1.  We tackled two Thanksgiving meals in three days. In forty-three hours to be exact. You might say we’re the marathoners of holidaying, and Thanksgiving is our 5K warmup for the Christmas season. Ho ho ho and pass the Pepcid.

2.  So I know you’ve all been wondering, “How’d that stuffing thing work out, Laura?” because what else could you possibly have going on besides random curiosity about my gluten free life. Yep. And the answer is IT WORKED OUT GREAT. Yaaaassss!

3.  Someone asked me to spill if I found any good GF recipes but here’s the thing – I made my great grandma’s stuffing and there’s just no way I can put that on the internet. No.Way. Like an ancestors-from-the-Great-Beyond-will-appear-in-my-dreams-to-whoop-my-ass kind of No Way. But basically I substituted all my bread stuff with gluten free supplies and worked from there. It needs tweaking – primarily more spices to make GF white bread more like the breadcrumbs I used to use – but this was a solidly yummy start.

4.  I realized around 2:00pm on Thursday that our gravy had gluten. (Yes, yes, we use jar gravy. Sue me.) So imagine my delight when I discovered the gravy packets in Butterball turkey breasts are made with – wait for it – rice flour. Whaaa? Whisk that baby up with turkey drippings, a little water, and cornstarch and voila! Gravy goodness. Did I need gravy? Well, I guess that depends on your definition of need. And gravy goodness. But yes. Yes, I did.

5.  Friday was Christmas decorations day. And bake up the gluten-y pound cake for Saturday’s lunch day. And watch the animals recover from a house full of people day. Plus pizza and a sleepover guest. It was a full schedule.

6.  You know what’s good times? When it’s 11:15pm and everyone’s settled down, except the two boys who plan to play Fortnite until they pass out, and the animals are prepped for bed, and the girl’s gone upstairs, and then the power goes out. Not just a flicker flicker that makes you reset the clocks. We’re talking lights out, dead silent, darkness descends followed by slightly panicked shouting from the child upstairs.

7.  Cue finding flashlights, passing out extra blankets, and bringing in water from the garage because middle of the night pee breaks are no joke…next thing you know it’s after midnight, my eyes are burning, the kitty is going nuts, and apparently nobody will ever sleep again ever ever because it’s too dark. Bless.

8.  Saturday was my first holiday outing at someone’s house where I brought my own meal along. It was either that or go hungry (or eat the regular food and feel like crap but that wasn’t really a choice) so I made it work. Was it slightly awkward to appropriate their microwave then show up at the table with an entirely different meal after everyone had already started? Sure it was. Did I blow off someone’s suggestion that gluten sensitivity is over-diagnosed as some sort of trendy health issue? Sure I did.

9.  On a side note, did you know Food Lion sells a gluten free cheesecake? We’re past the holiday and I have zero reasons to need a cheesecake sampler in my fridge…which is of course why I have a cheesecake sampler in my fridge. A girl can only show so much restraint; sometimes you just gotta splurge.

10.  At the risk of spoilers (ssshhhhh. SECRET.) I did manage to start our Christmas shopping over the weekend. No, not in person, that’s just crazy talk. Things that suck all holiday spirit from my soul: fighting for parking spaces, crowded stores, limited supplies, burning gas, bright lights, a wave of humanity crushing into each other when all I want for the love of God is a pair of holiday socks and those super cute earrings. Things that protect the buffer zone around my holiday spirit: comfy slippers, pajama pants, staying hydrated, being able to take bathroom breaks without needing someone to hold my place in line, comparison shopping across websites, and finding the perfect holiday socks to go with those super cute earrings on a lightning sale with double coupons and free shipping.