It's the start of the holiday marathon season, although it appears that certain businesses believe in the 12 Weeks of Christmas. Pixies disapprove, business-people!
Anyway, Thanksgiving means feasting and family and all that good stuff, usually. But tensions can run just a wee tiny bit high, too. Bring your anti-whines and whines, big and small!
My cousin is hosting, and he invited a LOT of people. So, 13 said yes, 3 said maybe, a bunch said no, and -- drumroll, please -- 14 have not responded despite reminders. Boo!
My friend also complains that she invited a friend's family with the understanding that the friend would help (although last time, the friend's friend "helped" by giving her a recipe, bringing 3 extra people, and showing up 1.5 hours late), and she kept getting excuses about planning, so my friend made reservations for everyone (because she really hates the cooking and worry and cleanup). So, her friend said, "Oh, that's not our thing. We'll just come by after dinner." Rude!
I'll be making cranberries, stuffing, sweet potato gratin, veggies and dip, and it will be glorious because I do not have to clean my personal house for the festivities. Yay! Son is making a pumpkin pie with a pumpkin from his very own garden -- who knew he'd turn out to be an urban gardener?
AW: Remember the snafu with daughter's grade from the summer, where a bunch of her work got lost? She re-bought the book, re-did the assignments that went missing, and was not getting any response from the teacher. Finally, she learned today that she got a B+. Yay! She's graduating next month!
W: Son's car died again. Fuel pump. Cousin's car died. Ran over a big-rig hubcap, which took out two tires and the engine won't start. This is obviously an epidemic.
What's happening in your world?
P.S. -- If you are interested in the cookie swap being organized by our own KLee, check the post below and contact KLee!
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PS -- Hugs and good wishes to Days, who is off to NYC for holiday festivities (the parade!) and also part II of her clinical trial.
PPS -- Feel free to share feasting recipes, if you are so inclined.
Driving to my mom's house tomorrow. Tired already, just thinking of the drive. But looking forward to hanging out with my family.
W: Lost a days-long argument w/Big Box pharmacy and insurance company.
W: which I was having b/c all other members of the family were sick: hubby with cold, Sweet with massive ear infection, Mini with croup-induced bronchitis
AW: they are getting better now
AW: went to Local Pharmacy, who took care of the problem. I would be happy to patronize them but for their quirky hours.
AW: I am still well
We are taking off to grandmother's house tomorrow.
Wishing that my husband could see that while he's complaining that everyone else is self-centered and rigid, that he's practically the dictionary definition of self-centered and rigid. He doesn't enjoy the holidays and so he thinks everyone else is faking it. No matter what ideas I give for making it better, the only solution he thinks is workable is for he and I and our children to stay home and sit it all out.
Well, I'm not willing to sit it all out. I don't love all of it, but I do love being with my family and my kids certainly love being with their cousins.
I've offered for him to stay home: "Alone??!"
I've offered for him to go places during the time we're there: "Everything will be closed, I don't even know where there's a Starbucks there"
I've offered other coping strategies, but he's bound and determined to hate every minute we're there, and to let me know about it.
And yes, it's my family, but I'm not forcing him to go. I'd actually prefer if he would stay home and keep his anti-holiday misery to himself.
I love him to pieces most days of the year, but this absolute unwillingness to find ONE THING he can enjoy about the holiday is making me tear my hair out.
And it's not like it's about my family, he hates spending the holidays with his family, too.
I'm not willing to just not celebrate with anyone because he doesn't wanna.
So sorry Anon. Family dynamics and holidays - oy.
Happy Thanksgiving to all the US pixies (it always feels funny to say that so late in the fall - ours is so early I've already forgotten it). Sounds like most of you are doing the "over the river and through the woods" gig. Good times!
Best wishes to Days in NYC. Parade!!!
Kathy a. - great news on the graduation, not so great news re: the car. Boo.
esperanza - I hope everyone is feeling better soon. It's so hard when the whole family gets the plague. It's too bad there isn't a "Plague Fairie" during such times. You know, someone to pass the kleenex for the snottage, the chicken soup for everyone, and of course, the most necessary head pats that go along with "there there". Ya. That would be nice. In the meantime, however, do feel better.
AW: Tinnitus is perfectly normal and will go away in time. Doc even suggested a way to get to sleep when it's making me crazy......find a spot on the FM dial that is between stations and the white noise will quiet the ringing in my ears. Tried it last night and it worked pretty well...
Otherwise feeling better. Massage yesterday helped a lot. Now it's just about pacing myself. No small task given (see below)
W: Church tea, Meetings, Year-End financials - Oh No!!!! Everyone around here is spinning (at work, I mean) about silly things that will all work out just like they do every other year. My job has turned into a single-function....ensuring the peeps that the sky really isn't falling.
sigh.
All this fun, and (eek!), Christmas!!!!! ~looks outside at the sky, just in case~
*grin*
liz and esperanza -- over the river and through the woods! have a great time.
esperanza -- so glad everyone else is feeling better. yay, local pharmacy!
((( anonymous ))) i promise there are other places he can go if he wants; and also that this is Not Your Problem. he's got choices. and no way should you opt to become the Queen of Holiday Grumpies to suit whatever the heck is going on in his head. Not Your Problem. also, he'll probably have more fun than he expects.
yay, sue! glad you are feeling better!! think you are the perfect messenger for "the sky is not falling." ;)
(anonymous)
Sue, glad you're feeling better, but--uh--busy time of year, no? Please feel free to say no.
W: we got halfway over the river when a puking Sweet made us turn around. The decision-making process was not pretty. I think she really was sick, given the level of grumpy this morning and refusing to eat breakfast or lunch (as opposed to just car sickness, which she is prone to also). She was feeling some better by evening. We may try again Thursday (travel on Wednesday on our particular highway at Thanksgiving is heart-attack inducing).
Further W: this would have made for a really crappy Thanksgiving (actually it does), but my friend called with news that their two year old has a cancerous tumor, still investigating, planning treatments, etc. Damn. I can barely think about it, it's just too much to contemplate.
AW: unexpected quiet evening at home (hey, I had to stretch for that AW, don't snicker)
Esperanza - so sorry about your U-turn Thanksgiving. Also sorry to hear about your friend's child. I can't imagine what they must be going through. Many prayers......
oh, esperanza. so terrible to hear about your friend's child -- that is too terrible to contemplate. i do happy quilts, and have an awful lot of wonderful soft kid-friendly fabric -- some from you -- if you think that a quilt would help.
and sorry also about the bark, but a quiet evening at home is an up side.
(anonymous)
(Esperanza)
Gah, Sue, tell those people that no one remembers perfection, which is why their few mistakes become outsized.
Power out here. Oh! Now it's back on! Woot!
TV Holiday Fireplace.
Yay!
The best part is when the hand reaches in to adjust the logs or add a new piece of wood to the fire. Perhaps you're thinking, "Sue, seriously, get a life." Please know that you are not alone - many people question my holiday fireplace celebration.
Whatever.
Now I just need to find one on the web so I can watch it at work....
Well, that was easy. Thanks u-tube!
Here it is!
For your holiday enjoyment: a handy chart of what to bring to Thanksgiving.
Sue, we are just thankful that no injuries have been reported for virtual fireplaces. We approve this safe activity for you.
;)
kathy, that's helpful. I'm looking for the answer that says "myself and two non-barking baboos." Srsly. I would have helped cook if I had gotten there by today.
Sweet is perfectly fine this morning, bouncing and perky. Mini is also fine. So...was it just carsick? We're going tomorrow morning, unless there is further barking.
esperanza - thank you for the safety approval. Hubby keeps threatening to cover me in bubble wrap at home. Yesterday an evil coffee table jumped in my way and bruised my shin. ~sigh~
W: Have hit the fatigue and spinny wall. About ten minutes ago I was working and feeling fine, then the office felt like a tippy boat on rough water. Gah. Took a gravol and now am heading home. Thankfully, it's a very short drive.
I also loved the flow chart, but there was no "relatives who hate Democrats AND who are sullen unless intoxicated", which is my family. My mom's side, at least. My father's side are another story all together. (Went to see my Grandma earlier this week, and she shocked the snot out of Offspring by saying that the Gherkin (a building in London; she was looking at pics from our trip) looked like a penis. Grandma may be 92, but she's FAR from senile OR dead. So....yeah. This explains a lot to you long-time WW participants, doesn't it? :)
KLee
esperanza, hold your head high. missing the cooking means you have cleanup duty, which -- even if the relatives won't say so -- is Important. also, you prevented the horror of barking on relatives.
ha! go, grandma. :)
my cousin is assigning the control-freak, sullen, democrat-hating relative to BBQ the turkey. perfect! he IS the *king* of the BBQ. last time we were together, he tried to instruct me on cooking corn, which i thought was a hilarious joke so i shooed him out of the kitchen, but his wife got so stressed that she retired with a headache. huh.
Stabbed my finger making brussels sprouts, bit had a terrific time watching my son have a terrific time.
Back again. Thank you all for your support, it's really helping me cope.
Husband had a meltdown I would have been embarrassed to see my kids do. He's going to stay at the b&b all day tomorrow, and the talent show my kids have looked forward to since Halloween will be moved up to tomorrow night, so we can leave Friday. I brought a whole bunch of food back to the b&b for him.
He hates every minute of my mom's thanksgiving extravaganza, my kids love every minute, and I enjoy most of it. I really don't know how to solve this.
((( anonymous ))) glad that the kids are having a great time, and you're having a good time, too.
liz -- sorry about the finger, but yay for MM!
i managed to get through the food prep with no cuts or burns. a miracle! now, we need to see if i remember to take all the food. (i'm going early for set-up; taking all but the snackies later, since i anticipate refrigerator overload at my cousin's house.)
happy turkey to all who are celebrating!
american pixies, hope yours was great!
i adore my cousin and cousin-in-law. ended up coordinating all kinds of this and that at their wedding a couple of years ago. they gave me a gift today -- a little black apron, trimmed with pearls and lace, for those special occasions. it is very cute and funny!
the most major incident was when my cousin-in-law's mother opened the overstuffed fridge a little too vigorously, and things fell out, including an open bottle of something. no biggie, right? she was mortified. sigh.
Not traveling for Thanksgiving! People joined us for Tgiving dinner! Pie for breakfast this morning--my favorite new tradition! Ahhhh, lovely.
--Neighbor Lady
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