Two Posts - You Pick

Morning Pop-In

If you stuck your head in my door this morning to say a quick 'hello' and maybe grab a cup of coffee on your way to work, you'd smell roasting pork loin. Pretty odd and somewhat disorienting at 6:30 in the morning.

You might set your coffee cup on the crowded countertop and wonder about the multiple boxes of brownie mix or the giant-sized bag of crushed oreo cookies. "She's off the wagon for sure...," you might muse.

If you needed to make a quick trip to the restroom before you left, you'd pass three-gallon drink dispensers and boxes of plastic plates/cups/utensils.  Then you'd remember --- of course! 

There's a big party here tomorrow! 

Our Second Son is turning 18! 

You'd probably call work and tell them you needed a day off to help a friend get ready for a party. I'd weep with gratitude. We'd have a bonding moment.

***********************

When Lists Collide

There's a big party here tomorrow! 

Our Second Son is turning 18!  

I'm working a master list that ebbs and flows like the tides, baby! I add items and tasks, then cross them off with no small satisfaction. The list has been around for a couple of weeks now, but it's the last three days before any big event that are what really matters. (This concept, hotly disputed, applies to all sporting events also - the last half/quarter/whatever is all that matters.) That's when the purse list, the pocket list, the refrigerator list and the master list are combined and everything is mapped out to be finished over a three day spread. Things are going pretty well, I'm keeping up and feeling pretty good on this day-before-party-morning. 

Except I just remembered a forgotten dentist appointment - we were a complete no-show / no comment / no call. I'm really dreading the phone call I'm going to have to make in a couple of hours or so. I don't think I'll try to explain that the appointment was on the calendar, but simply  had not been transferred to the Master List, rendering it completely nonexistent. 

And in the spirit of listing, bullet items to consider:
- Who will be asked to go patrol the yard for dog bombs? (not me - this is a man job and if you've been doing it, you should stop)
-  Yesterday, my doctor prescribed some serious cough medicine which she said will 'knock you out for 6 hours'. Man-O, was I looking forward to that sleep last night! Instead, I coughed like a maniac and wondered, "Who keeps coughing like that?" Oh ... it's me again. I ended up on the couch with Mr. Selfridge, scalding hot tea (to burn the tickle out of my throat) and dry peanut butter cheerios (to scrape the throat tickle away). 
- The morning after the party, we're flying away on a 25th anniversary trip! I want to yell YIPPEE, but that's not on the list. I'm trying to cram all my vacation stuff into one carry on bag. Do you know what a challenge this is? Sure, the clothes, but what about hats, books, toiletries and shoes? I asked my husband about the shoes, hoping he'd suggest we check just one bag, and he explained how to solve the shoe situation: "You only need two pairs of shoes: beach shoes and going to dinner shoes." I just nodded and added that bit of wisdom to the list.
- Did I mention that we're leaving  the morning after the party? The trip has its own sub-list with sub-sub-lists for making sure there's enough to eat in this house for three adult-sized males, emergency numbers, accommodation and flight confirmations, and questions about sunscreen. If I buy it here where I can get it for a better price and try to take it down there, will they take it away from me at security? DH, could this be another reason to check a bag???