One brined turkey, two pumkin pies, a double batch of stuffing, one sweet potato casserole, 12 popovers, six pounds of potatoes, one pan of gravy and three kinds of appetizers. God, is that all? Seemed like so much more.
November was a busy month.
First off, the high point of November (after the Girlfriends Trip) was the return of the Pilgrim Family. For those of you who don't know: The Pilgrim Family is a very large (and, ah hem, tacky) Thanksgiving decoration that my mother-in-law paid too much for and then bestowed upon me in 2004 after it had suffered through several years of display and storage (and breakage) at her house. My good friend Denise decided it was HORRIBLE. So, of course, James and I left it on her front porch Thanksgiving Eve of 2004. With a "Will work for turkey" sign around Mr. Pilgrim's neck.
The Pilgrim Family has bounced between the Phillips and Higgins homes ever since, arriving each year on Thanksgiving Eve (usually in the dead of night) and always featuring a new and more original form of Pilgrim Desecration. This year it was our turn to get them back. They came bearing a political message--a reminder of the October night that Christian and I decorated Denise's front yard with political signs. (Not just any political signs, but signs for a candidate whose name was hilariously similar to Denise's name.)Anyway, the Pilgrims are back with us now. Gotta remember to stuff them in storage for another year.
Also, I'm glad to report that I did NOT get laid off. But friends of mine did. And as a result, I now have a new boss. They start off so fresh and eager. It's a shame how we break them.
As I sit here typing (while my Farmville avatar plows my fields, multi-tasker that I am), I'm trying to think of the other things that happened over the past few weeks. But all I can think about is what lies ahead:
1. Baby shower on Sunday. I'm the hostess. That's five days away. I have a menu scratched down on a piece of paper. Oh, and I bought a gift. Yes, I'm a loser.
2. Christmas. Or as I prefer to think of it, Yule/Solstice/Midwinter. I'm in full-on shopping mode. Lists, lists, lists. Haven't started freaking out yet. That will occur about Dec. 16.
3. Which brings me to Dec. 16: The preschool bake sale. Which I'm coordinating. Ooh. I see a major cookie make-up opportunity. Get prepared for blog overload.
4. Palm Springs: Taking the kids for a week. After Christmas. With husband. And mother-in-law. And mother-in-law's dog. (Note: Refill Xanax prescription.)
5. Christmas decorating: How much to do this year? Leaving on Dec. 27. No stomach for ribbons and bows and sugarplums when we return in January. Thinking minimum is the word here. Lights on the ficus?
6. Snow. Hate it. Fear it. Dread it. See first entry nearly one year ago. It can seriously f%^& up items 1-4 above.
So, weren't we talking about cookies at some point? On Saturday I baked Chocolate Mint Sandwiches (pg. 284). The best thing about this recipe was that I only needed two ingredients at the store. They weren't great. Didn't love them. Boys are not fans of the mint. But the minty filling smelled soooo good. Like a Frango factory. Otherwise, so-so.
Mmmm. Frangos. 'Tis the season. I should buy some Frangos. I could put that on my iList. Which is only one of the features I LOVE on my new iPhone! And iLove to think of ways to twist the name: iCan. iRemember. iLookitUp. iCheckFacebookattheOffice. iDon't care if Apple takes over the world. Just think of how organized and prepared and efficient we'll all be.
Now. If I could just remember to put "bake cookies" in my iCalendar...
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