Thanksgiving Day in Oregon

This year we decided to stay in Oregon for Thanksgiving. We are heading to Utah for Christmas and so it seemed like a great idea to enjoy the holiday with just our little family. We even had friends invite us to have dinner with them, however we graciously declined and planned a fun menu. Besides, last year we did Christmas alone and it was so wonderful that we couldn't pass up another opportunity to do something like that again. 

Ben peeling apples for the pie with Nayeli. Note the fort in the background.

Ben was so helpful with the kids all of Thursday. I did some of the cooking on Wednesday, but most I had to do the day of in our little kitchen. When I say little, I mean that it's so small it doesn't fit two cooks. I even measured it one day so that I can one day say, "Remember when our kitchen was four by seven feet and we couldn't open the refrigerator and dishwasher at the same time?" Anyway, I digress. The bottom line is that he really couldn't help in kitchen so he had a blast with the kids instead.

My plan was to combine each of our favorite dishes from our families and make the best meal ever. First on the list- Ben's Grandma Nyla's buttermilk rolls. Nayeli helped me cut them out and butter them. It's so fun that she's getting to the age that she can actually help and participate.

Ben got out our good camera and took some pictures while we did the rolls. It was my first time making homemade rolls so I was a little nervous.

Ready to rise!

The final product! They weren't perfect, but much better than I anticipated.

This picture kind of sums up my life right now- unshowered (I do shower... but not as early in the day as I'd like), with baby Teddy on my hip, focusing on a recipe or some other project. I love it. And I love Teddy's face. Classic.

We also did an apple pie together- it was my first pie ever. I also baked/heated up a ham. So much easier than the 25 pound turkey I did for Christmas last year.

Finally showered and ready to eat. And yes, both kids wore their pajamas to Thanksgiving dinner. That's the joy of not going anywhere on a holiday.

Ben is amazing. He went and picked these beautiful berries from a bush out in front of our apartment to put as a centerpiece on the table.

The final product. We had ham, mashed potatoes, butternut squash souffle, rolls, Stove Top stuffing (Ben insisted), green beans, Martinelli's, Simply Lemonade and apple pie for dessert. Delicious. Ben did the place settings. When I acted surprised that they were so cute he said, "Honey, I've picked up a thing or two from you in the five years we've been married." He's a keeper.

In the afternoon we rested and then went for a drive in the surrounding farm country. We talked about our dreams of owning a house and some land. Driving in the country does that to us. 

I missed my family a bit during the day since all my siblings but me were at my parent's house. However Ben was so upbeat and optimistic and all the food we cooked turned out delicious. It was a great day, and the weekend only got better.