It’s that time again. I have begun the last week of preparation for our Thanksgiving celebration. For the past month or so I have been doing chores outside, and working with one of my nieces to do the fall cleaning. I’ve ironed linens, and sewn binding onto a seasonal wall hanging.
Now, I’m working on clearing the path toward being able to bake rolls and desserts at the beginning of the week and set tables on Wednesday. Dear Husband will make lasagna Wednesday night. My-Sister-The-Nurse will come during the day Wednesday to give me a hand, and one of her daughters will join us in the evening. By the time she goes home, we should be all set to rise and cook on Thursday morning.
We expect to seat 38 people, six of whom are six years old or younger. My family would like me to consider using paper plates, but my philosophy is that we have enough china, we should use it! I’ll set five tables. Each will have it’s own color scheme, with burgundy and gold predominating.
I’ve reserved 20 folding chairs, and ordered a fresh turkey. I have two turkey breasts to defrost. I had a chair re-upholstered, and it was ready today. We’ll pick it up Saturday. We have to purchase a new set of glasses. I’ve been looking at these cool stemless wine glasses at Crate and Barrel (just like the ones my youngest sis has that I liked so much *G* ).
I started a list using the next five days as headings. I’ve portioned out the chores that need to be accomplished before Thursday, putting more chores at the beginning of the list so that I could add things later. All day long I’ve thought of additional chores to add. If I don’t have it down on paper, I’ll never remember to do it! I’ll have lots of help this week, and I will just keep working my way through the lists. What doesn’t get done, doesn’t get done, and I won’t worry about it.
Elegante Mother is joining us on Thanksgiving, and she will stay with us for Friday and part of Saturday, too. I’m glad that she is feeling better. I hope she enjoys her stay. I picked up several boxes of UNICEF Christmas cards, and we’ll work on addressing cards to her friends on Friday.
I have friends (who will go un-named) who shudder at the thought of all these chores for a meal and celebration, but I’ve done this so frequently over the past 20 years that it seems like second nature. Having so much done and out of the way will make it easier for me to enjoy all my visitors
I’m really looking forward to sharing the day with my family!
If I can find a few minutes to blog again this weekend, I’ll write about the two desserts I’d like to make: ‘Pecan pie’ Cheesecake, and Chocolate-Citrus Cake (chocolate ganache in the center!)
I hope you all have a great weekend!
Daily Archives: November 21, 2009
Oh Joy, Oh JOY!
I am SO pleased to tell you that we have found a new caregiver for Elegante Mother! She is responding so well that it’s as though someone flipped a switch! I have tremendous guilt that we didn’t act on this sooner, but we might not have found this treasure if we’d booted the previous caregiver sooner.
A number of problems cropped up recently when Caregiver #1 discovered that she was going to have to pay part of her taxes. I failed to withhold taxes from her check, so WE will pay the lion’s share of taxes for this bimbo, but she is angry that she will have to pay her own federal and state withholding. I have no empathy for her. She will tell you she is proud to be an American in one breath, and in the next, she will tell you “I no pay taxes; I have mortgage!”
The final straw occurred the morning she was to leave. I arrived to visit with EM so that she had company as Caregiver #1 left and then Caregiver #2 arrived. EM was practically comatose! She was hard to rouse, and when her eyes finally opened, she could barely focus on pictures of birds in the “Birds and Blooms” magazine I was sharing with her. When My-Sister-The-Nurse arrived and helped EM to wash and dress, EM was so shaky after the short walk to her chair that I thought we might loose her.
MSTN was checking the box we use to dispense medicine and she discovered that Caregiver #1 had been over-medicating EM. She was getting twice the appropriate dose of one of the meds.
I’m happy to tell you that as time passed, EM became brighter. A quick lunch helped to settle her blood sugar, and she began to take notice of what what happening around her. By 3:00 in the afternoon she was chatting with her new caregiver. They seem to be getting along famously!
We are so fortunate to have found someone that EM likes, who is able to care for her in the manner we expect. I hope this relationship will be long-lived, and that both sides will be content with the situation. It’s a relief to know that EM is in good hands!