Nailed It!

With my table all set and the extra dishes and things I would eventually need pulled from their hiding places, I was in good shape Thursday morning.  All would be fine if my calculations and planning held.

We set the turkey out to come to room temperature before putting it in a hot oven for 30 minutes then turned it down to 325.  I set the timer to baste it a few times and eventually removed the foil so it would brown.  When done, we  wrapped it in foil and put it in our Yeti cooler.  It gave me time to wash the roasting pan and put it away.  In the meantime I had prepared the dressing and put it with the two potato dishes that were ready to go.  Our company arrived laden with wine, pies, cranberry salads, shrimp plus cheese and crackers.  Once the dressing and potatoes were done I put them in the electric roaster sitting on the washer to stay warm while I had Barry carve the turkey that had stayed hot and Ted roasted the red, yellow, orange and green peppers with onions.  I cheated on the green beans deciding at the last minute to get a Bob Evans container that only needed to be popped in the microwave and frozen rolls that just needed to be heated through.  Terry was getting everyone's wine glasses filled and Ted had poured the water.  It all came together on time!  Yeah!  

Everything turned out really well and the Tribute to Texas Peppers (my name for them) were a hit!  After my hot red pepper jam cream cheese spread and pico de gallo quiche at bunco, we are turning into a true Texan household.  

We cleared the tables, loaded the dishwasher and proceeded to play cards, girls in the kitchen, men in the dining room.  I didn't win!  It was going on 10:00 when everyone left.  I emptied the dishwasher and reloaded it.  Then I sat down totally whipped.

I had lots to do on Friday morning.  First up, empty the dishwasher one more time and put the stray items in.  Take one leaf out of the dining room table and put it and the pads away.  Replace all the china in the china cabinet, fill the silverware chest and return it to its hiding place and put the wine glasses up on the high shelves where Ted can reach but I can't without a stepladder.  Eventually everything was back to normal.  

Ted met Randy at the gun club to show him all that the new owners have done and I went out to get the last gifts I needed.  I ran into no crowds where I went, neither of which were a big retailer or mall and then came home.  Not bad at all out there at 1:00.  I imagine the diehards were back home sleeping on the couch by then.  We had leftovers for dinner, took the mail and a plate of food next door to Marina who had just arrived home and then took a ride to Academy because the boots Ted wanted were on sale.  I also bought two packs of children's socks for Gerre's church mission, Sock It To Me Sunday.  

Remember the little boy with the brain tumor that had a fund raiser and I won all those gift cards?  His father works for UPS and look what they gave Luke!  What a great gift for him and his twin brother to share.

When I was a little girl, in the early 50s, we always gathered at my great-grandmas at Christmas.  We each received $1 from Grandpa and 50 cents from Grandma.  They had a huge nativity set with the kings and camels a foot tall.  I always wondered what happened to it and my cousin just sent out a family letter saying his father inherited it and then it passed to him.  Due to its size they never displayed it beyond 1991, the year my Uncle Ted died, until this year.  It was brought to America by my great-great-great grandfather Henry Linfert who was born in Prussia in 1832.  I was so happy to learn it has been passed down.  

Here is the trunk I inherited from my great-grandfather on the other family side.  He came to America from Germany around 1870 or so, using this trunk to bring his belongings.  Such wonderful keepsakes from the past.  I recently took the Ancestry DNA test and there were no surprises there, I am 98% Western European.