Thrown Together Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!

Last night we had our bags packed, the dog food and bowls ready to go, the alarm set.

We were to drive to Indiana for Thanksgiving dinner at my cousin and his new wife's home and then drive 2 hours south to my parents' house for the weekend.

Ellie walked into our room a little after 7:00 this morning. Her cheeks were bright red and she said it hurt her head when she moved her eyeballs.

She had a fever.

Plan changer.

I am pretty sure I had a dream about all the good food that Thanksgiving with my family means.

My grandmother's yeast rolls, green beans and pie.

My aunt's cranberry salad.

My mom's chicken noodles.

My mashed potatoes

And the slushy punch!

We tried to not show our disappointment so Ellie wouldn't feel worse.

But she did anyway.

We were all sad.

But we decided to make lemonade out of the lemons we were handed.

While we put Ellie in a cooling bath

we all gathered

(yes, in the bathroom)

and came up with a list

(a realistic list)

of what we wanted our

thrown together Thanksgiving

to include.

I remembered that I had turkey cutlets in the freezer

along with a bag of slushy punch.

I knew that yeast rolls could be bought

and I could make my grandmother's green beans.

The cranberry salad and pie and chicken noodles were not going to make the cut in this rushed

thrown together Thanksgiving.

Monte went to the store while McDaniel and I put together the dining room and Ellie watched the Macy's Day Parade.

Monte called 4 times and there were numerous texts.

(so, a normal grocery visit)

He was almost the only person in the store.

The workers scolded

"Why did you wait until Thanksgiving 

to buy food for Thanksgiving?"

and then pitied him

(after he told them of Ellie's plan changer fever 

and our thrown together Thanksgiving).

Then they practically filled his cart with the items on our list.

McDaniel asked to be in charge of decorations and activities
(she is my daughter after all)

and she even offered to help cook

which is usually Ellie's thing.

We kept losing our dog, Nigel.

We found him hiding in the trundle bed under Ellie's bed--twice.

And under the couch in the basement.

McDaniel finally put it together that every time we took Ellie's temperature,

Nigel took off.

The beeping of the thermometer sounded a bit TOO MUCH like the warning beep of his electric fence collar.

Poor dog, was being tortured and we didn't even know it.

Monte peeled potatoes.

I need this as proof that it actually happened.

McDaniel made the green beans.

The turkey was moist.

The mashed potatoes AWESOME

(if I do say myself).

The yeast rolls were NOT my grandmother's.

But the slushy punch and store bought pumpkin roll and whoopee pies were great.

Slushy punch makes everything better.

There were pilgrim and Indian hats to wear.

McDaniel did such a good job.

McDaniel trying to make Ellie feel better.

Caught with her mouth full of green beans.

That is one sassy pilgrim hat Monte is sporting.

There were Thanksgiving mad-libs to fill in.

And a dramatic reading where our parts were all highlighted for us.

I was the Narrator.

(heavily criticized for my robotic delivery that required several takes to get right).

The sun was shining.

I got to wear my new slippers

ALL.

DAY.

Love them! Not sure why I have only
one pant leg rolled up.

Even though we missed our loved ones

it was a good day.

After we ate, we watched Planes, Trains and Automobiles that we had taped off TV 

(a much more family-friendly version).

Then the food caught up with some of the members of our family 

and naps were taken.

So much to be thankful for.