(no subject)

Just spoke to the kid on the phone (glad I sent her with my cellphone). She's with her parents in Chinatown, having lunch at a place that's "really neat, but the prices are kinda high on some things". Sounds like she's having a good time; I'm very glad.

Notes

1) I think the Places I Slept in 2009 thing will be easy: Oakland, San Diego. I think that's it, unless you count naps in San Leandro.

2) The kid and her dad are off playing video games at the laundromat, because I couldn't find an arcade nearby. Her mom is out on a smoke break.

3) I've made my first food-processor pie crust. It's resting in the fridge. It's for the kid's sweet-potato pie for tomorrow. Next, I'll start a batch of toffee for sogwife's family do. I think I'm gonna save mashing the potatoes for tomorrow, because I don't really have very much fridge space. And then I think I'm done for the night.

4) Today has been a LOT less stressful than I thought it would be, but I'm still pretty wasted, and I think I may also have some kind of intestinal thing, because I got a little nauseated a couple hours ago and it hasn't abated. Bleah.

How's everyone doing? If you are celebrating something this week, how's *that* going? I am so grateful that I've had you to natter to this week. It's made a difference.

(no subject)

Again, the stress is staying manageable. Hope it's the same for you. I helped sogwife with the stuff for her family's thing tomorrow (made toffee; chopped waldorf salad stuff), and she took the kid to spend some of her birthday money on christmas gifts for her parents. So I've had an hour or more of solitude, and most everything is done (could roll out the pie crust tonight, but may wait until tomorrow; ditto doing the dishes, but I've got incentive to do them tonight, as it makes cooking the next day easier).

Tomorrow's menu (listing everything so I make sure I have what I need):

Deviled eggs if I get around to it (because someotherguy and wtfpotatoes adore them and have been the heroes of the revolution lately)
Ham (Safeway brought the wrong kind, a spiral-sliced one, but that'll be fine. Not worth stressing over.)
Gravy (mom's weird pineapple ham concoction; the family likes/expects it)
Smashed red potatoes ('cause they don't need peeling!) with lots of butter and cream
Corn with butter/salt/pepper
Zucchini (if I'm up for it, I'll stuff them; otherwise, sauteed in olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper)
Sweet potato pie (the kid is making that)
Fresh whipped cream (can do ahead tomorrow once there's room in the fridge, and keep in a strainer to stabilize)

My mom always does holiday dinners early (2 or 3 is normal for her), but I prefer my dinners in the evening, so I'm doing it at regular time. That gives me all day to futz, so really, there's nothing to stress over.