I successfully cooked a Thanksgiving dinner that turned out wonderfully and got mad props (I aced the turkey!), but have nothing to show for it because I forgot to take pictures! Yes, I am one of those people who likes to take pictures of food… well more so the complete spread on the table is what I had planned to photograph. I’ll remember for Christmas. We had a small group of five with myself and John, my brother, dad and grandma. I had SO much fun preparing the meal for them, and I can’t wait to do it for the bigger group at Christmas. If they don’t all have to work, John’s family will be joining us as well which brings us to ten or so.

So Black Friday… crazy as usual but honestly, not that bad. All the people I encountered were in good spirits and pretty laid back. Actually, it was Saturday that brought out the ass clowns. Love being yelled at before I’ve had coffee, it’s great. All in all, the whole weekend was pretty uneventful. No fights, no deaths, no shootings… seriously what the hell is wrong with people? I’ve seen a woman smack another over a Tickle-Me-Elmo, but stampedes and guns? I don’t even know what to think about it all. I’m just glad it didn’t happen here.

My next mission? How to afford presents for all on my list with limited funds and only one more paycheck before Christmas. Yeeeah. 

Simply put, I am a bundle of nerves. Now that I think about it, I have been for quite some time now. Getting through my best friend’s wedding (an actual event, not the movie) was a test I barely passed. That’s over and done with, and he and I seem to be on a path to recovery, for lack of a better phrase. Now the approaching holidays have me snapping at anything in my path and have left me a blubbery mess. I’ve been seeking out every tiny thing I can find to start an argument about with John, and today he finally had enough. We were going out to get some Coke and grab something to eat, got into it at the gas station and ended up at Bed, Bath and Beyond to buy serving spoons. I yelled, he yelled, my waterworks began and he got all quiet. After several minutes of silence, I said something that suddenly made so much sense… “you have no idea how hard the holidays are for me. I really think I hate my parents”.

keep reading...

Who’s ready for massive amounts of food, drink and bickering with family?! I love Thanksgiving. I’m super excited to be hosting it this year, even though it won’t be the whole family. John’s sister is hosting for his side. We decided that we’re having Christmas here. With everyone. From both sides. God help me. HA! No, it’ll be fun.

We did the grocery shopping late last night. The bird is in the freezer ready to be taken out on Monday to start thawing. I still need to clean the house, find a tablecloth and buy a couple bottles of wine. Our menu is kind of basic, but my family isn’t into mixing it up (unfortunately). So, we’re having… herb-roasted turkey, mashed potatoes and pan gravy, sweet corn, glazed carrots, mac-n-cheese, grandma’s famous dressing (not stuffing lol), rolls of course, pumpkin pie and butter rum-glazed applesauce cake. Kind of boring, but still YUM. Gobble gobble! 

A bit of a rant today, because I’m not feeling well and I just want to vent. We’re going out to eat with my mom and her “friend” today for my birthday. This guy is very anti-Obama and as we’ve come to know him, very anti-anything-that-is-not-white. He claims he is (or was) a die-hard democrat. Funny how that happens. On Halloween when they came over to sit with us while we passed out candy, he snuck into the garage and put a McCain sticker on my car. Very mature, no? If you ask him why he is against Obama, all he says is that he (Obama) doesn’t believe in our country, his name might as well be Osama and take your pick of all the stupid chain emails going around about him being a terrorist - he apparently believes them all. (I’m probably inviting flames from people who agree with my mom’s friend. I. Don’t. Care.)

I whole-heartedly believe in and am proud of my decision to support Barack Obama. I’m so very happy that he was elected. But I leave it alone. I don’t talk politics with people, because I’m not good at getting my point across in a calm manner when backed into a corner. But my limits are no doubt going to be tested today. When my mom called me earlier to ask where we wanted to go, I heard him in the background saying “as long as I don’t have to eat Obama. None of that watermelon and chitlin crap. hehehehe”. GAH. If you don’t hear from me for a while, I’m most likely sitting in a jail somewhere.