Just a 47-year-old mom of 2 in Northern California. My kids are Monkey Monkey(MM) and Drama Llama (DL). I am married to Monkey Hubby (MH). **Our free Kindle Fire has arrived. It's pretty cool. I think I am realizing that it is pretty easy to say, "What's the point of that?" when you haven't tried a technology. But once you utilize it, well, you realize more how awesome it is.
Kindle Fire = so amazingly cool. Forget the smart phone, I think I rather have a tablet. & I had no idea why the tablet was so great, until yesterday. You just have to experience it.
Sure, the kindle fire does not have any cameras, so it is not ideal. But, for the long run, give me a tablet with a webcam, and that should be all I need. Might replace my cell phone and my netbook. For the LONG run. My first impression is A+. I guess it looks like we are keeping it! (We were going to try it out, and were open to selling it if it wasn't awesome).
I suppose I was really surprised how big the screen seems for such a small device. It was much more impressive than I imagined. & yet small enough to be extremely portable. Not at all what I expected.
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In the end I decided to take some time off work, for T-Day. For a long time I always took the week off, which was kind of essential with hosting T-Day and having babies underfoot. Last few years I let someone else take those days, but no one ever does. So, I decided at the last minute to take Wednesday off, and the Monday after off. Of course, for Monday I was imagining a quiet day. Turns out the kids have off school. Oh well - so much for quiet! (Odd day to have off, huh? We didn't even realize).
For T-Day, it is the usual. Since we moved up to our low cost haven, we have the biggest house to host Thanksgiving. Will this be our 10th year? I suppose that makes it tradition?
Of course, dh is in charge of all the food, AND we do more of a potluck style anyway. Our grocery store has $10 turkeys (grocery store brand) that always taste DIVINE. So dh picked one up yesterday. I am in charge of deviled eggs. Dh makes some spinach thing. My dad makes salsa. Great Grandma makes the stuffing. (We provide the turkey - but that is about it! Dh's mom and grandma always bake it. My dad carves it). Everyone else brings drinks and side dishes. Someone makes mashed potatoes, and sweet potatoes, and on and on and on...
We invited a family friend who was recently laid off, and his mother. They've come in the past, but with all our surgeries and everything we hadn't invited them the last couple of years. I thought of them this year and told them just to bring themselves.
The heat is still off, and we usually turn it on the first time for T-Day. By the end of the day the body heat and oven may heat up the house (I remember opening windows some years!) but for the early birds that come to start the turkey, and for little old Great Grandma, they'd probably like some heat. I think we will easily make it until T-Day otherwise, but will turn on the heat for our early guests.
It would be one thing if I had to cook the entire meal, but since I don't have much responsibility for dinner, then I really like just getting to stay home for the holiday and not drive anywhere. I think it works out pretty nice! My parents don't have any family here, besides me, and so it is always dh's huge family, and my folks. But, dh's sisters/cousins have in-laws to contend with so only hit certain years. I thought this year was going to be *small* but it looks like 20. I suppose if everyone showed up it would be more like 26. OF course, the family is still growing every year.
We got a bottle of wine in Napa (was more like grape juice than wine? Was tasty, and very popular for the holidays). Dh's uncle and cousin always bring really cheap but tasty wines. They are like always in a contest to find the best inexpensive wine.
My mom usually slips me a little money for groceries. (I think she appreciates not having to do anything, after making Turkey dinner for 4, MANY years). I can't say we have spent any more than we would have, and we will have TONS of leftovers.
T-Day + Kindle Fire
November 20th, 2011 at 12:31 am
November 20th, 2011 at 02:55 am 1321757705
I read in one review that you can watch Netflix on it ... so that upped the ante of temptation.
-- What about Facebook? Does it have an app for that??
November 20th, 2011 at 03:17 am 1321759070
November 20th, 2011 at 03:24 am 1321759467
November 20th, 2011 at 03:29 am 1321759764
My dh says there is supposed to be some nook app (which lets you read additional formats besides the amazon formats). But, personally we are only using the amazon. I think he was going to add the nook one so I can access my nook books on it.
November 20th, 2011 at 03:30 am 1321759828
November 21st, 2011 at 02:18 am 1321841922
I told him we should just suck it up (even though we struggle to stay within our grocery budget), because A) if we ask for money it'll get weird and non-Thanksgiving-y and B) if we give someone else the task of bringing an important dish like potatoes, what if they screw it up or forget? So we'll figure out a way to get our costs down in subsequent grocery weeks.