The Griswolds Do Thanksgiving

What's that?  You've never seen that holiday classic?  It was just released this weekend.  Blockbuster hit.  We highly recommend it.  Here's a brief synopsis of the story-line.

This year, we weren't actually having our family Thanksgiving dinner until Friday (scheduling conflict) so my plan was to leisurely cook and visit with family all day Thursday, then put the finishing touches on everything Friday. 

I make plans.  Life laughs. 

Shawn had been battling what we thought was a little stomach bug all week.  He soldiered through work Tuesday and Wednesday, but on Thursday his illness peaked.  He had a pretty miserable day that day and basically isolated himself in our bedroom to rest and not spread germs.  When he was still sick on Friday, we were both a little concerned.

And Friday is when the proverbial "fan" got hit.

The turkey had only been in the oven for a little over an hour when my brother came upstairs from our basement and asked if we had turned water on.  Thinking he could just hear water running in the pipes, I barely looked up and told him Shawn was probably just in the shower.  "Well, it's leaking through the basement roof."   That got my attention.  I went rushing in our bedroom to find that our toilet was overflowing; apparently the water was draining down into the basement through an air vent. 

I made a couple of phone calls to find a plumber that was working.  In the meantime Shawn had been on the phone with his uncle, a family practice physician, and they had decided that he should maybe go to the ER.  Despite pushing Gatorade all week to stay hydrated, Shawn had lost about 10 pounds in 2 days.  I quickly gave my dad instructions for the plumber and for the turkey, and Shawn and I took off for the ER.  A couple of bags of IV fluids later, he was looking a little better. 

Somewhere in the middle of all of that, my sister arrived at our house with her crew, and the action really picked up.  I set about trying to put the finishing touches on dinner.  Kids were getting hungry and starting to whine.  I couldn't figure out why in the world the little "done" indicator on the turkey hadn't popped yet.  Then I realized the oven didn't seem as warm as it should.  Apparently, the oven had accidentally gotten turned off during the ER fiasco, so we cranked it up and tried to pacify the kids with a snack.

Shawn's mom and stepdad stopped by for a quick visit, and they had brought a little singing Mickey for Sam.  I vaguely remember someone saying, "We have a bleeder," but I didn't hear any kids crying so I didn't think much of it.  The Shawn's stepdad walked over to me holding his finger.  He had apparently been trying to put new batteries in Mickey when his pocket knife closed on his finger.  So we sent them off to the ER with our blessing to get 6 stitches. 

Somewhere in the middle of all of that chaos, Shawn let the dog out, and she found a pile of something disgusting to roll in.  She had green goo from her chin to her shoulder.  Awesome.  My idea was to lock her in the garage and leave her there for the rest of her life, but Shawn thought we should probably bathe her.  So she got a bath while the turkey was finishing up. 

Long story short, we finally ate our Thanksgiving dinner, and it was delicious.  Afterwards, while we were cleaning up, my sister gently suggested that perhaps we shouldn't host Thanksgiving next year, and I couldn't really hold the maniacal laughter in any longer. 

So--to recap--our Thanksgiving consisted of:
--a dog covered in unidentified poop
--an emergency plumber bill
--2 ER visits (I think that might be some kind of record)
--cleaning carpet
--a turkey that tried his darndest to stay raw

BUT our Thanksgiving also consisted of:
--a house full of really cool kids
--a lot of laughter (at our own expense)
--a trip to the Horse Park to see the lights
--a few games of UNO around the kitchen table
--two wins for UK

I'm happy to report that Shawn is feeling much better now and was actually able to eat yesterday.  I have promised him a re-do of the chocolate pie in a couple of weeks.

Thankful Post--Friday

Disclaimer:  I know today's post is late.  I started it Thursday night with the intention of finishing it Friday morning.  I never got the chance. 

Today I am thankful for:

1)  Hot showers.  Maybe a seemingly insignificant thing, but a good, long, hot shower can wake up my tired eyes and make getting out of bed possible.  I have thought many times over the last year and a half that showering at night would probably make my life much easier, but I just can't give up that feeling of the water beating me in the face to wake me up. 

2)  Health insurance.  We are blessed to have excellent health insurance that pays for almost 100% of our ER visits.  Honestly, I can only think of one time in my 32 years that I have ever had to take a family member to the ER...except in the last 3 months...and we've been 3 times recently...including yesterday.  (Everyone is fine.)  While I'm grateful that Shawn has this benefit at his job, I'm hopeful that we'll never have to use it again.

3)  Plumbers that respond to service calls quickly.  I know plumbers charge astronomical amounts for their work, but I kinda don't really mind paying their fees.  I mean, I sure as heck don't want to do their job.  They deal with some nasty...um...stuff.  I'm glad the nice man made it stop raining in my basement yesterday. 

Stay tuned for the full rundown of our Thanksgiving holiday.  As you can tell, it was...eventful.

Thankful Week--Thursday

Today I am thankful for:

1)  Online shopping.  I fell in love with online shopping when we lived in Pikeville, and I still love it today.  Not only am I not limited by my geographical location, I can shop anytime I want, in my pj's, all while watching an episode of Magnum, P.I.  I mean, what could possibly be better?!  To sweeten the deal, I don't have to deal with grouchy sales associates or other pushy shoppers, and they always have the color or size I want.  AAAAND I can usually find some kind of online coupon code for free shipping or some kind of discount.  I plan on expressing my gratitude for online shopping this Black Friday.  Only instead of Magnum, P.I., I will probably be watching a DVR'd cheesy Christmas Hallmark movie. 

2)  Good friends.  I am so blessed to have some really awesome friends.  Friends that I could call in the middle of the night and they would get up and come bail me out of jail.  Friends who would let me stay with them if our house burned down.  Friends who know the worst parts about me and choose to be my friends anyway.  Friends who laugh with me, cry with me, pray with me and just shower me with undeserved love. 

3)  The privilege of being a mom.  I'm not one of those girls who always dreamed of being a mom.  In fact, there was a time when I really wondered if I should have children.  I thought I was too selfish to care for another human being 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  And while I won't say I'm perfect at it, Sam has been an excellent teacher.  Being his mom is the greatest (and hardest) job I have ever had.  It challenges me daily, but I am amazed daily at the rewards that I reap.  I have given up lone shopping trips, sacrificed sleep and a clean house and abandoned the idea of eating in a nice restaurant for the next 16 years or so.  But in exchange I get all of the sticky kisses I can handle, I hear a sweet voice say, "Mommmm" about 50 times a day, and I get to say night-night prayers with my own little direct link to Heaven every night.

Thankful Week--Wednesday

Today I am thankful for:

1)  Craig's List.  I have only recently entered the world of Craig's List.  We have a basement full of things we need to get rid of.  Our neighborhood has a big yard sale every summer and I keep saying we are going to participate, but somehow we have missed it every year.  A couple of months ago, in a clutter-induced frenzy I bagged up some smaller items to haul off to Goodwill, but I listed a couple of bigger items on Craig's List.  They sold almost immediately, and I was hooked!  I got back on the wagon this week by listing a couple of things that I didn't bother to sell last time, and they're already sold!  Christmas shopping money, anyone?  So now I'm looking around the house for things that I can get rid of while putting a little extra money in my pocket.  I think Shawn may be getting a little nervous...

2)  Visits from family.  Some of our Western Kentucky kinfolk are going to start trickling in tonight.  We anticipate there being a steady stream of people in and out of our house all weekend.  I have all kinds of fun things planned, including a visit to the Kentucky Horse Park to see the lights, a movie marathon of Christmas classics, an UNO tournament, and the first ever King Christmas Cookie-palooza!  (Then on Monday, I plan on collapsing and administering oxygen to myself all day.)

3)  The fact that my refrigerator is overflowing right now.  Seriously, I know most of us are going to over-indulge this weekend.  If my refrigerator and pantry are any indication, we plan on doing A LOT of over-indulging this weekend.  And I'm thankful that we can.  Shawn and I always have food on our table.  We never have to make the decision on whether to buy groceries or buy gas.  And while I might have to make the decision on WHAT to feed my son, I have never had to wonder IF I could feed my son.  I cannot imagine how hard that must be for a parent.  There are people in this country who are starving.  Hard to believe, perhaps, in a time when so much emphasis is put on America's tendency for super-sizing everything, but it's true.  So today I am thankful that our table will have food on it and our bellies will be full.

Thankful Week--Tuesday

Today I am thankful for:

1)  Ms. Tammy.  Ms. Tammy is Sam's babysitter.  She treats him like he is her own grandchild.  Every night when I pick him up she gives him kisses and tells him that she loves him.  She calls to check on him if he's sick.  And while it always kinda tears a little piece of my soul off when I leave him every morning, it makes it a little bit easier to know that he's in such good hands. 

2)  Cheesy Hallmark Christmas movies.  Shawn thinks I'm so weird for liking these.  I haven't had the chance to indulge in them much this year, but that's what DVR is for, right?  It's nice to sit down and watch a movie from that to time that doesn't have any blood or guts being sprayed across the screen or boobs flashing in my face.  The story lines might not be the greatest, but I have to admit I like slipping into a world where Santa enlists the help of us mortals to save Christmas.  Where the magical kiss at midnight on Christmas Eve breaks the evil spell.  And where the long lost teen rebel finally finds a family to love him.

3)   A short work week.  Our clinic will be closed Thursday and Friday, then next Monday is my normal day off for next week.  All that adds up to one deliciously long holiday weekend. 

Thankful Week--Monday

It's Thanksgiving week!  I have really started to look forward to my Thankful Thursday posts.  Sometimes they are profound...sometimes not so much.  But I always enjoy taking a few minutes out of my week to count my blessings.  I thought this week it might be nice to do that every day.  So here goes:

This Thanksgiving Week, I am thankful for:

1)  A daddy's relationship with his little boy. 

Sam.  Adores.  Shawn.  It warms my heart to see them together.  This morning, Sam saw me putting my shoes on and asked me, "Go bye-bye?"  I told him that yes, we were going bye-bye.  He immediately asked (for about the 10th time that morning), "Go Dada?"  I told him that no, we were going to run some errands but we weren't going to see Daddy.  At every stop he again asked when we were getting into the car and out of the car if we were going to see Daddy.  So I finally just made the impromptu decision to meet Daddy for lunch.  We didn't have anything else going on today that couldn't be postponed, so why not?  I love that my little boy loves Shawn enough to miss him when he's not here.  And I'm so thankful that Shawn rearranged his day so we could have a few minutes with him.  He's a great dad--he can cut loose and act goofy but he can also lovingly correct Sam when he needs it.  (And lately he needs it more and more!)  I love their bond, and I'm so proud of the two of them. 

2)  My family's good health.  Maybe not the most exciting thing for which to be thankful, but it's too often overlooked.  Sam has had a little low-grade fever for the last few days.  I suspect it's a tooth making it's appearance or just a little cold, but it has had him a little bit out of sorts for the last few days.  When I'm frazzled because he's falling apart over the tiniest thing or refusing to eat, I'm reminded that we know nothing of a sick child.  Right after Sam broke his leg, a friend's little boy was diagnosed with cancer, and Shawn and I got a big dose of reality.  Yes...Sam is a kid and he will be plagued with various ailments here and there.  We will have to clean up puke, wipe snotty noses and may make the occasional ER visit.  But so far, our son (and his parents!) have been blessed with overall good health.  We don't have chronic conditions that constantly steal our energy, we don't have to take life-sustaining medicine that makes us feel bad, and we don't have to schedule our days around lengthy treatments.  So today, I am grateful that Sam has a little low-grade fever that we can manage at home with Tylenol and kisses.

3)  A job where I don't have to work on holidays.  After working in a hospital for 3 years, this is so nice.  At our previous jobs, Shawn and I worked evenings, weekends, holidays, and the occasional 3rd shift.  Not fun for this girl who likes her sleep.  People don't stop being sick because it's Christmas.  But now I have a job that is a little more family (and sleep) friendly.  I feel blessed to have this job in a time where jobs can be scarce.

He's Aliiiiiiiive!

Our mouse is alive and well.  Shawn made a sighting last night.  He went downstairs and walked around the corner just in time to see the cat and the mouse having a stare-down.  The mouse ran under the refrigerator and after a minute peeked his head out to evaluate the danger level.  On a whim, Shawn opened the door to the outside hoping the mouse would jump at his chance to escape certain death.  The mouse actually thought about it and was about to make a run for it when the cat suddenly reappeared and chased him under the refrigerator.

Do you think our Thanksgiving guests would be grossed out if we set a place at the table for the mouse?  Because it looks like he's hanging around for a while.

Thankful Thursday

This week, I am thankful for:

1)  Rubber Cement.

Seriously, is this not the coolest stuff ever?  I never really liked craft or art time in elementary school unless it was something we got to glue.  Coloring just wasn't really my thing, and I SURE wasn't going to get any bonus points for my drawing skills, but break out the rubber cement and I was all over it.  I've been making some very simple, easy-peasy crafts to sell for our clinic Relay for Life team, and I have been painting up a glue-storm!

2)  Kroger Birthday Cake.

I just love grocery story sheet cake.  Is that dumb?  Personally, I'm a roses kind of girl.  The more icing, the better.  What's that?  You don't want that corner piece?  I'll take it!  I had a really crazy morning today and was SUPER late to work.  It was not good.  But later I walked into the break room to get something to drink and saw that someone had brought in left over birthday cake to share with everyone.  And suddenly my day got a little bit brighter. 

3)  Operation Christmas Child.

I love this charity.  I started participating in Operation Christmas Child a few years ago; it's a fun little thing to do that always gets me in the Christmas spirit.  Here is our box from last year.  If you're not familiar with the whole concept, you basically just fill a shoebox with some simple gifts for a child, and they get shipped all over the world to children who might not have ever received a gift in their entire lives.  You can learn more about it and find out how to pack a shoebox here.  Then after you have your shoebox packed you can find out where to drop it off here.  I'm really excited about continuing this little tradition with Sam when he's a little older and can understand what we're doing and I can help him pack his own box.  This is collection week, but there is still plenty of time to pack a box for a child and show them God's love from the other side of the world.  I almost let it sneak up on me this year, so I'll be putting the finishing touches on my box tonight and tomorrow before turning it in at church this weekend.  We are having a special service where everyone will bring their box to the front so they can be blessed before being turned in to the collection site.  The church gave out over 500 boxes--I can't wait to see them all together!

What are you thankful for this week?  I'll be linking up to Black Tag Diaries.

Day Off Diddies

Here are a few random pictures from my last several days off...

When I'm off, I often will text a picture to Shawn when Sam wakes up.  Just a little, "Good morning, Daddy" kind of thing.  On this particular morning, Sam wasn't feeling especially friendly.  Side note:  Check out that rooster tail in his hair!

During Shawn's last late week, Sam and I had a stop to make after work, so we were especially late getting home.  In an effort to get him in bed at a decent time, he had Spaghettio's for supper.  DO NOT JUDGE ME!  After he ate, I immediately dunked him in the tub with plans to clean up the kitchen after he was in bed.  Note to self:  take the time to clean up the kitchen immediately.  While I was busy packing his bag for the next day, Sam retrieved his left-over Spaghettio's from the kitchen table and decided to finish his supper.  Molly was doing her best to destroy the evidence so I wouldn't be mad.

This is Sam waiting on his breakfast.  Just an ordinary day in our house...chill-axin', waiting on Mom to bring me my milk noon.

Pooh was hungry on this particular day.  It's so fun to see Sam starting to pretend.  Pooh often has to eat a bite of whatever we're having for dinner, and about the only way I can get Sam to brush his teeth at night is to let him brush Pooh's teeth when we're done.

Hickory, Dickory, Dock...

...the mouse ran up the clock...and under the dining room table...and behind the curio cabinet...and the people tried to catch it while the cat sat back and watched.

Let's back up:  Most people have cats to keep mice OUT OF their homes.  We are fortunate enough to have cats that want to bring the mice IN.  Our cats are excellent hunters.  They are constantly leaving "presents" for us on the back porch.  DECAPITATED presents...but presents nonetheless.  There is a field directly behind our house, so it gives them plenty of gift-giving opportunities.  Last Thursday, Ollie's kill count for the day was two mice and a bird.  And we know it had to be Ollie because she was the only one who went out that morning.  That's one busy day for a cat!  She's a regular mouse-assassin. 

So anyway, Saturday night Shawn and I were getting ready to go to bed.  Shawn went to the back door to let the cat in, but when she came trotting in she immediately deposited a baby mouse in the middle of the kitchen floor. 

Time froze for a second.  I had a brief flash of deja vu. 

And then chaos ensued. 

Molly offered her assistance and starting pouncing on the mouse like a big, 70 pound cat.  "ROOF!"  *pounce*  "ROOF!"  *pounce* 

Shawn grabbed a bucket and started trying to throw it over the mouse.  I got the broom and dustpan and tried to trap the mouse with it.  We whisper-yelled instructions to one-another so as not to wake up Sam.  He's over there!  Get him!  Don't let him get past you!  Then the mouse ran between my legs into the dining room with Shawn, Molly and me in hot pursuit.

Annie, the captor, sat back and watched all of the commotion, calmly licking her paws like someone eating popcorn at the movies.

The mouse ran under the dining room table then skittered behind the curio cabinet.  Shawn and I formulated a plan--he would pull the cabinet out from the wall (being very careful to not break anything in it in the process), and when the mouse ran out I would nab him.  I'm not really sure where that all went wrong (I mean our plan was foolproof, right?), but somehow the mouse ended up on the other side of the room behind the dog's water bowl.  Sure that we had him trapped and could soon get some sleep, we cornered him with the broom, the dustpan and the bucket.  He had nowhere to go.  Except mice are very good climbers and he just skittered right over the dustpan back into the kitchen.

This is where the cat decided we needed her assistance.

She grabbed the mouse and took off downstairs with him.  I tried to jump up from my squatting position and somehow hit my elbow on the door frame...right on the funny bone.  My entire left arm went numb, and I started seeing stars.  Shawn took off down the stairs after the cat yelling at me to come help him.  I had my head between my legs saying, "I'll be right there!"  As soon as I can stand upright, that is.

By the time I made it downstairs, Shawn had somehow corralled the cat and mouse into the unfinished part of our basement.  Unfortunately, the cat released the mouse when she saw that Shawn and I didn't appreciate her gift, and the mouse promptly ran into the wall frame and behind the drywall.  We poked; we prodded; we pleaded...but the mouse was nowhere to be seen.  Finally, we decided to just lock the cat and the mouse in the room for the night and we would let her finish what she started.

Sunday morning, I cautiously opened the door to the unfinished room, dreading the carnage that I would encounter...and I saw...NOTHING.  No blood, no guts, no self-satisfied cat licking her lips.  It was as if the mouse had disappeared into thin air.

And that's where we still are.  I am riding on the notion that the mouse somehow found a way to get outside.  Shawn thinks he's just become a permanent resident of our house and will make random appearances now and then.  Neither of us are willing to admit that there is a possibility that the cat mortally wounded the mouse before he ran into the wall and he's...well...I guess we'll know in a couple of weeks if that's the case.  When we will start ripping out dry wall to find the rotting mouse carcass. 

Ew.