Busy Extended Weekend

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

I took today off to get as much prep work done for the big feast tomorrow. Sharon had to work so I had the house to myself (Johnny was in his cave) for most of the day. My prep work consisted of shopping early at Wal-Mart to fetch supplies, making the brine for the turkey, whipping up 6lbs of mashed potatoes, baking stuffing, prepping asparagus and chopping vegetables for relish trays. Of course there was LOTS of dishes and cleanup done throughout the day as well.

Annie was a blessing when she showed up and did an awesome job of cleaning the house from top to bottom!  Hannah also showed up in the evening and she and Annie baked pumpkin and pecan pies...yum!

Thanksgiving Day, November 24, 2011

Sharon woke up around 4:00AM to make her awesome homemade dinner rolls before she and the girls went to Jazzercize at 8:00AM.  While they were gone I baked them off for her and they turned out very good.  I took the turkey out of the brine and had it in the oven by 9:30, right on schedule.

Annie's boyfriend, Jason, showed up around 11:00.  Hannah's boyfriend, Derek, stopped by on his way to Columbus where he was celebrating Thanksgiving with his family.  Ben and his girlfriend, Jennifer, arrived around 2:00.  The weather was very nice, 65 degrees, but quite windy.  We went to the courthouse and another area downtown to take our traditional holiday family photo.

When we were done with the photo we finally ate around 3:00.  Thanksgiving dinner consisted of: Apple brined roasted turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, grilled asparagus, cranberry salad and dinner rolls. Everyone was very satisfied and full.  After dinner we went on our traditional walk over to Greenwood Cemetery to pay a visit to "Kamprath Row".

After cleaning everything up, Hannah stayed and watched a movie with us that we rented on demand, Water for Elephants.  It was another very fulfilling, blessed day with the family.

Friday, November 25, 2011

Friday was spent heading in early to Lincoln to paint trim in the house that Derek just bought.  Hannah had been painting there since Monday but needed help to get as much done as possible before moving in over the weekend. I painted the trim in the master bedroom while listening to the Huskers beat the Hawkeyes.  Friday evening Sharon and I fell asleep before 9PM watching TV. What a wild Friday night!


Saturday & Sunday

We used a twisted plastic sheet as a rope.

The weekend was spent helping Derek and Hannah move the last few items from their apartment into the new house. I helped Derek with stuff and painted while Sharon and Hannah cleaned and organized. It was a fun but tiring weekend.

Hannah painting the bathroom.

Living room painting done!