Sunday, November 25, 2007

Thanksgiving Weekend

Thanksgiving went very well this year. My in-laws were here for 2 nights and that went well, too. We made enough food to serve an army even though we only had 6 people. The kids and I did all the prep work along with grandma on Wed. Then Dr. O did most of the cooking on Thurs. Grandma got a kick out of how we do the prep work! She said that she had never peeled veggies onto the floor on purpose before! Of course, the kids thought they should race her over who could do the most. Grandma won! The peeling and chopping took about 1 1/2 hours and the clean up took about 10 minutes. Anyway, they all had fun. This weekend, I found out that my kids have hollow legs. Especially Mystery Girl. Thurs. she took a whole plateful of stuffing after having ate the rest of the dinner. I was appalled. "What are you doing? Why are you being so wasteful?" "But MOOOOOM, I'm still hungry and I love stuffing." So, I made her eat ALL of it. She was full, but wouldn't admit it. I can always tell, you know, their bellies get nice and round and hard! Then last night she did it again with mashed potatoes. Well, this better not last too long! We will be eaten out of house and home pretty soon! I think we need to have a lesson in moderation. Good grief, eating that much food can make you sick, and if it doesn't, it will make ME sick! You remember all the canning I did? Well, guess what the in-laws brought me. That's right, a whole bunch of canning jars. I guess I better have a very large garden next year! Between them and my neighbor, I'll never need to by jars again! They also brought a cabinet to put in my mudroom for all those jars along with a bunch of old Christmas decorations. Oh, yes, they also brought me 3 sets of rosette irons, a food dehydrator, books, and a shoebox full of recipes. Anyone getting the feeling that they are emptying their house out? I do! Right into mine! Well, most of the stuff is usable and the rest I have to go through and decide of it is. They came with a car and trailer full of stuff and left with them both empty! Mon and Tues are Christmas decorating days. My hubby is a humbug until 2 weeks before Christmas and I am raring to go. So, out of respect for humbug, I am waiting til he goes to work, so he doesn't have to participate or watch us have fun. When he's ready to be Christmasy, he can go buy his real tree and decorate it and it will just add to the cheer! In the meantime, I am putting up my fake tree and decorating the house and listening to Christmas music while he is away! As soon as I start making the cookies, he begin to come around, I hope. Probably next weekend. One thing that I miss a lot is Baking Day with Mom and Sisters. It was such a fun day. I'm not sure that I'm ready to tackle that with my kids yet. We'll have to see. Anyway, as I was talking to my mom, she told me that they were getting ready for their baking day. I was suddenly very homesick again. Boo Hoo! She was making carmels and everything! Another thing that I miss a lot is our annual Hors d'oeuvre Party that my aunt has every year. Guess it's time to start my own traditions around here. So, what am I thankful for? Here's a list:
  • A loving, caring husband
  • kids that behave most of the time
  • A family that loves the Lord
  • Hubby's job, that lets me stay at home with the kids
  • extended family that treat us well
  • Our quiet country farmhouse in the middle of an apple orchard
  • Our church that the kids love to go to
  • That the kids are no longer nature deprived (did you know that there's a new disorder out there that has something to do with being nature deprived?)
  • A whole bunch more things that I don't have time to list!

Have a Great and Happy Holiday Season!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Rana-

Just a note from another mom. Watch out for the hollow legs. If they suddenly start eating like crazy, they'll be another foot taller before you know it! My kids don't eat much most of the time. However, when they begin chomping down and getting more, I know their clothes size is going to be up a size or two before long. Mystery Girl is at that age (I think), where she's going to be growing and changing faster than you can keep up with. Good luck with keeping her filled up.