Coming up for air

*GASP*
Ohmygoshhowareyouguys? I've been catching up on your posts while decorating the house for Christmas with my three helpers since we have the first day of buck season off from school and also paying bills and ordering ornament kits and cooking leftovers although we are having black beans and rice for dinner tonight because, Beezus and Ramona, am I sick of turkey and all of its by-products especially because I took leftovers to my parents last night and came home with more food which is nice but NOT HELPFUL and I know you want to see pictures and hear how Thanksgiving went and all I can say is get in line behind my father-in-law who forgot his camera and is emailing me about photos as we speak and speaking of wanting to hear things I'm sure Kelly and several other people are wondering if I'm ever going to post reviews of their books and products, like, BEFORE Christmas, for the love of blog, and the answer to all of these questions is "Soon," which I imagine pleases you as an answer about as much as it pleases my children but it's the best I can do at the moment.

Dairy-Free Thanksgiving Menu 2009

Dairy-Free (and Semi-Wheat Free) Thanksgiving Menu
Made with lots of love and delegation

Two turkeys, deep-fried by Scott and Grandad
Gravy (substitute dairy-free margarine for the butter) made by Grandad
Gramma's stuffing, two batches, made with DF bread
Scott's mashed potatoes (made with soymilk and DF margarine)
Uncle Jarred's Sweet Potato Casserole (made with DF margarine)
Peas
Green beans
Gramma's Seven-Layer Salad (made with Sour Supreme and no cheese)
Scott's rolls and wheat-free bread
Cranberries: cranberry jelly and the awesome cranberry orange relish made by our grocery store
Applesauce (from the freezer)
Appetizers, made by Aunt Emily
Freezer pickles

Pumpkin Pie
DF/wheat-free Cherry Crisp made by Gramma

Cider
Soda
Water
Wine (Lots.)
Decaf coffee
Sparkling Grape Juice

Winner, winner, vegan dinner

The winner of My Sweet Vegan is:

GardenMama! Comment number 11. Congratulations! Email me your info and we'll get a cookbook to you!

One Week

Till company arrives.

Kitchen progress:
trim painted
backsplash tiles done
curtains made (by my friend)
breakfast nook assembled (by my husband)
holes filled
walls washed

Today, I begin the primer.

What are your Thanksgiving plans?

Sniffin' Fumes

Have I mentioned that we're hosting Thanksgiving again? With an all-time high attendance level of fifteen people and a dog? (Yes, and you, Kevin.) And that our house is...not big? And that some of my in-laws want to exchange Christmas gifts the day after Thanksgiving and some do not, but I figured I'd better have their gifts purchased and wrapped just in case?

Clearly this week is the appropriate time for me to start redoing our kitchen that I've hated for six years. Especially because it is parent/teacher conference week and we have half days of school Wednesday through Friday. I tiled the backsplash on Monday (with self-adhesive tile) and I could have stopped there. But yesterday I started painting the trim. As my OB/GYN said to my husband and sister after I ordered him to just BREAK MY WATER ALREADY, I'VE BEEN ON PITOCIN FOR TEN HOURS, "We are committed."

Now I am committed to getting this project done. Well, mostly. When my husband asked if I planned to sand and paint the cabinets before Thanksgiving, too, I said, "Oh no, that would be insane!" He just smiled. And maybe the entire enterprise is insane to someone who didn't grow up in a house where her parents wallpapered the bathroom on Thanksgiving morning. (Hi, Mom and Dad!) But come on, our kitchen is the size of your pantry or mudroom. I can do this, right?

RIGHT?

And the Winners Are...

Numbers seven and forty-five, Beck and Yasharian! I have the screenshots of the numbers Random.org chose on my desktop, but I have NO IDEA how to post them. Please get me your info and Alisa will send you a bunch of vegan e-cookbooks!

Cereal and Elephants

My e-cookbook giveaway is here.

One Frugal Foodie's awesome cereal giveaway is here.

Enjoy Life Foods has a new blog.

The Food Allergy Support Group of Minnesota emailed me about a Food Allergy Resource Fair going on this Saturday in Hopkins, Minnesota. I have been to their beautiful state exactly once to visit a friend one October. We went to the first U.S. performance of this musical that was written and introduced by these guys and I saw Garrison Keillor in the audience. It was fabulous. And freaking cold.

Tomorrow I am going to the circus with hundreds of second graders. I'll just have to think about Water for Elephants to amuse and distract myself on the long bus ride.