Hmmm … maybe I should rephrase …
We were told that we get the 31st December paid off work, so that’s meant that I’m able to take an extra day off work, as I had originally booked the 31st as a personal vacation day.
So this is actually long weekend 2 of 4!!
Anyway … this weekend didn’t quite go as planned. But then, they never do, do they?
Let’s skip back to last weekend.
There was SOOOO much to do, but Eliza was teething quite heavily, so my ability to do anything was pretty much nil.
I didn’t even get the laundry done.
Fortunately, we have an over abundance of clothing, so it didn’t really create a big issue … but it did mean that I had to do double loads this weekend.
Thursday was Thanksgiving Day in the US.
Originally, the plan was to go to our friend’s house, as he had one of those frozen everything-you-can-imagine dinners … but he figured that with a large proportion being meat, and with Frank and I being vegetarians, he’d just save it for some other time.
Frank volonteered me to make Cheese and Onion Pasties … and I’d offered to make bread … but Frank didn’t remember me telling him that Mike had asked us to bring some homemade truffles … so I needed to make those too.
In short, I soon got flustered.
But we managed.
I even tried a new truffle recipe – ultra pure – ultra rich.
After a chaotic morning of prep-work, baking, and little else, we left the house at 2pm … and at the car, Frank dumped all but two of ‘my’ truffles (he made some using his ‘old’ recipe too) all over the soggy wet ground. Sigh.
The food was good nevertheless. We stayed over there for a good 4 hours.
Came home, and decided that the day had been such a write-off as far as general duties/work was concerned, that we’d just call it quits and put up the Christmas Tree.
We captured Eliza’s face as she saw the lights turn on for the first time.
Both Frank and I were moved to tears. Not sure why. But it was pretty emotional.
On Friday (aka ‘Black Friday’) we didn’t get up at x-o’clock to brave the crowds at all of the post-Thanksgiving sales.
From what I understand, it’s crazier than the after-Christmas sales in the UK.
People start queueing at midnight, so that they can be one of the first people to get that 50%-priced laptop, gaming console etc etc.
On Saturday, I did the laundry routine, added some more decorative motifs to the entry parlor, and started clearing out the Buffet and China Cabinet in our dining room (= stuff all over the dining room table). We also did our bulk 5-week shop, and I washed my hair with Baking Soda for the first time!! (Make a rinse 1c. hot water, 1/2 c. baking soda, massage thoroughly into scalp and rinse.).
By the end of Sunday, my festive decorating touches moved through the dining room and into the kitchen. I shuffled the furniture in the entry, after giving the rug and floor a thorough cleaning and mopping the floor. I also managed to get said furniture suite (well, the chairs at least) 90% completed – enough that they’ll ‘pass’ for completed when we have guests.
I still need to put the backs on the settee … but pending the rediscovery of the ever-elusive scissors, pliers, and staple gun that will be quickly finished.
The truffles got dipped. I managed to salvage the dropped ones, by putting them under hot running water (melting off the outer layer with any contaminants) and then dunking them in freezing water to solidify the outer shell again… but those will be for my own chocolate stash.
We even dipped some banana chunks and and marshmallows!!
And after all of that, we took a quick little walk around the block with our slippers.
Frank’s mother arrives with her husband in the unholy hours of Thursday morning (1:30ish), and I’ll have Thursday and Friday off work for long-weekend 3 of 4.
I know that she’s going to love Eliza, so with any luck, they will keep each other company for a little while each day, allowing me to finish off the tasks that have been so difficult to finish.