------>Bread, Salt, and Mayo<---------

Well, we did it. We decided on a general contractor, put it in writing, and signed on the dotted. Wednesday night, we'll meet up with him to select tile and tub, and Demo starts thurs morning. As you can probably imagine, we are pretty uptight.And, it doesn't help my uptightness to know a certain someones Christmas party is on the 5th. Yeah ! During reconstruction! My evil plan was, for Tny to get called in Saturday.....now, SOMEone has to be here for the contractor, right? And if Tony is working and STEVE is at his Christmas, party, that leave....well, Moi, right? I have my toes crossed so Steve can't see 'em.

It is Thanksgiving Eve. The Chinese feast has been eaten "Romancing the Bird [a Food Network special by Alton Brown, Tony was kind enough to stream it from his puter to the TV for us] was viewed and commented on, the house is wonderful [except for that fucking shower from hell, but we'll set that right next week] the birds [2-14 lb Turkies] are brining in a huge tote, covered with ice, in the back of my truck. Unorthodox, yes. But I speak Turkey, it knows my name :o) we are as ready as we will ever be for our first big party in the Love Shack.

I have a confession to make. I ran the dishwasher 3 times today. And I do not approve of dirty dishes in my sink, I wasn't playing catch up. But something is going on with my elbows, they both feel like I got hit with a baseball bat. So the big things.....my mixing bowls, 12 qt pot with steamer insert [for the potatoes] things I'd usually hand wash, this year I said SCREW it, and let the dishwasher do the work. I LOVE THAT DISHWASHER :O)

Thanksgiving evening. We just had the best Thanksgiving we have ever had. I'm sitting here tearing up trying to type.THAT is my excuse for any typos, so there.

Early this morning, Steve and I go to get the brine bin out of my truck. As we come up the stairs to the kitchen area, my end of the lid...and I am in the lower position,...pops open, and I got DOUSED with ice and brine and peppercorns, dammit. NOT the way to start any day let alone a holiday, and I was thinking "YEAH? Oh, YEAH? Well FUCK this". Note that I did NOT say it. Steve started laughing, and that cooled me off a bit, better than the ice bath did, anyway. Clean up, birds in oven, coffee. OK, things are looking better.

As I spoke with some dear friends tonight, I realize that we all think of Thanksgiving [and Christmas] in different ways. For me and Mine, it is a day long family reunion-sit-down-dinner-around-noon-dessert-any-old-time-you-want it-and-a-light-late-dinner-before-everyone-leaves. Our first guests are one of my sisters and her crew. I am telling you, her and her familys' obvious delight in the Love Shack nearly unmanned me, I almost started boo-hooing right there. We gave them the grand tour, and then the second contingent showed up, in the form of another sister and one of my nephews. We stood outside near her car. [this was her first visit to The Shack] She said, "You know, I heard somewhere, to bless a house, you need bread"...and whipped out a platter of the best breads I have ever eaten, I didn't know you could buy that. EVERy variety of gorgeous bread, simply the best. "And you need salt so everything tastes good" and whipped out a large container of salt"........and THEN...... " I forgot what the last line was, so I got you this"..... and whipped out,..... a huge jar of Hellmanns Mayo. NOT MIRACLE WHIP FROM DE DEBBIL, mind you. I cried I laughed so hard. I told her, I believe the last line is something about a bottle of wine, but.......... every family has it's inside jokes, and THIS sister is a mayo junkie just like I am, two peas in the same genetic pod. How fitting! How funny and fitting, and absolutely perfect for The Shack, and here we are laughing like loons out in the street :o)

The Dinner,.....glorious. The family and friends, even more so. Steve and I sat down after the last of the family, Boo and T left, and rehashed the glow of the day. He told me that another niece [who was also here today] said the pics I blog of The Shack do not do it justice at all. So please, from now on when I blog a pic, you be sure to put on those rose colored glasses, OK? :o)

I think I've blogged some of the challenges Steve and I have faced over the years, and I KNOW, as well as you do, that I blogged the search for the Shack. What meant abso-friggin-lutley the most to us, was to have everyone who has crossed our threshold.......every ONE of them was genuinely thrilled to see us get our home. THAT means more to Us than anything. THAT was the vibe emanating thru our Love Shack today.

This, a g-rated story from the AOL welcome screen, made Tiny just for you:

http://tinyurl.com/ye52n4b

[click on the story title to be taken to the whole story] ...and Don't you be a-shootin at any whales in Tennessee now, yall hear?

Whales in Tennessee, and Seagulls in the U.K.People are the same the world round :O)

December:
1st: National Pie Day and Eat A Red Apple Day
2nd: National Fritters Day
3rd: National Roof-Over-Your-Head Day