Day 280

The beginning of October signifies an exciting time for me:

Holiday list making officially begins.

I know, I know. We are weeks away from Halloween yet, and I am working on Thanksgiving and Christmas? Yup. The reality is there are only 7 more weekends until Thanksgiving, and only 11 more weekends until Christmas. I work Monday through Friday and have a hard enough time getting my usual routine stuff done, so if I want to have anything actually done for the holidays, I have to start now.

Once again, I believe that much of my plan-ahead strengths (like how I didn't say "issues"?) stem from my mother's genetics. We both love lists as much as we like cooking for others, so the holidays present the perfect opportunity to...show our strengths.

My husband and 11-year old were taking the truck over to my parents house to work on the brakes, and they asked if I wanted to go along. I said sure and went to grab my coat. My husband asked if I wanted to learn how to change brake pads and rotors too (he and my step-dad were going to teach the 11-year old). Then he looked at my Rachel Ray magazine clutched in my hand and said, "Oh, Never mind. You're gonna talk with your mom about Thanksgiving, aren't you?".

As Yoda would say- "Predictable, I am".

Although Thanksgiving is a traditional meal, my mom and I like to do something a little different every year. We have all the staples of course, but try to mix it up a bit. This year it will be turkey on the grill instead of the oven- we usually do two whole turkeys and that winds up being a lot of mess. There will be an array of stuffing (is it "stuffing" or "dressing"?!?), as well as both mashed and sweet potatoes. Other than that, we try to throw in something different here and there. Because the truth is, my mom and I need a reason to actually use the recipes in the magazines we buy...

So tonight's picture celebrates holidays and the lists they create. Wait until you see my Christmas spreadsheets (yes that is plural on purpose)- I have those down to a science. And yes, that is moonshine on our list in between the brussel sprouts and sweet potatoes...