If you asked me this afternoon how many people were going to be at my house for Thanksgiving this year, I would have told you four, including me and The Man.

Then I extended an invitation to a co-worker, who may be coming and bringing another co-worker. So four, maybe six.

Then I got home, and the guy told me that two more of his buddies said they wanted to come. So six, maybe eight. And actually…maybe nine, because another of his buddies might also come.

Awesome! I am hosting a real live Thanksgiving feast!

Having grown up with my extremely talented, stress-free, and organized stepmother, I decided to use some of the techniques I’ve learned from watching her prepare for big shin-digs.

First, I made out a list of all of the things I could possibly do TONIGHT instead of tomorrow.

Then, I created a schedule of tomorrow’s preparation “events” so that I don’t end up trying to take something out of the oven…that was never actually IN the oven to begin with!

To make the schedule, I started at the bottom, 3:00pm, which is our “Dinner is Served” time. Then, I worked backwards with the turkey, writing down all of the turkey events. Then I did the same thing with each of the other dishes.

(Ohmygod I misspelled spinach!!! I spelled it correctly on the other one though…)

After I did those things, I made index cards with each side’s “name” on them and placed them in the appropriate serving/cooking dishes they will need to use. I also paired up the serving utensils with everything… that way, I won’t end up trying to serve green bean casserole to my guests using, well, a measuring cup because everything else is dirty. Instead, everything will be waiting and ready!

Then I donned my apron and got to work.

Tomorrow, my primary concern is making sure that the bird is decently yum. I actually made the green bean casserole tonight, except for the crunchy toppings and the final baking. They’re ready to just get topped and go in the oven.

The stuffing should be a simple mix-and-bake proposition, and the spinach salad components are all ready (a bowl of chopped egg, a baggie of crumbled bacon, a gladware containter of dressing, chow mien noodles, and bags of spinach) to be thrown together.

The pumpkin crumble is easy enough and will make the house smell yummy when I make it tomorrow.

Now, after prepping and cooking tons of delicious things tonight, I’m going to chill on the couch with my guy and partake in a frozen pizza. Mmm… (Then we’ll get the turkey in a brine.)

What did you do today to prepare for Thanksgiving?