IT'S A CHOICE

OF COURSE THEY ARE ALL OUT OF ORDER.  I SPENT THE ENTIRE DAY GETTING XMAS EVE FOOD READY.  TODAY, XMAS DAY, I AM BAGGED.  SO TURKEY HAS TO WAIT TIL TOMORROW.  THIS WAS MY XMAS MORNING BREAKFAST IN BED.

EVERY TIME MONTE HAS A BRILLIANT IDEA A LIGHT ON HIS HEAD COMES ON.

WE COULDN'T FIT THE DESSERTS OR THE SPINACH DIP ON THE COFFEE TABLE.

THE MAIN SHOW.  THERE WERE ONLY THREE OF US.  THERE IS AN OBSCENE AMOUNT OF FOOD LEFT OVER.  THAT WILL BE TODAY'S SUSTENANCE.  TOM HAS TO WAIT TIL TOMORROW.  TIL THEN HE WILL SIT ON THE DECK IN THE COLD...COLDER THAN THE FRIDGE WHERE HE WOULDN'T FIT ANYWAY.

 The title of this post is basically my motto.  Now you people that are around me a lot, if you actually read this thing, know that I don't always remember to exercise that thought.  I try to but I am getting old you know and forget things.  lol.  

So with that in mind I gave myself a good talking to this morning when I woke up at 1:00 am.  I woke up sad for heaven's sake.  (shovel list) I took time to analyze why was I morose and unhappy. I wasn't really sure. 

 But April had sent a text how she was missing the childhood excitement for xmas, Santa on the roof...she is sure she heard him one night in our old old house, the plethora of gifts and stuffed stockings (or should I say garbage bags as the stockings would never hold it all), delicious food and candy and things we never got otherwise.  There was so much excitement, surprises and fun.  I responded by saying that there wasn't an adult out there that didn't mourn the old times with our little children and also when we were kids ourselves. 

 I have a dislike for parents, that in the silly light of 'not lying' to their kid,  dispel the Santa myth.  Meanest thing on the planet!!!  To deprive them the very few years of true belief and faith in a Santa is really awful and mean. Says something about a parent that would be so misguided.  Kids figure it out eventually and I have never ever heard of a child holding it against the parent for not telling them there is no Santa. I have heard of kids being very resentful of a disbelieving parent! And if the parent handles it well, it can be explained in a most fantastical way.  You know who you are out there!!!!  Shame on you and missing that magical time with your children. In my opinion only!

Back to the analyzing.  I realized that I am missing being with all my family, no tree, nothing special happening, no presents, no overstuffed garbage bags standing in for stockings.  No little oranges that back in the day you could only get at Christmas.  Then you would keep the wooden box they came in to use on the front seat between Mom and Dad for the youngest kid to sit on.  yikes!!  And no driving around looking at xmas lights.  No one seems to be doing them this year.

So I gave myself a shake, wrote on my gratitude list, reminded myself that it is a choice how this xmas is going to go and started to get excited about the plan the three of us came up with.

So xmas eve is where it happens.  Xmas day is all turkey dinner day...making it, eating it and cleaning the kitchen afterwards.

All three of us happened to be in the living room so I asked them what we should do xmas eve.  I said we can't just sit around and stare at each other.  Games are out.  Mr. Autistic doesn't play games.  Talking is out.  He doesn't talk/visit either.  Movies are out.  He doesn't watch tv at all.  Like what the heck are we going to do?  Ange did mention movies and he went along with that!!!  I suggested a xmas movie but he piped up that we should watch a Bollywood musical!!!  I am not sure if Ange was too excited about that, poor thing, but I dove on it and and YES YES YES!!!  The fact that he was even willing to watch something at all, not only was a big thing....it kinda made my xmas.

So I have chosen to hakuna matata (sp?) and enjoy.  I do get to cook.  Tonight we have blueberry balsamic slow cooker meatballs (blueberry only because stupid Walmart delivery doesn't have grape jelly..shovel list), cranberry balsamic baked brie, surimi, prawn and scallop seafood dip using yorkshire puddings for the dip, spinach dip, one with chestnuts and one without, small charcuterie board, creamed corn and salsa dip with scoops, triscuits and ritz crackers, banana peanut butter honey roll ups and sliced like sushi.  I wanted some smoked salmon but this town doesn't have any.  I mean Aryn got some in Dawson, a gerjillian miles from the ocean and here we are on the ocean but noooo..no smoked salmon anywhere.  And if that isn't enough I have fifty wieners in the fridge and pilsbury wiener wraps and then all the pickles and olives and Kathy's pickled beets.  A real Xmas eve.  I also made a three sandwich loaf batch of stuffing. There's a ton of it for the huge turkey.  

Then the baking.  I didn't bake at all.  I don't want to be worn out to the point I can't make dinner tomorrow.  So I ordered brownies, squares, little cinnamon buns, Christmas fruit cake...which reminds me.  If any of you get the dreaded fruit cake and you hate it (which I don't understand) please save it for us.  We not only eat it, we love it.  And it has a shelf life that beats Twinkies so even if I don't see you for a couple of years it will still be good.  We will take it. Thank you in advance.  We would be willing to pay a small storage fee.

Have any of you made spinach dip lately.  They don't sell chopped spinach anymore.  At least not in Port.  They do sell the frozen cubes.  But that spinach!!!!  It's like a cow chewed it, swallowed it and regurgitated it.  It has been mulched into microscopic pieces...no bigger bits to chew on. It actually goes through my fine sieve!  So disappointing.  And it gets everywhere. It gets in my raccoon wounds.  (shovel list)

Well I gotta bounce.  I need to prepare the brie to bake, chop prawns and scallops and bake the risen bread loaves (from frozen) in the oven.  And I have to figure out how long the turkey needs to cook for tomorrow.  I paid 23 dollars for a non deformed or missing parts smaller turkey.  It was in the grocery delivery order.  That sucker is seven kilos.  Seven!!!  Fifteen and a half pounds.  Not sure if the three of us can handle that!!!  Between now and new years we will be eating all the different things you can make with a ton of turkey.  And I don't eat meat.  So that is almost eight pounds of turkey between the two of them.   hahaha!!!!!

Have a wonderful Xmas out there!!!  I will be thinking of you all.  TFL & TTYLG