Thanksgiving preparation

We're hosting B's whole family tomorrow for Thanksgiving, which means we'll have his mom and dad (newly divorced), his grandmother and her husband (he's cool because he brings the turkey and some casseroles), his brother and sister-in-law (they live in Louisiana and we don't get to see them often enough), and his aunt (the less said the better). Plus we're having some homeless orfing friends who don't have any other plans for the day. In all, we'll have at least 20 extra people in our 1500 square foot house. Usually we expand onto our big back deck and our nice front porch, but according to Mark Murray from KVUE, a cold front is supposed to blow in tonight. B is going to make an attempt at fixing our outdoor heater on the back porch, but we could end up with everyone in the house. We definitely don't have enough chairs.

Fortunately, B loves to cook on Thanksgiving. He's planning to make Beef Wellington, his piece de resistance. My job is to get the house ready for the cleaning lady, who is coming this afternoon, and to make two pies. I think I can handle that.

To prepare for the cleaning lady, I usually do a quick sweep of clutter and stuff and let her do the rest. She knows where most of our stuff goes. But today, I've been decluttering like a madwoman, putting away all the stuff that has drifted around the house for the past few weeks, throwing away things that aren't needed anymore, and tossing all of my already-read New Yorkers in the recycling bin. I've even straightening up and de-trashed my desk, mostly. The kitchen counter is cleared off - granted most of the stuff went in the junk drawers, but at least the counter is clean.

I even managed to throw out a garbage sack full of trash from the girls' room. I had sent them in to clean during Campbell's morning nap, but instead they pulled out their trundle filled with toys and made a bigger mess. As a result, I had to get involved, and I was merciless. If it was on the floor and made of paper, it went in the trash. I even cleaned off the top of their desk, which is no small task. Seeing their trundle open made me realize it's due for a big cleaning. I'll have to tackle that next week when they aren't here to witness it. It's time for all the un-played-with Barbies to go to a new home.

The trick will be keeping everything neat until tomorrow at 1:00 when guests arrive. I'm sure I'll be de-cluttering again tomorrow morning before everyone arrives.