Happy Thanksgiving: The Gold Family Edition

Reasons Why This Thanksgiving Was Amazing. In List Form, because that's how I roll:

1. the addition of the lovely Fischlowitz-Roberts clan -- Max's Mom, Dad, and brother all came into town (from St. Louis and Maine!) to hang out with us Gold ladies and enjoy the holiday Mona-style. They added a lovely dose of football (we normally don't watch), humor, and balance to the normal Gold-women-being-totally-crazy scene.

2. the addition of not 1, not 2, but 4 pieces of argyle clothing to my wardrobe, thanks to Momma Mona. Not only are my three pairs of socks and one sweater stylish and fabulous, they are warm and cozy as well. Major win.
3. the arrival of the FIRST SNOW OF THE YEAR! Oops, sorry for the caps just then. It's just that snow triggers my inner 8-year-old happy-to-be-getting-out-of-something genes, and usually involves a happy snow dance of some sort. It was less than an inch, and didn't stick anywhere besides the bench in the backyard, but it made me pretty ecstatic.

4. Momma Mona's glorious feast of deliciousness. I thought that this year might be a challenge, given the addition of three vegan guests, but the food was as yummy, if not more, than ever. We did have some turkey, and a few non-vegan items, but for the most part, we kept it dairy/meat free. Particular hits were the sweet potatoes with pecans (almost as good as Paula Deen's, and not guaranteed to clog your arteries), mushrooms stuffed with mushroom stuffing (seriously, my mother is a genius), and Mom’s Cranberry sauce with oranges and walnuts.

5. the Peanut Butter Mousse Bomb from the amazing Vegan Treats bakery in Bethlehem, PA. I visited this glorious confection shop for the first time the day after Yom Kippur with Max/Alli, and was SO grateful that Max and his dad made the trip up to Bethlehem for Pumpkin Cheesecake, Apple Pie, Chocolate Hazelnut Cake, and Peanut Butter Mousse Bomb, my personal favorite. Seriously, though

6. and most important, the craft-of-the-year: Foam Turkeys! It's very rare that a year goes by without some fun craft made by my Mom to decorate the table. This year, it was glittery, cute foam turkeys. Gold family win!

All in all, a fabulous Thanksgiving and a much-needed break from DC for some family time! Oh, and getting to see one of the best friends (Matt S. ) for the first time since February was pretty rockin' as well. There are few things that aren't improved by best-friend-time in the form of Harry Potter viewing and Starbucks schnuggling.