Thanksgiving… truly the ultimate Thankful Thursday. This year Brandon and I are hosting Thanksgiving Dinner with the family all here. I am so excited…there will be about 18 of us. We are looking forward to making memories and I have no doubt a good funny story will come of this. You can’t get 18 of us together with out something crazy happening.

One thanksgiving the dogs were the stars of the show. Each family has a least one dog if not two, and one year everyone brought their dogs with them. Yes it was dog fest crazy. After a full day of dogs + kids running around like hooligans it was time to sit and enjoy a beautiful meal with the entire family. Momo (that’s Brandon’s moms nickname) brought out half of the turkey it was golden brown, steaming with warmth and beautifully sliced on a gorgeous silver platter. The other half was in the kitchen keeping warm under tinfoil on the counter, as it would not be long before that half was cut and served.

While we all enjoyed the first half of the turkey with smooth delicious gravy, marshmallow covered sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, apple walnut salad, cranberry jam and butter biscuits… I began to notice that the dogs were not all under the table awaiting for a crumb to fall to the floor. Instead they were sitting at the doorway that led into the dining room from the kitchen. However, not all the dogs were in the doorway. A few minutes would go by and I would look back at the door way and the dogs that were there had been replaced with the once that were not there the first time I looked. So I mentioned to the family the for some reason the dogs were taking shifts at sitting in front of the door rather then collecting under our feet at the table.

Something was definitely going on!

I pardoned myself from the table and headed toward the kitchen. All the dogs scattered throughout the house. As I turned the corner into the kitchen there it was. The full other half of the turkey lay on the floor almost completely devoured! Oh yes, the mongrels had pulled the turkey off the counter and were taking turns eating while the other half kept watch and they were rotating shift!! This leads me to this weeks Peaks + Valleys.
This week’s VALLEYS go to…
• Cancer. When will this be eradicated, when will it stop hurting the people we love?
• Long Road Trip in a Short Time Frame. So Brandon and I typically LOVE road trips, however we have sound that when they have to be completed in a very short time frame it is challenging to say the last. We personally like to make stops, see the sights and just relax on the road. But the past lately the trips have had to be done within a weekend there and back.
• Moldy Grapes. There is nothing worse to me then eating so fresh sweet grapes and biting into one that is moldy! So gross!!!

This week’s PEAKS go to…
• The Holidays! Yes I am one of those people who starts playing christmas music in October. I can’t help it, the holidays make me feel warn, cozy, loving and joy filled. Spending time with family + friends is one of my favorite things to do.
• Trials – Tribulation – Struggles.  A strange peak, I know. But What I have learned is that in time of trial, tribulation and struggle we have the opportunity to grown in deep bonds with each other and our family. Our love just gets stronger because of them.
• Mellow Mushroom! Since all my stomach issues I have found that I am intolerant of dairy:( I truly thought my pizza days were over. That was until I learned that Mellow Mushroom has vegan cheese. We went there this past weekend and had a buffalo chicken pizza with onions, bacon and vegan cheese. It was delicious!
• Ava Anderson Non Toxic Beauty Products. My dear friend Lisa Shea started selling this product line after an almost year long battle with cancer that her son had. Paris God he made it though. During this journey she learned how essential it is to live organic and toxin fee. I love this line that she introduced me to so much.
• Soup. It is starting to get cold here in the North Georgia Mountains, like the low of 27 at night. So for dinners I have been making a lot of delicious warm soups to keep us toast in the evenings.
• Breakfast in Bed.
• Pink Roses!
• Apple Pie.