thankful on a friday.

thanksgiving was a little different this year, but ever so special. ryan came down with a horrible cold starting tuesday, so we just decided to postpone our special day until friday. we both agreed that this was such a better way to spend our holiday weekend!! we had all day thursday to prep the things that could be prepped ahead of time, and more than that, we had time to relax in between! if you ask me, there should always be a day off of work before a day full of cooking ;o).

luckily, by thursday night, ry felt well enough to get the turkey cleaned up and ready to brine. this was our first attempt at brining a turkey, and all i'll say is... once you brine, you'll never go back.

a 5 gallon bucket from lowe's did the trick to make sure our turkey was covered top to bottom with the brine. and i secretly loved having to clean out the fridge to make room for this monstrosity. nothing i love better than some good ole fashioned organization ;o).

this thanksgiving was also special, because it was our first thanksgiving that we would celebrate with just us 2 (3 with baby ;o)). the BEST thing about this was that we had no specific time we had to eat. we woke up, got our turkey going, then just kind of timed everything else off of that.

remember how i said once you brine you'll never go back?? not to brag or anything- but can you please look at the beauty that is this turkey?!

this was one of the yummiest, juiciest turkeys i've ever eaten! the other best thing about cooking your own thanksgiving??? you get to keep all the leftovers! hello delicious turkey sandwiches :o).

it may seem like a lot of work for only two people, but the very best part was getting to be together while we worked in the kitchen. too bad leftovers spoil- we could eat for a month out of our fridge!

and what would thanksgiving be without a little dessert?

i love getting to recreate recipes that remind ry of being with his family during the holidays. thank you grandmom for your chocolate meringue pie recipe ;o).

thanksgiving will always be one of my favorite holidays. i love having a day devoted to remembering how blessed we really are. i can't begin to say how thankful i am for everything we've been blessed with. most of all i feel thankful for a heart full of love for my sweet husband, our baby boy to come, and all those we love so much.