Thankful Thursday - Family Nights & Baked Potatoes

Every Wednesday night we have family night at my Mum's.

Some weeks it's been on a Tuesday. Sometimes a Friday. We even had family night on Thursday's while A & Kate were training. But at least once a week, we all come together to have dinner at Mum's place.

The Family - in Wagga back in January after a family breakfast after Katie & S's engagement party

Last week we had family night at my place, rolls, fish & chips and chicken. Not a nice home cooked meal, but considering how well I cook that is actually a blessing in disguise!

My Mum starts a new job next week and she'll be working full time until Christmas. Yesterday and today are her last week days off for a while. So for family night she made what she makes best. A baked dinner.

Family Night, squeezed in to the dining room at Mum's, and this isn't even everyone, my bro N is cut off from the right side of the pic, the high chair with Mia is cut off on the left, and my step-dad and Mum are at the other end you can't see! ...we need to knock down a wall

Now because there are so many of us it's no small task to make a baked dinner that will comfortably feed at least 10 people. It's not just a leg of lamb and a few baked veggies. Oh no.

Last night for example, it was a leg of lamb, a slow cooked silverside, a massive meatloaf, steamed veggies, baked potato and sweet potato, and about a billion baked potatoes. Mum's baked potatoes are legendary. People want to come to family dinner just to have her baked potatoes, they are that good. I do not exaggerate!

It takes Mum hours of preparation and cooking to pull it off and we are all so thankful to have a Mum who not only can cook great food, but who loves us enough to go to all the effort. Even when we don't have a baked dinner she cooks amazing food, like apricot chicken, tuna casserole, beef goulash, a BBQ feast of various meats and salad. All our favourites. Whatever it is, we all love it, and look forward to family night every week.

Sisters, at a restaurant family dinner for one of the ma birthdays we celebrate through the year

I am so thankful that my Mum lives close enough to go and visit every week. I am so thankful that my Mum loves us enough to go to the trouble of preparing all that food (and enough for leftovers that I can take home to Dave, he gets very upset if he doesn't get a doggy bag bought home for him if he has to work and misses out!). I am so thankful that I have a family that I love, that loves me, and that we all actually love to hang out together.

And I am thankful for those baked potatoes. They seriously are the best in the world. And video cameras on phones. I am also super thankful for those when Dave is not able to make it to family night.


What are you thankful for this week? Does your family live close by? Do you get along and get together for a regular meal?

Linking up this fine thursday with the ever-fine Kate over at Kate Says Stuff.