Thanksgiving Prep

Five days. 

I have five days until my kids and their families begin to arrive for the Thanksgiving holiday. Most are arriving this coming Saturday. 

Part of me is so happy and excited, I can hardly breathe. Another part of me is thinking about my to-do list and asking myself, "Are you kidding? Why are you bloggingsewingunpackingnewmodelswhatever...? Get busy, Lynn!!"

I almost want to just grab a Vanilla Coke Zero and my Kindle and go sit in my favorite chair and read. Oh, and eat some chocolate, too. (Maybe I should ask Leslie for a Hershey Bar. She certainly has plenty to share after all those she got at the Feast!)

But seriously, while I do have a lot to do and I am feeling some stress, I am in good shape. All those ornaments I was making as gifts for Thanksgiving Day? Done and wrapped. My Dirty Santa gift? (We're playing at Thanksgiving this year since we won't be together for Christmas.)  Done but not wrapped yet. (Although that'll be easy peasy.)

I've still a gift or two to wrap so I can send them home with family to be opened Christmas Day. (Pony Pal Kate saw my cake Breyers when she was visiting this summer and mentioned she did not have Red Velvet. This pony has been sitting on my desk since July!)

And the invitations to dinner have gone out with details about the day. 

Local Son Curt has made a spreadsheet for the week with signups to cook dinner each night we are together, a place to list ideas about what we'd like to do each day, and most importantly, the Thanksgiving dinner plans.

We have a tentative menu going but it will get some tweaking as Thanksgiving Day gets closer:

Craig & Lynn: 2 turkeys, mashed potatoes, cherry pies, rolls & butter, paper products

Leslie & Rick: pumpkin pies & whipped cream, corn salsa and chips

Jenny: green bean casserole, lemon blueberry bread

Steve & Cindie: cranberries, cheese & cracker plate

Sarah & Todd: sausage stuffing, cheeseballs & crackers, pies

Jessica & Andrew: apple pie, salad

Lisa & Frank: corn casserole, chocolate chip cheeseball, cheesecake pumpkin pie, several cases of pop, ginger molasses sugar cookies

Curt & Vanessa: brussel sprouts, autumn harvest salad

Cole & Emily: sweet potato casserole, chocolate chip cookies

Hmmm, we seem to have a lot of pie coming - imagine that at an Isenbarger family celebration! (My spa tub will be quite full this year. LOL!) And yes, we are doing two turkeys and my brother Steve sometimes brings a cooked ham as a surprise, too.

Thanksgiving is my most favorite holiday. Despite some of the stress I feel, I can hardly wait.