Thinking Out Loud.....

Glad you got to DC and the baby waited for you!  So exciting!

I think I'm cooking for my parents on Thanksgiving.  That's the plan right now.  My mother doesn't want/can't cook anymore - so it's my turn now.  this will be my 3rd yr and I still don't know what I'm doing.  Afraid of undercooking  and don't want to overcook...  I'm a bad cook.  Which is why I don't want to host my in-laws.  This year is particularly stressful because SIL who usually hosts asked if anyone else wanted to do it - in case someone else wanted to - she didn't want to hog the holiday.  Right.  She asked my DH and he declined, but then she asked me - so that tells me she didn't want to host.  Well, I can't cook and these people like to eat, so it makes me very uncomfortable having to cook for them.  And my house is small -not very good for having 11 people over - in addition to us...  And this is all on top of the fact that I'm an only child and I've been pushing my parents off to the day before Thanksgiving the past two years leaving them by themselves for the holiday while we go to SIL's house which makes me feel terrible.  But then I feel bad because it is one time when they might all get together and I don't want to keep them from that.  So then I started feeling bad and started thinking that maybe I would do my parents on Wednesday again and then have them all over.  DH could do the turkey in the backyard like BIL does and I could do a ham inside, like they do, but then I got to thinking how crappy that would be for me to push my parents off AGAIN to another day and then while they were home alone on the holiday I would host HIS whole family.  (My parents would rather have a different day and have the kids to themselves, but it's not fair for them to have to be alone.)  That's when I decided forget it - I'm doing my parents on the actual holiday this time and she doesn't have to worry about hosting us.  Problem solved.  For me anyway.  Not really, I feel bad no matter what.  No win situation.  Holidays suck.

oh Diane the fates( or God) knew how to do it right.. i find, when you do the right things, with the right intentiions it works out for the best.. you got both things!!!im so happy for you.. its GOOD waiting, this time..

   i finished chemo and was rewarded with a beautiful grandaughter ( the 1st girl) a week later. then, i knew it was the right thing to do!.....3jays

Congratulations!!! The waiting must be so hard! Our parents were lucky. Hope you are already there holding her as I write!

Ha ha - I'd probably dry out an already-cooked meal in the oven!  I joke that I can burn water.  I keep the idea of ordering food in the back of my mind...  Until I have to do it, I will continue to try to avoid hosting.  Not sure how much longer I'll be able to do that though.  BIL got married 2 yrs ago and bought a house.  Was hoping they might host a few things so it could be spread around more, but they haven't hosted anything.  I've never even seen their house.  I have hosted DH's family - DH was the first to get married - so we have had them all over for our kids' birthdays, etc. over the 20 years we've been married.  So it isn't as though we've never hosted anything.  Just way back when, other celebrations were done at the parents' house.  Now that they can't do it, we all have to and the family is bigger now.  Some small kids.  And our house is small.  People would be spread all over.  Now that we've added space in the basement, I would have the kids down there - but they are kind of young and need to be supervised.  And one has some health issues and could fall down the stairs if she's not careful...Maybe I'm just making excuses.  But I do think the others' houses are better suited for having all these people over.  And all of DH's sibs' in-laws live out of state - so they don't celebrate all holidays with them, whereas my parents are here, I'm an only child, and juggling the holidays is always an issue.  I guess I'm just tired of it after 20 yrs.  Sorry for all my *itching. 

I think Patch will love every second of Grandma holding him. 

Congrats Diane, love the name, whatever it is!!!

Happy Monday!!!

Chris will can help you cook, just let us know and we will walk you through it!!!

Chris, the twins have ADHD, so do I 4 out of 5 of my kids and 3 of my grandchildren, so I get it. I never use a thermomether (sp) I only by the turkeys that have the pop up thing in it...the potatoes I cook them until I can cut them with a fork...there is no supposed....do the best you can and they can deal with it...

Glad there is no broken finger for DD....do something good for yourself!!

It's just my parents and they do so much for me, the least I can do is cook them the whole mediocre dinner.  If it were the others - then yes - they could bring stuff.  Although, they usually don't ask us to bring much - usually just green bean casserole.  I can handle that.  lol

Hour and a half to kick-off.  Wondering if I should videotape the whole game.  I never know who has the ball, so who knows what kind of video I would take. 

When I was heading to the field to give DD the Dr note - that I had to go to the office and ask for since they never called - surprise! - several of her teammates were glad to see me.  And one said one of the coaches will be glad to see me when I got over there.  Hope DD plays as well as they need her to. 

good question!!

WE LOVE YOU SHEILA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I just made one of my two cranberry relishes.

I can't find the recipe for my Mom's Cranberry relish it has a package of whole cranberries, an orange sugar and walnuts.

She used to use her metal grinder which I have hers and mine.  But I use my food processer.  I just pulse it otherwise too much spin will ruin the relish, it will turn into mush. 

Deb, your relish sounds like the one my Dad's mother made.  I never met her, but every year, my mom makes her ersipe especially for my Dad.  I am allergic to nuts, so my mom takes out a little bit for me before she adds them.

Sheila, you are so quiet...

Patch will be here tonight.  I just know that he is looking forward to it just as much as I am! I am sure I heard him tell me before he tried to eat his mommy's phone.

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday week!

Where is everyone?

Hi Sandy!