Family is really everything, isn’t it? We had a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration with my family at our cousin, Brenda’s, house in Suwanee, GA, which is about an hour from us. Atlanta is so spread out, so it’s not easy to drop in anywhere fast, but we had a beautiful day for the drive over. With all of our parents gone, Brenda cooked most of the meal and we brought some side dishes and it was all delicious as usual. Brenda cooks just like my mom and her mom and I made the comment that they would be proud of us for the spread we had today. As usual, it’s easy to overeat on Thanksgiving, but I tried to pace myself. Mark was getting together with his 4 girls and their families at one of their homes later in the day, so he stayed home and cooked the turkey for their gathering and then I went over to that gathering when I left this one, so it all worked out nicely. We’ve been getting together with Brenda’s family for many years. Their daughter, Denise, just got married a couple months ago and I shared their Wilmington wedding with you.
Brenda and Neil live in a pretty home on the Chattahoochee River in Suwanee.
Brenda always does a nice wreath or swag on her double doors, she made these.
Pretty brick floor.
And nice Thankful touches around the house. We always enjoy being together and catching up with each other’s lives. Now that my sister and BIL, Renee and Bruce are living in Louisiana and Lauren is there with her family, they don’t get up here as often anymore since mom and dad passed away. Next year, they will probably not come for Thanksgiving, so this might be the last year we do this with our family.
It’s a little bittersweet to think about all the changes that families go through, but that is where we are now, so we have to make the most of it. It’s sobering to think that we are the old people now. Mark and I talked about that on Thanksgiving Day.
Brenda’s pretty table, set for the day.
The adults all sat in here and the kids at the kitchen table. Brenda has 2 boys and they were both here, but Denise and her husband went to his family for Thanksgiving.
I don’t get to see Parker, Iris and Alex as much anymore, so I have to make a trip down there before too long so I can see them. I know you are shocked at how much they have grown. So am I! Every time I see them, it seems they’ve grown several inches. Parker is 11 (going on 16, she already acts like a teenager!), Iris is 9, and Alex is 5. They are growing so fast. Long legs abound in our family for sure. Parker may have reached my height (she has on 1″ shoes) or it’s close. I’ve shrunk an inch or so, so she will probably surpass me now. Alex is going to be a very tall girl too. I think their grandaddy’s genes may have had something to do with that.
Now to the food! Oh the food was fantastic. Neil fried a turkey which is always delicious. That’s Brenda’s recipe for cornbread dressing.
We had pineapple casserole, the front one is squash casserole that I brought, mac n’ cheese and gravy.
Then green beans, my sister’s sweet potatoes, two greens (collards & mustard greens) and rutabagas.
Fried turkey and ham.
Cranberry sauce, potato salad, and my cranberry congealed salad. My mom started making this dish years ago and we all love it. There wasn’t much left! I’m going to do a dedicated post on this cranberry salad so I’ll have it archived here on the blog.
Brenda made a delicious German chocolate cake and pecan pie. What a meal it was!
Here’s my plate! I tried to be moderate and did pretty well. Brenda also made Parkerhouse rolls. It was hard to not overdo it.
As we always do, we took a family pic in front of the fireplace. We sure have a lot of these over the years and we sure miss mom and dad in our gatherings, as well as Brenda’s mom and dad. Life goes on, but we never get over the loss of our sweet loved ones. They will forever be in our hearts. I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving too. It’s a great time to stop and give thanks for all the many blessings we all have in our lives. Bruce’s mom, Doris, has moved to assisted living and she’s 96 now. She wasn’t feeling well or she would have come with us.
This pic is from 2021, just 4 years ago and you can really see how the girls have grown. This was the last year that mom and dad both went to Brenda’s for Thanksgiving lunch and they had just moved into assisted living the month before. We are grateful that we had them for so long, what a blessing that was! Mom was able to make it there one last time in 2023 before she passed away. She rallied to go to Thanksgiving that year and then passed away just a few days after on my birthday, December 6th. We miss them and love them!
Such a sweet family, Rhoda. Every reader loves them all. As always, thank you for generously sharing them with us.
What a wonderful celebration and that food! My parents are both gone now and I totally know what you’re saying – everything is so different. Thanks for sharing your family with us.
Brenda sets a beautiful table! The meal looks wonderful. It’s lovely to see your family and how much your nieces have grown. They’re growing into beautiful young women.
Thank you for sharing. I have followed you for a long time and it was lovely to see your family grow and bittersweet to see some gone. Peace and blessings be with you.
Thanks for sharing. I am wondering about the bright green quilted sweat shirt you have on. Where did you buy it?
HI, Rory that is from Talbots last year, so no longer available.
I remember when Iris was born. I didn’t realize I’d followed you so long. My youngest grandchild is taller than me at fourteen. But, like you, I’ve lost a couple of inches.
I’m not in the US and I enjoyed reading this and how you celebrated your Thanksgiving. A beautiful family. We have come to the realization that we are the older generation now too – although I still have my 92 year old mum. My in laws and a SIL are gone and makes the holidays bittersweet.
How I love your family pictures Rhoda. I can’t believe how big the girls have gotten. I hope you will always be able to share pictures of your family in the years to come. It means so much. Merry Christmas to you and your hubby, Rhoda. Take good care. and may 2026 be a good year for all of us. God bless you. diane in northern wis
Thank you Diane, I will continue to share as long as it makes sense to do so.
Rhoda, always enjoy seeing the posts you share with your beautiful family. A great family photo. Wow can’t believe how much the girls have grown! Your cousin’s home is lovely and what a fabulous feast! Wishing you and Mark a joyful and blessed Christmas.
Rhoda, I am disbelief how big all the girls have gotten especially Parker! Time sure does fly by and yes sadly we lose precious family members along the way and it’s always hard around the holidays when they are no longer there but it’s important that we try to keep family gatherings a priority. It’s funny because my husband and I talked not long ago about how we are the elders of our family now too.