Holiday at the Cape

This weekend, I snuck away to Cape May. Chris' parents live there and welcomed us into their home with cookies and wine. Have I mentioned how spoiled I am? I might play hard to get, but oatmeal raisin cookies and wine are definitely the keys to my heart! They have me pegged!

 When I arrived, Chris was up on the scaffolding. His mom saw this type of wall on HGTV's website and fell in love with it. Chris' dad adjusted the design to fit their house and the two of them built it for her. 

I was so impressed with how it turned out! Isn't it gorgeous? They did such a fantastic job. Jane even found an awesome deal on the artwork used in the display from Ethan Allen. I love the asymmetry at the top as well. I think it fits well with the feel of the metal pieces. 

Saturday morning we went to the beach and it was breathtaking. The sun was out and the sky went on forever. 

Have I mentioned yet that I've fallen in love? 

Yes, it's true... 

I'm in love with a Golden Doodle named Lucy. 

She is the most playful, lovable, ball of fluff I've ever encountered. Vivi kitty will always be number one in my heart, but Lucy is vying for place number two! 

Chris and Lucy braved the icy water. Seeing as I didn't have my bikini with me (read: seeing as the water was frigid, it is November, there was no official polar bear plunge happening, and I didn't want to get sick) I stayed on shore. I played with the camera and tossed the ball out to them. 

Luce was a great travel companion. We snuggled up on the tailgate as Chris drove us down the beach. I love watching the sand fly by under your feet as you swing them over the edge.  

 It did my heart good to spend some time in the sun playing barefoot in the sand. 

This Thanksgiving, I'm so grateful for all of the time I've had in the sunshine and by the water. 

Back in September, I took my last gasp of summer hoping it would last me through the misery of winter. 

However, this year, I've gotten to have so many weekend adventures with perfect weather. Even the snow treated us well! I'll keep storing it up and hopefully February will be easier. 

Thanksgiving

Wednesday afternoon, I headed to my aunt and uncle's house in St. Mary's for a much needed break from real life. Their home is right on the water and always provides an escape.

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The rest of the family came down on Thursday to celebrate the holiday. It didn't feel much like the start of the holiday season, with temps in the mid-70s. I'll take it though! Any holiday you can spend in the warm sunny outdoors, is a good holiday by me. 

My aunt set out all of the autumn decorations. Everything looked perfect. 

I was reminded once again how blessed we are to have such an abundance of food and family. 

My cousin went hunting on Wednesday and brought us home duck. We also had stuffed ham, turkey, oysters and more. There's nothing better than fresh oysters. I hadn't had wood duck before and the taste was much sweeter and less gamey than I expected. My uncle told me they have that flavor because they feast on the farmers' sweet corn. 

The turkey was so moist after cooking on the Big Green Egg. 

Isn't that turkey a beaut!

I made these Cookies 'N Cream Oreo Brownies for our dessert. 

To call them chocolate nirvana might be the understatement of the century.

 We were missing Lou, Patti and Lauren, but got a pretty decent picture of the rest of the Gibbons' girls. It's rare to find one that everyone likes, so we go with whatever we can get!

What was your favorite part of this Thanksgiving? Do you have any favorite recipes to share?