Brain Fry and Mental Escape Plan

One week y'all.  That's what we're down to.

(via GIPHY.com)

I feel ya, R.F.

I need to sit down and make a list of all of the things I need to make but more importantly the things I need to buy to make those things.  My freezer is at maximum capacity.  My friend is coming over tomorrow and I get to meet her baby.  I'm so excited to hold him.  I love babies when they're little and don't move much.  Then once they get all squirmy and want nothing to do with you...bye.  LOL  I'm just going to hold him and sniff his head.  They need to bottle clean baby smell.  I made her seven meals and 12 pumpkin chocolate chip muffins for quick breakfasts.  Since they don't have a microwave, I got her a Hot Logic Mini (affiliate link) which will heat those up perfectly.  She can plug it in in the morning and by lunchtime have a perfectly hot meal to 160 degrees.  If he fusses and she needs to pop it back in there, it'll stay warm until she's ready.  I hope she likes it.

Sunday is Christmas with my grandpa's wife.  I already got my big gift from her which is a chest of drawers for my closet for seasonal clothes.  (Anyone else used to think it was Chester drawers when they were a kid?  Just me?  Never mind.)   I'm making my spice cake that everyone loves (just a box but hey, I'll take it!) and my cheeseball.   She emailed me saying she wasn't going to be able to bring her pineapple upside-down cake she makes because her new cake pan wouldn't be here in time and would I cover desserts.  (It's literally a jelly roll pan that she could get at any grocery store in aluminum, which she's done before.)  I told her I always bring a spice cake so dessert was covered but if she was asking me to attempt to make her cake for the first time, I was going to have to pass but we'll miss it because we all look forward to it.  Suddenly it was "I'll bring it if I can get the pan."  Yeah, sorry but I'm not having one more thing passed off on me because someone else doesn't want to make it anymore.  Same with Christmas.  I was given the menu and it looked like everything was covered.  I know not to really bring complicated desserts like I have in the past because it's a dumping ground for sweets.  I have two boxes of Ghirardelli brownie mix (the good one - affiliate link) in the basement and said I'd bring those knowing my mom would be happy with that since they're her favorite.  Later that night she sends some fancy Christmas tree brownies and says "thought of you when I saw this.  Probably because you're bringing brownies."  I replied, "those were made by someone who hadn't just made 10 doughs and wants to burn down her kitchen."  Yeah.  If YOU want to hack up my brownies into trees, ice them,  add M&Ms and jam a pretzel in as a stump...have at it sister, not this lady.  Not this year.  This is the year of no.  I'm doing what I can when I can and if I don't want to do something, I'm not gonna.  My brain is utterly fried.

Christmas isn't the end of it.  My friend that lost her grandpa and mom will be in town and he throws in a vegan and gluten-free wrench.   (No, he doesn't have celiac disease)

(via GIPHY.com)

I have no problem with vegans or gluten-free peeps so please don't get ye undies in a knot.  But the Mr knew exactly where my mind would go.  I'd need to research vegan, gluten-free dishes, go out of my way to make something I wouldn't normally make, stress about whether or not it turned out right instead of enjoying the time I have with her because of my need for perfection.  He said I was not doing that and we have a pizza place that has cauliflower crust and he can get a veggie pizza while the rest of us get our gluten and pepperoni on.  Done.  I'm having a hard time with it but I think I'm going to take him up on it.  If he's still vegan and gluten-free when I see him for a holiday again in two years, then I'll have plenty of time to research and test, until then...cauli-pizza for you, sir.  I'm done.

I have a bottle of wine from Vermont I was going to use for cooking.  I'm rethinking that.  At minimum, my mental escape plan is I'm gonna stuff my face with Christmas cookies waving my middle fingers with a hot cocoa chaser.  I give zero effs about the caloric consequences.

What's on your to-do list gathering/entertaining wise the next week?

====================
Like this post? Don't miss another one...subscribe via email or RSS feed. (Or you can follow me on Facebook )  Some posts may contain affiliate links which help keep this blog running at no cost to you.  See the Disclaimer page for more info.