Thanksgiving Prep

These people know how to have FUN! :)

Knowing myself as I do, many little steps of preparation taken well in advance help me choose to be more like Mary, less like Martha, when there is much to be done. So as we get ready for my sister's family to arrive to help us celebrate Thanksgiving, the house has been filled with good smells and many projects. Doing as much ahead of time as possible helps me not feel so much pressure and frees us up to just enjoy the time spent together.


To be specific, 

• the props for the kids' play are almost finished (thanks to Rebekah)
• the costumes (VERY simple ones) are ready
• dinner for Tuesday and Wednesday are cooked and in the freezer
• dressing, potatoes, pie crusts are made and in the freezer
• Kregg fried a turkey yesterday, it's boned and in the freezer
• the other turkey is roasting right now
• all the recipes are pulled and scheduled for the day they need to be prepared
• the house cleaning, always a work in progress, is in progress :)
• the pages for the scavenger hunt are printed
• the trebuchets are completed and have undergone rigorous field testing
• the list of remaining perishable items to be purchased is made
• the pantry had to be completely cleaned out and reorganized to hold stuff until Thursday, an added benefit

Thankfully, my sister and her family are wonderful guests, very laid back and easy going. With 16 of us in the house together for several days, that is a huge blessing! :) I was probably a little ambitious in planning things this year, but for some reason it really hit me a few weeks ago how the responsibility for family traditions for my side of the family has shifted to the shoulders of my siblings and I, since Mom and Dad are both gone now. I got very emotional thinking about all of it, which got the old imagination churning, trying to think of things that would work well for such a wide age range, knowing that there really isn't much "to do" where we live. I don't think I explained my feelings well to my sweet husband, but he was perfectly willing to help me in whatever way he could. He's so wonderful.

How are your plans coming along?

What system do you use to get everything done on a day like Thanksgiving?

I would love to learn your tried-and-true-tips! 

What family traditions do you honor each year? 

Are there new ones you are hoping/wanting to begin?

How do you keep preparations simple so you can focus on the really important things: people?

As this year draws to a close, I keep thinking back on the two words the Lord had me focus on for 2011: Blessing and Being. He has taught me so much this year and by giving me the opportunity this week to be hostess for Thanksgiving, He is allowing me a great time to practice what I've learned.