Jaxgivingchitis

The title basically sums up this post.. Thursday was Jax's first Thanksgiving and I have bronchitis.

Let's start from the beginning though:

As I mentioned last week, Jackson has been fighting a nasty bug that turned out to be a sinus infection & pink eye (how does he keep getting pink eye?! I've NEVER had pink eye in my life and he's already had it twice!)--after getting him on an antibiotic and prescription eye drops, things began to look better.

When you're this cute and don't feel well, you get a cookie (we were killing time waiting for his prescriptions).

On Wednesday, I did a bunch of early Thanksgiving prep and we had the house professionally cleaned (thank you, Groupon!) and everything was fine and dandy in the world of Annie; until Wednesday evening when I began to feel a little funny.. I figured it was just allergies or a bit of a cold and just wrote it off, took a Benadryl, and went to bed.

Thursday morning rolled around and I was feeling pretty good and hopped out of bed, baked my pies, waited for my parents to arrive, and kissed Brandon goodbye as he headed to work (again, don't feel too bad for B--his company catered a feast and he basically ate, watched Netflix, and made double time and a half). It wasn't long before I started feeling crappy again so I laid down with Mr. Jackson and took a little snooze.. when I woke up, I felt great and ready to get on with the day!

My Dad and Uncle Rolf both got the same shirt for Christmas last year and both wore it on Thanksgiving (they claim it was unintentional but I'm not so sure.. :)

Everyone (miraculously) fit into our small dining room!

My Aunt, Uncle, and friends of the family all arrived a little after 3 and we all sat around visiting, eating yummy appetizers, and giving Jackson lots of attention--but as the day went on, I began feeling worse.. and worse.. and worse.. After we finished eating our Thanksgiving dinner, I threw on a pair of sweats and drifted in and out of an achy/miserable sleep on the couch. #besthostessever

On Friday morning, my mom convinced me I needed to see a doctor so she, Jackson, and I went to the Little Clinic at King Soopers in hopes of getting in and out with a prescription.

We waited 2 1/2 stinking hours to see the physicians assistant :/

Feverish Mommy and Jackson killing time at the Starbucks

The PA diagnosed me with bronchitis (which I ALWAYS end up getting) and a sinus infection and sent me home with an inhaler and nose spray.. I'm still battling the bug and am having a hard time sleeping at night but I'm feeling better everyday. 

More importantly, Jackson is doing MUCH better (minus a little bit of diaper rash/diarrhea from his Amoxicillin) so hopefully the Sandmeier home will be germ/sickness free in the next couple of days! I hope you all had a happy and healthy Thanksgiving weekend!!

How to Host (Your First) Thanksgiving

As a participant in the Walmart Grocery to Go program, I’ve received a personal invite and payment for my time and efforts in creating this post. As always, all opinions are my own and were in no way influenced by Social Chorus or Walmart.

2014 has been a pretty big year for the Sandmeiers with new jobs, an out-of-state move, buying a house, starting a business, filming House Hunters, traveling, etc., but that is all nothing compared to what I'm taking on next week.. That's right, folks; I'm hosting Thanksgiving for the first time (*cue gasps*)!

Brandon has to work his normal 11-7pm on Thanksgiving Day (before you start feeling too bad for him, know that his company is amazing and caters a Thanksgiving feast for it's employees--he's actually looking forward to working that day!) which means most of the food preparations are going to up to yours truly. Since this is Mr. Jax's first Thanksgiving and since I'll be hosting friends and family, I want the day to be perfect, which is why I've created this step-by-step fool proof guide to hosting Thanksgiving.

1.) Set the Scene
If your home is like ours, you don't have a whole lot of Thanksgiving decor (and maybe a little too much Christmas decor..). If this sounds like you, there's still time to make a change! Here are some adorable DIY Thanksgiving decor ideas that you can make this weekend:

How perfect are these FREE printables from The TomKat Studio?

These festive jars that I found on Craft River are so pretty (and inexpensive to make)!

A unique (and adorable) way to hold utensils from Baby Mama Juice

2.) Create the Menu

Before setting out on your grocery shopping adventures this weekend, try to sit down and prepare a menu; this will make life MUCH easier in the long run! Scour the internet for recipe ideas and unique sides, desserts, and appetizers to add a little pizzazz to your meal. Here are a few ideas to help get you started:

Roast Turkey with Spice Rub

Ginger Pumpkin Cookies

Spinach, Strawberry, & Feta Salad

3.) Grocery Shop Until You Drop!

Ah yes, here comes the part we all love the most: wasting precious gas while looking for a parking spot, fighting our way through crowds at the grocery store, and waiting in line for hours on end (okay, that might be a bit of an exaggeration.. but you get my point!). 

As the mamma of an almost 11-month-old who isn't the biggest fan of grocery shopping (once his free cookie is eaten or dropped, he's over it), this is something that I dread. Instead of dealing with the headache of shopping/standing around comparing prices/entertaining the babe, I decided make a cup of hot chocolate, sit back, relax, and grocery shop from my phone. 

'Say what?!' you ask?

Thanks to Walmart Grocery To Go, I was able to make my list (and check it twice.. oops, wrong holiday!), browse the aisles of our local Walmart from my phone, and order everything I needed for our Thanksgiving feast.

Easy? Yes.

Fast? Mmm hmm.

Money saving? Umm, yeah!!

After selecting the items I needed (including a turkey, stuffing, fresh milk, dessert ingredients, etc.), I chose a time that worked best for me and submitted my order. That was it! The extremely friendly and helpful delivery drivers (Noah and another gentleman whose name escapes me.. sorry!) couldn't have been nicer or more accommodating.

I can definitely get used to this!

Okay, so we probably won't be needing the Hawaiian pizza for Thanksgiving but I'm showing y'all a few other great things I was able to buy!

I cannot recommend Walmart Grocery To Go enough! If you're looking for a less stressful Thanksgiving, I highly recommend you giving them a try. Register with Walmart Grocery To Go use my link to get $15 off your first order (that's ON TOP of Walmart's already unbeatable prices)!

Thanksgiving is less than a week away, you silly goose (err.. turkey?).. what are you waiting for??