Our Thanksgiving holiday was pretty much like those that made have made Hallmark famous.  I, along with the help of my 21 year son moved furniture out of the way from our Split level living room into the upstairs bedrooms and hallway in order to make room and set up side by side two ten foot tables and twenty chairs for our anticpated family members.  Within several hours they'll soon begin to arrive. My sisters, brother inlaws, their children, my grown Sons and grand children will soon sit to share in this special holiday feast.  After setting these up just right centered in the Living room my son and I look at each other recongnizing a job well done.  We head down stairs, grab a couple of cold frosty's as a reward for our brief bit of labor.  On goes the 50 inch Hitachi TV,  channel set to the tradional NFL football game.  This year it's Greenbay vs. Detroit.  The Packers led by the ageless Brett Favre are off to an incredible year... 9 & 1 record their only loss was to my beloved Chicago Bears which this season barely half over has already broken my heart, cuased me great mental anguish, heartburn and frustration..but that's a whole nother blog to write.  Let me regress and get on with this post card.  Upstairs Momma has set the tables with its feastive dressing, complete with candles and dried flowers. In the kitchen her artistry has already begun, as she prepares the Turkey...this year  it wieghs in at hefty 24 lbs.!  My daughters are eagerly and anxiously asking to help with the dressing...it's an old receipe from Grandma Vega, one of the few treasures she left us with.  A combination of a box of Ritz crackers, bits of ham, bacon, raisens and a few other ingedients that give it that mouth watering taste we eagerly await each year.  Personally though, I think my Mothers receipe came about one year when as young children we had virtually nothing to eat around this special holiday. Resourceful as she was, she always found a way to make things  just right. When all looked bleak in the kithcen and in an effort to feed her six children. She gathered anything and everything ateable and serve it as dressing.  One year prior to her passing when I had my own family I asked if she could share her receipe for that sweet holiday delight.  I could tell by the look in her eyes how pleased and proud she felt when I asked her to do so. Though she galdly obliged I do think she must have left something out as she never had written it down.  None the less, though not perfect and more then the taste, it's the memories of years gone by which we celebrated togehter as family for our own blessings we all shared.  It's one of the few times of year in our hectic lives and with our own families that we get such a chance to do so. I hope that you and your family were able to do the same.