Monday, November 30, 2009

Thanksgiving Recap

Only three days to recover from Thanksgiving is not nearly enough. I love that we live near all of our family, but during the holidays I definitely find it exhausting as we end up running from one place to another. Our Thanksgiving started when we left the house at 11:30am and didn't end until we got home at 8:30pm. And when you have a 13 month old in tow whose only naps consisted of 15 minutes here or there in the car, that 9 hour day begins to feel like an endless marathon. To make the day a little more fun, Jillian developed a temporary aversion to all people except for mommy. This was of course only exacerbated by all the unfamiliar relatives eager to hold and hug her, as the end result of such advances was invariably screaming and clinging to my leg.

I guess the only alternative is to host Thanksgiving at our house. The problem is that I don't cook. Well I bake desserts. But I'm guessing my family wouldn't be satisfied by a Thanksgiving feast of pie and cheesecake. (It sounds pretty good to me though).

Speaking of desserts, these were my contributions to the festivities...



I got both pie recipes from Martha Stewart. The top is Apple Raspberry and the bottom is Pecan. Both recipes were very easy, especially since Jeramy helped with peeling the apples. I must admit that I used Pillsbury refrigerated crusts rather than baking my own. But hey, I'm a working mom. Cranking out two pies with pre-made crust was hard enough!

I spent the remainder of the weekend recuperating. I thought about putting up the Christmas tree, but I'm not sure where to put it. Really the only feasible placement out of Jillian's reach is where one of our china cabinets currently is. And the idea of moving that and all of its contents to the bedroom seems a bit overwhelming. So we'll see if the tree makes it out of the closet this year. I'm not overly optimistic at this point.

Now its on to the present buying (which at least will be minimal with Jeramy laid-off), the Santa photo taking, even more gatherings, and best of all the holiday baking. I expect to gain several pounds all of which will be promptly blamed on baby #2. Ah, the joys of being pregnant :)

8 comments:

Bud2400 said...

Doing Thanksgiving yourself wouldn't be too hard. Just say screw it with an actual turkey and buy ground turkey so you guys can make turkey burgers. Then all you have to do is add in some mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie from Costco, some rolls, mac & cheese, plenty of beer and pop, and maybe a few other things and you'd be set. I honestly think that would be a much better way to do Thanksgiving.

Sunny said...

Solution. Move 2200 miles away from your family. Get invited to spend a brief few hours (planned around nap time) at someone else's Thanksgiving who feels sorry for you for having no one else. Bring pie and offer to help with prep and cleaning -- offers that will be denied, you being a "guest." Eat and leave.

I know it seems like a lot to get out of cooking Thanksgiving, but it worked for us.

Nicky said...

Start at 11:30am, done at 8:30pm, and three days alone at home to recover? I'm totally jealous. Totally. Jealous.

(Also: I've never made a homemade pie crust in my life. People really do that?)

Kelly said...

Your pies look fabulous!!! I really want some of that apple raspberry one:)

I too plan on gaining weight over the holidays but I have no one to blame but myself;) Not nearly as fun!!!!!

Julie, Todd, Kate and Miles said...

Hi Jen! Congrats on expecting babe #2! I'm so excited to hear that you're pg again. I'm also pg again--just 12 weeks now, but it'll be fun to be pg at same time again!
BTW, you look great in that 16 wk photo. Your belly just pops sooner with the second one! (I've already caved to the comfy elastic waistband.) :)

Barb said...

ooooooooh raspberry apple. MMM! I never ever make my own pie crusts. It just isn't worth it. ;)

Beth said...

I'm blaming all my excess on this #2. Isn't it crazy how quickly you begin to show? I just clicked here from Cece's blog and noticed that we are in similar situations - previously infertile - my little girl is 11 mos and we are due for a second surprise in early May. Heck, I even work full time and my husband just got let go from his job. How is that for similar events. :) Congrats and Happy holidays!

KandiB said...

Hey...a pie Thanksgiving sounds perfect! Can I come? That apple/raspberry one sounds a-mazing. Yum. I'm a HUGE fan of PB pie crust, too.