This year wasn't too bad, and I was actually looking forward to it all. Well, I had a couple of things I dreaded, but....let's just say all turned out in the end.
1. DIY (sorta) Tablecloth
My mom found this neat tablecloth at Target. Tic-tac-toe, turkeys to color, word search, list makers: it was big fun for kids of all ages. Pictured above is the not-to-be-mentioned youngest child who was excited to color, but not have his picture taken. He said, "Don't put this on Instagram!"
I didn't.
He'll eventually tie up the loopholes.
Anyway, after we ate, the kids, my mom and I all colored around the spilled gravy and bread crumbs. Except I forgot to get a picture before it was tossed out.
I have another tablecloth for next year.
2. Oh. Em. Gee. I love pie.
My husband loves pumpkin pie. And by love, I mean if he was forced to choose between me and pumpkin pie, he'd need time to make a pros and cons list.
After I made his pies (emphasis on the plural), I realized I would miss not being able to have any.* After an interesting search, I found a perfect egg-less pumpkin pie on one site, and a to-die-for crust on another. I married the two and a new tradition has been born.
Kids, this crust is a-may-zing. And I generally hate pie crust. But this? Even my gluten-loving husband thought is was worth it.
I didn't follow the recipe exactly although she recommends it. Also, the next time, I'd like to run the oats first, because they were a little chewy. Still, I give it two thumbs up and will probably have to arm wrestle Big Daddy for the last piece despite he had two pies to my one.
3. Gettin' out the fine china
I have two sets of china. One set was handed down to me from my mom's wedding set, and the other I have no idea where it came from, but it's pretty. The sets don't even match each other. Yet, I go all Monica from "Friends" when BD mentions using either one.
This year, I was adamant that we had to use it. Late Wednesday night, I'm in the kitchen and it dawns on me that we don't have enough of our good glasses to go around to each adult. Not sure what caused their demise, but I am confident it is related to when the dishwasher died and everything was washed by hand for more months than I can or care to remember.
Suddenly, I think, "Hey! I have a sleeve of store-brand red solo cups. I can write our names on each. And how fun will it be against my fine china? This is awesome!"
My husband must have thought I was being sarcastic, because the next day, when he made the traditional last-minute trip to the store, he bought a "fancy" disposable cup.
"I thought you'd feel funny using the cheap cups with your china."
You've got to give him a point for trying. Although if he'd thought about it, the irony in my plan was hilarious. I even used the term juxtaposition to make my point. "Our tablecloth looks like a page out of a coloring book, for heaven's sake!"
Anyway, it was all moot point. Had I used my china more than once in the last fifteen years, I'd remembered each only contains six place settings. And we were expecting thirteen people for dinner. Even if I mingled the sets, someone would have been left out.
4. Lessons learned
- Read the directions on the pie dough before trying to rip it open. Or buy the pre-made shells as per the usual.
- Furiously snap pictures throughout the day to avoid having only four sadly lit pictures to carry the burden of documentation of Thanksgiving 2012. Maybe throw in a person or two into the frame.
- Find extra pieces of the china.
- Buy more red Solo cups.
What was your favorite part of your Thanksgiving?
*After an unfortunate week after Easter, we found out I am allergic to eggs. I'll spare you all the details, but let's just say eggs and I keep to ourselves. To add insult to injury, nuts also give me a terrible time, so we're thinking of breaking up as well. Almonds are the worst, and I've already sent them packing. Needless to say, pecan pie is never again in my future. ::sniff-sniff::
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