help... i have a nightmare coming in 2 weeks

[tumblnstar]

ok... well if you dont know.. im mary.. my bf is phil.. and we live in apartments right beside each other..with an adjoining door. these apartments are small.. im talking you open the door and are in the 6x8 kitchen that goes right into the small living room (which is cute though with a fireplace:) and then theres a bathroom and a bedroom... so theres not alot of room... enough..but not alot. why am i telling you this? b/c phil has informed me that his ENTIRE family is coming to stay the weekend for thanksgiving... and im cooking!!!!!!!!!

ok i love to cook and i think that im great at it..all my friends love my food... the problem is... his family is from the upper penisula of michigan.. so we are talking the most yankee you can get ... and im from the south... alabama...theres a difference. a big one...im trying to plan a menu that will stay true to what i love about thanksgiving and something that they wont stare at and not eat.

dont get me wrong.. i love his family... they are just NOT like im used to . VERY outspoken about everything... and i honestly have to put up my shield to be around them. they always love to talk about how much they hate the south...and southerners..how much they hate cheerleaders (yeh... get the picture.. they basically hate who i am entirely)...how much they hate blonde girls... and how much they think short people look funny... lol but they LOOOOVE me... so they say. you know i really dont mind all that...

but i am STRESSING out and the thought of having to cook for an entire weekend for these people... finding places for people to sleep!! im going to have to spend a fortune on air matresses... and entertainment!<--these people never just sit and hang out... they have to do something all the time.

im trying to work as many hours as i can so that i can get the things that i need to make our apartments look good... before i just made do with what i had... but to his family...you have to make everything look just so so .. im soooo nervous about my undecorated apartment. and im trying to figure out sleeping arrangements for the pregnant women and grandmother and two college aged sisters who are (ahem bratty:) and my poor little sister who is coming to stay will probably be out on the deck!

does anyone else have to do this crap?? what in the world do u do with a family that basically hates everything and everyone?

[RLC12345678]

Hey! What part of Alabama are you from??? I'm an Alabamian born and raised :p :p :p So, sorry I can't help you out with the food part.

As far as decorating your apt. I would not worry about it too much. Seriously, they should understand that you are young and young people usually don't have immaculate apartments, you know? And as far as everything else, I hope you aren't doing it alone and that Phil is helping you. This is HIS family, you know?? It should not be ALL on YOUR shoulders to entertain them and find places for all them to sleep. I DEFINATELY think it should be Phil's responsibility to buy air mattresses and such for HIS family. That is SO nice for you to cook for all of them...but cooking for that many people is expensive. You should not worry about spending MORE money decorating your apartment and buying air mattresses for HIS family. You are so much more kind than me. :D :D :D

I think you and Phil should set aside a couple of nights a week to sit down and get everything down on paper as to what you are going to cook, sleeping arrangements, entertainment, etc. Since it is HIS family, he should have a pretty good idea of what his family likes to eat, what they like to do, what their expectations are as far as sleeping arrangements, etc. Who knows....maybe his family isn't even expecting that much.

Considering your past situations with Phil, I think this would be an excellent opportunity to open up the lines of communication. Please DO NOT take all of this upon yourself. This is PHIL's family and he needs to be doing MOST of the work that will be involved with HIS family coming to visit. You have already volunteered to cook the whole Thanksgiving dinner. That is more than I would do! :D :D :D Best of luck! Let us know what you decide and how it turns out!

[tumblnstar]

phil is no help! he is just as nervous as i am! i guess his family is alot more critical and uptight than mine. hes going around trying to decorate his apartment and buy furniture....and we basically share money so this will be coming out of both of our pockets i guess...hes trying to help me "practice" cooking the dishes... but he runs around with his head cut off looking for attractions and all this stuff to do and im like... geez...these people are going to drive us nuts!!!!!! honestly i just want to get in my car and drive away when they get here.

[RLC12345678]

Ok, this is what I would do....you and Phil need to sit down together with pen and paper and the internet, in an organized fashion, and jot down ideas....meal ideas (www.allrecipes.com is an excellent resource), look on the internet for entertainment ideas (movies are always a good choice), sleeping arrangements, etc. It will be much easier that way. Be organized about it. Get Phil to call his mother or siblings and ask them what they are going to want to eat and what they are going to want to do while they are visitng. Who knows.......they may just want to relax!!!!!!!!!! I think communication between you and Phil and Phil and HIS family is going to be key.

[tumblnstar]

the bad thing about his family is they say one thing "oh hunny i dont care what we eat" and they mean "i want this this, and this" and when you serve them "that that and that" they look at you like... "what in the world were you thinking???" its gonna be ghetto enough b/c im going to have to put my dining table(which is in storage) in my living room in place of my couch lol ... i guess what phil's family thinks is reaaalllly important to him... so its now become obsessive to me!!! we really do need to just sit down.. and plan it all...its just going to be hell .

[RLC12345678]

Hey, where in Alabama are you from?

[DianaB]

I think that you should work out a menu with them and have them bring pies, sweets, snacks, and pop with them. Maybe have them bring a crock pot or two to help you have enough places to warm stuff up or you could use them to make a big pot of soup with left-overs. Ask them if they have any family favorites that you could make, but go ahead and make a few of your own family favorites. It's not fair to ask one person (in a small apartment and going to school) to fix a huge lunch for a lot of other people and not offer to help by bringing food and such.

Also, make sure that they know to bring their own bedding. Pillows, blankets, air beds, etc because all you have are two beds which will go to_____(maybe his Mom and Dad and Grandmother in other bed) Let them know that THEY need to come prepared or possibly might want to check into a motel.

Spread the work out. Don't try to do it all yourself. And don't be afraid to ask for help with the cooking OR the clean up!!! Don't panic and have fun!!

My Aunts,Uncles, and Cousins get together every 2 years for Thanksgiving and you know that you are expected to bring something. For those who live close by they bring hot dishes and those who live far away bring pies and things that will travel well. Then we all chip in money to help the hostess pay for everything that she's bought. We know to bring bedding because you may not have a bed but be on the floor. All the women go shopping the day after Thanksgiving and the guys go to some pawn shops or whatever. The kids hang out and play hide and go seek in the dark (they loved it)

If you need any help with any thing, besides my physical presence, just let me know.

[tumblnstar]

Hey, where in Alabama are you from?


im from anniston/oxford/alexandria.... its like and hour and 1/2 from birmingham... where are u from????

[tumblnstar]

I think that you should work out a menu with them and have them bring pies, sweets, snacks, and pop with them. Maybe have them bring a crock pot or two to help you have enough places to warm stuff up or you could use them to make a big pot of soup with left-overs. Ask them if they have any family favorites that you could make, but go ahead and make a few of your own family favorites. It's not fair to ask one person (in a small apartment and going to school) to fix a huge lunch for a lot of other people and not offer to help by bringing food and such.

Also, make sure that they know to bring their own bedding. Pillows, blankets, air beds, etc because all you have are two beds which will go to_____(maybe his Mom and Dad and Grandmother in other bed) Let them know that THEY need to come prepared or possibly might want to check into a motel.

Spread the work out. Don't try to do it all yourself. And don't be afraid to ask for help with the cooking OR the clean up!!! Don't panic and have fun!!

My Aunts,Uncles, and Cousins get together every 2 years for Thanksgiving and you know that you are expected to bring something. For those who live close by they bring hot dishes and those who live far away bring pies and things that will travel well. Then we all chip in money to help the hostess pay for everything that she's bought. We know to bring bedding because you may not have a bed but be on the floor. All the women go shopping the day after Thanksgiving and the guys go to some pawn shops or whatever. The kids hang out and play hide and go seek in the dark (they loved it)

If you need any help with any thing, besides my physical presence, just let me know.



thanks so much! i might have a meltdown .. you never know lol i called my grandmother to send me a set of sheets. so thats one down... does anyone know where to get cheap air matresses... lol maybe next year they will bring their own. i already suggested the motel thing...and that was shot down real fast... they dont want to drive/pay/blah blah blah. everyone keeps talking about how relaxing its going to be for them b.c im cooking/cleaning/etc. they are calling it "their vacation"... when i hear them say that on the phone to phil... he just looks at me and mouths"im soooooo sorry" lol hopefully the both of us will be able to get it done and over with.

[Ponyup]

I would help with dinner ideas, I'm a northern indiana yankee. However, I think Yuppers (upper Pennisula people) are closer to canadians, so I would PM Lindsey (i think she's from Canada) & see if she has any ideas.

[RLC12345678]

im from anniston/oxford/alexandria.... its like and hour and 1/2 from birmingham... where are u from????


born and raised in Montgomery, went to college in Auburn, got married and moved to Birmingham, and we now live in Huntsville. Small world! :)

[RLC12345678]

I think that you should work out a menu with them and have them bring pies, sweets, snacks, and pop with them. Maybe have them bring a crock pot or two to help you have enough places to warm stuff up or you could use them to make a big pot of soup with left-overs. Ask them if they have any family favorites that you could make, but go ahead and make a few of your own family favorites. It's not fair to ask one person (in a small apartment and going to school) to fix a huge lunch for a lot of other people and not offer to help by bringing food and such.

Also, make sure that they know to bring their own bedding. Pillows, blankets, air beds, etc because all you have are two beds which will go to_____(maybe his Mom and Dad and Grandmother in other bed) Let them know that THEY need to come prepared or possibly might want to check into a motel.

Spread the work out. Don't try to do it all yourself. And don't be afraid to ask for help with the cooking OR the clean up!!! Don't panic and have fun!!

My Aunts,Uncles, and Cousins get together every 2 years for Thanksgiving and you know that you are expected to bring something. For those who live close by they bring hot dishes and those who live far away bring pies and things that will travel well. Then we all chip in money to help the hostess pay for everything that she's bought. We know to bring bedding because you may not have a bed but be on the floor. All the women go shopping the day after Thanksgiving and the guys go to some pawn shops or whatever. The kids hang out and play hide and go seek in the dark (they loved it)

If you need any help with any thing, besides my physical presence, just let me know.


I COMPLETELY agree!!!!!!!!!! :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: I say you call his mother and yall work out arrangements for EVERYTHING. You SHOULD NOT have to do all this stuff by yourself, nor should you have to bear all the expense. Call his mother and yall work out a menu TOGETHER and then ask her to tell everyone in the family to bring pillows, blankets, etc.

[tumblnstar]

I would help with dinner ideas, I'm a northern indiana yankee. However, I think Yuppers (upper Pennisula people) are closer to canadians, so I would PM Lindsey (i think she's from Canada) & see if she has any ideas.


oh yeh... UP'ers are a different breed... i love it up there though... its different but beautiful. his family really is great... when they are in their own element and running the show... i hate to talk bad about them... its just really going to be a feat to make this thanksgiving a good one!

[Janet]

I know this will sound so stupid, but I didn't see it anywhere in the posts...


WHO IN THE H*LL INVITED THEM IN THE FIRST PLACE??????

Okay now that I asked that...I would fix whatever you would like to have and know how to fix so that it doesn't stress you. If they don't like good southern food then there will be plenty of restaurants open.

Also, since they are so picky...and know that your apartments are small, why can't they stay in a hotel or something and be more comfortable?

I know I didn't help..LOL but if they invited themselves, fix it so they won't do that again....LOL

[RLC12345678]

I know this will sound so stupid, but I didn't see it anywhere in the posts...


WHO IN THE H*LL INVITED THEM IN THE FIRST PLACE??????

Okay now that I asked that...I would fix whatever you would like to have and know how to fix so that it doesn't stress you. If they don't like good southern food then there will be plenty of restaurants open.

Also, since they are so picky...and know that your apartments are small, why can't they stay in a hotel or something and be more comfortable?

I know I didn't help..LOL but if they invited themselves, fix it so they won't do that again....LOL


Janet, I swear we are twins. :D :D :D

[Janet]

Janet, I swear we are twins. :D :D :D

Sometimes Rebecca, when I read your posts....I have to double check and make sure it wasn't one of mine.....LMAO....!!!! :D :D

[Willow]

ROTFLMAO Janet and Rebecca, you two crack me up!

[Janet]

ROTFLMAO Janet and Rebecca, you two crack me up!


Aren't we like two peas in a pod? I just know, even with the age difference, we would have a ball together!!!:)

[RLC12345678]

Aren't we like two peas in a pod? I just know, even with the age difference, we would have a ball together!!!:)


OMG! I KNOW!!!!!!!!! You know, my hubby and I might be coming to Indiana over Thanksgiving break to see my hubby's grandmother. We should meet up!!!!!!!! :D :D :D We'd probably get in too much trouble! :p :p :p

[tumblnstar]

I know this will sound so stupid, but I didn't see it anywhere in the posts...


WHO IN THE H*LL INVITED THEM IN THE FIRST PLACE??????

Okay now that I asked that...I would fix whatever you would like to have and know how to fix so that it doesn't stress you. If they don't like good southern food then there will be plenty of restaurants open.

Also, since they are so picky...and know that your apartments are small, why can't they stay in a hotel or something and be more comfortable?

I know I didn't help..LOL but if they invited themselves, fix it so they won't do that again....LOL



they invited themselves! they just called one day and said hey we are coming down there for thanksgiving so get ready lol.... they've never been to the apartments and i keep telling them how small they are in hopes that they will get the picture and its just not working out lol.. i did get brave last night and tell phil's two sisters who are at college nearby that they will be staying at their dorm rooms and not my apartment... they drive me nuts so at least i can say..."oh let me go ahead and get you back to your dorm room!" lol ... i do love the girls.. they are just a little spoiled... one comes over to the apartment and eats all our food and takes some to go.. and the other drops off her laundry for me to do "unintentially"..thank the heavens phil told her off the other day for that. or id still be in laundry hell!!

[DianaB]

Phil needs to quit playing middle man and passing the buck to you. It's his family!!! He needs to tell them that you are busy with school and such and that they are NOT taking a vacation and making you work for them!!! He needs to inform them that they need to prepare some of the food and bring it with them. And that they need to bring bedding. It is not up to you to provide bedding and air mattresses for everyone. If they don't bring it then they'll have to go out and buy some. Don't buy it for them!! You are students and I'm sure that your money is tight. If they have to buy an air mattress maybe they can use it somewhere else. That is NOT your problem!!

If all else fails just inform them that you've decided to go to your own family's Thanksgiving meal and that they're welcome to come and fix their own food and such. You don't have to put up with such nonsense!!! You are not their slave to be bossed around so don't put up with it.

[RLC12345678]

Phil needs to quit playing middle man and passing the buck to you. It's his family!!! He needs to tell them that you are busy with school and such and that they are NOT taking a vacation and making you work for them!!! He needs to inform them that they need to prepare some of the food and bring it with them. And that they need to bring bedding. It is not up to you to provide bedding and air mattresses for everyone. If they don't bring it then they'll have to go out and buy some. Don't buy it for them!! You are students and I'm sure that your money is tight. If they have to buy an air mattress maybe they can use it somewhere else. That is NOT your problem!!

If all else fails just inform them that you've decided to go to your own family's Thanksgiving meal and that they're welcome to come and fix their own food and such. You don't have to put up with such nonsense!!! You are not their slave to be bossed around so don't put up with it.

:bravo: :bravo: :bravo: I completely agree! You are being WAAAAAAAAY too nice and you are being taken advantage of. I would just tell them that you are going home for Thanksgiving. Leave them with Phil to handle. ;)

[khardy57]

I think that you should work out a menu with them and have them bring pies, sweets, snacks, and pop with them. Maybe have them bring a crock pot or two to help you have enough places to warm stuff up or you could use them to make a big pot of soup with left-overs. Ask them if they have any family favorites that you could make, but go ahead and make a few of your own family favorites. It's not fair to ask one person (in a small apartment and going to school) to fix a huge lunch for a lot of other people and not offer to help by bringing food and such.

Also, make sure that they know to bring their own bedding. Pillows, blankets, air beds, etc because all you have are two beds which will go to_____(maybe his Mom and Dad and Grandmother in other bed) Let them know that THEY need to come prepared or possibly might want to check into a motel.

Spread the work out. Don't try to do it all yourself. And don't be afraid to ask for help with the cooking OR the clean up!!! Don't panic and have fun!!

My Aunts,Uncles, and Cousins get together every 2 years for Thanksgiving and you know that you are expected to bring something. For those who live close by they bring hot dishes and those who live far away bring pies and things that will travel well. Then we all chip in money to help the hostess pay for everything that she's bought. We know to bring bedding because you may not have a bed but be on the floor. All the women go shopping the day after Thanksgiving and the guys go to some pawn shops or whatever. The kids hang out and play hide and go seek in the dark (they loved it)

If you need any help with any thing, besides my physical presence, just let me know.

Great words of advice!

[tumblnstar]

Phil needs to quit playing middle man and passing the buck to you. It's his family!!! He needs to tell them that you are busy with school and such and that they are NOT taking a vacation and making you work for them!!! He needs to inform them that they need to prepare some of the food and bring it with them. And that they need to bring bedding. It is not up to you to provide bedding and air mattresses for everyone. If they don't bring it then they'll have to go out and buy some. Don't buy it for them!! You are students and I'm sure that your money is tight. If they have to buy an air mattress maybe they can use it somewhere else. That is NOT your problem!!

If all else fails just inform them that you've decided to go to your own family's Thanksgiving meal and that they're welcome to come and fix their own food and such. You don't have to put up with such nonsense!!! You are not their slave to be bossed around so don't put up with it.




i wish i could just say hey... umm im not gonna be here... but some of them i havent met yet and they are alllllll excited to meet me! woooo.. lol i told phil that they will have to bring their own beds/bedding and he is going to talk to his family about pitching in $money wise for all the food and things. phil and I have no money as is, with just opening our office so spending money on things that we dont need is not an option! we just DONT have it period. ive just come to the point where oh well if they like my food and oh well if they have a good time... they came to my house... maybe next year they will have it at theirs and I will get a vacation :)

[RLC12345678]

i wish i could just say hey... umm im not gonna be here... but some of them i havent met yet and they are alllllll excited to meet me! woooo.. lol i told phil that they will have to bring their own beds/bedding and he is going to talk to his family about pitching in $money wise for all the food and things. phil and I have no money as is, with just opening our office so spending money on things that we dont need is not an option! we just DONT have it period. ive just come to the point where oh well if they like my food and oh well if they have a good time... they came to my house... maybe next year they will have it at theirs and I will get a vacation :)


Way to go!!!!!! :bravo: :bravo: :bravo: Asking them to bring their own bedding and pitch in for food will definately relieve some of the stress. And you are absolutely RIGHT! Who cares if they don't like your apartment and don't like your food!!!!!!! Phil obviously is going to like you regardless since he knows his family is somewhat wacko, and he is the only one that matters. :)

[Janet]

Phil needs to quit playing middle man and passing the buck to you. It's his family!!! He needs to tell them that you are busy with school and such and that they are NOT taking a vacation and making you work for them!!! He needs to inform them that they need to prepare some of the food and bring it with them. And that they need to bring bedding. It is not up to you to provide bedding and air mattresses for everyone. If they don't bring it then they'll have to go out and buy some. Don't buy it for them!! You are students and I'm sure that your money is tight. If they have to buy an air mattress maybe they can use it somewhere else. That is NOT your problem!!

If all else fails just inform them that you've decided to go to your own family's Thanksgiving meal and that they're welcome to come and fix their own food and such. You don't have to put up with such nonsense!!! You are not their slave to be bossed around so don't put up with it.


Excellent advice.... :thumbup:

Also, why put the whole burden on you. Why not everyone go to a great Thanksgiving meal at a nice restaurant? That way you're not too tired to enjoy the holiday too. Then the only inconvience would be everyone stay over.

Even better, volunteer them (and yourselves) to work in a shelter feeding the homeless for the holiday?

[Brooke]

I say make them as uncomfortable as possible so they won't want to sleep there any more...A hotel is agreat idea!!! I wouldn't have enough blankets, pillows, turn the heat down and make them freeze.... keep the goodies sparse and knock on the bathroom door every time some one gets in there!!!! Make them RUN not walk to the nearest hotlel... you will be doing yourself a favor!!!!!!!:D

[Janet]

I say make them as uncomfortable as possible so they won't want to sleep there any more...A hotel is agreat idea!!! I wouldn't have enough blankets, pillows, turn the heat down and make them freeze.... keep the goodies sparse and knock on the bathroom door every time some one gets in there!!!! Make them RUN not walk to the nearest hotlel... you will be doing yourself a favor!!!!!!!:D


That would be so much fun!!!! Can you imagine what they'd think? Ha ha ha

[tumblnstar]

I say make them as uncomfortable as possible so they won't want to sleep there any more...A hotel is agreat idea!!! I wouldn't have enough blankets, pillows, turn the heat down and make them freeze.... keep the goodies sparse and knock on the bathroom door every time some one gets in there!!!! Make them RUN not walk to the nearest hotlel... you will be doing yourself a favor!!!!!!!:D


what a fabulous idea!!!!! just wait until i post on here about how fast his family ran away from my apartment lol

[Brooke]

I never tried any of the stuff told you but...I did have my husbands friend stay in our camper ALL SUMMER!!! It was a little much! I gave him clean sheets, clean blankets,pillows, and towles in the beginning of the summer...He got to be a big pain and I wound up not changing his sheets or towel the whole summer... He was allowed to do laundry if he wanted... He din't change the sheets to my knowledge the whole summer!!!! ICK:eek:

[Marilyn]

Mary, my advice to you is to chill out a bit and take some of the advise these fine 4WT ladies are suggesting. You and Phil need to realize that his family is being very selfish and thoughtless if they are coming expecting you do all the work, go to the expense of making them comfortable without contributing at all. I hate to be so blunt, but if they don't offer to help, bring their own bedding or something, I think they are being extremely rude. You are being very gracious by trying to accomodate them, but you should not put yourself in financial or emotional bind to make them happy.

I'd be nice to them, and prepare a nice Thanksgiving meal, but would make it clear that they need to help by bringing air matresses and other items. Meals other than the main Thanksgiving, I'd keep very simple. Buy a big turkey and feed them sandwiches the rest of the time.

Hope you maintain your sanity and relationship with Phil.
Happy Thanksgiving.

[Janet]

You been given great advice so far. You should be able to really enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday too and not be stressed or worn out. They can pitch in and should be made to do so, especially since they invited themselves. I'd send them a list of hotel/motels nearby so they can get a hint!

[DianaB]

You're going to have to let us know how this turns out.

[tumblnstar]

whew! all weekend i cleaned and organized! i turned phil's apartment into the "living area" by putting both of our couchs in there..dont know how i did it.. but i did. so that way at least like 6 people can sit down at a time lol and in my apartment i put up my old dining table that i had to cut the legs off of b/c it was bar height...so now my apartment is a dining room for 12.
i decided that my room is going to be MY room... well phil is sleeping on the floor. but i had to just tell him that im going to need my space and i cant afford to get sheets and a duvet and everything that would make the bed presentable... so im just gonna shut the door lol .

his little sisters are out of school already and i can tell that they will be camped out over at our apartments so getting everything ready will be just a little bit more complicated... but maybe i can just send them on errands or something lol

i bought all my groceries last night... holy cow... good thing i havent bought any all month to save up for this ... lol we were eating cereal and rice for like 2 weeks. im gonna start cooking today so that way on thurs im not officially freaking out.
im so tired of thanksgiving already that i dont care. the people in my family that were suppose to come bailed out when they found out that so many people from Phil's side were gonna be staying in our apartments... so im gonna be by myself!!! i hope that everything goes ok... i think Phil is really nervous about the apartments looking nice... but unless he's got money somewhere that i dont know about... they are just going to have to stay the way they are! thanks everyone for all your advice... i really hope that i can just get through it with no major upsets!....
oh yeh... i got guts one night and said " everyone has to bring their own bedding and mattresses b/c i cant afford them!" it was great...

[DianaB]

So.............What happened?...............We're waiting to hear how your Thanksgiving went!!

[RLC12345678]

Yes! Yes! I've been anxiously awaiting to see how everything went! Please tell! :D :D :D

[Gina]

Yes do tell we are all waiting...

[tumblnstar]

ooooooh my gosh so its like what? a week since thanksgiving and im still recovering lol . it was a whirlwind of people everywhere with stuff everywhere lol. i cooked all day on wednesday..i literally stayed home from work lol and all i had left on thursday was the turkey and the bread. well since i made the cassaroles the day before and all the other side dishes i stashed them all in the fridge. somehow the fridge got turned down to the coldest setting!!!!!! about and hour before we were to eat i was getting the turkey ready to go into the fryer and garnishing desserts yada yada... his family shows up and i go to the fridge to put all the different sides in the oven and then i realize.... they are all basically frozen. well needless to say... somehow the turkey fryer got turned on low lol so that took an extra hour and my sides took 2 hours to cook and then they were a little dry from being frozen.... so my food was ok... it just wasnt fabulous. everyone ate well b/c i didnt cook anything else all weekend..except for breakfast lol. i took all the girls to get makeovers by this makeup artist... and everyone hated their makeup ....oh well lol.... and then we went to monticello for sat. and they teenagers just wanted to go home the whole time. i guess it was an alright weekend... im just not up for it any time soon..... i finally got the apartments back to normal this weekend. lets just hope they dont want to do it again for christmas!....oh yeh his brother HATES dogs and Oscar of course loved him.... he complained the whole weekend lol

[DianaB]

I'm glad to finally hear from you. I'd been wondering how things went. It sounds like everything basically went ok. We all have cooking stories about overcooking and undercooking, at least yours turned out ok even if it was a little later than you were planning.

Now that you have your apartment all back in order you deserve a rest. I wouldn't worry about Christmas, you have the perfect excuse for Phil......"Well, since I spent Thanksgiving with your family, I thought that we'd spend Christmas with my family."

Thanks for letting us know how things went.

[SweetCuteness]

Wow, you're more brave and generous than I would have been! I would have been like, look, you invited yourselves, our apartments are not an option! Glad to hear you made it through everything okay.

[Marilyn]

So good to hear from you and that you and Phil survived. Whew!! Don't you feel good having done this though. Whether everything was perfect or not, you did your best to be a good hostess. Hope you have a pleasant Christmas!! Let us know how that goes.;)