We had a great Christmas, 4 of 7 kids were here and assorted grandkids. All was going fantastically, a little problem with scheduling with another set of in laws but it was all proceeding as planned, brisket was cooked, turkey was frying outside, potatoes were on the stove. THEN it happened, the drain clogged because someone stupid (ME) put the potato peelings down the garbage disposal. I actually thought that's what it was for??
Well it is for that but we had been having minor clogs since Labor Day, the washing machine, kitchen sink, bathroom sink, and dishwasher all come together in one small drain and then go to the big one (thank goodness the back bathrooms are on another drain!!), I'd always been able to plunge it out before but we'd been using every sink and appliance heavily and then about 4 lb of potato peelings just did it in. Plus cleaning the turkey deep fryer didn't help but I did stop my husband from going and getting a motorized brush of his that he wanted to use on it, but washing it didn't help the drain situation any. No I didn't clean the turkey fryer, it's my son-in-laws and I just hid it behind some shrubbery on the back side of the house, so there you know my secret. Year old peanut oil is not a pleasant sight, we got rid of most of it outside though, well Sissy did.
So there I am plunging and plunging, I thought I had made it clear the drain was clogged but everyone was merrily chatting away in the family room while I plunged in the laundry room. Sissy noticed and went to check the drain to the lagoon, it was fine, she plunged some no dice, turkey is still frying, potatoes are still boiling....... people still chatting......I develop a sore spot from plunging, oldest son notices, he plunges, no dice, everyone else still chatting, oldest son decided to take drain apart and see if we could find plumbing snake, drain breaks in the process and no snake so we used some heavy electrical wire we had laying around. I have 2 large painful blisters and am peeved (insert whatever expletive you desire here) beyond belief. I finally impress on husband that turkey is perhaps done, son mashes potatoes, when he asks for utensils I tell him they are where they should be, I am NOT a happy camper. We do eat......maybe it was the lack of breakfast but then it's all OK, we sit around and have a good time, I decide there are worse things than not being able to do dishes and it will be there after I get back from work in the morning. I go take a nap so I can go to work @ midnight and the girls have done the dishes when I get up!! Sparing the water but they got them done. I bandage my hand and go to work. Husband and I worked on drain the next day, he got it fixed, @ one point we were draining the water into a cooler held above our heads, I try to hold it, it gets off balance and I literally pour 2 gallons of dirty water on basement floor. It's all OK though, I learned my lesson or so I thought, we have a dehumidifier, floor is concrete and will clean. And BTW I was in Wal Mart @ 6 am Friday morning after Christmas when they reopened for our 50% off sale. Those people were NOT HAPPY, they had carts and were determined to fill them, I must say usually people are very polite and even apologetic for getting in your way. It was all fine, no one got ran over but I was glad to leave @ 7 am.
So all is fine till Monday when I have to set up aisles and steel with plastic Christmas totes, hundreds of them @ work, the totes keep coming out of the woodwork, management sends extra boys to help but they keep disappearing. I have to have this done by 10 pm and have everything cleaned up it's 8:30 when I get back from break. I am back in my peeved mood (insert expletive expression). The boys HAVE brought all of it inside and gathered it from other parts of the store but I have like 50 ft of steel to fill, boys are all on lunch now. Miche starts helping me and we get it all out and are ready to clean up by 9 pm, if you read this Miche THANK YOU! The manager who is there comes by and I rant a little about all we have to do yet cleaning up and turning in damaged goods and half of our mess disappears, don't know how or why but it's on a cart and then it's gone! All that high blood pressure wasted, we get through in plenty of time and it looks great.
So when my brother calls yesterday and says he's on his way up and bringing his son-in-law whom we have never met, I don't panic even though I'm on my way to work and we have nothing planned to eat, house isn't dirty but it's not company ready. One guest bed has clean sheets, I make sloppy joe's and tater tots and put my brother in the guest bedroom that isn't the cleanest but he understands.
So what have I learned, SLOW down and enjoy the season, the reason and the people around you. It will all turn out ok. Plus my blisters are almost healed up.
Hope everyone has a HAP HAP HAPPY New Year and today is my grandson Marcus's 13th birthday.
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