We had a wonderful Thanksgiving this year. Because of the unpredictability of my condition, and because I am summoned to stay close to home, the Swendsen clan traveled south to have Thanksgiving at our house. We have always wanted to host a holiday and jumped at the chance to bake our first turkey and entertain. So we prepared to pack 20 people into our house for a warm and toasty celebration.
The day before- we celebrated with the kids at their preschool for their Thanksgiving Feast. Michael opted to be a Pilgrim and Claire an Indian. It was very cute and I was so happy that I was feeling good and given the chance to experience yet another event with the kids. There was no real program, they just put on the hats they had made in class and then lined up to eat turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, and some fruit salad. Claire was especially proud because her class made the fruit salad and her teacher told me that she chopped and chopped all morning. Miss Ellen asked her how she knew how to chop and she said that her Mommy does it all day long. I am not sure about that and I certainly haven't been chopping anything these days!
Thanksgiving morning, I put on the Macy's Day Parade and tried to encourage the kids to sit and watch, but Michael told me there was just too much talking and not enough kid stuff on it. So we watched it on Tivo a little later so I could fast forward through the interviews and let them watch the performances and balloons. They liked it, but not as much as I thought they would.
We figured out a game plan for the meal and put the turkey in at noon and hoped for the best! We completely transformed our kitchen/eating area and were able to set tables to sit 20. It was looking good! Thankfully, Damien's sisters came down early and were able to watch the kids and help Damien clean and get ready because truthfully, I am pretty useless these days! I sat on a stool when I was in the kitchen and laid down to rest quite a bit (thanks to their help!). People came at about 4:30 and the house smelled wonderful! We had appetizers and drinks, and then we ate around 5:45 p.m. The turkey turned out great! Damien was quite proud because it was his first try and it was a success! Everything was great except someone lit a fire in our fireplace without opening the flue (it was pretty smokey and set the fire alarm off), a cloth napkin caught on fire at the dinner table after being placed on top of a votive, and to top off the fire hazards, a name tag got into a votive and started on fire, too. Needless to say that after the third offense, I kindly asked that everyone blow out the candles on their tables.
It was a very nice evening and I have to give Damien some serious credit for pulling off such a successful event. Anyone that knows me, knows that I love to entertain and put on a party! So, needless to say, it was hard for me to relinquish control and take a back seat on Thanksgiving. Not only did he cook, set up the tables, and serve the dinner, but he also stayed up until 2:00 a.m. with his sister Heavenly and washed all the dishes, mopped the floors, and vacuumed. When I came down the next morning, it looked like nothing had ever taken place in our house. It was spotless. I appreciate everyone's efforts this Thanksgiving and thank you for letting me have a wonderful holiday without having to stress or do too much.
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