Well I did it.
This week I pulled out a spiral notebook and started The List. Or more correctly—The Lists. (plural)
Tis the season of lists for every woman, isn’t it. I gave up on the cute little decorative scratch pads years ago and have resorted to keeping everything in one big, messy looking spiral book. I write all over the pages, then I go back and write all over what I wrote.
Heaven help me if I lose that thing.
But it’s true, right? Here is this year’s list of the lists:
-Holiday gift list
-Thanksgiving meal menu and food assignment list
-What can I make ahead and freeze for the next 8 weeks list.
-What can I buy but make everyone think is homemade list
-Ginormous master grocery shopping to be done at 3 stores list
-Honey Do list (I like to spread the joy!)
-House cleaning before everyone gets here list.
-What I am feeding AZ son since he only gets home once a year and I want it to be all his favorites list.
-What everyone will eat after the big T day and before the first day of hunting season begins since we will have a house full of men list
The biggest difference between having a family of mostly men and having one that is fair and balanced, is the grocery bill. With men, it’s all about the food. And holidays are all about the food. And hunting season is…..well…what is it?
If I could find a way to get them as excited and organized about hunting food at Wegmans as they are about getting up at 4am, gearing up with all their hunting supplies and sitting in subfreezing temps high in the trees, and then I would have half of my lists done in no time!
I’m really kidding you know.
It is my favorite time of year, despite all the work and frenzied pace, I love the craziness. I love the loudness and the mess. It means everyone I love is close by.
For the first week.
Then I’m over it and start begrudgingly the task of being the maker of the magic.
I do that till I hit the “mama’s had enough” button and then menopause woman takes over and the house gets really quiet.
So I just made a new list of lists.
And it looks like this:
-Keep the grocery list cause you’re gonna need it list
-Get everyone a gift card list
-Schedule my mani/pedi/hair apt. list
-Clean the kitchen and bathrooms only list
-Take all the coins I can find to Coinstar so we can eat out at restaurants list
l like this list. This one will fit on my pretty pad with pumpkins and sunflowers.
I think I’ll keep it.
Blessings,
Stephanie
Front Porch Tales 
maker of the magic…what an accurate title!
Boy, I could have written this myself! I will share with you the changes I have made and the things I have had to let go since adding a daughter and daughter-in-law with homes of their own. Fortunately, they want to share the holidays. This was painful for me at first.
As much as I love having what I call the “perfect” holiday meal and family time, I now share the holidays with the other women in the family, and new traditions have begun. I have Christmas, and I love it. I will hold on to it as long as I can manage. Angie hosts Thanksgiving. I miss it, but it is awfully close to Christmas, isn’t it? Carrie hosts Easter since Matt is a pastor, and we need to accommodate his service schedule. They live in Pennsylvania now, so we travel to them.
The girls have continued some traditions, but have added new ones as well. For example, my daughter-in-law has a craft for the grandchildren after Thanksgiving dinner that they look forward to. Carrie has an Easter egg hunt with special surprises. I used to wash the dishes for my mother-in-law after she prepared the meal and now I am washing dishes for my girls. I have to say, it’s bittersweet to watch the changes.
So, my lists have changed dramatically, but isn’t this how it’s supposed to be? A blessing in disguise!
Thanks for taking the time to share all the changes that have happened as your family has grown! I look forward to seeing how our family will add new traditions.
Stephanie, I’ve witnessed the way you make magic happen through food so lovingly cooked…