Thanksgiving Days along with some Thanksgiving Troubles

Good afternoon. Post Turkey Day. I’ve looked forward to this weekend for a long time. It is so hard to come by a day at home. And to have a few days finally is just delightful. It doesn’t come without threats to it though, as always.

Mom went to Thanksgiving dinner to see my sister on Tuesday. She hobbled in and out with her gout. We had a nice time with my sister and my niece. My nephew had a virus and my BIL stayed home with him.

It was a busy short 3 day work week of trying to get payroll done and the aftermath, and to get manual checks done and garnishment checks out and federal and state taxes paid, but I got all that done in 3 days. The other two days that are missing will have to be crammed into Monday so I’ll have a 3 day work day on Monday. (You always pay for the holidays or PTO’s in one respect or the other.)

At work we had a nice pot luck with the plant. I was glad I was able to go and still get the payrolls done timely. I had to rush and come in early to do it though. I was careful as to what I ate. No nuts or seeds. Nothing horribly spicy. No bell peppers. And not much sweets. I did have a taste of banana pudding in a cup. It was delicious.

Our Thanksgiving

We worked hard this week in the evenings to make a nice little Thanksgiving for all three of us. Monday night we went to the store to get our things to cook, especially the fresh items. We went to Walmart. We also had angels gifts to get for church. So TWO birds with ONE stone.

Tuesday night we were gone to meet family at Connor’s. I forgot to snap pics or videos. Just in the moment with Mom and my sister and my niece. I wish we’d gotten pics of us all. But we really just needed to be in the moment.

Wednesday night I called to check on Mom and she said she was feeling much better and able to walk better. So that was good. When I got off the phone I told George that I bet anything she will call us Thursday morning and tell us not to come get her tomorrow.

Also, Wednesday night George and I did prep work to make the cooking go more smoothly. George has been planning this chicken and dressing recipe for a while and studying up on it. I planned my donations to the meal with my broccoli salad and dressed eggs. I boiled the eggs and chopped ingredients Wed night. And we had Allen’s green beans and Pict Sweet Speckled Butter Beans as a dish that George put in the crock pot on Thursday morning. He fixed sweet potatoes in the oven Thursday. So all in all the menu was this:

• Chicken and Dressing
• Green Beans with Speckled Butter Beans
• Baked Sweet Potatoes
• Broccoli Salad
• Cranberry Sauce
• Deviled Eggs

We had Gewürztraminer wine as always on Thanksgiving.

After we had been up a while, getting things ready Thursday…..

I got a call from Mom saying not to come get her, that her gout was worse. Hey wait, did I predict that? How do I do that? lol So much for the prior day’s improvement.

So since we did not go get Mom and bring her to our house to eat, we ate a little earlier. And then took her some dishes over to her afterward. While there I emptied her dishwasher and reloaded. She wanted us to stay a while and I got her stuff ready for her to soak her foot. I did not want to stay as I had not planned it and had a lot of washing to do since our washer was back in service. I did not realize she would not be able to soak her foot on her own. She never indicated that would be an issue. But I was not going back over there today for just that. I offered to take her to the doc but she declined. She has meds for it already but is afraid to take it.

So, I’m feeling a little overwhelmed today. Her care needs are exceedingly getting to a point that is above what I can do for her. I told her on the phone today that she has gout on more days than she doesn’t now. She is getting to where she doesn’t want to go anywhere. She won’t clean even if it’s a good day. She won’t cook for herself and now she is having a hard time taking care of herself. She posted on Facebook the other day that she was out of peanut butter that she was going to starve. She was teasing but she was trying to tell the world she doesn’t cook anymore and no one else is cooking for her (likely meaning me) and also trying to make me look bad like I don’t take her to the store or something (she gets grocery opportunities once a week) but if she forgets what she needs I can’t just KNOW that.

So I told her today I think it’s seriously time to think about assisted living. She said she has been thinking that too. But she’d like to have home health care for a while. She had me order a walker with a seat.

So the TO DO stack is getting overwhelming, when we are already overwhelmed with trying to get ready for the holidays. It’s not her fault. I am just saying that seriously there is a lot falling upon me at once. That is the true fact. I wish I had other siblings that would be helping. But it’s time to do the following:

____Get home health care

____Get cleaning help (I haven’t had time during the day hours to call and get quotes).

____Finish getting her property tax thing set up.

____Gather info on Assisted Living facilities and possibly tour them and get our name on the list, and figure out where to go from there, like selling her house and so forth.

I know I just need to stop and pray. I feel like I am all alone in this. I’ve never done these things before. I’m trying to keep a full time job for another year and then some. I feel like a failure because I can’t just snap a finger and have it done already.

Ok, getting all this out helps me vent a bit and then I can try to make a plan. I know that God is with me. I know He created me to be able to figure these things out. I just need to ask Him for wisdom.

So I’m going to get the house decorated as best as I can this weekend. And make a plan for December and trying to get all these things done and then try to enjoy the holidays still. It seems like when I finally get ANY down time it’s just usurped, spoiled, or otherwise hampered. I have a tendency to predict that as you know. I think people like it when I’m overwhelmed. It makes them feel alive. Is it just me or is there a pattern? I’m really not trying to be selfish. I am just trying to be sane.

However, I’m grateful for the life we have and that God can lead us during these odd times. Such an odd week. George is retiring this upcoming week as the job ends. And as we figure out how to get Mom the care she needs ongoing. And how to deal with it all. And getting everything ready for the holidays. I am trying very hard not to be down and to try to be happy in any circumstance. I will be honest. It is a battle. I feel like I’m being squeezed to death and literally it is hard to breathe right now.

I think it’s time for a glass of wine, lol.