A freezer full of turkeys

I finished up about half of my shopping and errands. More tomorrow or Thursday.

It was one of those wheel-spinning days when the things I can usually complete in a couple of hours took twice as long. However, I have both the Thanksgiving and Christmas turkeys taking up most of my freezer. (Buy one - get one). They're about 16 lbs each. Usually I try for 20 lbs but didn't see any that large. It'll be more than enough for dinner but we all like leftovers and turkey sandwiches. I can go a week after the holiday without actually cooking. I wish I could have filmed my husband and me juggling to make space. Actually, he juggled, I directed traffic. No - don't put it there, it goes over here. Poor Ray.

Debit card machines non-functioning at one place, long lines at another, and my phone kept ringing. I usually don't carry a purse but this time I did and I could never remember whether I had shoved the phone into my jeans pocket, which jeans pocket, or into my purse. Meantime, it kept on playing the first few measures of Mozart's Turkish March over and over while I'm standing there in public saying almost obscene things to an inanimate hunk of plastic.

What passes for a birthday party at our house went well. I ended up with store bought vanilla cupcakes, a small chocolate cake (also purchased) and ice cream. Cake and cupcakes came with sprinkles (always important). Disposable bowls of course, although I let everyone have real spoons or forks. Big of me. We ended up with all of us, their mom and friend, and the little boy across the street whose 10th birthday is Thursday. Sang Happy Birthday to both and Rebecca and Nicholas shared blowing out candles. He should have been a little older than Rebecca but she was early and beat him by 3 days. The older woman. They're great buddies when they're not squabbling and his mom is one of my coffee klatching friends.

Next birthday is Rochelle in January - she'll turn 11. I might put on a more impressive show but I doubt it. I hate to do something fancy once that will be expected in future. Some of my neighbors go the whole route with bounce houses, full dinners, and a party that always seems more fun for the adults than the kids (except for the bounce house of course). I keep it really simple and nobody seems to mind.

My next move is to prepare for camp. I must finish filling out the forms tomorrow and figure out what I still need. That on top of planning for Thanksgiving. I can do the menu and cooking in my sleep - it never changes (or almost never). The kids (all three generations) expect consistency from me. I don't worry for the one day about calories or anything else - just the very traditional too much food holiday. No one really pigs out that much but they expect it all to be there. I type up a list (I used to write it out), post it on the refrigerator, and check items off as they're completed. I used to forget the cranberry sauce until Elcie came along. She could eat a whole can at one sitting and won't let me forget. One year I didn't make Harvard beets because only a couple of people other than me liked them and I heard about it. Fortunately, they take about 5 minutes to throw together (with canned, pickled beets). I never made that mistake again. I thought it was just we cranky seniors who were set in our ways but my gang has it all over me.

It's always fun. Christmas is much simpler because they spend time with their own families before descending on me and it's an easier meal, although similar.

Thanksgiving Dinner
Turkey and Glazed Ham
Dressing - part cornbread - part lightbread as we say in Arkansas
Mashed Potatoes
Giblet Gravy
Sweet Potatoes - mashed in casserole sort of like pumpkin pie without crust
Deviled Eggs
Harvard Beets
Green Bean Casserole
Rolls
Cranberry sauce
Probably milk, juice, or coffee unless someone else brings sodas. We don't drink many.

Pies - pumpkin for sure and probably apple and maybe berry as well. We'll make the pumpkin, let Sara Lee make the others. Ray loves to make pumpkin pies although we cheat and use frozen pie crust shells. It would be the one thing too much. I cheat on a few other things as well but most of it is actual cooking. And real whipped cream. Might as well do ourselves in completely.

Cole slaw maybe - usually they head for the artery hardening stuff and ignore the slaw but I may make a little as a gesture toward healthy eating.

I sometimes end up with 20 people or more. It's a buffet and my neighbors all know to drop in.

We do love a party - all of us.