<p>i love the indian trails frozen cranberry relish mixed with jello and crushed pineapple. i can’t remember the exact recipe, but if anyone wants it, i’ll look it up!</p>
<p>What about the green beans with mushroom soup and fried onion rings? My kids LOVE it and they hate mushrooms. I don’t get it. </p>
<p>I rarely get out the china so I would rather wash than overdiscuss the loading of the dishwasher with my mother who believes in handles down while I prefer handles up. It is just easier to unload the diswasher than to tell people where things go. I wash when I’m not at my house and will load dishwasher but will not unload it anywhere. Too frustrating.</p>
<p>Also, as soon as I finish cleaning, someone always comes in to get a clean glass and another plate for pie even after I put out the disposables and announce that we are now living on disposable time.</p>
<p>I am seriously bummed out that Ocean Spray did not bring back Cran-Orange for the holidays. This was always my fav dish. For a while you could get it any time of year but now they seemed to have completely stopped production. Wah! </p>
<p>Fortunately, I came up with my own version. </p>
<p>One bag fresh cranberries.</p>
<p>Half a seedless orange, peel too, cut into pieces. </p>
<p>Sugar to taste. </p>
<p>Whirl it all up in a food processor.</p>
<p>Stop there if you like a relish. If you are looking for more of a jellied type, add one can jellied cranberry (I like the organic kind). Whirl that together. Refrigerate. Make ahead if desired…gets better with a little time.</p>
<p>Cranberry sauce–some members of my family (can never remember which), like the can shaped sauce, but I’ve been “forgetting” to buy it especially si nce I always decide it was someone who’se not here this year.</p>
<p>Instead, I make the basic berries sugar water recipe, first thing in the morning on TG. Pop it in the fridge. Dinner was almost over, and D said, did she miss the cranberry sauce? And i realized I’d forgotten to put it out. Oh well! Can’t swallow the stuff myself (I choke on anything jellied) so I never missed it. Oops.</p>
<p>Sure could have used this thread a week ago! Well actually the Thanksgiving was probably the most wonderful I’ve had in forever as it was the FIRST time I’ve had it with both my sisters in more than 20 years. But the bud was coming off the rose by Friday night and my sister’s “need” to be perfect in all things had me griping the rails. </p>
<p>Asks son what he’s taking for classes, but it’s not really that she cares, it’s that she wants to somehow make it well known how brilliant my niece is - and she is! but at this point she has a major pedigree of an education and has applied for food stamps at the age of 30 due to the job market. And now that I write it out, she is probably doing this as much to convince herself that she’ll be fine as she is everyone else. But it’s the way she does it. When I say what S is taking over winter term (he wasn’t in the room), she then says something like, “I couldn’t tell you one class my D took in four years of college” in a proud kind of way that tries to make me feel over involved. And seriously? I have nothing to do with what class he’s taking, but he does tell me. So… what I really wanted to say was “you didn’t know what your d took because you were obsessed with your career, your new husband and your new adopted baby and had abandoned the states to live abroad.” Instead I said, “Well, they have it all online now so when he tells me what classes he thinking about taking I just look it up to read the description.” She said pretty much the same thing about my knowing his grades but all I said was, “I don’t ask - he just calls and tells me. It gives him a chance to brag about himself or beat himself up - depending.” Of course I did add - I just like to be there to listen. Kind of a dig, but still the truth. I love her dearly, but it really wears on you when someone has all the answers for raising kids when there are red flags all over the place. Does she wonder why her D willingly admits she has HUGE commitment issues and feels the need for constant validation? Nope! Apparently she’s done everything right, every step of the day and you too can be like her if you only listen. ALL THE TIME!</p>
<p>I have a friend who I teased that she should write a book, “No, but I wanted to” because she was a huge user of Duct tape in almost every situation. She moved to New York City and two years later, the title has changed to… “You bet I said that!” I call her my little protege because USUALLY I am very direct. </p>
<p>But MY problem is that I am the youngest of three sisters. After about three days we all tend to fall into the roles given us as children. Oldest is the book smart/organized one, middle one is the “cute and perky charmer” and I as always a little on the outside, the rebel. What’s odder is that I’ve been the one to live the most traditional life of all of us! Not sure what any of it means, but I do get a little defensive and will bring it up with my therapist for sure!</p>
<p>^Family knows how to get under your skin, for sure. No holiday was complete at our house without some “light grilling” – what classes are you taking? What’s your major? Do you think that’s smart? Can you get a job with that? How are your grades? Are you seeing anyone? Why not? etc.</p>
<p>As a grown up, it’s gotten easier, but some holidays I just keep chanting the tag line from Bug’s Life: they come, they eat, they leave. They come, they eat, they leave…</p>
<p>Our highlight was the after dinner discussion about whether to legalize pot. Turns out my S is the only one in the crowd who doesn’t think it should be. Then, we moved on to something lighter – the death penalty (spurred by the Petit case in CT).</p>
<p>class of 2015 – I love it! I think I’ll embroider it on a sampler…and hang it in the kitchen.</p>
<p>^Great! And if any of your guests see it and get offended, blame it on me, your crazy friend at CC!</p>
<p>^^Wow, glad we had the Saints game to keep us out of any sensitive discussions!</p>
<p>Thanks to modadunn. I am the oldest of five; (also known at the bossy one). I have tried to stop bossing my sibs but here we are and my mom will soon be 80 and no one will make a plan for her birthday. I tell them to come up with a plan and I will help but nothing happens so I know I will do it again. How do you stop being the oldest, bossiest? Can’t really help it. I realized that sometimes my problems sound like bragging. Once I complained to my sister about my D leaving 14(yes, real number including water bottles) dirty glasses in her room. It stressed me out so much to find out why there were no glasses in the cupboard and then I realized that her sons have had multiple car wrecks, drug arrests, dui convictions etc and I am complaining about how stressed I am because of all the dirty dishes. What a jerk I was(am) and I did realize it that day a few years ago. I am not that great at praying but I did pray a prayer of thanks that day and I realized how some of my “problems” were not really problems. I also realized how lucky I am that my sister still speaks to me and listens to me. Having a smart D doesn’t mean that much. My D is extremely smart but not smart enough to catch the shuttle bus to the airport last break and I had to use FF miles to get her home if I wanted her to come home. Also, not smart enough to keep up with her phone so she needed to use mine the whole time she was home for Thanksgiving. Sometimes I think the ones that are not quite so smart do a little better in life.</p>
<p>
There are definitely academically or book smart people who are not life smart. I know some some highly intelligent people who fall into this category.</p>
<p>We had a quiet Thanksgiving. I know exactly when to have extra duct tape on hand, and we had no need of it this year.</p>
<p>Ignatius – Keep it handy. Christmas is coming…fast.</p>
<p>Resurrecting this thread for Christmas in…3…2…1!</p>
<p>“I don’t care if Christmas makes you depressed; you still could have bought me a gift!”</p>
<p>I can’t believe my inlaws couldn’t stop their “white elephant gift exchange” when we called to greet them. Yes, we were the only family who couldn’t make it for Xmas. I’m tired of them acting like we can just jump into our car and make the 3+ hour drive there.</p>
<p>At 1 p.m. on Christmas Eve, I asked DD if she would like to help me wrap a few packages. After quite a long pause she said yes and commented that she still hadn’t wrapped the packages she had brought from school. She then headed to her room to retrieve them. Guess what? She left them at school. I swear, I DID NOT SAY A WORD. She headed to the mall. She is growing up.</p>
<p>^^^Reminds me of the time my dh and I were coming home for me to meet his parents for the first time…pre-TSA. I had everything wrapped for his family but I forgot them in all the hustle! I sent him all the way back to the house in a cab (a friend had dropped us off at the airport). He still talks about it – but he married me anyway!</p>
<p>Photographer S who is not much of a shopper sometimes gives prints as gifts. Needs to pick something up in town Xmas Eve. Despite warnings, decides to go after dinner. (Checked website for hours and couldn’t be bothered to phone, though we suggested it.) Walks in, store closed. Now it’s the 26th, I’m still waiting for my gift and he is in bed, reading.</p>