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BIL took the boys home before us so Sis and I could do a little more to help Stepmom cleanup from Christmas Eve dinner. We opened the door to find a handlettered note on a stool reading "Cookies this way!→". This turned out to be the first in a series culminating in a pair of notes next to a plate of cookies and a container of carrots helpfully advising Santa "The cookies˅and milk are for you and the carrots are for the rendeer (note: give one glass of milk for the rendeer)". The sheer amount of overthinking which went into the project is so recognisable to me from my own precocious childhood that an hour later I can't stop smiling.
The paella was a success; I managed to get through the whole preparation without my back giving out once. It helped that we had our whole village on the task: my sister stirred, my brother minced, SIL watched a pot of broth. We forgot only one ingredient, and it was once of the least essential (parsley). We learned a lesson about not getting the seafood from the Chinese market on Olive; the mussels and crab legs from Dierberg's were ultimately a better buy.
Perhaps because he'd run himself ragged trying to find that one gift for my youngest nephew, striking out at three different stores, Dad managed not to get into it with anyone. We ate too much, we laughed a lot, and my Stepmom gave me my first official wedding gift. All-in-all, I'm pronouncing Phase 1 of Project No-Stress Christmas a resounding success.
The paella was a success; I managed to get through the whole preparation without my back giving out once. It helped that we had our whole village on the task: my sister stirred, my brother minced, SIL watched a pot of broth. We forgot only one ingredient, and it was once of the least essential (parsley). We learned a lesson about not getting the seafood from the Chinese market on Olive; the mussels and crab legs from Dierberg's were ultimately a better buy.
Perhaps because he'd run himself ragged trying to find that one gift for my youngest nephew, striking out at three different stores, Dad managed not to get into it with anyone. We ate too much, we laughed a lot, and my Stepmom gave me my first official wedding gift. All-in-all, I'm pronouncing Phase 1 of Project No-Stress Christmas a resounding success.