Good morning to all who are reading this in their pjs with coffee before noon! To the rest of you, get up and smell the fresh brew and feel the sunshine! As I’m sitting here writing, there’s a million little things buzzing around in my brain and one of them is how Thanksgiving is only a few weekends away. Honestly, show of hands how many people are prepared? Yeah, none of us. I’ve compiled a list of things that you can save to your computer consisting of to-do’s that you might not have thought of yet. I’ll illustrate each bullet point beneath the list. To save the list, simply right click on the image and then select “save” in the options that come up.
Thanksgiving Preparation
First of all, have you planned your menu? Maybe you have. That’s great. For those of you who haven’t, figure it out. You’ll probably want a big turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, mac and cheese, cranberry sauce, gravy, green beans, rolls, a salad of some sort, and lots of pie. Also, don’t forget that if you’re having house guests that you’ll need food and a meal plan for breakfasts, lunch, and dinner the rest of the time they’re staying.
Moving down the list, you need to finalize the guests who are coming. Is Uncle Bob still coming from Pittsburgh? You might want to check on that.
After you have finalized the head count for the big day, you can make your grocery list based on what your recipes call for and how many people are coming. Go through the cabinets and refrigerator to make sure you have everything the recipes call for.
Check out Pinterest for centerpiece ideas for your table. It can be simple candles with a few small pumpkins sitting around them or more elaborate, just make sure you have what you need ahead of time.
Next, write down the overall plan for the weekend. What time will you serve dinner? Will there be Black Friday shopping? Having a general idea of when things will take place is going to ease your mind.
If you’re having overnight guests, then make sure you have enough towels, air mattresses, sleeping bags, pillows, blankets, and toiletries. Pick up a few extra tooth brushes and travel sized items for the forgetful people. You also might want to consider having a small coffee bar in your kitchen for the coffee addicts that way no one is running out to Starbucks for their java fix.
An important part of getting ready is dealing with all the cleaning. Take a few hours every week to deep clean the house. Start with the kitchen and wipe down cabinets, stove, and anything that shows finger prints. Move on to the bathrooms and clean the toilet, shower, and wash the walls if you can. In the living room, clean any furniture that might have stains. You might also want to dust given that electronics tend to be magnets for it. Clean around switch plates where dirt marks tend to show up overtime.
For the outside of your home, make sure the entrance that will be most used looks welcoming. Put out fresh mums and a few pumpkins. I’m convinced that flowers of any kind make an entire home look a hundred times better.
Next, consider what personal things you need to get done. Make your hair appointment now if you need a color or trim.
Do you plan to go all out on the decorations? If so, then go ahead and start putting out the decorations. It’s one less thing you’ll need to do.
If your dinner will be a little fancier, then polish the silverware and clean the china off.
Last but not least, make sure you have enough seating and table space for the guests that are coming. You can rent tables and chairs from party stores if necessary.
Thanksgiving is a holiday that has so much work put into it. We expect everything to be perfect. It won’t be, but we want it to. Growing up, Thanksgiving wasn’t picture-perfect. My mom tried so hard though! She never burnt any of the food or forgot the pumpkin pie; however, there are some things you can’t control. For instance, until I was 16 every major holiday was spent with my parents, sister, grandma, and I. After Grandma died, it was usually just the 4 of us unless I brought friends home from college. However, without any grandparents or extended family around, it made it difficult to accomplish the “perfect Thanksgiving”. Moral of the story, don’t expect the day to go off without a hitch. Some things are out of your control.
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In a previous post, I mentioned that every once in awhile my town has an event that reminds me of the Gilmore Girls’ Stars Hollow. Last night was one of those events. Thousands showed up for a little event called “Christmas Village” that was held at our local fairgrounds. As I was driving over to the event, I kept wondering to myself how on Earth they were going to transform the county fair’s stinky, dirty buildings, used for showing of 4-H stuff and farm animals, and make it into a quaint “village.” To my surprise, they were able to “flip” the space into something quite lovely.
doors surrounded by holly and evergreen with lights mixed in. There were also big bows and ribbons adorning little Christmas trees around the area. The centerpiece of the event was the magnificent tree. It was absolutely beautiful with the lights that changed color on it periodically.
The only down side to the event was the number of people attending and the chilly temperatures. I’m not one for crowds or cold weather! I don’t know how many times someone either cut me off while walking or decided to take a Sunday stroll right in front of me. Both of these things drive me crazy!
WITTY 'N' PRETTY 