Donna Reed I'm Not, and That's By Choice

This weekend was a crazy mess of fun. My family arrived at my place on Wednesday night and we went out to dinner before coming home and starting to prep all the delicious Thanksgiving dishes that we planned to devour on Thursday.

Mom and Grandma focused on the turkey, potatoes, gravy and stuffing and I managed to make two fabulous Nutter-Butter, Peanut-Butter pies (yup, the exact ones they serve at Outback Steakhouse). In addition to that I tried a new recipe for Epicurean Peas which turned out so tasty (hit me up if you want the recipe), candied yams, string bean casserole, clam dip with chips, 5 cup fruit salad, and deviled eggs.

It was a fest, a very yummy feast, and I've been eating leftovers ever since. Actually, yesterday I made a fabulous turkey noodle soup that we'll be eating most of this week.

Although the food was great, I have decided that Thanksgiving is a ton of work, for the women specifically. My father literally slept on the couch all day, half in and out of a daze while the football game roared in the background as all the women worked their butts off in the kitchen. How would it be? How would it be to sit/sleep around on a couch all day waiting for a meal, get up and eat the meal, and walk right back to the couch to lay down and have your after meal slumber? I personally have never had the luxury of experiencing this (unless sick) because I'm usually the one in the kitchen prepping the meal and cleaning it up afterwards.

Even when I was younger, there were dishes to be done, tables to clear off, and mom always needed help with something (and it's no wonder she did considering my father and brother were in the living room in front of the TV before a plate could hit the dishwasher). Yup, cooking and cleaning up the mess were always left up to me, Mom and Grandma. I think lightening would strike if my dad or brother were to lift a finger in the kitchen, let alone clean up the after meal mess.

So, future children of mine, listen up. I don't care if you're my daughter or son. You will be helping out in the kitchen. This means you will be helping set and clear the table and you will be helping with the dirty dishes. I don't care if the football game of a lifetime is on, if you eat it, you'll help clean up the mess. I'm no Donna Reed folks. Everyone will shoulder a load in my house hold.

And thanks to my hubby who helped me put up the Christmas tree this weekend, and who also cleaned up the kitchen and did laundry yesterday. Extra points for you (now if you could only get those rotting pumpkins off the back deck considering I've been asking you to do it for a month now) :)