Thanksgiving Highlights

I hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving! Our son and daughter-in-law [Steve and Sharon] opened their home for our family celebration this year. I cooked the main meal and transported it.  My daughter, Lori, baked the pies, my granddaughter, Brianna, made some yummy chocolate chip desserts, and my daughter-in-law, Samantha made some after dinner snacks.  We all ate far more than we should have, but Thanksgiving only comes once a year, right?  ;-)

  Isn't the tablecloth pretty?  The adult table had 10 seated around it.

One of the ladies in our church made pumpkin rolls to sell [pictured below], and put her profits [$300] in the building fund to go towards our new church.   

The children's table with cute Pilgrim chair covers.

L-R:  Granddaughter Brianna, my mother, and daughter, Lori.

L-R:  Sons Jeremy and Steve, and daughter-in-law, Sharon.

Hubby Jerry, and daughter-in-law, Samantha.

Grandson Landon, and Granddaughters Isabella and Brooke.

Youngest grandchild, Ellie.

Brianna and Sharon 

Back in 1997 I had an artist draw a watercolor painting of our home.  My son, Steve, especially liked the painting, and said he'd like to have it someday.  Two years ago at Christmas I surprised him by wrapping it up and putting it under the Christmas tree as a bonus gift.  While we were there today I took a picture of it.

In my October 23rd post I mentioned wanting to name our house, and I was hoping to do it when the family was together on Thanksgiving Day.   I gave the challenge, but Jeremy was the only one who responded [it's hard to compete with TV/football games and other activities], so I'm going with the name he suggested:

Marrocco Manor

[of Memories]

Technically, a manor is the mansion of an estate, so our house wouldn't qualify by that standard, but it's our mansion.  Marrocco is the name of our street, and we brought Jeremy home from the hospital here.  It's the only house he ever lived in until he married and left home, and he's the only one of our three children with that longevity in the house.

Lots of memories have transpired within these four walls over 35 years, and as I looked at the watercolor painting I still pray the words to the song, "Bless This House:"

Bless this house, O Lord we pray,

Make it safe by night and day.

Bless these walls so firm and stout,

Keeping want and trouble out.

Bless the roof and chimneys tall,

Let Thy peace lie overall.

Bless this door that it may prove,

Ever open, to joy and love.

Bless these windows shining bright,

Letting in God's Heavenly light.

Bless the hearth, the painting there,

With smoke ascending like a prayer!

Bless the folk who dwell within,

Keep them pure and free from sin.

Bless us all that we may be,

Fit O Lord to dwell with Thee.

Bless us all that one day we may dwell,

O Lord!  With Thee!