1:10 p.m. - 2008-11-28
HOW many days until Christmas???
Friday, November 28, 2008
Hey kids, how are you feeling today? Did you eat way too much stuffing, and turkey, and side dishes and dessert?
We went to a brother and sister-in-law's for dinner. It was a nice group. We did get to see some of their grandchildren whom we don't see often. It was great to see all the little ones so excited about the dinner. Also, it brought back memories of when our children played with their cousins.....very sweet.
Rh has one other brother and his family who have withdrawn from the family unit for 2 years now. They were not there. They used to host the Thanksgiving dinner and we always had such a good time with them. Everyone always enjoyed spending the day there. They have chosen to exclude everyone for 2 years. They have not invited anyone for Thanksgiving and even made plans to go away so they would have an excuse not to host the dinner two years ago.
If you go back in my blogs to October, 2006 - 2 years ago, you can read what might have caused it all.
I don't know why but I just didn't eat that much yesterday. I wanted to.....there was a lot of good homemade food but I didn't have that much of an appetite. I guess that is a good thing because today I am roasting a 11 lb. turkey. I love leftover cold turkey. For the past few years, I have roasted a turkey after the holiday just for us. It used to be really nice because my son loves cold turkey as much as I do. RH (retired husband)....not so much. But since our son got married, I am usually the only one who is stuffing myself full of turkey over the weekend since son doesn't live here any more. I did it again and bought a turkey last week...I mean...why not? They WERE on sale.
But as I opened the refrigerator door all week and saw that turkey looking bigger and Bigger and BIGGER..., I started thinking this might not have been such a good idea. However, yesterday, my sister in law said she roasts turkeys all year round and then freezes the meat. So, maybe that is what I will do too.
Anyway, the turkey is in the oven. I will have fresh hot rolls and potatoes for my husband and also fix myself a little microwave veggie. We do have chocolate cake and apple pie left from yesterday so I guess we will have a mini-celebration here at home.
RH is now outside putting up Christmas decor. Hopefully, he won't start turning on the lights for a couple more weeks but it is best to put all of it up while the weather is still decent. Today, it is sunny and the wind isn't blowing so it's a good day for him to be outside.
We got a call about the countertops. There was one measurement made by the professional that was way off. It was nearly 24 additional inches more than RH measured so that was wrong. Also, they want to charge us for something about the appliance garage area and we are trying to get that corrected. Which means the countertops have NOT been started yet. Which means the installation may be backed up another week which means we may not have the new countertops until AFTER Christmas. Which means our guest room is going to be filled with stuff...which means our BIL from Colorado may not be staying with us during the weekend before Christmas. He may not have been planning to stay anyway since he has two brothers who live in the area. But...I think RH is getting frustrated.
He hates disorder and he can't stand things to be out of place. So looking at the countertops with the backsplash off and the walls looking bare, and the mirror off the bathroom wall and the bedroom filled with stuff and knowing we have Christmas decor to put up inside the house is starting to get to his last nerve.
Besides that, we all were talking yesterday at the Thanksgiving table and agreed that we are cutting down on Christmas gifts. The entire family is doing a Santa gift exchange. We will each bring one gift and put it in a pile. Then we will draw numbers to confirm who will pick a gift first. When you get your turn, you can select a new gift and unwrap it...or you can take a gift from someone who has already opened a gift. If you take a gift from someone else; they can select a new gift. When the last person has chosen a gift and all the packages are open, the first person who chose has one more chance to exchange a gift.
Last year, we did this and put a $10 value per gift. Some people brought old gifts and tried to re-gift them. It would have been ok but a couple of people brought gifts that were very "used". At the end, we let everyone have one minute to take gifts from each other. I was too tired to run around and just kept what I had. But later, when I really looked at the gift, I realized the candles were so old, the Christmasy stuff had flaked off. Boo!
So this year, we are revising the rules and sticking to the $10 NEW item. It might not surprise you that the candles I got were from the family of the brother who has withdrawn from us. I am extending the Christmas invitation to them again this year....wonder if they will show up?
Also last year, instead of having a big meal on Christmas Eve, I changed the menu. Instead, we had snack foods and desserts. It was much less expensive and I think we all had a good time. I did ask after the evening was nearly over if everyone wanted to do the same this year and they all did.
On Christmas Day morning, I made breakfast items for our family.....a very dear cousin and her husband who are like our parents, our son and DIL and our step grand daughters. The step grand daughters didn't come until later and they were full from a breakfast they had at their father's house. But it was a nice day.
This year, since we are cutting back on gifts, I think the day will be much shorter for all of us. I rather doubt that we will see the older step granddaughter or her 4 month old son. She is spending a lot of time with the baby's father and his family. They are intending to get married on January 31st.
Guess that is enough chatter. Hope you continue to enjoy your Thanksgiving weekend.
I don't DO Black Friday but if you do....I hope you got everything you wanted to buy.
