The Gang’s All Here…

The dishes can sit; the laundry can wait. Today, I’m taking a moment: all of my September magazines have finally arrived–it’s time to sit and read and breathe. The summer has flown by, school started on Monday, and my house is now quiet. Before you know it, the time-warp known as the end of the year will be here. It happens every year: September magazines today, Thanksgiving feasts adorning the covers tomorrow and Christmas issues next week. The last half of the year blows by faster than the first half and I want to enjoy it.

The last quarter of the year is the busiest in our family–we have six birthdays, two anniversaries, not to mention Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. My son’s birthday is October 21st and planning for his big day begins long before the calendar turns from September to October. Actually, by that time, things have already started moving in hyper-speed. It goes so fast, in fact, that I now begin my Halloween decorating in September just so that I have time to enjoy it. My favorite holiday deserves its day in the sun before Christmas prepping starts to edge it out. Did you know that Halloween decorations have been in some stores since the end of July?! It’s no wonder I always feel so rushed around this time of year.

My arsenal of magazines typically arrives within days of each other and I rarely have the time to read them the day they come. So, I often find myself up to my eyeballs in unread pages of inspiration. When it’s time to read them, the process is as follows:
Step one: Read through magazines.
Step two: Dog-ear pages of interest.
Step three: If nothing of interest presents itself, donate magazine.
Step four: File magazine away.
Step five: Go back to dog-eared pages and cook what’s on them.

Steps 1-4 are a piece of cake. It’s Step #5 that I have the most trouble with. In theory, it’s really easy: grab any random magazine and plan the week’s menu around the dog-eared pages. I used to do this…how have I turned into such a rotten planner? It’s easy to get overwhelmed with the day-to-day and as much as I love to cook and eat, meal planning often seems to take the backseat. With you all as my witnesses, I am vowing here and now to get better about meal planning–because this year is about to snowball into chaos.

So, by the time you read this, I will be knee-deep in appetizers, sides and desserts. I will be reading about eating abroad and the best place to eat this in that city. I’m sure there will something on back-to-school lunches and after-school snacks. There will no doubt be some foreshadowing of the upcoming holiday season.  Maybe, just maybe, if I’m lucky, I just might get through them all before the October magazines start rolling in…