Well, how’s this to start off the month? I promise I’m not going to get all political, except to say that I haven’t been a part of an election this polarizing in my voting life. I’m sure they’ve existed throughout history, and if you ask any of our wise old(er) people they’d tell you that no matter what happens, things will be ok.
I’d really like to say that I voted for Hillary because I was supportive of her policies, and that I wanted to see a woman in the White House. That would be a lie. I voted for the lesser of the evils in my mind….and that’s a sad state of affairs. This was November 1.
Well, THAT did not go the way I (or anyone else) thought it would. I am not going to talk about the new POTUS or my views on him and his policies on this friendly family blog. I’ll save that for Facebook….just kidding. This is how Walter and I felt the morning after the election…..
Since I promised not to get political, I will move on. There are WAY more important things in life….
….like Ferraris. This was parked in the valet area outside the Cherry Creek Mall, and I am fairly certain that the owner was sitting on the patio at Kona Grill enjoying his lunch on this warm November day. So, when I marched right up with my three snot-nosed rugrats and said “Kids, get in front of that car for a picture to send to dad”, he/she was likely none too pleased. Especially if you consider the look on Malory’s face….she is up to NO GOOD!!
While we were away, a series of unfortunate events occurred. During his attempt to get the boat out of the water for the winter, John (with help from neighbor Phil) sunk John’s Escalade. Now, if you know John, his car is his most prized possession behind his children. And, somedays that order flip flops. In telling the story about how this happened, he promptly threw Phil under the bus…or the boat if you will. No self-respecting farm kid wants to admit that their backing-up skills are less than. But, the good news is that thanks to our insurance company, it’ll be good as new by next boating season.
Now, in not-so-fun news…as happens EVERY SINGLE year, we were hit with the stomach flu, and it ravaged it’s way through our house with a vengeance. By this picture, you would think that poor Malory had the bug and was sweetly sleeping in Mom’s arms. You would be wrong. John and I think that child is simply too mean for the stomach flu. The other 4 of us were down from Monday afternoon through Wednesday night. Malory continued on about her business as if nothing was amiss.
But, as we were driving to school on Thursday morning, she said “Mom, my tummy hurts.” I immediately aborted the mission, flipped a U-turn and high tailed it home, thinking that she was finally succumbing to the flu. The following series of pictures is what occurred over the next 6 hours…
I’m pretty sure I was duped by my 4-year-old.
You know what’s awesome after the stomach flu? Thanksgiving. It’s awesome because you can eat and eat with reckless abandon and not give a second thought to the beginnings of the “holiday spread.” I mean, you lost AT LEAST 5 pounds during the flu…time to gain that all back in one day.
So, Jackson and I wasted no time getting in the kitchen and making these cute cupcakes. Since the display only requires 9 cupcakes and a batch is 24….well, you do the math. Quality control.
And, how about Malory at her first preschool program? I think of all 3 of my children, she may be the one who finally quiets the strong anti-musical genes from Grandma Jane. The other two are “challenged” when it comes to tune and rhythm, but this little lady’s got it down. She owned that bell.
This was our second Thanksgiving in a row that we hosted at home. For me, it’s the Super Bowl of cooking, and I LOVE the planning, the shopping, the time in the kitchen. I literally start planning in October. In true John fashion, he had to exert his will on my life and insisted that we have something other than turkey. I held strong in my beliefs and said I’d agree to something IN ADDITION to turkey, but that I was not willing to throw all tradition to the wind. It’s what the Pilgrims wanted after all. So, we had a 17lb. prime rib and a 16 lb. turkey. Yes, both…for 13 people. That’s just over 2 1/2 pounds of meat per person. Sounds about right.
We were joined by the entire Harris family, including Uncle Lee and his lady Sarah. Poor girl….this was her first Harris Family Holiday, and let me tell you, that’s a LOT to take in. She was a trooper and I only found her one time curled up in the fetal position with her hands over her ears. Just kidding…you also have to be a really good sport in this family😊
Now, if you remember a few months back to John’s newfound love of running, he decided we should start a new tradition and have our very own “turkey trot” around the lake. I was skeptical because I was pretty sure everyone wanted to eat before 7 pm, but we forged ahead and it was a lovely WALK. We all had matching t-shirts and put that selfie stick to good use afterward. Honestly, this is the only picture of all of us that I’ve ever seen. Good times.
I think I’ve mentioned before that my young son has a love of cooking and entertaining, just like his mama. If things don’t work out for him at Harvard or MIT, we’re moving to Paris to attend Le Cordon Bleu together. So, when I put him in charge of setting the table, he took on the challenge like all other things he does. We even created the centerpiece and placemats ourselves and I think it turned out pretty great.
Lastly, what does one do with 15+ pounds of leftover meat? Sandwiches. From now until the end of time.
