25 hours and 6 minutes till all hell breaks loose

Originally uploaded by second half.

Due to most of the family getting sick in the last two weeks, I postponed Ella’s birthday party till tomorrow. Ok, who am I kidding, I’m a total procrastinator. I had, and still have, no clear idea of what we will all be doing at this shindig. I believed that if I thought about it long enough I would come up with some grand idea for “Party of the Year.” (Before you tell me that she’s only three, and not to worry about it, I am well aware of that.)

I delivered the invites on Tuesday with the secret hope that some of guests might not be able to make it due to the short notice. The invite list became a little longer than I wanted, but we have a pretty tight knit neighborhood and you can’t invite one without the other. A couple people have said they aren’t coming, but of course they’re childless. Count of potential guests at this moment: 13 adults, 11 children – plus an infant (he doesn’t really count). Add in me and mine and that brings the grand total to 15 adults and 13 ½ kids. In my house. Which is tiny. Cold and rain/snow predicted. I’ll be fine once it’s over.

Susie and Beth have been a great help. “Don’t worry” seems to be their overwhelming advice. I think they must not know me very well. Give me an adolescent who has threatened suicide and I’m in my comfort zone, but some of life’s simplest tasks can completely floor me. For example, being assigned to bring snacks to Harrison’s soccer team practically gave me hives. Or preparing a dinner, in which the meat and the vegetables are ready and hot at the same time, is virtually impossible for me. Are you grasping an inkling of how I might be feeling right now anticipating 28 people in my home tomorrow?

Tonight we will go to Costco for veggies, snacks and cake. Tomorrow we will clean, go to the Dollar Store for goodie bag treats and generally freak out.