Today we'll be celebrating Granddaughter #2's high school graduation.
It's hard to believe she grew up so fast.
When it seems like just yesterday, she was sitting on Grandpa's lap.
I'm going to try to recreate this photograph again with them today.
Congratulations, Granddaughter! Grandpa and I are so very proud of you.
Another reminder of why we're so glad we moved back to Wisconsin. On Saturday afternoon, we celebrated our elder granddaughter's high school graduation. The ceremony was held in June. She and her folks decided it would be just the four of them attending the actual high school gratuation event, so we didn't learn until later that she graduated cum laude. We're so proud of her!
Family and friends gathered for an outdoor party at her parent's home (our younger son and his beautiful wife), and the weather couldn't have been more perfect. There was plenty of sunshine with a gentle breeze, great food, and easy conversation. We had a delightful time visiting with both her friends, and her parent's friends - some of whom we've come to know and love over the years - and some new acquaintances for us.
You knew I'd get photographs for you, right? Well, I didn't let you down. The first is a photo I'll cherish of both our granddaughters with Grandpa and Grandma, and a wonderful photograph of the graduate with her Grandpa. This one melts my heart.
So, I'll close today's post with a warm "Congratulations, Granddaughter! We're so proud of you and the young woman you're becoming."
I'll be back to see you on Wednesday. The short guy with attitude will be back to chat with you tomorrow. I bet you can hardly wait. wink
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| Our Family |
We celebrated Handsome's Birthday yesterday with a family gathering. We haven't all been together for a family meal in far too long, so our celebration was extra special.
Handsome and I decided to do all the meal preparation on Saturday, so the turkey was roasted, the side dishes were made and we went to bed knowing that Sunday would be much easier. I was so happy because I was able to be with family once they arrived, instead of working in the kitchen.
Our menu consisted of turkey, mashed potatoes with gravy, Loaded Cauliflower Casserole, Hash Brown Casserole, and Corn Casserole. We had lots of cookies and fudge for dessert.
You can click on the links above to find the recipes for the Cauliflower and Hash Brown Casseroles, but I'm sharing a photo of the Corn Casserole recipe. I saved and printed it ages ago, but I'm not sure where I found it. It just looked so good, I had to try it.
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| Click on Image to Enlarge and Save/Print |
Even though there's no Jiffy Mix (usually used in Corn Casserole recipes), the flour keeps it from being gluten free. Both our daughters-in-law avoid gluten, so they couldn't eat this, but it was otherwise well-received (and I loved it). Feel free to save and print out the recipe to try for yourself. The Loaded Cauliflower Casserole recipe is gluten free (as well as the turkey and mashed potatoes), and there was none of that one left at the end of the munching. Although I thought the gravy mix was GF, I realized I'd grabbed the wrong one at the store, so they ate their mashed potatoes with butter.
We removed the turkey from the bone on Saturday, and along with the sides, everything was placed in its own aluminum foil container (I purchased mine HERE), so all I had to do is remove the cardboard lids on Sunday, cover with foil and pop in the oven. I covered the turkey with its own baking juices when we put it into the baking pans to keep it from drying out during the reheat. It was so much easier than getting up at the crack of dawn to roast the bird on Sunday and then fret over timing. Our dinner came out of the oven as everyone was arriving for a noon Packer game.
Granddaughter's boyfriend is like a family member. We really like this young man, and we were glad he came with her for our gathering. I traded places with him in other photographs so he was in some of the images, too, but I'm extra grateful that he was willing to capture this photo of all our family together. I think you can see from all the smiling faces that we really did enjoy the day. Grandpa and I were especially happy to have our family around us for the afternoon, and we're looking forward to the next time.
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| Brynwood Needleworks - Ellie's Birthday Party |
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| Brynwood Needleworks - Salsa!! |
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| Shadow Play by Elly McKay |
