Stuffed: A Thanksgiving Sequel

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday. The first half of the day was spent at Nana Bear's, where we had a delicious dinner. Then we headed to Nonni and Binky Bear's where Papa Bear had a second plate of turkey and such. I held out for the dessert which I shared with Big Sister Bear.

I was amazed (and somewhat disgusted) by the amount of food my cubs stuffed their faces with. I thought for sure someone was going to get sick, thankfully no one did.

Today I cooked a second dinner. There were 10 adults, 1 child, 2 toddlers and 2 infants total! Everything went off without a single snag.

It was a feast to say the least. And the food went so fast that I didn't even get a chance to take any photos of our spread.

I get much enjoyment from having the Bear Den be the hub of celebration and family. There is something so sublime about having the ones we love gathering in our home, eating and enjoying each other's company. This is why I delight when the holiday season finally arrives.

I did a bit of Thanksgiving sewing. I made myself a retro-style apron and Little Sister Bear got a turkey shirt hand sewn by her Mama.

Now the time has come to get in gear and start my Christmas sewing and decorating. Once this turkey coma wears off that is.

Christmas Wish List

Have you heard about Above All Fabrics fantastic giveaway? Melanie is giving away gift certificates to three lucky winners who blog about thier wish list at Above All Fabrics!

My wishlist has a few City Weekend prints by Liesl Gibson that I've been dying for like this one and this one. I plan to use these for backing a City Weekend HST charm square quilt I've got on my project list. I also want some to make Jump Rope Dresses for my cubettes.

I've also got some Anna Maria Horner voile and flannel on my list after being inspired by Ashley's lovely baby blankets, I want to make one (or two) of these for the cubs. Big Sister Bear models a certain Peanut and his trusty blanket, so one of these would be perfect for her.

For good measure I also put a Hopscotch Skirt and Knit Top Pattern from O + S. Some of Jennifer Paganelli's Queen Street made it on the list too, I just love these dots.

This wish list is perfect for informing Papa Bear about what I want for Christmas. Oh how lovely to open my gift and find these delicious goodies inside (hint, hint Papa Bear).

Because I feel that this post should have a pretty picture to go along with it, I'm going to share with you a totally unrelated photo. Papa Bear took this one of Little Sister Bear over the weekend. Just goes to show if you take the time to fiddle with the camera you get a pretty awesome shot.

Buh Bye Halloween...Hello Holidays

It is the first of November and I am proud to say that we made it until today without turning on our heat. This is a big deal in New England considering some places have already seen snow.

We took the cubs out trick or treating last night. Big Sister Bear and Nephew Bear were very into the whole free candy thing, not a bit shy.

The scarecrow and skunk costumes were made by Auntie Bear about ten years ago. There's something so special about having a handmade costume that many cubs in the clan have worn. They were wicked cute and well made. Thank you Auntie Bear!

The older cubs finished off the night watching It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown while enjoying a treat (or two) in costume.

After we got home Little Sister Bear got herself into some hot water. Cheesy, yes, but I couldn't help myself.

Today I also started my holiday craft preparations. I cut out a dozen felt eggs and they are waiting to be sewn. The eggs are just the start of a massive felt food project for the cubs.

Papa Bear's got a few upcoming trips for work so I'm hoping that if the cubs don't make me too tired I'll be able to get some late night sewing done while he's away.

I'm working on getting everything organized for all the projects I need to complete before festivities commence.

I'm looking forward to the arrival of a cousin for the cubs, lots of sewing and turkey in the weeks to come.