THANKSGIVING 2023

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 THANKSGIVING 2023

I have been looking forward to this day for awhile! Trent and I started talking in the office about doing Thanksgiving and I said I would totally host it!  We decided to do a pot luck where everyone would bring a dish (or two or three) from their country!  Trent bought a turkey and fed him for a month to get him ready!  He named him TG and I told him, I can't look him in the eye or I wont be able to eat him.  

At first we though about having it at the yard but if it rained at all in the days leading up to Saturday we knew it would be muddy, so our house was a back up.  I'm so glad we did it at our house! It turned out perfect.  We have the perfect set up, with a huge living/dining room that fit everyone!  



TG - Turkey...Trent put him in a brine and I have to admit, it was very tasty!!

Sisca is amazingly talented and did the decorations. She had us send her a bunch of pictures of our families and she made table runners out of them as well as put them around the candles.  She dried corn and oranges for decor.  It was her first Thanksgiving and she loved the idea of celebrating what we are thankful for. She teased Cory he's in charge of decorations next year! 



                  



 

I went to the fabric store again and I saw this material that was yellow, brown, orange and red and I fell in love with it!  It made the perfect tablecloth for the food table!


The gift table...The green bags are the Westland Gift bags for the employees.  They got Westland swag... a hat, lanyard and belt!  The stockings Sisca and I bought at La Plague Hypo Saro and she cut out the kids names on vinyl and we then I went into "grandma" mode and filled the stocking!  I had so much fun spoiling the kids!


Now or the food!!! It was amazing! 
Here is the turkey...I am so impressed !  Trent and Morne carved it. (Side story, none of us American's have ever carved a turkey so we were all laughing because no one knew how to do it!)
 

Here we have bruschetta, sweet potato's (Mozambique)


Mashed potato's, gravy, homemade mac & cheese (America) cheesy cauliflower, green beans (South Africa) rolls (America), plantains,  mandasi (Congo - fried bread), rice with vegetables and beans (Congo). 


Shawarma fixings (fries, chicken, beef, mint salad, garlic mayo), hummas & Lebanese bread (Lebanon) chicken with vegetables (Congo)


In the back beef filet (America), Jollof rice (Ghana), cabbage/ham/tomato salad (Congo)


Apple Pie, Peach Dessert, and Sugar Cookies (didn't get a picture). Hardly anyone had ever tried either of these desserts and they all asked for the recipes! I was super lucky to find peaches, there were only a few in the supermarket!  Thank you to my friend Ashlee and sister Katie for the recipes!  
                

We spent the afternoon eating, visiting, playing, eating more, and just enjoying each other. We truly have become a family here.  As we went around the table and each one of us said what we were thankful everyone included how thankful they were for our team/family!


 


 



Gift time!  The kids were excited to get their stockings!  All the belts came in size XXL and then you can trim them down to fit!  We were laughing because Ragheb's belt was as tall as he was!!

 


Me and Ragheb


Ragheb, Trent, Cory, Blaise


Dona's girls and Jason


Jason, Ella & Luan




I started the tradition of a Thanksgiving table cloth last year.  I hand stitched the "give thanks" and then I have everyone who is there sign their name.  Throughout the year I hand stitch everyone signature.  Trent's name is going to challenge me!!


 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING FROM THE WESTLAND LUBUMBASHI CREW!

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