I SURVIVED!!!
Monday, June 9th, 2008 10:19 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
auntbijouThe Monthly Family Dinner was at my house yesterday, and went surprisingly well. Yes, this was the reason for "Auntie's Epic Cleaning of the House" last week. And in a way, my sisters got to see a whole new side of me, which was hysterically funny to my mother (and to me)because she knew it all along.
What surprised the heck out of me was... everybody came. After years and years of trying to get my whole family to come to my kids' birthday parties, or just to general, "hey, we're planning a BBQ in a couple of weeks," I finally had everyone here, and it was great. Both sisters, my surviving brother-in-law (the Practical Sister's husband died seven years ago)and all my nieces and nephews, including the great-niece and great-nephew (yes, Auntie is a Great-Aunt, too, and it happened before she was even 30, and yes, she scolded her niece for that, for all the good it did, since she did it again a few years later!!). And my mom. My dad couldn't make it, because he was feeling bad. Mom said he'd just changed his medication for his diabetes, and it makes him very dizzy, and when he takes his medication for that, it makes him sleepy. In some ways, I was disappointed, and in some ways, I was glad, because... we don't exactly get along. It's complicated.
Anyway, everyone liked the new (to us) house, loved the backyard, loved my big kitchen, and actually loved the food. Which surprised them, (meaning my sisters), since they are convinced that I can't cook. The Husbandly One barbecued ribs and chicken, and I had made a giant pot of baked beans, which he insisted on putting on the grill, rather than my sticking it in the oven. I was rather dubious about this, because I wasn't sure it would cook fast enough, considering it takes about three hours in the oven, but, we didn't want to heat up the kitchen (it was blistering yesterday). To my susprise, it worked fantastically well, and in spite of having a huge pot, there are no leftovers, which is the best compliment to my cooking ever!
In spite of the heat, we had a really good breeze, so it was comfortable on the back porch, and the deck, where everyone spent most of their time. My mom stayed indoors, since she doesn't handle heat well at all, anymore, and I stayed inside with her. At this point, every moment of time I get with her is at a premium, so I don't want to waste it, you know?
My oldest nephew, Mr. Beanpole (he's 31), came, which surprised me, since I rarely hear from him, even though he lives in Austin. I call him Mr. Beanpole because he is six foot four, and makes me, at five foot three, feel positively tiny! He even said, "Auntie, you get littler and littler every time I see you!" when he hugged me, which was an interesting experience, since he actually picked me up off the floor! Used to be the other way around, you know? I would never tell anyone, but he's my favorite among my nieces and nephews, because he's the only one of the kids who is a big reader, loves old movies, and is a musician. What I thought was incredibly funny was when I was giving him the tour of the house, and we came into my bedroom and he saw my guitars, and he said, "Oh! I thought you only played the piano!"
I laughed and said, "You forgot why you wanted to learn how to play the guitar?"
He frowned and said, "Well, I remember that one of my aunts played, and..." he blushed and stared at me. "Oh! That was you!"
*merry laughter*
Anyway, a good time was had by all. The Practical Sister learned that yes, Auntie actually does know her way around the kitchen, and can cook, the Blonde Sister learned that, no, Auntie does not live in a hovel (it's a long, long story), and I learned that when I am in my own territory, I do not revert to the quiet, slightly-kooky-younger-sister role that my sisters have assigned to me, but am my usual, fiesty, don't-take-nothin' Auntie... and my sisters still love me. In fact, they kinda prefer that.
And the people all celebrated and were joyous!
What surprised the heck out of me was... everybody came. After years and years of trying to get my whole family to come to my kids' birthday parties, or just to general, "hey, we're planning a BBQ in a couple of weeks," I finally had everyone here, and it was great. Both sisters, my surviving brother-in-law (the Practical Sister's husband died seven years ago)and all my nieces and nephews, including the great-niece and great-nephew (yes, Auntie is a Great-Aunt, too, and it happened before she was even 30, and yes, she scolded her niece for that, for all the good it did, since she did it again a few years later!!). And my mom. My dad couldn't make it, because he was feeling bad. Mom said he'd just changed his medication for his diabetes, and it makes him very dizzy, and when he takes his medication for that, it makes him sleepy. In some ways, I was disappointed, and in some ways, I was glad, because... we don't exactly get along. It's complicated.
Anyway, everyone liked the new (to us) house, loved the backyard, loved my big kitchen, and actually loved the food. Which surprised them, (meaning my sisters), since they are convinced that I can't cook. The Husbandly One barbecued ribs and chicken, and I had made a giant pot of baked beans, which he insisted on putting on the grill, rather than my sticking it in the oven. I was rather dubious about this, because I wasn't sure it would cook fast enough, considering it takes about three hours in the oven, but, we didn't want to heat up the kitchen (it was blistering yesterday). To my susprise, it worked fantastically well, and in spite of having a huge pot, there are no leftovers, which is the best compliment to my cooking ever!
In spite of the heat, we had a really good breeze, so it was comfortable on the back porch, and the deck, where everyone spent most of their time. My mom stayed indoors, since she doesn't handle heat well at all, anymore, and I stayed inside with her. At this point, every moment of time I get with her is at a premium, so I don't want to waste it, you know?
My oldest nephew, Mr. Beanpole (he's 31), came, which surprised me, since I rarely hear from him, even though he lives in Austin. I call him Mr. Beanpole because he is six foot four, and makes me, at five foot three, feel positively tiny! He even said, "Auntie, you get littler and littler every time I see you!" when he hugged me, which was an interesting experience, since he actually picked me up off the floor! Used to be the other way around, you know? I would never tell anyone, but he's my favorite among my nieces and nephews, because he's the only one of the kids who is a big reader, loves old movies, and is a musician. What I thought was incredibly funny was when I was giving him the tour of the house, and we came into my bedroom and he saw my guitars, and he said, "Oh! I thought you only played the piano!"
I laughed and said, "You forgot why you wanted to learn how to play the guitar?"
He frowned and said, "Well, I remember that one of my aunts played, and..." he blushed and stared at me. "Oh! That was you!"
*merry laughter*
Anyway, a good time was had by all. The Practical Sister learned that yes, Auntie actually does know her way around the kitchen, and can cook, the Blonde Sister learned that, no, Auntie does not live in a hovel (it's a long, long story), and I learned that when I am in my own territory, I do not revert to the quiet, slightly-kooky-younger-sister role that my sisters have assigned to me, but am my usual, fiesty, don't-take-nothin' Auntie... and my sisters still love me. In fact, they kinda prefer that.
And the people all celebrated and were joyous!
