Preparing for the BIG day

Why is it to celebrate a holiday and a day off you have to work so hard to get ready?

Why am I complaining when I really am going to have it "made in the shade" this holiday season?

Well actually, I wasn't complaining -- just asking an honest question.

Came home from work last night and shampooed the living room carpet.  That was a great idea!  It might have been late -- but the reward was getting up this morning and after a quick vacuum -- I'm ready to move the furniture back in.  Usually, I get up first thing in the morning and do it, then you have to wait most of the day for the carpet to dry, and then it's night time and you've been walking around your cluttered house all day because there is furniture everywhere!  Now it's time to get floors mopped, bathrooms cleaned, and all the other assorted fun stuff that goes along with cleaning the house.

I'm not going to the stores this weekend -- you know how crazy they'll be with all the Thanksgiving shoppers buying their birds.  Nope -- in fact, I don't even have to make the turkey this year.  Aaron is having one deep fried for us in Surfside and he's bringing it up on Wednesday night already cooked!  I just have to put it in the oven on Thursday and warm it up. 

I don't even have to make a dessert this year.  I was going to make something pumpkin (not pie -- I wanted something different), but Paul said "hey -- let's just get one of those Cheesecake Factory Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake".  Great idea!  Now I don't have to cook that either.

Well, I don't want you to think that I've gotten off scot-free from having to do anything.  I still am going to make the remainder of the meal which will be stuffing (homemade of course), mashed potatoes and gravy, crescent rolls, and broccoli with hollandaise sauce.  The broccoli was just decided yesterday.  We needed a vegetable and now that Cris and Aaron have astounded me with their love of broccoli......it makes perfect sense.  And we LOVE broccoli too!

Dinner time was also changed this year because Aaron and I wanted to attend a candlelight memorial for Leslie at the site of her accident.  The 22nd will be 2 years since she passed.  We are attending that at 6pm, so I moved dinner up a couple of hours so that I can be sure to be there on time.  Not a happy way to end Thanksgiving, but certainly something we don't want to miss.

So there you have it -- my holiday planning guide for Thanksgiving.  Wait until you see my stressful and heavy agenda for planning our Christmas holiday!