Thanksgiving on a Tuesday

I usually try to post at least once a week, but that didn't happen last week. I haven't been getting enough sleep (thanks to Sophia, but more on that in her 8 month update post, coming tomorrow!). I've been exhausted, and just trying to get through each day. No mental energy to come up with blog posts.

But, like I said, Sophia's 8 month update will go up tomorrow. And today?

Today we will be at Art's parents' house for Thanksgiving! Because of every body's schedules, it worked better to do Thanksgiving today instead of Thursday. Art's mom is hosting, but not cooking, so we're getting the turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and pies cooked in advance, and they're going to pick it all up in the afternoon. I've cooked entire Thanksgiving dinners in the past, and I would love to do it this year, but now that I have a baby, it's just not possible.

I'll be making the green bean casserole and candied yams there, but I've picked the most simple versions possible, so it will be quick, and easy, and stress-free. I made the spinach dip last night, so it's all ready to go.

This will definitely be one of the most laid back Thanksgivings we'll ever have. Well, it will probably be like this for the next couple of years. But believe it or not, I'm actually looking forward to the day when I can spend hours and hours in the kitchen, making (nearly) every dish from scratch (with a little help). There is something so rewarding about sitting down to a Thanksgiving feast, knowing that you cooked all of it (and hopefully did a good job).

It's weird, because normally I wouldn't say that I love cooking. But when it comes to a great, big turkey dinner? I am more than happy to "slave away" at it. Of course, we can't forget that a full day of cooking helps to build up a big appetite.

And since no Thanksgiving post would be complete without giving thanks for something: I am thankful that Art pretty much has the whole week off, both from work, and school. I have no idea what we're going to do with all the free days ahead of us, but it will be nice just having him around. I'm sure Sophia will love it too. :)

Stress-Free Supper

Ever since Sophia was born, I have dreaded making dinner. It seemed like it was the one thing I could never accomplish, because it took too long.

Cleaning is no problem. I can do a little bit here, and a little bit there. If Sophia gets bored and starts fussing, I can abandon the project and come back to it later.

But meals don't work that way (rather, they don't work very well that way). So for a few months, I was barely making dinner, much to Art's displeasure. I am sorry to say that we had many arguments about it.

Then, a couple of months ago, my friend Sozan came across a blog (I'm sorry, I don't know which one, or I would link to it) where a group of moms solved their dinner dilemmas by getting together and making all their meals for the entire month. I think they must do this over the course of one weekend.

I thought this was a neat idea, but not very practical for someone with limited freezer space, living in an apartment. I'm sure these women have deep freezers where they can store all their pre-made meals.

However, Sozan had an idea to do a modified version of this that would make dinner preparations a little easier. She suggested spending several hours chopping up the vegetables that I use on a regular basis, and freezing them in Ziploc bags. My freezer may not have room for entire meals, but it definitely has room for pre-chopped veggies.

So one evening when Art had already left for his night shift, I pulled out my cutting board and a chef's knife and got to work.

And Sophia helped!

Sort of.

Mostly she just threw things on the floor.

[By the way, why do they sell celery in such large quantities? Are there people out there who actually use that much celery in a short space of time? I swear, we'll have enough to last us a year.]

Anyway, I managed to keep Sophia pretty entertained (we only had to take a couple of quick breaks). And in just a few hours I had chopped enough carrots, celery, green peppers, red peppers and onions to last a couple of months!

The payoff has been huge! Making dinner is SO easy and quick now, because I don't have to spend time chopping vegetables (that part often takes the longest). I can just pull them out of the freezer while the meat is cooking, and something like lasagna or meatloaf comes together in a snap.

So if you're a busy mom (and what mom isn't busy?!) and you're looking for ways to speed up the dinner-making process, this is one way to do it. I am able to make several healthy and delicious dinners per week, and it takes mere minutes. Art and I are much happier, and Sophia? Well, I think Sophia is working on busting out some teeth so she can partake in these yummy suppers.

Pillow Talk: Episode 3

The following conversation took place early in the morning a few days ago. Art was surprisingly wide awake, but I was really groggy and did not want to open my eyes. Art snuggled close to me and started saying silly things to get me to wake up.

Art: "You know what you need? A good morning kiss."

Me: "Hm."

Art: *Whispering* "Tonsil hockey. Tee hee!"

Me: *Mumbling* "I hate hockey."

Art: "Tonsil....reading?"

Me: "Wha...?"

Art: "I don't know. I was just trying to think of something you do like."

Me: "That doesn't even make sense. Tonsil reading....."*Snort* *I start laughing uncontrollably*

Me: "Oh, I'm so tired! That wasn't even that funny!"

Art: "....Yeah. I think you need to put on the long sleeved jacket that ties in the back. Get it? Because it's a straight jacket?"

Me: "Shhh!"