The Miracles of the Season / Simplistic Mode

I have been at the SPA for 8 days which is why I  haven't posted..."IF ONLY".... however, what a difference a week makes.  Of course we have been busy. I want to know one person who is NOT busy the week of THANKSGIVING.  I will have to check their pulse if such a person exists.  Needless to say we got it all done.  It was challenging and exhausting but boy do I feel good now.  Today I am not cooking, cleaning, waiting on anyone or scrubbing another dish, pot or pan.  We have fed 34 people from Thanksgiving Day till now. (20 on Turkey day (David's family) and 14 on Friday (Ann's family)). To start off it was miserable ONLY from the standpoint that my hands are killing me.  Not trying to whine but I am going to complain.  They hurt so bad. So that said just imagine that you are cooking and cleaning and the ends of your fingers are so raw that they have very baby fragile skin on them... OK so you are now in my shoes (if I had any on). Ouch.  Do feel better now.   It has gotten worse in the past week and unfortunately the cleaning up from Thursday did NOT help.  Oh well, who needs finger tips anyway. 

A Week in Review: 

Saturday (One week ago) -- Entire family runs around doing errands. We wasted more time than we should have but it was so much fun goofing off.  Daddy finishes the train board that will go around the Christmas tree so we can be up and running and puffing down the tracks soon.

So much fun we had at Costco.  Cheap pizza, hot dogs and soda for all.  After lunch treat of suckers.

 Aren't these the BEST looking treats ever? Guaranteed Sugar Rush!

 Maran knows EXACTLY how much she wants added

Snickerdoodle Luke at work on his creations.  You can tell where some cookies have bites out of them.

Sunday -- we make HOLIDAY Cookies (hence above wonderful photographs).  We have tons of fun and the mess was the best part.  From the look of these beautiful creations I am not sure why there are still some left.  Do people not like a pound of frosting and cup of granulated festive color sugar crystals on each cookie?  Most of the Thanksgiving and Holiday Baking is completed this day plus most of the food for Friday's Festivities (Turkey Day Celebration Bryant style).

Monday -- Advent Calendar is filled with lots of yummy goodies.  Dinner consisted mostly of sugar.  Lots of candy tasting going on here.  It was fun and we turned it into a learning and counting adventure.  Mommy spends time working at her office most of the day and also pulls an all niter so that the chaos that has been in our home for weeks can be kicked out the door.

Tuesday -- We wake up to a Christmas Wonderland at our house.  The decorations are up, the floors can be seen and peace on earth is attempting to knock at our door.  PLEASE ALSO NOTE THAT SUITCASES ARE UNPACKED & PUT AWAY..it takes three weeks to unpack suitcases right?  We were gone for 19 days so we can justify one day after we return to unpack for each day of being gone to unload all the collected junk. (It took 21 days but who's counting?) So that's the fact as to why the suitcases sat forever and became objects in our home that  had to be dusted..  Had it been cold weather in China then we would have unpacked faster so we can blame it on "Old Man Weather" too.  When you really need something it is much easier to unpack faster.  Maran falls into the extra table that is set up in the living room in order to accommodate our crowd.  UGLY cut to the left of her lip.  THANKFULLY it didn't get her eye!

We have never put lights around our door but did this year.  Of course it looks MUCH better at night.

The elf who was supposed to get all the presents wrapped called in sick so they are still hidden and still waiting to be wrapped.

Wednesday -- We meet cousin Tefie at noon back at the house so she can play with the worlds cutest kiddos.  Mommy runs errands.  Daddy arrives home to blow the leaves in the yard and actually do something around the house without little ones trailing.  The sun sets and family shows up to start cooking some more things and get ready for Thursday.  Peggy & Tefie spend the night so we can wake up early and "GET OUR THANKSGIVING ON". 

Thursday --  GOBBLE GOBBLE. Gieser side of family starts to arrive and we starve.  There is no food and no appetizers, no drinks no nothing.  YEAH..right.  More food than you can imagine. David Fries a turkey while Peggy cooks one in the oven.  I make sure the wine is good & chilled.  Maran decides that Daddy can NOT get out of her sight so she is under foot for him all day. This "all about daddy mode" continues throughout the weekend  which has been a huge break for mommy!  (Good for ME ---not so much for daddy).  Maran crashes on her tricycle and since she had on her Thanksgiving dress her knees don't fare too well.  Scrapped knees and fingers = tears.  Dr. Daddy fixed her right up. We eat, eat again, eat more & want to die.  Thankfully this year I did something that has NEVER been done on David's side of the family (at least at my house).....we ate off paper plates.  Go ahead, gasp, cover your mouth in dismay and unfriend me from facebook.  This was done for a number of reasons but first and foremost it was done NOT IN DEFEAT but I was tired.  Our table was always beautifully set with either the SNOWMEN HOLIDAY CHINA or the Eat Drink and Be Merry China (one with a blue color theme and the other with red).  We even used paper napkins. Yes, I know be horrified beyond belief now and look up in Miss Manners how horrible a 'entertaining faux pas' I made.  When it was all said & done there was one less load of laundry to do and 5 less dishwasher loads.  Instead of me being "DONE IN THE KITCHEN" at midnight I was done by 9 pm. (Thanks to friend Mary Ann who ALWAYS is my wing man during clean up....she has always been there and THANKFULLY so).  The garbage can is a little fuller but we have done very well with not 'overdoing' our share of land filling.  The food didn't taste any different --- it was all INCREDIBLE.  Ann's Sister arrives in time for dinner so she gets TWO Thanksgiving feasts and a feast it was. What a GREAT START to the HOLIDAY SEASON!

I have NEVER been the matching clothes type for children but we found these outfits in China and had to get them.  (David picked them out).  I can almost 100% assure you that this is the FIRST and LAST matchy matchy you will see my children in.

Gieser Side Cousins minus Christina

Friday -- Bryant (Ann's side of the family) Thanksgiving is today.  So we repeat the day before because our pants aren't tight enough yet and we had so much fun on Thursday we wanted to do it again on Friday so we did.  NEW TURKEY bird and all the fixings.  My family shows up and we do some appetizers, visit and have some fun.  They enjoy spending time with the 'youngest new addition to the family'.  We at ate at 6:15.  House was empty by 7:20.  David looks at me and says "I LOVE YOUR FAMILY.  They come and spend some time, they eat and they leave".  We were all resting by 10 pm as we were slower in putting away the left overs.  (WHICH by the way, I don't like leftovers).  The reason for that is another blog entry and we will get there one day. Just another aspect of my Warped Childhood. Oh and the crock pot mac & cheese for the first time tastes NASTY! Something went wrong!

Bryant Side minus Niece Christina, Aunt Jean, (David is photographing) John and Logan.

Saturday --  David and the older guys go skeet shooting (this is not a normal thing for him).  Lisa and I get a few hours of shopping in WITHOUT kiddos in tow and have a blast at Chico's.  I LOVE trying on clothes there now that are too big!! What a feeling!  We buy some outfits to get us through the rest of the season and then meet David's family for dinner.  After a great dinner (thanks Pop Pop) we come home and unload the sleigh  aka "Gangsta" and start to go through the house to gather all of Lisa's stuff.  She claims she will be leaving early on Sunday but we will see about that.  Two more loads of laundry done.

Sunday -- 6:58 am Lisa pulls out of the driveway.  I am afraid the world is ending.  She couldn't sleep so she decided to get up and head back to Georgia and attempt to beat the traffic.  Normally leaving early means leaving at 10 am because we always find so more things to do.  I couldn't get the garage door open so all the stuff I had made for her is stuck in the freezer in the garage.  I will ship it to her tomorrow.  I am going back to bed.  Enjoy today.  For us it will truly be a "DAY OF REST".  Safe travels -- St. Christopher protect us and our families who travel now and this holiday season.

Hugs --