Thursday was a semi-productive day. I did some office work during the day, but I found
it hard to concentrate and didn't accomplish as much as I would have
liked. Later
in the evening, I remade daughter's bed and did some grocery shopping. I bought a few things for
the house and the chicken for the rosary dinner; three packages (each package was almost 5 lbs.) of chicken thighs at $.79/lb. Then, I dusted my bedroom and cleaned a
bit more of the family room. The coffee table has been cleared and one
of the side tables. I started on the bookcase, but then it was time to
go to pick up my daughter from the airport.
All the dusting resulted in an asthma attack and that put an end to more cleaning. I also felt a bit achy and as if I was coming down with something. I think it was in reaction to the flu shot - they did say that one might feel some flu-like symptoms as a result of the flu shot.
I had requested the day off from work on Friday, partly because I knew I had quite a lot of things to do. But, again, I felt a bit achy and a bit under the weather, so I took a Tylenol and took it easy. I did make the gelatin for the dessert and kept it to set.
Later, in the afternoon, I felt better and daughter and I went grocery shopping for the rest of the items I needed. Daughter needed to go to the bank, so she went to the bank (adjoining the grocery store) and did her banking while I began on the grocery shopping. She joined me less than 10 minutes later and we finished the shopping together.
After we came home and had a cup of tea, daughter started to cook the chicken. She cut up and cooked all the chicken - nearly 15 lbs. of chicken! I cleaned and minced 30 cloves of garlic for her chicken dish and washed all the dishes, pots and pans, afterwards. She also cleared the dining table in the family room for me and took down some of the items I'll be needing, tomorrow.
I called everyone I had invited to the prayer meeting and left messages reminding them. 6 people have let me know that they will not be able to attend and at least 2 others won't be able to come. I know that at least 12 people will be here. If everyone else shows up, there will be 19 or 20 participants.
I will finish the cleaning, tomorrow, and cook the rest of the meal. In the afternoon, I will go to pick up my friend and a few last minute items (we ran short of soy sauce for daughter's chicken, for example, so need to buy another bottle).
Today, I am grateful for:
- daughter having a safe flight home on Thursday night
- daughter being home to help me with the preparations
- cooking together
- pleasant weather
- my friend being willing to come early, tomorrow, to help
Saturday's To Do List:
- Put away washed dishes
- Take the big pans to the garage
- Dust living room
- Finish dusting family room
- Vacuum
- Make the rest of the gelatin dessert
- Cook the sauted garbanzo beans
- Cook the lentil curry
- Cook the cocktail sausages
- Hard boil the eggs
- Make the salad
- Assemble the fruit platter
- Clean the bathroom
- Pick up my friend
- Grocery store for soy sauce, a bag of ice, a bouquet of flowers
- Set up the altar
- Remove the sofa dust sheets
- Put the table cloths on the tables
- Take out serving dishes
- Cook the rice
People will start arriving between 7:30 and 8:00 p.m. The prayers will be said once everyone is here, around 8:30 p.m. Dinner will be served as soon as prayers are over. People will start leaving around 10:30 p.m. I am hoping that at least one friend will stay a bit to help put away the food, etc. We'll see how that goes.
Hope everyone has a lovely day, tomorrow.
Hoping all goes well. I am in awe of your Saturday to-do list, so I will carefully suggest that you pace yourself. hugs x
ReplyDeleteThank you, Lyssa. Yes, I am pacing myself. :)
Delete30 cloves of garlic??? That dish is not about subtle flavours I guess.
ReplyDeleteYour to-do list looks daunting. If fewer people show up, maybe you can cook a little less and save yourself some work. This a prayer meeting not a cooking competition after all.
Enjoy the time with your guests.
Jazz
Yes, 30 cloves of garlic, 2 1/2 cups of honey, 2 1/2 cups soy sauce...not too much for almost 15 lbs. of chicken. :)
DeleteIt's hard to know how much to cook because I don't know exactly how many will be coming. Only a few people have said they will not come, so I have to assume that everyone else will come. But it's OK - I'll have plenty of leftovers to send home with my daughter and family and friends will often take a plate of food home, as well. :)
As for the to do list - yes, it is daunting, isn't it? :p
Even though there's a lot to do, you look like you're well organized for this. I hope you have a chance to enjoy your company. However, sometimes that's hard to do when you're hosting.
ReplyDeleteThings are coming along nicely. As long as I don't keep thinking of more things I should do, I'll be done on time! :D
DeleteAs I write this, I know that people will be arriving in about an hour or a little more. I hope that you were able to pace yourself today. That is a big list for anyone to try and get done in one day. I hope you were able to delegate some of the work. I know that dinner will be a success.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Susan. Yes, my daughter and friend are both here, helping me. Which is a good thing, because I just now ran out of energy! Daughter is making me a cup of tea and I am sitting down for a break. But most of the work is done. Daughter still needs to cook the cocktail sausages and I need to put the rice to boil.
DeleteI notice your post transmitted at 2:22AM! Canadian Thanksgiving was celebrated October 10th, and while our family celebrated on Sunday, the 9th to facilitate travel, I am very sensitive to all the traditional celebratory dinner choices for a crowd this week. So I suspect you planned a pound of chicken per person plus sides of rice, salad, hard boiled egg, cocktail sausages, lentil curry, garbanzo beans, fruit salad and gelatin dessert + beverages.
ReplyDeleteWe had way too much chicken, plus there was fish and beef, in addition! But my daughter will take some of the extras home with her, and others took food home with them, as well. So it all worked out well.
DeletePerhaps you'll add a reminder note in your cell's calendar, for December's Monks celebratory event about Quantity generously sufficient for 20. Is the Chicken, beef, fish, curry plus several side dishes and desserts a cultural statement? While I'm fascinated by your culture and specialty dishes I remain bewildered [Honour]
ReplyDeleteYes, we'll call it a cultural thing and leave it at that. :) This is how my mother and aunts have entertained and I learned from them.
Delete