Monday, November 30, 2009

Sparkling Juice

Nothing burned.

Everything was edible.

Oh, sure, I didn’t have the easiest time preparing the meal. I had lost my glasses, my kids caused trouble, and the cat kept jumping on the counter, sure that he’d find a piece of turkey waiting for him.

But it all turned out.

Thanksgiving 2009 was a success.

We didn’t eat until 7. That’s when Tom came home from work.

“Do you have the stuff?” Tom asked me as he took off his coat.

I lifted the bottle. “I have the stuff.”

No. Not wine. Sparkling juice. Because Tom and I? We have the maturity level of a twelve-year-old and apparently the tastes of one too.



The sparkling juice went into my special Titanic glasses. I mean, they weren’t found in the wreckage or anything, because ew corrosion. They were bought at a Titanic store, you see. I’ve always been interested in Titanic—I think I have a White Star Line plate somewhere.

We gathered around the table. Tom lifted his fork to dig in.

I raised my fork to ding my glass. I expected it to make that nice tinkle sound you hear in movies when characters ding their glass and say, “I’d like to propose a toast.”

But when I went to ding my glass, it sounded like THUNK THUNK THUNK and no one even heard it.

Where was my tinkle sound?

Oh well. No tinkle. I stood up and said, “I feel like I should give a speech.”

Tom groaned. “Not this again.” Last year I made us go around the table and say what we were thankful for. I figured it would be a nice thing to do, you know? But we’re just not the type of family to do that I guess.

“No, don’t worry, you won’t have to—le gasp—share your feelings, Tom, don’t worry. I won’t put you through that again,” I said, rolling my eyes.

“Thank God,” Tom mumbled, setting his fork down.

“I just wanted to go around the table and say what I love about each and every one of you. Tommy,” I said, looking at my seven year old son who was busy trying to pull out his loose tooth. (Ew!) “You never fail to make me laugh. You’re a great kid who never gives up. I’m proud to be your mother.”

Tommy didn’t even appear to be moved. He continued to wiggle his tooth.

I looked at Tom. “You’re a wonderful provider and husband and father. Sure you may not be the cleanest man but if you were clean, what in the world would I blog about?”

“You’re welcome,” Tom said dryly.

Then I turned to Natalie, who was playing with her mashed potatoes.

“Natalie. My daughter. You...” I struggled for a few seconds and pictured her latest temper tantrum. She wanted the couch cushions on the floor and I said, no, sorry, the cushions go on the couch. She cried for ten minutes about it. Sometimes I don’t understand her logic. “You keep things interesting around here. You speak your mind and—”

“Can we eat now?” Tommy piped up.

“Son, Mommy is giving a speech. Hush,” I said, waving my hand at him. I stared at Natalie again. “Thank you for letting me dress you up.”

“Potatoes!” Natalie shrieked, rubbing some on her hair.

Why wasn’t anyone getting moved? In the movies, characters always tear up when someone gives a moving speech about them. But my son was too busy working on yanking out his tooth, Tom just wanted to eat, and Natalie was confusing mashed potatoes as shampoo.

Oh well.

“I’m done,” I said, sitting down.

We all dug in.

Afterwards when I was cleaning the kitchen, Tom came up behind me and put his arms around my waist.

This would have been a romantic moment but I’m quite jumpy. So I shrieked and whirled around with the kitchen sponge in my hand. I nearly clobbered Tom’s head with it.

“Geez. Can’t a man hug his wife?” Tom asked, hands up. “I just wanted to tell you that I’m thankful. For you.”

Awww!

“See? Aren’t feeling marvelous things?”

Tom looked a tad uncomfortable. “Sure...” Then he cleared his throat. “Well. I’m going to go feel like a man again. I have a base to defend.” He headed for the computer.

“Tell the rest of the Call of Duty nerds that I said hello!” I called out.

So yes.

As I said before.

Thanksgiving 2009 was a success.

39 comments:

  1. Well... its not any consolation - but it coulda been worse... :)

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  2. Tom really is a big softy, isn't he?

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  3. i think it sounds lovely... plus i've begun telling myself that perfection is boring... right?!?!

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  4. I want a small Thanksgiving dinner.

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  5. So sweet...and we love sparkling juice too...and it's a good thing I went to Chicago this weekend and Matt stayed home...b/c all he did was play COD!!! :)

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  6. I feel your "Call of Duty" pain...though, the man plays his on XBox and not a computer...but who is counting?! We have blogging so I suppose they can have their (cough) video games...LOL!

    ~Working Mommy
    Come on by, stay for a while and leave a comment or two!

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  7. That is how my thank you speeches go to, like they can't wait the 2 hours for my to tell everyone what I'm thankful for;)

    Glad you had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your sparkling juice & family!

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  8. You are pretty darn cute. I would've been moved if you'd toasted to me!

    ;-)

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  9. Happy Thanksgiving...I feel the lurve in this post. Its so warm and fuzzy...are you ill?

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  10. I felt like I was sitting right there at the table watching this take place, chuckling. ;)

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  11. Your posts always leave me giggling at my desk on Monday mornings. Thanks!
    Julia

    www.babyschetky.blogspot.com

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  12. Hahaha- This is so a story right out of my house! I love that I'm not the only one who doesn't have a husband who dotes on their wife emotionally, physically, and however else one would dote.

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  13. that was cute and I just love your daughter..she cracks me up

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  14. I love the way you explain it. It is like I was right there at the table with the wiggly tooth and all!

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  15. You have earned my awe for even attempting to have a movie moment--I gave up on trying for the Norman Rockwell painting a long time ago. Now I'm just happy if more food ends up in mouths than on the floor! Thanks for sharing. :-)

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  16. I'm so glad no one at Golden Corral decided to give a speech.

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  17. Thank goodness Hubs hasn't discovered Call of Duty. Yet. It sounds like a lovely holiday.

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  18. I love when husbands remember to be boyfriends.

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  19. sounds like a fun day! your kids are adorable, btw. seriously, so sweet with those heads of shiny blonde hair.

    and i love your attempt at a little speech. it made me go 'aw'! lol.

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  20. Sounds like a success to me. Glad you survived, and I think your speech was quite moving.

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  21. Keep up the speeches...your kids are very young now but some day they will tell you what a great tradition it is. Probably not in so many words. More likely, one year you'll finally just give up on it and start eating, and they'll get all righteous because they WANT the speech and what's wrong with you, anyway, Mom? That's when you'll know you succeeded.

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  22. aww sounds perfect!! and i love that you're jumpy too! i freak out every time jordan hugs me from behind...lol...glad you had a great thanksgiving!

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  23. mashed potatoes don't equal shampoo?! Crap. I knew I was doing something wrong...

    Glad you survived the holiday,
    ♥Spot

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  24. If mashed potatoes actually DID stand in for shampoo, I'd probably be the happiest, carb-loving gal on the block.

    I just used the word 'gal.' Awesome.

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  25. I always wanted my holidays at home with the kids to be like a Norman Rockwell holiday, and alas, it never was to be. But in the whole scheme of things, yours sounded pretty close! At least Tom was thankful for you!

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  26. Mmmmm...Sparkling juice. Yummy! Even if it did prevent your tinkle.

    lol that sounds funny!

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  27. We drink that too, in my Winnie the Pooh wine goblets!

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  28. That sounds just right to me. I have a thing for sparkling cider, too. That's good stuff :)

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  29. Gosh, don't you love those Hallmark card moments?

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  30. That is so funny about the Titanic glasses!

    Glad it all went well and the sparkling juice sounds well nice! xx

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  31. Sounds like a great family day. Movie families are quite dull, aren't they? Yours sounds wonderful!

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  32. Your daughter is too precious! Sounds like a great holiday too.

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  33. Glad it all worked out.

    Sounds like a lovely celebration to me.

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  34. I think that it's often more meaningful when those "moments" aren't so frequent. Sounds very romantic to me. Call me a man - but I can't maintain a high level of mushiness for very long anyway.

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  35. My niece refused to drink any of the sparkling apple cider that we had on the Thanksgiving table because she was just positive that her mom was trying to force her to drink wine. Even with all of the kids at the table trying to assure her it was, in fact, non-alcoholic, she would not be moved. That little girl can have a real stubborn streak. I'm sure she doesn't get it from her mother or anything...

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  36. Cute story!!!
    Potatoes as shampoo, my hair needs help, maybe shes on to something!

    Just stopping over from SITS! Have a great day!

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  37. I love sparkling grape juice.

    Seriously. I prefer it to most beverages. Luckily, I'm friends with a lot of Mormons, so that goes over really well.

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