My Thoughts: Mother-in-Law
My mother-in-law and her significant other are coming to visit us for Thanksgiving. This will be their 2nd trip to Whitefish and we’re tickled pink we’ll have four at the table for the holiday. Much like before, I’m eager to start my To Do List. Being of the Virgo nature, my list is alphabetical:
Accessorize the guest bedroom
Buy new shower curtain and towels
Change the sheets
Dust all the blinds in the house
Empty the hallway closet
Find a recipe for chocolate bundt cake
Go to the florist
Hide the cat
The list is now to letter “T”. My mother-in-law is not perfect, but she knows a little something about everything. She can make Christmas cookies from scratch (I buy a refrigerated roll). She makes homemade raspberry vinaigrette (I have Ranch in the bottle). She can stuff a turkey, bake a ham, and prepare skirt steak with her eyes closed. I buy pot pies (2 for $5.00 at Safeway) then toss a sparse salad. Yes, she is coming to our home and I don’t know if Happy Valley will ever be happy again. I’m taking a week off prior to their arrival to clean house, rake the leaves, and oil the furniture. I’m tired already. Our history dates back 23 years and it hasn’t always been sweetness and light.
Picture this scenario: Her son is the oldest of 4 children and the one who stepped up to the plate after her divorce. He lived at home until his late 20’s and paid rent, then along comes Ja’Nee and he’s hooked. It wasn’t pretty. Throughout the years this woman has hung up on me and I’ve done the same. During one of these conversations, I told her I would take the verbal abuse at work because I was paid to listen to customer complaints; but unless she was going to send a check I didn’t have to listen to her. Click. Like I said, it wasn’t pretty. But just 20 minutes later we would be back on the phone.
She sees a lot of herself in me: strong, passionate, assertive, spiritual, creative and forgiving. One common thread is we respect one another and love the same man. I want to state here and now that my M-I-L (aka mother-in-law) is one of my closest friends. Nevertheless, the house must shine, I need to get my teeth cleaned, and brush the cat. It’s important that she be proud of her Montana daughter-in-law.
Accessorize the guest bedroom
Buy new shower curtain and towels
Change the sheets
Dust all the blinds in the house
Empty the hallway closet
Find a recipe for chocolate bundt cake
Go to the florist
Hide the cat
The list is now to letter “T”. My mother-in-law is not perfect, but she knows a little something about everything. She can make Christmas cookies from scratch (I buy a refrigerated roll). She makes homemade raspberry vinaigrette (I have Ranch in the bottle). She can stuff a turkey, bake a ham, and prepare skirt steak with her eyes closed. I buy pot pies (2 for $5.00 at Safeway) then toss a sparse salad. Yes, she is coming to our home and I don’t know if Happy Valley will ever be happy again. I’m taking a week off prior to their arrival to clean house, rake the leaves, and oil the furniture. I’m tired already. Our history dates back 23 years and it hasn’t always been sweetness and light.
Picture this scenario: Her son is the oldest of 4 children and the one who stepped up to the plate after her divorce. He lived at home until his late 20’s and paid rent, then along comes Ja’Nee and he’s hooked. It wasn’t pretty. Throughout the years this woman has hung up on me and I’ve done the same. During one of these conversations, I told her I would take the verbal abuse at work because I was paid to listen to customer complaints; but unless she was going to send a check I didn’t have to listen to her. Click. Like I said, it wasn’t pretty. But just 20 minutes later we would be back on the phone.
She sees a lot of herself in me: strong, passionate, assertive, spiritual, creative and forgiving. One common thread is we respect one another and love the same man. I want to state here and now that my M-I-L (aka mother-in-law) is one of my closest friends. Nevertheless, the house must shine, I need to get my teeth cleaned, and brush the cat. It’s important that she be proud of her Montana daughter-in-law.