Thanksgiving Fun

What a treat to have such a long weekend!

Matt’s parents, sister, and sister’s husband arrived on Wednesday afternoon.  I was out at my PT appointment, and then went to Whole Foods for the turkey and some last minute groceries. I also picked up pumpkin pie and quiche from Sunflower Baking Company, and then a fall pie and mushroom pot pie from Move That Dough Baking Co.  Sunflower is one of my go-to’s for GF baked goods, and I decided this year would be a good year to source some of the Thanksgiving food elsewhere.

When I got home, we all went for a family walk. Emerson was so pumped to have Matt’s sister and her husband here, and she played with them non-stop for the three days.

Thursday was a wonderful, lazy day.  We watched the parade on TV in the morning, and when everyone went out for either a walk or a run, I stayed home with Avery and did a few rounds of weights along with my newest set of PT exercises.  My PT said my core is making fast progress and I can probably work out in another week or two!!!

The one thing I did cook on Thursday was cranberry sauce. I think I’m the only one who likes it, but it’s so easy that I couldn’t resist making some.  I sweetened with maple syrup and a little OJ.  I also set the table (was so fun to host in this house!) and then Matt and I went out on a solo walk while the girls were napping.

We enjoyed some fig baked brie, gouda, olives, and bacon-wrapped dates outside on the porch.  It was such a gorgeous day!  I made pomegranate Manhattans too:)

My plate (round 1).  We had all the classics – turkey, sweets with marshmallows, mashed potatoes, GFstuffing, and cranberry sauce. Plus mushroom pot pie and roasted brussels with pancetta.

The brussels, pot pie, and sweet potatoes were my favorites (well, other than the desserts).

The fall pie was made with apples, squash, and pecans and was topped with an oat crumble.  I loved it hot out of the oven! The pumpkin pie was traditional and delish. After dinner, we started watching Frozen; and once Em was sleeping, we stayed up way too late (for me, anyway) talking and cleaning.

Friday started with a crisp walk to our local coffee shop.  I enjoyed a London fog and  a big piece of PB + banana toast, and we sat outside in the sunshine.  I’m usually too sleepy in the morning to go out to breakfast, but I need to do this more often!

We showered and got everyone in the car for lunch and drinks at The Brewers at 4001 Yancey.  This is a really cool space that houses beer from three different breweries – Victory, Southern Tier, and Sixpoint.  I’d never been before, but I think it might be my new favorite place to hang out in Charlotte.  It’s a huge brewery with a few different areas and was much better than a regular restaurant for Emerson.  She found the above blue truck in the kids corner and was happy the whole time we were there.

In addition to an amazing beer list with classics, seasonal brews, and collaborations between the three breweries, they have a solid food menu.  I built a bowl from a bunch of different ingredient options and it was tasty.  We stayed in on Friday night and enjoyed leftovers before saying goodbye to our guests on Saturday morning.  Emerson was in tears when they left, and we attempted to cheer her up by going to pick out a Christmas tree.

We brought down the ornaments from the attic, and she was SO excited to unpack everything and start hanging.  It reminded me so much of my childhood because I loved unpacking the ornaments year after year. We had a quiet Saturday night decorating the tree, ordering Thai, and drinking a little bourbon.

We savored the last day of the weekend on Sunday.  I went to power yoga (so hard and had to modify a lot, but so good), and then headed over to Resident Culture Brewing because we found out Santa would be there.  After a round of beer, and pizza + salad from next door neighbor Pure Pizza, we went out on the patio to see Santa.

As expected, Emerson didn’t want to go near him (she had initially said she’d sit beside him). Matt convinced her to sit on his lap, and Santa played it cool to see if Em would warm up for not.  I encouraged her to at least tell him what she wanted, and she causally turned and said, “I want ballet shoes.” After Santa clarified the color, she was outa there!

I hope you guys had a great holiday weekend. I have to admit, I was sad the festivities were over and am super excited that we have another round of holidays around the corner!