Holidays

As we approach "The Holiday Season," I thought I'd write a little somethin' somethin' to help my fellow Earth dwellers better understand me and the goings on at Anderson Acres.
You're welcome!

I never quite know where I fit when it comes to Thanksgiving and Christmas. I'm stuck in that  in-between space---the one reserved for women over the age of 30 with children, in-laws, and a job. I really am not the best cook. I have my grandmother, mother, and daughter to cover those bases (oh, and my sisters-in-law, too!) That in-between space consists of never knowing exactly what you should host, what you should just attend, what you should cook/buy/bring, what you should decorate, what you should wear, blah blah blah.
You see, I don't have that one special dish that everyone is dying to try at a get together. I have been to ONE holiday party in my entire adult life. Sad, huh. I have no fancy party dresses, no ugly Christmas sweaters, no song that I break out and dance to in front of God and everyone, and no need for any of it, to be completely honest.

Ya, it's kind of the loser space, I guess. *head drops to chest followed by a deep, heavy, pitiful sigh*

You see, I want to be THAT daughter/mom/wife: the one that wears the cute little apron, smiles alot, and presents a full table of deliciousness followed by laughter, games, talking, and fellowship. I want to be THE person who refills glasses without anyone asking, has a beautifully decorated house/tree/desk at work/etc, and basically has her stuff together. Is that too much to ask?!?

Heck, I don't even have THAT going for me. Crud.

Anyway, I'm that "in-between-er." I'm a daughter, so I'm slightly obligated to clean up after a meal and at least ask if there is anything I can do or bring, even if it's dadgum green bean casserole that's so easy my 10 year old could make it. I'm a mother, so I'm obligated to be certain my kiddos actually eat from every food group and try something new. I'm a wife, so I'm obligated to at least attempt to host a dinner or two. I'm a woman, so I have hundreds of years of be-that-perfect-hostess guilt stacked up on me. I do have the excuse, though, that I've been a shift worker for the last 5 years, so Thanksgiving and Christmas were just like any other days. I couldn't host a single thing, even if I wanted to do so.
Yet, here I sit. I'm SUPER excited to be hosting the in-laws at casa de la Anderson this year for Thanksgiving! It just hit me, though...
Crud.
I have no menu planned, nothing bought, and no stinkin' clue what I'm doing.
Ok, that's a lie. I sort of know what I'm doing.
I have a wonderful sis-in-law who has basically laid this information at my feet, yet I'm secretly counting on my 17 year old daughter to work her magic in the food realm.
Bless her heart, she has an "in-between-er" for a momma.

You may laugh at the above meme, but seriously! That's some Turkey Day pressure!
:)
Let's not even get on the subject of Christmas! Sheesh!

WHO do you buy for? WHAT do you buy? Are gift cards really acceptable? What about age-appropriate gifts? How far down the cousin/aunt/uncle/in-law chain do you buy for? Do you participate in every white elephant gift exchange you're invited to? What in the wide wide world of sports do you buy your spouse?!? What do you do when 2 out of the 3 C's have birthdays right around Christmas? Are combo gifts acceptable? If you receive a gift but didn't buy one for that person, how do you respond appropriately?
SO. MANY. QUESTIONS.

As an adult, I have decided I no longer want anything.
Ok, that's not true.
I would love a bill or two paid. Yes, that would spread some Christmas cheer!

K, there it is...no purse, no jewelry, no fancy anything. Pay my bills, Baby! lol
Oh, wait. He already does that. Good man. :)

I guess what my beef about Christmas is, I have a verrrrry hard time buying gifts. I'm a perfectionist and an online shopaholic. That's probably not the best combination. Amazon, Zulily, and Gap are my bff's on the internet.

***By the way, if you have an Amazon list, now is the time to make that known. Thanks so much***

Now, before anyone goes off in to left field on me, I KNOW and fully understand the true meaning of Christmas, and K and the kiddos do, too. I'm just throwing out here what so many people think...I promise I'm not alone!

If it's not the worry about gifts, it's the worry about decorations...do I have enough? Heck, can I even find my decorations? Do I need to string up outside lights? Fake or real tree? Colors or theme for this year? Do we hang the stockings on our mantle in the master bedroom since there isn't one in the living room? Do I put a door wreath out? Where is the tree going to be placed so it can properly be seen from the outside at night? Is everything fireproof? Do I know where my important and keepsake ornaments are? Do we need a new ornament for the family this year? Oh geez---Christmas cards!!! Do I have a decent pic of each of us to use? Do I send them this year or not? Buy the matching hand towels, place settings, tree skirt, etc, or not? Music!!! Do I have enough Christmas-y tunes to play? Am I teaching my children to appreciate the REAL meaning of Christmas?

Whew! Good Grief!

I've been thinking...a lot...about presents. In lieu of them, why not purchase 5 full Christmas dinners to be delivered to those in need?
Donate to a worthy cause such as Heifer International or Wounded Warrior Project or St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
(those are a few of my favorites!)
Grab an angel off of the Angel Tree...heck, grab 2 or 3...and let your kiddos do the shopping.

I'm just throwing ideas out there, Folks, mainly for myself I guess.
I don't want to be a Scrooge or a Grinch this year, and I know all of the above doesn't really matter.
I know what DOES matter.
The overwhelmingness (is that a word?!?) of the holidays hits every year, and I can't seem to stop it. I break out in a cold sweat around Halloween, and it doesn't dissipate until January 2nd of the new year. Yes, it's that bad. Maybe what I really need for all of this holidayness (I'm sure that's not a word either) is a chill pill...I don't drink, so that option is out the window.

The one thing I do know...it will be okay! I will probably get a new pair of snuggly socks in my stocking, watch my 3 C's open presents and give me huge grins, love on family and friends, eat some a--maaaazing food, and count every single one of my blessings.

I will survive!

:)
Happiest of Thanksgivings and Merriest of Christmases from the Not-So-Average Andersons to you! May you all get warm fuzzy feelings, sing carols to your heart's content, drink mugs filled with hot cocoa and marshmallows, and enjoy your snuggle time with family!

~Andy

Meatloaf

No, this is technically NOT about meatloaf---the kind your mother made when you were growing up...the kind you either loved or hated...the "mystery meat" at school...etc.

To be honest, I really cannot cook. Lord knows I've tried. Somehow, C1 got the cooking genes, and I am forever grateful to her for making dinner throughout our busy week. We (and by we, I mean she) has yet to conquer the recipe for meatloaf or even had the desire to do so. I digress...

Where were you in 1993? How old were you? What styles were popular then? What music did you listen to on your cassette tapes (yes, those existed then)?
I was 12.
I was in that awkward stage of whatthehellareyouwearing combined with areyouseriouslygoingtowearthat with a little bit of pleasefortheloveofgoddon'twearthat thrown in.
My mother has threatened to release actual photos from this awkward time period, but so far, I've dodged that bullet.
And, Mother, just so you know, that would be social suicide for me.
Thankyouverymuch.
*Ahem*

Anyway, I was 12. Single. Ugly. An introvert. The one thing that brought me joy and pulled me out of my shell was music. It wasn't any certain kind...I just LOVE music. To this day, I'll pretty much listen to anything as long as there are no curse words.
I tried to keep up with the latest hits, and, to be honest, I preferred country music. During this awkward time in my life, though, I chose to branch out a bit.
(I promise you I'm going somewhere with this...)
I remember the first time I heard him sing. I was riding in the car on the way to violin lessons in A-Town. We lived in a small town roughly an hour away at that time. So, I hear this voice...this song...and I was perplexed.
The singer was Meatloaf. The song was "I Would Do Anything For Love."
Now, this begs the question: What won't Meatloaf do for love?
Better yet, why is he calling himself Meatloaf?
I personally like Mother's meatloaf, so that word doesn't leave a bad taste in my mouth (pun completely intended). Not until I saw a picture of Mr. Meatloaf did I fully appreciate the song, the man, and my current situation.
That stupid song has been stuck in my brain since that day. It sneaks out every now and then, usually around 2am when my brain seems to think I need to relive my awkward childhood moments *shudder*

Ohhhhkkkkkkkk....so this brings me to the whole entire point of my blog.
I knew there were limits to what I would do for love. I mean, if you are a respectable young lady then you have boundaries. BOUNDARIES, I SAY! (That was for my girls) So, Meatloaf sings, "And I would do annnyyyything for loooove, but I won't do that...oh, no I won't do that." Well, what is that? I found out over my years of adulting just what "that" really is. Honestly, I wish some lessons weren't so hard to learn. :/

It wasn't until I married K that I truly understood what someone would do if they loved YOU enough. It's almost like he's never heard Mr. Meatloaf's song (I just like calling him that, mmmkkk?), and he doesn't have a single thing he wouldn't do for love...or for the love of me.
For instance...
Let's look at Halloween 2016, the good ol' 31st of October, where we all act like kids and play dress up. Now, I have NEVER dressed up as an adult, and by adult I mean since the age of 15. Seriously. I've been adulting almost that long, I'm afraid.
This year was going to be different. Heck, I've got one C almost old enough to move out of the house, one C almost too cool for his mother, and once C who love love loves anything to do with dress up and still enjoys being a kid. I literally waited until lunch time on the 31st to purchase costumes, mainly because no one knew what they wanted to be. After spending an hour in the biggest costume store EVER, I decided on Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf for me and K. It was gonna be a hit! I finished my work, left at the normal 5pm, and began the 30+ minute drive home. When I arrived, all 3 C's rushed me wanting their costumes. I mean, after all, it was getting dark soon! After passing them out, I gave K a crooked smile and pulled our costumes out of the bag. His was AWESOME. The mask was amazing. I was super excited. I pulled my costume out of its package, and...............................................................................................
um...............................................................................................
well, there must be some mistake.
The Little Red Riding Hood costume was missing THE RED CAPE.
No cape.
No sign of a cape being present at any point.
Just a dress. And cuffs for my wrists. And a basket.
NO. RED. CAPE.

I sighed heavily, dropping my chin to my chest. I admit, I began to cry a little bit.
My feelings were so hurt. After all, the costume store was 45 minutes away. There was no way I could fix this problem. I had no red table cloth, no red shirt, no red ANYTHING in my house.
K, seeing me in such distress, grabbed my costume, put it back in the bag, and grabbed his keys. I gave him a perplexed look, and as he walked out the door he said, "I'll be back in a minute." I could see where this was going. He was on his way to return my costume and get one with a red cape! I begged him to just forget about it. I told him over and over that I had never dressed up as an adult, and I really didn't need to start now. After all, this evening was about the kids, not me.
He just turned and walked out the door. I literally sat there amazed. K drove alllll the way back in to A-Town, argued with the clerk at the costume store, got a cape from another costume bag, and drove allllll the way back home in record time.
All for me.
The red cape was wonderful. Heck, we all looked great. I was able to walk around from door to door with K and the kids, everyone dressed in costumes, and thoroughly enjoy myself! Here's proof:

After the kids were in bed that night, I laid next to K and watched tv with him. I turned to him and said, "You know what? That is literally the nicest thing any man has ever done for me. I mean, truly the NICEST thing. You have no idea how special that made me feel." He just smiled and said, "Well, I love you. I'd do anything for you and anything to make you happy."

So, unlike Mr. Meatloaf, K will do anything for love....and he doesn't expect a single thing in return.

All of my awkward moments growing up, all of my heartaches as a young adult...all of it brought me to where I am now. There is a man named K who will do anything for love---or better yet, for the woman he loves. I really need to learn to cook for him. Maybe make him some meatloaf sometime.
Ya, I'm good with that. :)

~Andy