Salt and Fun

Today we are cleaning and doing the prep work for our Thanksgiving Celebration. Tomorrow is about cooking ahead, having everything we can prepared ahead of the big day so we can relax and enjoy the arrivals and full house.

I needed another pie plate. Usually, my mom would cook some of the pies, but this year we are three states away from them. Two chocolates, two pumpkins, one apple. I was one short. Where are all my pie plates?

Those of you who know I love plants and gardening would probably guess where to look. Yup. Under some of the plants I brought in to the basement when the temperatures plummeted and the first flakes fell.

The pie plate aka water catcher was water stained with crusty build-up. Yucky. I tried cleanser, no good. The oven cleaner I use has salt in it, and I remembered cleaning the inside of water-marked vases with salt. Tried it - yes! It took some scrubbing, but the pie plate shined when I was done. It looked better than my other pie plates, so they got the salt treatment too. Shiny, squeaky clean pie plates, ready for tomorrow's baking marathon.

This refrigerator magnet from Mary Engelbreit is my reminder, my theme song for this weekend as our varied crew assembles from three states. As we accept and enjoy our imperfections. I don't know any non-dysfunctional families, do you? We certainly aren't on that list.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your (most likely) less than perfect family. Enjoy them!