Are you All in Order for Thanksgiving?

I started to think through Thanksgiving a little early this year and was proud of myself! With two young kids I often don't have a lot of extra time to day dream about how to calmly cook and prepare for events. As part of my preparations I came across Martha Stewart's Thanksgiving checklist. Laughing my way through the list I saw things like: iron the napkins (4 days before), and prepare for the floral pieces (in early November). We're supposed to have a floral piece?! We all know we cannot live up to Martha's standards. In fact I often wonder if she lives up to her own!

All joking aside, we do want to be prepared and feel that we have things All in Order before we go into these treasured holiday events. Here's how I'm going into this Thanksgiving so that things can be in order (but I'm not ironing table cloths 4 days before):

1. Plan the menu.

2. Create the shopping list of non-perishables and fresh ingredients. Stock up on non-perishables earlier, and wait until Tuesday or Wednesday to purchase produce, breads or seafoods.

3. Think about your space to eat in and how seating will best work for family and friends.

4. Clean table cloth and napkins and set aside for Thursday (Its OK to do it the morning of!).

5. Set a general schedule for the cooking so any family or friends can see what needs to be done and when. One of the things I love about this holiday is it's about family and friends and we want to enjoy the community time. This is a great way!