The Rest of the Story.....

Paulius made some observations on his blog.......here are mine......

1) A husband should never wander into the kitchen on Thanksgiving day and stand directly behind his wife when she is doing about 10 things ,alternating between the stove/oven, sink, and refrigerator. It IS getting in the way-even if you are trying to kiss them on the back of the neck and be sweet. The safe way to do it is to stop in the DOORWAY of the kitchen and chat, or ask if there is anything he can do for his (insert pet name here).She won't remember it as you getting in her way- she'll remember it as her sweet husband offering his help from a safe distance.
2)Number 1 also covers staying out of the kitchen and being accused of not lifting a finger. You offered from a safe place. Think of that kitchen doorway as Switzerland- it's not IN- nor is it OUT.
It's a mans safe-haven.(Unless she has to use it heading to the bathroom-but that RARELY happens so you really don't need to worry about that one. Women don't take breaks of ANY kind when they are preparing T-day dinner)
3)Yes, if a man actually DOES help by doing something simple as mashing the potatoes, he WILL and SHOULD get credit where credit is due. Rightly so. Luckily for Paulius, I made instant potatoes for our Thanksgiving day dinner (Awww, get OVER it- I worked the night before and the night OF Thanksgiving and Potatoes take forever to do and I would have had to use a KNIFE- meaning I probably would have cut myself peeling them and added to our ever growing hospital bill. Besides- they all get drowned in an ocean of gravy anyway- it's not like anyone can actually taste them.)
4)Yeah the part about him getting at least 10 minutes of high praise is true- but I see that little tradition coming to an end in the foreseeable future because a lot of men are beginning to take more of a part in the preparing and cooking of the holiday meals. I'm honestly not sure I like that idea either. The holiday meals have been MY time to shine for so long I don't know if I could take it if it weren't mine any more......on the other hand...........I DO like football and would LOVE to watch the Macy's Parade all the way thru (I COMPLETELY missed Santa this year because i was in the kitchen and no one TOLD me when he was on his way-I have NEVER missed Santa coming down the street in the Macy's Parade before...I'm CRUSHED!!!)so maybe I WOULD like to try it one year! We'll see about it after that.
5)Does men getting high praise bother me? Nope- I LIKE that I have a man who can actually cook. And I get PLENTY of praise about the things I made as well. Have your lime-light sweetness.
6)My favorite is his comment that....'If a wife asks for help (such as "pass me the milk from the fridge") that help received automatically allows the husband to say 'he helped make that'....'
OMFG...If that's true wives can claim that because she handed her man a hammer or a wrench she "helped" put the engine in the car or helped build the addition onto the house.......Are you sure that's a good idea?
Hahahahhahahahahahahahaha!!
7)Yes, women DO make too much. BUT if they didn't, there would be none of those leftovers men love so much the day after Thanksgiving- or in our case, later that night when we wake up from our after-dinner nap.
NOR would there be leftovers for guests to bring home for THEIR next day dinners!!!
MMMMMMMMmmmmmmmmmmMMMMMMMMM-Turkey and dressing sammiches.
Another reason I personally make so much is I have an open door policy at my house. If my guests have a relative pop in on them unexpectedly, or they know someone who has no place to go on Thanksgiving day- they KNOW it's fine with me to invite them to come to our house with them. I have yet to have a Thanksgiving dinner that at least ONE misplaced soul didn't come. One year I had 8 misplaced souls come and it was one of the most interesting parties we have ever had. It's always been like that at my house- and always will be. It's a time for sharing and being with friends and family- something I love more than anything else I could be doing.
Thanksgiving is a day to be enjoyed for at least a couple of weeks - it's not just a ONE DAY holiday!!
8)And the only reason the turkey and dressing sammiches are their fav is because they can pig out in the comfy clothes at home on their own sofa. And I TOTALLY agree. That's why I don't have a dress code for Thanksgiving dinner at my house. For so many years I had to dress in my Sunday best to have Thanksgiving dinner. I HATED that- so when you come to my house- come in your fav jeans or dress- or even in your sweats. I would rather my guests be happy and comfortable than worried about spilling something on their outfits. Ditto on the tablecloth.
9)Falling asleep is allowed- and messing with them while they nap is required at my house too. Taking photos of the drool dripping from their open mouths is especially entertaining for guests in the Thanksgivings to come. The only thing I don't allow is for the kids to be woke up if THEY fall asleep- that can ruin everyone's day because kids get cranky and whiny when they don't get their naps out....and believe me- if the babies ain't happy- NO ONE is- Especailly Nana Sunny.!!!
10)EVERYTHING is a competition at our house with the women's dishes....But we also know the truth.
Mom makes the best hand made biscuits and ham
Nina makes the best Dressing(Gar-un-teed cold and sinus cure!)
Julie makes the best Ranch potatoes and deviled eggs
Sunny makes the best cakes and dinner rolls(Hopefully I added sweet potato pies to that list this year too!!)
And Teresa makes the best mac and cheese pie in the world!!!
And those titles are always up for grabs. We KNOW who makes the best whatever- but we all secretly hope to someday find a recipe that will top the high rollers. And the high rollers always are tweaking their recipes to make sure they KEEP those places of honor.

This year was bittersweet. Clay and Kathy were so missed- but they were with us in spirit.We had our moments of sadness and regret, but we also kept the spirit up because it was what Clay would have wanted us to do. He was very big on holidays- especially eating ones.

So now it's time for me to begin phase two of this holiday season and get started on the Christmas decorating. I'll get that started next weekend. No OT for me that week!!
I'll post photos of my living room when I get it finished.

I hope you ALL had a Happy Thanksgiving with your families and friends- and I hope to hear about the antics at those dinners on your blog soon. I have a saying in my house-

"Enter at your own risk- anything you say or do is subject to be placed in either Sunny or Paulius' Blog."

They laugh........I smile .........and open the door.