Thanksgiving Wreath

The day after Thanksgiving was a cold, crisp, blue-skied one (hence the decision to wash the car that day; see previous post for that fiasco). Usually, around here, the times it is cold enough to snow are the times when there are no clouds to keep the heat in, and therefore no precipitation. My eyes played tricks on me that night, when I could have sworn that the backyard vegetation was mantled with a dusting of snow. But no, it was just bathed in wan moonlight shining out of the clear sky.

Earlier in the evening, as it was a Friday night (plus David had worked at home), we were finally able to indulge in our first family dinner of the week. Since David and I had had that nice Italian lunch date together, we weren't too hungry. We agreed on leftover homemade macaroni & cheese, revived with extra non-fat milk and parmesan and baked this time, accompanied by fresh green-leaf lettuce, tomatoes and honey-mustard dressing. Most of us enjoyed some mushroom ravioli too.
We were all so happy it was the beginning of the weekend that we were inspired to do our real "Thanksgiving" at last. We were planning to play cards together, so we had two decks of cards at hand. We took two cards away from each deck, leaving a total of 100 cards in stacks in the middle of the round table. Then it was a free-for-all, 100 things flying out of our mouths that we were each thankful to God for, with a card turned over for each precious person or thing or spiritual benefit such as forgiveness...and at the end we had unintentionally created a Thanksgiving Card Wreath. :-) Jason was thankful for giving thanks, because it made us realize how many wonderful blessings we have, whether human, material, or intangible.

Then we were done with our meal, and we played several rounds of bridge. On one hand Emily had 22 points and I had 10 as her partner. We settled on 3 No Trump, and Emily played the hand - she took all the tricks, so 7NT would have been more appropriate! Another Grand Slam missed! Well, she's gaining experience. Not an aggressive bidder yet. David and I are thankful we have reached the stage of parenting where we have a built-in foursome for bridge. It's a fun family activity which also stimulates our brains.

And now that it's Saturday, time for some work on the Christmas letter and greeting cards...have a relaxing day!