The weekend is for rest. Not!

I don’t know how many people told me to get some rest by the end of last week.

All I can say is that I must have looked/sounded/acted as tired as I felt.

But sometimes when I heard that advice about resting up, I sort of wanted to roll my eyes. Because my weekend really didn’t involve that much rest. Unless I scheduled it in. Because my weekend involved a brunch, crazed house cleaning, cooking, and managing other commitments. Here’s how it all went down:

I left work on Friday afternoon around 4 p.m. and went home. Where I ate something for dinner, made pie crust and popped it into the freezer so I could roll it out on Saturday and make pies. I gave the dog a bath and cleaned the upstairs bathroom. Then, I fell into bed, exhausted, at 9 p.m. And slept soundly until 4 a.m., then dozed from then until 7 a.m. when my alarm went off.

By 8 a.m. on Saturday morning, I had a fudge pie in the oven and green beans cooking in the crock pot. I cleaned the kitchen, at least the countertops. I took the sheets off my bed and sorted the laundry. I took a shower, got dressed, and made myself presentable to be seen in public. Around 9:20 or so, Mindy and I set out for Thompsons Station for a Bible study brunch. I had been reticent about going, but in the end was glad I went. We left there around noon. Mindy dropped me off at home and I began wildly cleaning. I dusted and vacuumed upstairs. I put clean sheets on the bed. I cleaned the living room within an inch of its life and vacuumed the furniture. I dusted. I momentarily thought about trying to rearrange the furniture, but seeing that my living room is long and narrow, there’s really only one arrangement that truly works. I washed rugs, vacuumed, mopped, and swiffered. Around 4:15 p.m. I drove to a friend’s house to pick up the turkey for the Thanksgiving meal we were having at my house on Sunday. I chatted with her and her husband for about 30 minutes, then went home, put the turkey in the fridge and left for the grocery store to get the last few things: soft drinks, lemonade mix, spices for the turkey, and the ingredients to make a pumpkin pie. Once home, I put the groceries away, finished cleaning, made a pumpkin pie, and sat on my couch for a bit wondering why my feet hurt so badly when I was wearing semi-decent shoes.

On Sunday morning, I was in my kitchen by 6:40 a.m. trying to locate the bag of giblets hidden somewhere in the turkey. After a few minutes of searching, the packet was found and everything was good. I stuffed the cavity of the 12-pound turkey with aromatics (lemon, onion, rosemary) and rubbed the outside with butter, rosemary and thyme, then sprinkled on kosher salt and pepper. I added a bit of chicken stock to the electric roaster and had the turkey going by 7 a.m. I got the green beans warming again in the crock pot. I peeled a bunch of potatoes and set them to cooking on low heat in a pot of water on the stove. I tried to figure out where we’d put all the other food people were bringing and ran upstairs to get ready for church. And, I got there by 8:45 a.m. which is when the choir meets for a short rehearsal before the 9 a.m. service. I sang in both service and went to Life Group, but left before the sermon to go home to check on the turkey and do the mac and cheese. Two friends came with me (and screamed like girls when the macaroni pot overflowed). Magically everything seemed to come together and we ate dinner. . .and I didn’t have a plate, but a dessert plate worked out fine. Friends helped me clean up the dishes and I finished the kitchen clean-up after everyone left. Then, I around 3:30 p.m., I was finally alone and sitting on the couch. I meant to take a nap, but instead ended up syncing my iPhone, sending messages to the teen girls I’m working with in our arts ministry, and watching a little TV. By 5:15 p.m., I was on my way back to church for said arts ministry.

Needless to say, I was thinking about bed by 8:30 p.m. But I didn’t go to bed then. Instead, I worked on a possible menu list for my holiday muffin/cookie business and watched the end of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and my DVR’d Amazing Race. I am going to price ingredients for my menu list today and should have costs and info out by the middle of this week. I think it’s going to happen!