Thanksgiving 2012

This year since it was our first Thanksgiving in our first home, we opted to host.  Most normal people freak out and get stressed out about hosting, but as we all know, I am not normal.  I was so excited to host the holiday that I am pretty sure I could have been shooting moon beams and rainbows out of my tush.  It was a perfect opportunity to be the little OCD control freak that I am.

The Saturday prior to Thanksgiving Brandon and I went to the grocery store and got all the wonderful little things that make Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving.  We got ingredients to make pumpkin pie, pumpkin spice cupcakes, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, crescent rolls, stuffing and most importantly, a 21lb turkey.  Ambitious, I know.  We also went to Lowe’s to pick a shoe rack (what?  I was cleaning to prep for the holidays and decided I needed to organize my closet while I was at it), but left there with the greatest invention of all time – the marinade injector.  Talk about winning.  

While we expected a larger crowd for the holiday, ICUs and Hurricane Sandy thinned our crowd a little bit.  I did not let that deter me from making the most of this experience.  The Wednesday before Thanksgiving, I brought the folding table upstairs and I put down my lovely one-time use, only a $1.87 Walmart tablecloth.  I bought flowers and put them in mason jars. I had a beautiful tablescape planned.  The day before Thanksgiving we had some last minute errands to run, picking up the marshmallows for the yams that I felt guilty for not planning to make, getting the booze and buying the aforementioned flowers that I needed to have.  The ones I got just didn't look right.  They were missing that something special. When we got home from running errands, I had the most beautiful bouquet of flowers waiting for me.  Have I told you lately that my mother-in-law rocks?  Thank you, again, Lori - I am obsessed with them still :)

I made pumpkin pie from scratch and then pumpkin spice cupcakes for good measure.  I then spent probably 20 minutes playing with pyrex and serving bowls trying to figure out where everything would go on the table.  You must understand, my dining room table is tiny, it only comfortably seats 4, so I wasn’t about to try and seat 6 at the table and put all the food on it, which is why I needed my folding table.  I cut out little labels and I labeled the containers on my table. Seriously.  I ended up ditching the crock pot - it didn't fit the look.

 

Thanksgiving morning started with mimosas and the Macy’s parade, just as the perfect Thanksgiving should start.  By 9:15 the bird was in the oven and I was just chomping at the bit to get something else started.  I prepped the yams, the green bean casserole and the mashed potatoes by 11.  Michelle ended up making the stuffing – let’s be serious; I don’t eat it so I wasn’t too upset about giving the task away.  We sat down to eat by 2:30 and it was absolutely perfect.  The turkey was perfectly browned, the wine was flowing, the food was great, and the company was even better.  I would like to think that the Wilkinson’s first Thanksgiving was a huge hit. 

Hmm I wonder what other holidays I can host!