I did it!

I made my first holiday meal-ALL BY MYSELF.

Let's take a moment and let that soak in....

{oh the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful}

Ahh, yes. I did it.

And there were several obstacles to overcome. One, we hadn't decided exactly what we were going to do until Tuesday night. We knew that we we staying home but were going back on forth on whether we wanted a "traditional" meal or just get take-out. By that point I didn't really care anymore I just needed to have a decision made. We decided on traditional. So I made a menu of sorts, peeked thru my pantry and made a grocery list. I was not at all happy about going to the grocery store the day before Thanksgiving but I thought if I went early enough I might be able to beat all the last-minute shoppers like me. I reasoned that most people had Wednesday off and therefore probably slept in and would do their last minute shopping around noon (or later) since no one wants to be out the night of Turkey Eve. I was right. The store was markedly empty but the boys were beyond loud and the few patrons in the store scowled and threw bread at us. The real problem? The store was sold out of roasting pans. How can you be sold out of roasting pans?

Problem tow, I was still feeling bad. (Side note-I'm STILL feeling bad and it's now been a week since I started feeling sick.) I in no way wanted to celebrate in between blowing my nose and trying to clear the layer of fog over my head. But I persevered and boy am I glad that I did. (Let it also be noted that we were invited to go to someone else's house but I would have felt awful if anyone else got sick from me and I really wanted to be just our family.)

Problem three, me and cooking don't always get along. But.

I did it.

Now it wasn't the fanciest of meals. I didn't bust out my china. The table wasn't properly set. We used blue napkins from Tyson's birthday. The turkey was purchased from Popeye's (the best money I have ever spent). But we were a family and I am so thankful for that.

The menu:
Turkey*
Green bean casserole
Yams
Pistachio salad
Corn on the cob
Mashed potatoes
Rolls
Fudge
*the only thing store bought

Have a blessed holiday season!

And now, the countdown:
24 days till my 29th birthday
28 days till Christmas
31 days till our 7th anniversary