My Hunter is Home

Ben went north for elk hunting w/ my Dad for a few days. He just got home tonight! YAY!! The kids love when he gets home cuz they've missed him and he usually brings home some of his snacks/treats. They are very quick about helping themselves to his treats! ha ha. This time it was pistachios and a few leftover cookies that my Mom made. Thank goodness I spent late last night and today catching up on all of our laundry. As soon as he walked in, we could all smell him (you know that dirty camp fire smell). So, the washer was empty and I had him empty his bag (clean & dirty clothes) and put them straight into the washer. And he hopped into the shower immediately. Mostly because he had pre-ordered the game "Mass Effect" for XBOX 360, and he wanted to go pick it up tonight (since it just released today) before GameStop closed. He left the receipt with me, just in case I felt like taking a stroll to the store and picking it up for him. It's a single player role-playing game, so of course, I don't have that much interest in it, except to watch him once in a while just to keep up w/ the story. I only like multiplayer games cuz I don't really want to play by myself. Anyway, I was busy and didn't feel like going to the store, so I didn't make it out. That's ok cuz he got home in time to get it himself. So, finally he's off checking out the game!

I cannot believe that Thanksgiving is only a day away! ONE LAST DAY to make final preparations! I'm pretty much ready, just gonna make my pies tomorrow and finish cleaning up (and have the kids do some of their chores after school). I'm also informing Ben tonight (if he can hear me over his xbox) that he's in charge of finding 10 chairs for our family dinner. I know it's last minute, but I keep telling him that we need chairs. I have shopped and planned and cleaned and done everything else for this BIG day, so I think he can figure out the chairs. Wish him luck! tee hee :)

I love Thanksgiving, especially being with family! I also love all the cooking, even though sometimes it can be frustrating - mostly cuz several things have to be worked on the very last minute - like fluffing the mashed potatoes or mashing them if they're ready at the last minute, working on the gravy, stuffing (I use Stove Top my favorite), not to mention carving the bird and laying all the food out. But once everything is done then we can all SIT and EAT!!! My favorite part! Ben's family is coming over and they're each bringing food items to share. We end up having SO MUCH FOOD it's crazy! But it's all yummy and our tummies get full. Plus we all get to spend time together and the kids love playing with their cousins. Lots of photo-ops! Since we still have my Dad's tripod, maybe I can even set it up and get one big group photo! That would be so cool, we've never attempted that before. We usually do adults then kids. We'll see if we can get everyone to sit still for a minute! Sounds like a fun challenge!

HOPE Y'ALL HAVE A WONDERFUL THANKSGIVING!!!