Long Winter's Week

This is what happens to little boys that choose not to nap; they cozy up on the couch & fall into a deep and blissful sleep - at 4pm

I guess it's not officially Winter yet (7 more days, for those playing at home), but these fun-filled, short-on-daylight days are taking their toll; those in the Goodwin House are all worn out on this sleepy Thursday eve. Let's look back at our week, shall we?

Monday: Off to work I went, which meant Benjamin-Duty for Dave while his mom continues to recuperate. Post-work workout: 1 hour of spinning. Chicken Tetrazzini tasted especially good, as it was made the night previous... and thus ready to eat when our ravenous crew got home. Hopped on Facebook and became a wee-bit discouraged by all the "look what I did's" that I deactivated my account; a little FB break is oh-so-good for my soul. Oh, GOT SOME BIG NEWS TODAY... more on that Thursday.

Tuesday: Remote Work Day for moi. A case broke open for Dave last week, so he was BUSY BUSY BUSY. Benjamin ran around like crazy, as usual. Quickly devoured the Thyme Chicken, Roasted Squash with Red Potatoes, and Cucumber-Tomato Salad before the Youth's Merry Caroling Adventure whisked Dave away for a few hours.

Wednesday: Laundry, dishes and sweeping, oh my! While I headed to the RS Christmas Meeting to set up, sing, "Oh Little Town of Bethlehem" and accompany one of the missionaries, My Men stealthily left on a top secret trip to the Marysville Premium Outlets. Benjamin+Shopping+Christmas Shoppers... have I ever said how much my husband rocks? If not, he does.

Thursday: And now we come to today - the BIG DAY and the BIG NEWS. Today I started cleaning out my office. I'm moving. Moving home. Permanently. (And no, I didn't get fired.) Hospital administrators desperately needed some space and so I most generously offered my stifling-hot office to them and simply said I could work from home - to help them out. Needless to say, they jumped at my offer. Yes, you can call me a Saint... or a Skillful Manipulator, but with the exception of a quick face-to-face each week, I get to work from home. It frees up Dave's mom from childcare duties. It means we don't have to pay for the Montessori school. It means I need to get SUPER ORGANIZED, manage my time like Steven Covey and figure out how in the world to work while a little 2-year-old is begging for attention. It may take a little mountain-moving, but given the opportunity, I'm going to make it happen. Also, I gave away a Book of Mormon to my Volunteer Librarian. Yay for me! To say I was a bit trepidatious would be putting it mildly. But, today was her last day and she's moving across the country; I suppose the fact that I will likely never see her again makes the act a little less courageous. I wrapped it up with the rest of her present and wrote a nice letter about my testimony. She's an awesome, lovely, genuine friend and is looking for "something", so we shall see. Despite my less-than-courageous, give-it-to-her-as-she's-running-out-the-door move, I'll still going to give myself a high five and a little pat on the back. This may not seem like a big deal to some, but this is a BIG deal for me.

With all of that stuff, it's no wonder I'm ready to go to bed at 8!

My Thanksgiving Eve

(aka: the Great Turkey Hunt of 2011)

I thought everything was set. Due to an illness in the family, Thanksgiving was moved to my house. We decided on Monday... three days before the big Feast. Moved to my house, my responsibility. We had the turkey, so no problemo.

BUT - (There is always a 'but' when things seem to be going too well.)

Due to unforeseen circumstances, I suddenly became turkey-less in Seattle on Tuesday night (egads) which initiated the Great Turkey Hunt of 2011. With 16 Thanksgiving-eaters eager to feast, I needed to find a 25lb (or larger) turkey in less than 24 hours, and so here is how my strategic hunt played out on a very cold and very soggy Wednesday morning:

Visit to Safeway - $69 for a 22lb Butterball (THANK YOU, BUT NO).

Visit to Fred Meyer - no turkeys over 20 lbs. (I am shocked, and starting to lose hope.)

Visit to Trader Joes (in hopes of a fresh turkey) - no turkeys. At all.

Visit to Costco - no turkeys. At all. (Praying this is not a pattern)

Visit to Winco - Turkey Salvation!

After a $50 purchase at Winco, I got a beautifully, robust 25.42lb-Butterball turkey for $14 & change. No kidding! Oh blessed day! Unfortunatley, it was frozen solid. The thawing process deserves an entire post of its own, but suffice to say I thawed that BIG BIRD and we dined on an amazingly-moist turkey, the likes of which I've never tasted. I can't take all the credit - I have to give mad props to some dude named Chef John. I followed his video to the T, except I added a quartered Honeycrisp apple & fresh herbs inside the bird and I utilized my secret weapon, a Reynolds Turkey Oven Bag (worth their weight in gold).

While all of that thawing drama was rolling out in my bathtub - oh, the tales I could tell - I got myself busy with some of the other things on my To-Do List. Dave's siblings took on the majority of the Thanksgiving sides, so my only real food responsibility was the turkey & gravy. I also made a spinach/artichoke dip, raspberry lemonade, chocolate cream tartlets and baked a pre-frozen berry pie... mostly because I just wanted to. (NOTE: Dave says I am a classic "over-doer", and you know, he's probably right. Oh, ok - he's right!) I also played with my skinny-jeans-wearing Benjamin, fancied up my table settings all Martha Stewart-like (according to my brother-in-law), whipped up a quick, one-dish dinner of roasted chicken, onions, garlic & red potatoes, listened to Christmas music, watched the constant rain fall and stayed toasty warm thanks to our lovely fireplace. I give thanks for all of these things because they brought me little pieces of happiness on a pretty stressful day.

And to cap it all off, I made my Killer-Famous-Chocolate-Infused-Rice-Krispie Treats. They don't look fancy, but they are just so good and just what the doctor ordered to celebrate a successful hunt and another day in my Thanksgiving Week! And with that, I give you my Thanksgiving Eve in pictures (none of the hunt because, folks, I was a woman on a mission, and my camera was slowing me down!):