Posted on November 26, 2025
Hey friends,
It’s the night before Thanksgiving, the house smells like cinnamon and chaos, and I just got back from what I’m calling the “Lord, please multiply the milk” run.
Yesterday I swore we were set. Today I realized we had:
- Zero pumpkin pies (how does that even happen?)
- Exactly ½ gallon of milk left after breakfast (four boys, y’all)
- No Velveeta for the sacred homemade mac-and-cheese side dish
- And apparently no holiday spirit in soda form
So at 4:30 p.m. (because of course), I threw on shoes, whispered a quick “Lord, let there still be pie,” and made the emergency dash. Here’s the haul that saved Thanksgiving:
- Pumpkin pie — the big beautiful BJs one (because nothing says “Thanksgiving” like the smell of someone else’s perfect crust at 9 p.m.)
- Coca-Cola Creamy Vanilla Holiday Flavor — two twelve-packs (I tried one in the car on the way home and almost cried. It tastes like Christmas in a can. 10/10 will fight children for the last one.)
- 5 gallons of whole milk — because tomorrow we’re making mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, and four boys will probably drink two gallons just with breakfast cereal
- Two bricks of Velveeta — for the creamiest, cheesiest, most-requested mac and cheese on the planet. Tradition > nutrition for one day, amen?
- Plus the usual last-minute suspects: eggs, animal crackers, and a random bag of bananas!
I stood in that fluorescent-lit aisle tonight and laughed out loud remembering the feeding of the 5,000. Jesus took five loaves and two fish and fed a multitude. Tomorrow I’m taking five gallons of milk, two bricks of Velveeta, and one slightly frazzled heart… and He’s still going to multiply it into a table full of grateful faces, sticky fingers, and way too much laughter.
That’s the real magic of Thanksgiving anyway, isn’t it? Not the perfect pie (though I’m not mad about it), but the way He keeps showing up—whether it’s in a midnight grocery run or a miracle 2,000 years ago.
So from our loud, imperfect, milk-guzzling, pie-loving family to yours—Happy Thanksgiving. May your table be full, your heart be fuller, and may there be at least one can of that creamy vanilla Coke left for you when the kids aren’t looking.
Now if you’ll excuse me, this mama’s going to bed before someone realizes we might be out of aluminum foil…
With a grateful (and slightly caffeinated) heart,
Mom
CT Nutritious Family Kitchen
P.S. Pictures of the full Thanksgiving spread coming tomorrow night—burnt edges, kid handprints, and all. 🦃🙌
