I am my Father's Daughter

To be completely fair, I have a lot of both of my parents in me.  Even my father couldn't tell my mom and I apart on the phone when I lived at home because our voices sounded so similar.  I love to cook and bake (though I was a late bloomer in this area), which comes directly from my mother.  My mom and I get along so well.  But a lot of the way my brain works comes from my dad.  He's a very analytical, straight-forward, logical, always-has-a-plan type of person.  I have a bit of a crazy, unbalanced, artistic side in me, but mostly, I have my father's over-prepared brain.  (We're also both corny nerds, but that's beside the point!)

Thus, when I was preparing to cook my very first complete Thanksgiving meal last year, I had the plan to cook the exact replica of what my mom cooks, but I planned it in a way that, I think, would have made my dad smile with pride.   

Oh yes, I made a spreadsheet.

Let's say I based it on the fact that I had never cooked such an intricate meal with a number of dishes that graced the double digits that all needed to be ready at the same time to be packed in the car to take to a friend's house to eat the meal.  That truly was the reason behind the spreadsheet, but it turns out that the spreadsheet itself gave me so much satisfaction that I decided to one-up it this year.  (Of course, I typed it up and saved it on my computer for future use.)

So, this year, when I decided to invite some friends over on Black Friday just so that I could have the pleasure of cooking this wonderful meal again, I pulled out that lovely spreadsheet.  And edited it.  And decided that it wasn't quite detailed enough.  Oh no, a time schedule of exactly what I'm supposed to be doing during half hour increments for the whole morning leading up to eating time was not enough for me!  This year... I added the dishes I will use for each portion of the process.  (Are you laughing at me yet?!  If not, we might be kindred spirits.)

When my husband laughs at me for this (which he already has and will continue to do so), I always add some feeble excuse like, "Well, if I don't plan out all the bowls and things, I'll end up running out and won't have a dish to serve _______ in!"  (In my defense, I do have a limited number of serving dishes and a tiny kitchen.)  But since that never convinces him that I'm anything other than crazy, I just shrug and say, "Well, I am my father's daughter!"

Now, only because I am shameless and actually quite proud of this lovely spreadsheet, I have included a picture for your viewing enjoyment below!  The only problem I had with it this year was shrinking it down enough so that it would fit on one page!  And as you can see in the corners, it is already hanging on the fridge eagerly awaiting Friday morning at 10:30 am when I will walk into a spotless kitchen, lace up my apron, and wreak an organized havoc!

Happy {crazy} Thanksgiving!