In October I’m so very nonchalant about hosting Thanksgiving at our house. Thanksgiving? Well, sure, we can have the dinner here. No problem. Get some family together, put some food out, it’s always a good time.

It isn’t until November that I think about all the other stuff that has to get done but still, we got this, there’s plenty of time.

But come the week of Thanksgiving I realize how busy the universe has been conjuring roadblocks out of thin air.

Let’s look at just a few of the super fun blips on the way to Thanksgiving 2019.

***************

That time Gracie stole my red notebook – the one with my most special recipes – and tore out several pages before I could rescue it. The only thing saving her furry butt was that she didn’t eat my mom’s chili or stuffing recipes.

***************

I was at the school no less than twice a week. We tackled forgotten lunches, emergency Advil, a sports injury, and one clothes calamity among a medley of random crises. Bless.

***************

That time Phoebe appeared at the back door covered in crap (not hyperbole). She’d scrubbed both sides of her neck in something so godawful it had me dry heaving on the patio. I had fifteen minutes until we needed to leave for swim practice and clearly baby wipes were not gonna cut it so into the bath she went. I wrenched a muscle lifting her in and out but we got to the pool in the nick of time.

***************

Plus the emergency load of laundry because Phoebe’s towels reeked so bad they were making the bedroom unbearable.

***************

A store sold out of gluten free bread. And milk. And onions. ONIONS, for the love.

***************

That day of prep cooking when the entire family forgot to let the dogs out all afternoon and into the evening until poor Gracie peed all over the rug.

***************

Plus the emergency load of laundry because towels soaked through with concentrated dog pee are no joke. Yikes.

***************

And then there was that heart stopping moment last night when BrightSide and I found Mia standing fully upright on two legs, smacking at the dining room light fixture. For a second I found myself calculating which would hold up better, the fixture or the table, if everything came crashing down. Now THAT would have made for an interesting story over turkey and stuffing.