it lasted for days.

My friend Heehwa brought me a box of homemade gyoza and a bottle of sparkling cider. Gyoza also made it on my short list of appetizing foods that week--I was so grateful I could eat a few meals without gagging.

Cheers!

#5: I am grateful for Colorado snow. 
It sticks around just long enough for the kids to play in, then melts once the sun comes out again. Since we had a "white" Thanksgiving, the snow kept the girls entertained for a little while.

#6: I am grateful for mousetraps.

We caught that mouse by the end of the week. And it was just one mouse. Whew.