Thanksgiving Prep

• Plan Menu....check
• Beg parents for recipes....check
• Create grocery List....check
• Grocery shopping....check
• Create oven schedule....check
• Enough propane?....check!

So as most of you know, this will be my first Thanksgiving cooking.  Until now the most I have tried to make was a cherry pie! Being it is my first thanksgiving cooking, it was also my first thanksgiving shopping! I went Monday at 9 am thinking most people would be working....WRONG!  It was insane. There were people everywhere and the shelves were bare.  Luckily I was still able to get everything I needed but it was a little crazy to say the least.  Workers everywhere frantically trying to restock the shelves as people were taking the items as fast as they could.  I saw a few times the boxes were just cut open, they put a price on them and people took them right out of the box, no unboxing for the workers.  haha it was something else.  The worst was the bread isle.  I have never seen so many people in one place, the best though was probably the mom with her 6 kids that she decided to take thanksgiving day shopping. Wow! The checkout lines were the worst, I think I spent an hour in line.  Even the "20 items or less" lines had people with full carts. I felt bad for the older people that only had one or two things, or the one poor lady that had ONE can of pie filling... :( All in all it took me 4.5 hours roundtrip and I am glad to be at home, not having to leave until next week!

I've emailed my mom for her stuffing recipe and Brandon's mom for her mashed potato recipe.  They were nice enough to give me step by step directions so it should go pretty well.  I am excited but a little nervous given the additional hurdles I have to deal with being in a 5th wheel.  The first hurdle is cooking with propane and not electric.  Its just open flame and its hard to control the temperature.  The second hurdle is the size of the oven, or lack there of.  Its is very small and only one rack so I have to schedule the oven usage throughout the day.  I think I've got a pretty good schedule down so hopefully Thursday will go smoothly.

This is WHY I need a schedule! 

  

We will miss being at home so much but being 27 hours away just makes it too hard to go home.  We will be thinking about you all as you gather together to share laughs and stories throughout the day.  

I am going to miss spending the day with my mom and Ron's family, and I am going to miss my moms stuffing! I am going to miss the house being so full, kids running around, drinks being served and constant chatter.  I am going to miss being at Brandon's parents house, catching up with Jae and what she has going on, Tom's turkey and eating on their special plates.

I am excited for our own day though.  Time to start our own Thanksgiving day traditions.  I am excited to wake up and make breakfast, watch the thanksgiving day parade and go for a walk outside with no snow.  Looks like it will be 71 on Thursday so we can have our windows and doors open and enjoy the fresh air.  I am excited for our first and (hopefully last) thanksgiving alone this year.  I'm excited to spend the day with Brandon in our little house on wheels in Carlsbad, NM...who would have thought huh! This is one thanksgiving we will never forget! 

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!! :)