Wednesday through Sunday

Instead of listing things I'm grateful for, I'll give a brief synopsis of Thanksgiving events--I'm grateful for most of them.

We made incredible pies on Wednesday night.

We ate absolutely incredible food on Thursday. My favorite things were: Eric's brussel sprout with bacon dish--who knew that could be awesome?!, my raspberry pie, my mom's stuffing, Peanut's rolls, the turkey, and my sweet potatoes. I wish I'd brought the sweet potatoes and pie leftovers home with me today.

On Friday, we did some Black friday shopping at the mall--lots of fun!--and I got to go shopping for a little while with Doug and Brooklyn while Peanut watched the older kids. Also, Doug and I saw "Breaking Dawn" with my mom and Tanner after the kids went to sleep. It was good the second time around! I'm not a frenzied Twilight fan, but I've had fun with the movies.

Saturday did not meet my expectations because Doug was as sick as a dog. I did a lot of things with Peanut and my mom (stroller rides, a Walmart trip and a quick trip to Petco, as well as another hot-tub party) but I didn't get much of a break because Doug was out of commission.

We came home this morning after Lucy threw up (only one time, so we're hoping she's over it) and Doug has still felt lousy, but he is on the mend. I had to drive today, which I don't love doing. But hey, it reminded me that I don't like sunflower seeds, no matter the flavor, and I appreciated that Doug drives for us 99.9% of the time.

We've got a crazy week ahead of us. Lots of reading and commenting on student work for me, a doctor's appointment for all of the kids tomorrow, and Isaac will get his tonsils and adenoids removed on Wednesday, which will mean he becomes my number one priority then. And Doug has a trial on Friday. So I hope I can develop my "enjoy the journey" attitude this week, with a lot on my plate--and not the good stuff from Thanksgiving. I already miss that food!

Really, I would love to find a way to completely de-stress. From Teagan's post about massages, that may not even be my cure. Sickness stresses me out, and I long to be unfettered from stress and health-issues again. I'm sure Isaac's surgery will do wonders for my stress levels:).

And I'm sure reviewing our budget now will also bring a steadying calm.