Pippin Hill

We are very blessed to live in such a beautiful part of the country here in Virginia. There are countless wineries and breweries and cideries all around us nestled in the Shenandoah Mountains and valley. One of my favorites is Pippin Hill. Over the Thanksgiving break, we took my Dad and Pam and Kelly and Leif to Pippin Hill for an early afternoon lunch and wine tasting. It was a delightful way to spend our Friday instead of being in the mess of Black Friday shopping.

Thanksgiving Day

My Dad and Pam arrived the Sunday before Thanksgiving allowing our family to have a wonderful visit leading up to and after the day of the feast of giving thanks. I ordered our meal from Whole Foods this year and really feel it is the way to go in having a Thanksgiving feast. Don't get me wrong, I do love to prepare meals for my family, but the Whole Foods experience is quite delightful and super delicious too. And most important, it allows the cook to be able to enjoy her family instead of spinning a bunch of pots and pans around on her head all day ;-). Our day consisted of watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, the dog show, eating our wonderful dinner, talking, laughing, playing games, eating dessert, watching football and movies and thoroughly enjoying each other. I hope that all of our friends and family had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day as well. This kind of day is what I feel is what "Thanksgiving" is all about.

Fall Decor

One of my favorite things to do is to decorate our home for the different seasons. When I was a little girl, my bonus mom, Pam would  always graciously ask me to set the table at dinner time. She would allow me to pick out the plates, placemats,  napkins and napkin rings as well to decorate the table to my heart's content. I LOVED this special "job" and would take my time picking out just the right set of table decor for the evening's dinner. I still love this special job and may even bogart the responsibility at times from my own two girls ;-). This year for Thanksgiving, we will be hosting my dad and Pam as well as my sister Kelly and brother-in-law, Leif. I am thrilled they are coming which is always another excuse to gussy up the house and table for guests.