Thanksgiving Recap

Ya'll. I am tired. Like, bone deep, soul weary, can't hardly keep my eyes open and I might actually be asleep while I'm typing...tired. The holiday, it was loooong. And it was beautiful. But it was exhausting.

Started Wednesday at 11:30 when I got off work. Mama and I stopped for jr. delux burgers at Sonic (oh happy sigh, they're so yummy) before she dragged me kicking and screaming into Wal-Mart to do her last minute grocery shopping. *shudders* Supercenter the day before Thanksgiving=Catatonic Jana. Seriously, ya'll. For a gal who's such a hermit that she gets up at 6:30 am every SATURDAY just to avoid shopping among other people, Wednesday afternoon shopping the day before Thanksgiving was torture. I should have Mama arrested for cruelty or something, right?

But I ended up finding Goofus's Christmas present while I waited on Mama to get one last thing. So, score!

We had to drop some stuff off at Sis2's on our way home. And ya'll...the kids came outside where we were and while we were talking they got to playing in the mud puddles in their yard. Efan just plopped his little diapered hiney right on down in one. lol Needless to say, Sis2 had a fun job to get to after we left!

Since Mama's oven is still not working, I got nominated to roast the pork loins we were  having for supper Wednesday night. Which is a good thing, actually. Good for two reasons. 1) I got to spend two glorious hours at home alone because Sis1 and her family went straight to the folks' house. 2) I got to get my 30 minute walk in which meant I at least got three days worth of walking in!

The loins were done far too soon, though. I could've used another hour of aloneness. And boy howdy would I need some aloneness throughout the rest of the week/weekend. *shudders*Seems I ate every meal with people and only two of them at my house from Wednesday night clear through Saturday.

Anyway, after supper Wednesday night, Sis1 and I went back to my house to bake our pies. She baked a coconut custard (YUM!!) and I baked PW's pecan pie. Baking in my tiny kitchen is always a test of patience. Put two cooks in there--one of whom has no idea where anything is--and it isn't pretty. But somehow we managed it unscathed. I basically had to just get Sis1 set to bake hers first and wait until she was done before I got in there to do mine. So I'm not actually sure if I even did it correctly. And I did forget a couple of steps. Like the part that says "cover in foil for the first 30 minutes" thing. I forgot that part. Remembered it like AFTER the first 30 minutes and just tossed a piece of foil over it the last 20 minutes. Needless to say, my crust was REALLY brown and the foil stuck to the sticky goo of the pie and almost peeled all of the pecans of the top. *sigh*

And I burned my arm. But it was out of sheer idiocy so we won't really talk about that. Or the fact that the burn got all yellow and pus-y and gross the next morning. Y'all don't need to hear about that.

I had a long talk with Jesus after I went to bed that night. Seriously. I really did. I begged him to keep my patience in tact, to give me grace under pressure to keep me from completely alienating my sister the next day while cooking. I prayed and talked to Jesus about it until I went to sleep. I fell asleep asking Jesus to keep me calm and sweet in my kitchen. Cause ya'll know how I am. I'm moody as all heck and don't share my kitchen all that well. Or not well at all. And I really wanted to not be stressed out.

I got up at just after 5am Thursday morning because, again, with the only working oven I got nominated to make another sweet potato casserole. The one Sis2 had said all week that she was going to make. And then she changed. her mind. I also needed to make my PW's mashed taters and Sis1 had two casseroles she needed to do. So yeah, I got up at just after 5am and put the sweet taters in the oven to bake while I got my shower and took the DP outside for a little stroll. Got the coffee on. 'Bout an hour later, the taters were just coming out of the oven when Sis1 meandered into the kitchen wantin' breakfast.

So I dragged out my handy dandy griddle and made chocolate chip pancakes from the Martha White muffin mix (thanks Jen for THAT long ago head's up!!) and *smacks forehead* realized too late that I was just about out of syrup. So Sis1 squeezed out the last little bit and I opted for chocolate syrup. (Yes. I know.)

Then, while Sis1 hopped in the shower I just BARELY remembered that the garbage truck would still run so I had to quick gather up all the garbage and hot foot it to the end of the driveway.

Did I mention that it felt like April outside that morning? I didn't? Well, Thanksgiving Day felt like April. 78 degrees, ya'll.

But I digress. So, cleaned up the kitchen and got started on assembling the sweet tater casserole. I love that stuff. I really do. And I still have a container of it in my freezer if anyone wants any. I'm about sweet tater casseroled out. But anyway, got that in the oven and convinced Sis1 that she should wait till closer to 10am to get her casseroles going. And we can thank Jesus for THAT little bit o' brilliance. Score 1 for Jesus keeping me calm!

Seriously. I was in like the weirdest state of calm I've ever experienced with Sis1 (or anyone, really) in my whole entire life. I was so Zen that Budda woulda been jealous! (is that even in the same religion? forgive me if it isn't) It was almost an out of body experience, I was so calm. I didn't get annoyed. I didn't snap anything unkind or ugly. I laughed, I joked, I baked and assembled and cooked and talked with Sis1 and we even ended up in there at the same time towards the end there and I didn't have even the first resentful or negative thought.

I thought I might drop from exhaustion. But I was calm about it!

And I have a totally positive progress report about our Thanksgiving meal:

For the first time in YEARS I didn't eat until I threw up.

Yay me!

hehehehe

'Course, a lot of that could have been that there weren't the number of options as there usually is when we have Thanksgiving with Mama's side of the family like we normally do.

But I'm claiming it as a win! :-D

And then...Score another one for Jesus because He totally worked it out so that Sis1 spent the night at the folks' house Thursday night! Ya'll, this hermit might not have lasted the whole entire time without that little reprieve. Granted, I spent the majority of that time alone splayed out on the couch with the DP flipping channels. But I was alone! And it was quiet! And I loved every second of it!

Friday morning I got up at 6:30 am to go to the flea market with the sisters, Emmy and the other two kids,  Mama and Granny. We got to Tupelo around 9, I guess. One of the first few there. Sis2 and I ditched everyone else and went to the cafe and got sausage biscuits and hot chocolate first thing. Our breakfasts were long gone by then. And you remember how I said Thanksgiving Day felt like April? (Well, April in the south, anyway.) Well, Friday felt like February. Cold. And not just cold, but windy. Wind that would slice right through you and make you wonder how it was that you weren't actually bleeding. So we needed that hot chocolate.

We spent all darned long cold day combing the two buildings of flea market goodness. The first half of the day was pretty great. Sis2 and I separated off from the others and Sis1 and Emmy took the two little ones with them. So Sis2 and I got a lot of talking done, a lot of browsing and Sis2 bought a few things for the kids.

It was after lunch when I nearly had my meltdown. I'd forgotten to pray for calm the night before and, well, I needed to have remembered it. Because Sis2 and I ended up with the two little ones and a stroller full of stuff and the kids did NOT want to cooperate. Lyssa kept wanting to "show me something" which mostly meant that she wanted me to carry her. And she wanted to get away from her mama and Efan. Which was fine. I was pretty much over the whole browsing and shopping experience anyway. But then Sis2 left me with BOTH kids while she did some shopping for them and I nearly had a meltdown at the miscellaneous junk booth. Both kids were running in the aisle. Efan kept wanting to drink from the plastic cups in one box and Lyssa was digging in one box bringing me all the Hello Kitty and Dora wallets and I was tired and thirsty and the ice cream truck was three feet away but the only table near it was occupied by an elderly lady and I still had the package burdened stroller and...I was thisclose to sitting right there in the middle of the junk booth and having a good squall when Mama and Emmy appeared and Emmy grabbed Sis2 and told her that Efan had a stinky diaper and I shoved the stroller at Emmy, scooped Efan up from the floor where he was about to work himself into a squall of  his own and chased herded Sis2 to the rest rooms for her to change him.

Whew! Even now, just recalling it, I'm feeling all panic-y and wild eyed.

While Sis2 changed Efan's stinky butt, the rest of us (except Sis1 who was out shopping her little heart out all on her own) plopped down at the cafe and watched 20 minutes of the UA/Auburn game. And I did finally get an ice cream cone. lol

Lyssa got one, too, and made a happy mess of herself. But that baby loved every lick and dribble of that cone. I wish I'd had my camera!

When we finally got home, Sis1 informed me that she was staying with me that night. So after a chili supper we went back to my house and both dozed through HGTV until 9:30 when I hauled my exhausted butt up off the love seat and said good-night.

Saturday morning I got up and did my usual shopping thing and got a large cappuccino but no biscuit because Sis1 was making baked French toast. She had just pulled it out of the oven when I got home. And then we had to load it up and take it to the folks' house for breakfast. (I'm telling you. I've had enough family time to last me till next year. I'll hafta have some more serious talks with Jesus to get me through Christmas, I fear.) And my coffee ran out WAY too soon. They need to sell that stuff by the gallon.

I had fully intended on going back home after breakfast and vegging. Maybe do a little laundry and watch a little Food Network. Take a nap. Brew a pot of coffee. Just enjoy the quiet of my own company. And the DP, of course. But everyone else was going to visit Paw-Paw H and when I mentioned that I was going home instead I was told quite quickly that I could put my exhausted butt in the truck with everyone else. And then, when I was quiet and loopy during the visit and on our way home, Mama was all, "Do you feel okay?" And I said, "No."

I wish I hadn't gone. Not just because I was utterly exhausted. But also because I did not like seeing Paw-Paw H like that. He reminded me a lot of what Paw-Paw Joe looked like there near the end. Gaunt. Pale. Frail. Not himself at all. He slept through most of the visit and all I could think was how much I'd have rather waited until he felt better. Looked better.

I know I sound terribly selfish and shallow. And if something happened anytime soon and we lost him, I'd be glad that I went. But it is still unbelievably hard.

Anyway, once we got back we ate lunch and loaded Sis1 and her family up and go them sent back to T-town. But I still couldn't go home and veg. I had to go clean the church. Mama volunteered to help and I took her up on it because I thought it might get me home quicker. But I really should have learned by now. Nothing is ever simple with Mama. She did help me clean...she did the bathrooms and emptied the trash while I vacuumed the sanctuary, swept the porch and swiffered the hall and Sunday school room.

But she also made me reset the complicated and supposedly energy efficient thermostats because apparently one of the dudes at church had asked her to get to me to do it. And I had to go home to get the book just to figure it out. (I still don't know if I set it right.)Then she wanted me to run the sound system so she could practice the solo she intended to sing Sunday morning. Then we had to fiddle with the electronic baby grand piano because someone had messed up the settings. I finally just grabbed my keys and told her I'd see her later and I left.

I did get my laundry done when I got home. But that's about all I recall of Saturday afternoon/night.

Sunday I went home after church and cleaned the kitchen and watched Christmas movies.

The End.

Believe it or not,  I did actually have fun. In a weird, "I wish I could have slept through it" kind of way.