After roughly six years of hosting Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners at our house, The Viking and I have gotten the feast down to a near science. Things went very smoothly and we actually sat down to eat within 15 minutes of our guests' arrival.
Once again, most of these photos are rather grainy or otherwise inferior. We've discovered that the camera on my phone, while excellent at taking outdoor shots, is rather temperamental in indoor or nighttime situations. So, for what it's worth, here's what we got:
How many grown-ups does it take to make gravy thicken? Apparently, two; with lots of flour and patience. The dang stuff just wouldn't cooperate!
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| Waiting patiently. Dang gravy. |
There's Redheaded Snippet, Mom (mine), Dad (also mine), EGOD* (Dad's) and Calvin. The Viking and I were praying over the gravy and Daria was snapping shots. Dharma and Lobelia, my two married sisters, spend Thanksgiving with their in-laws every other year. This was their year. When they're not here there are considerably fewer of us and it's easier, but it's not nearly as much fun.
*I feel compelled to explain, on the rare occasion that I mention her, that EGOD stands for Evil Grandmother Of Doom.
We're going to tell future generations that this was when Mom had finally had enough with EGOD, grabbed two bottles and threatened to break them over her head. I don't think anyone would fault her for it. I know, that's a TERRIBLE thing to say about an elder and my father's mother and especially on Thanksgiving but YOU JUST DON'T KNOW. And, of course, the bottle-breaking story is completely untrue. Mom was just trying in earnest to explain what kind of drink was in each bottle. EGOD is in her 90's and does not understand things from just one explanation. The good news is that she is now so forgetful that she has forgotten that she hates all the people she hates. I am so not kidding.
Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, Brussels sprouts, ginger carrot souffle, homemade cranberry sauce and crescent rolls, oh my! And *groan*!
You will notice that the vast majority of these shots are of Redheaded Snippet. This is simply because she is the most willing model and rather a stage monkey. I think you'll see what I mean...
Calvin was beside himself all day from the smells luring him into the kitchen. We kept having to shoo him away, poor thing. I guess Thanksgiving is a torturous day for a perpetually hungry boy.
I was desperately trying to figure out the best setting for photos around the dinner table and Redheaded Snippet was happy to oblige as a test model. This girl has been in love with the camera since she could walk!
I really don't know.
I know this is horribly blurry, but I just love that I caught her in a belly laugh.
I don't know who thought it would be wise to seat Daria and Redheaded Snippet next to each other, because this is the kind of thing that always ensues when that happens. I think I was trying to get a shot of Snippet and Mom when Daria just reached out and touched someone.
Before we knew it, it was time to roll ourselves away from the table and take inventory for leftovers. Turkey: good, sweet potatoes: good, cranberry sauce and souffle: fair, stuffing and potatoes: CRITICAL! Brussels sprouts: obliterated (but only about four of us even cared about that--I think Daria and the kids conspired to throw the rest out the back door when no one was looking).
They must have put extra tryptophan in our turkey this year because every one of us was having trouble forming complete sentences and keeping our eyes open after dinner. We more or less sat around looking at each other. Not our usual scintillating post-feast behavior.
If you look carefully at the left side of this photo, you can see two members of our party who I'm pretty sure had actually fallen asleep. Later on, The Viking moved over there and fell asleep with Nutmeg at his feet and we couldn't tell which one of them was snoring! Also, I find the presence of the exercise bike to be quite ironic...
Redheaded Snippet and Daria apparently did not have enough time sitting next to each other at dinner and had to be close to one another afterwards, too.
They played with this scarf FOREVER. I'm only posting a few of the photos of them with it.
I'm not complaining, though. I love that my daughter and sister are so close. They're almost more like sisters. Which makes sense when you consider that I was 11 when Daria was born and she was then 11 when Redheaded Snippet was born.
Once we had sufficiently recovered, it was time for PIE! Obviously, we had already tucked in by the time I took these shots. Usually I remember photos after the food is gone so this is progress for me! I made the pecan on the left (The Viking's favorite) and Daria made the pumpkin pie on the right, her FIRST PIE EVER (Dharma and Lobelia, I am not even kidding; although I made the crust)!
Mom made the annual compulsory pudding pies. As in, don't show up if you're not bringing pudding pies. Someone (okay, me) got really tired after dinner and didn't put the layer of whipped cream on top like she said she would so the oh-so-attractive plastic wrap had to stay on them so a skin wouldn't form. Ew. But YUM! And I DID manage to whip up some cream to dollop on top so I redeemed myself a leetle.
After pie, Calvin was allowed (I think by his father for I knew nothing of it) to have ice cream. Here he is in his happy place: ice cream bowl on lap with feet up on coffee table on couch in front of tv.
The perfect way to end Thanksgiving: flopped over on the love seat in a food coma in front of the fire!
And it wouldn't be Thanksgiving without some form of turkey leftovers on Friday night. Redheaded Snippet and I totally Amelia Bedelia'ed a turkey pot pie for dinner tonight.
Yum yummy. I think I actually like it better than they way it was served last night (I'm not a huge fan of turkey--I know, it's unAmerican)!
In other news, I spent most of The Day After in my pajamas either trying to figure out Pinterest (I am such an idiot) or taking a nap! I took what was probably the best nap in the history of naps (except for those I used to take while leaning on The Viking in the lounge of my dorm--the only place we could have gentlemen callers--when we were in college). Redheaded Snippet went crazy shopping with Mom during the wee hours of the morning but I was having none of that! I did some shopping on Amazon instead, HAHAHA SUCKAS! And, of course, I let myself listen to Christmas music for the first time. Hello, Bing Crosby!
Anyway, I am really looking forward to the nice, long, uneventful weekend stretching ahead of me. No field hockey, no feasts to plan, no cleaning to do (for a few days, anyway), no alarms to set. Just rest and relaxation! And then Advent begins on Sunday! I am really excited about that!
So, all in all, it was a very nice Holiday. I can't believe it's over. And now we look ahead...
To CHRISTMAS!!!
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