(almost) full term Thanksgiving

Tomorrow, on Thanksgiving day, I will be 36 weeks and 3 days pregnant. Just a few days short of being officially full-term. At this point, they won't do anything to stop the baby from coming should I go into labor. Not that there are any signs of that happening, just kind of a crazy thought. With it being so close to our due date, we are staying home for Thanksgiving. Though we will miss our family, we are looking forward to a few quiet and restful days at home with the kids.

But back to the big turkey day. I am hosting dinner at my house this year. You don't have to know me well to know I love to cook, and it's usually from scratch. Which is why I feel a *little* guilty about our Thanksgiving menu. I had to compromise. Fortunately, we have great friends joining us for dinner and will be sharing a lot of the cooking. But what is the almost full term pregnant woman making for dinner? Here's my cheater's menu:

- Turkey: No way around making a turkey. Brine it and roast it. Super easy.

- Orange-cranberry relish: Probably the easiest thing to make on the menu. God bless the food processor.

- Green bean casserole: Yep, the super traditional version where you basically empty cans into a casserole dish. God bless my husband for actually requesting it vs. a more "from scratch" recipe.

- Mashed baked: It was with a heavy heart that I decided mashed potatoes from scratch might be more work than I wanted this year. It just feels wrong not to have them. And a heavy, cholesterol laden, heart is what we'll get with this super yummy Paula Dean recipe with all it's butter, sour cream, cheese, cream cheese, and boxed mashed potato mix goodness.

- Brussel sprouts: The one thing I'm making tomorrow that will require spending some time in the kitchen. But my husband loves them.

- Dinner rolls: Alright, I admit I did make these completely from scratch.

- Apple pie: Homemade filling made from local apples. But, (gasp!), store bought crust.

So there it is. My semi-homemade Thanksgiving menu. In the end, it won't matter how fancy dinner was or how much I "cheated". It's a day about giving thanks for the things we have, counting our blessings, and enjoying the company of good friends and family.