Thanksgiving 2008

Thanksgiving 2008 - major enjoyment and major success.

Everyone (my brother and his family - including his son and his wife who live in London, my sister and her family and my mom - total of 19 people) began arriving Wednesday night - we went to Pei Wei for dinner. I had the Asian Chop Chicken Salad and it was sooo good, but I had odd dreams that night…one which involved a tornado that lifted the house up, spun it around and set it back down in the original place…but I remember thinking that the electricity would not work.

My alarm went off at 5:30 and I got up to meet my trainer at 6:00…yes, I worked out with my trainer at 6:00. There were about 5 people at the gym at that time. We worked arms and abs. I took my shower and got dressed and ready for the day – and home by 8:15. I consulted my very well-planned and very structured “to-do” list and schedule and got started on the day’s preparations.

Family began arriving around 10:00 am. Kids began playing and I was able to visit until 11:00 when my SIL and I headed to the store to pick up the deli trays (for a light lunch), drinks, ice and various other miscellaneous items. Once we got it all set up, it was buffet style for the light lunch of deli meats and cheeses, veggies and dip, chips and dip, cheese ball and super-yummy brownies and bar cookies that my niece brought. This year we set up to rented round tables in the living room and one kids’ table on the play porch – this allowed everyone to have a comfortable seat.

After lunch, PJ went down for his nap, but LJ stayed up and played with his cousins for a little while. Everyone just played so nicely and enjoyed each other’s company. I started the Thanksgiving dinner preparations and my sister and SIL pretty much did whatever I asked them to do. We made sweet potato casserole, dressing, garlic mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, and croissants. RJ “cooked” the turkeys on the grill…they were pre-cooked turkeys, so we just had to warm them up for about 3 hours. Having them on the grill is such a great thing because it leaves my oven open! Much less to coordinate.

My plan was to have the croissants rising at 3:30 so we could play Turkey Bowl 2008 from 3:30 – 4:30. I ran about 20 minutes behind, so the game started late. For 5 years, we have played a family football game on Thanksgiving Day. The teams get divided up with people with my maiden name vs. people without my maiden name. This works because my brother has 6 kids; however, we have one of his kids and her husband on my team now! This year, in true fashion, was more elaborate than the year before…this is what happens every year. We now have a field painted on the grass, cones to mark the end-zones and team t-shirts. It was a hard-fought game – with much running back into the house to check the things in the oven, but for the first time, my team did not win. I have to hand it to my brother’s family – they really brought their A game (and their son and his wife from London).

After team photos, it was back to getting dinner on the table – which was planned for 5:00, but happened at 5:40…which is totally within tolerances for such a big feast! Everything was super-delicious (if I do say so myself)…we ate a leisurely dinner and then cleaned up (with lots of help) and prepared the home-made whipped cream to slather on our pumpkin and pecan pies – which my SIL brought. The kids continued to play, while the adults watched football and visited. Everyone was out the door to their respective sleeping locations (somehow, we ended up with no overnight house guests) and RJ and I watched a House on the DVR.

Friday morning, everyone arrived for brunch at 9:30 – yummy egg casserole, bacon (lots of bacon) and butter braids (my sister brought). We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast and visiting as family began departing for home or other adventures for the day. We put the kids down for an early nap so that we could meet up with people for lunch at 2:00 and I put on the turkey remains to make stock.

We’ve pretty much been relaxing, cleaning up, and doing laundry ever since. All-in-all, I think this Thanksgiving has been the best yet! The food was good and I felt very organized…no new recipes…this menu is THE Thanksgiving Menu – this is what Thanksgiving at our house will be…food-wise. I enjoyed seeing everyone and I know LJ and PJ had a TERRIFIC time playing with their cousins.