Sunday, December 8, 2013

Sunday Dinner

When Sarah and Chris got married in July 2011, we decided to start a tradition of Sunday dinners so we could stay close as a family even though the kids were growing up and moving on. However, Sarah and Chris's work schedules at that time often interfered with our plans, so eventually we gave up.
 
Then this past September, just 3 months ago, we decided to try again, and we've had our dinners faithfully every week. Sarah and Chris have stable work schedules now, and usually my stepson Ryan and his girlfriend Shera join us. The only one whose attendance is hit-and-miss is Jacob, since he works two jobs now. He works at Native New Yorker every night but Monday, so he rarely gets to join us unless we eat very early.
 
Here's a peek at this week's Sunday dinner.
 

Until he started the job at Native New Yorker, Jacob cooked all our Sunday dinners. Now I do most of the food prep, but tonight Shera treated us to her homemade lasagna. She made two 9x13 pans for 6 people. By the end of dinner, less than half of one pan was left. Need I say more?


Ryan helped in the kitchen when Shera dared to allow him near the food. In between, he and Chris checked their phones and talked football. At least, I think that was the sport they were discussing...


For a few months, Sunday is Sarah's laundry night, so she used her time to keep her loads of clothes moving. She and Chris live next door to Chris's mom, Brenda, and they usually use her washer and dryer. However, Brenda is currently enjoying the nice winter weather in Mesa so the water to her house has been shut off.


Then there was the incident regarding a large bag of tortilla chips in a preheating oven, followed by a mysterious burning smell. The plastic bag melted away, causing the chips to shower upon the bottom of the oven. Not an easy mess to clean up!


Blessings upon the head of Ryan, who cheerfully tackled the mess and saved the day! I think the oven looked better when he was finished than it did beforehand!


And then there was the incident regarding a wrestling match and an overturned lamp. Thankfully, nothing was damaged except the bulb.


In the end, we all enjoyed a delicious lasagna dinner. It really was great, thanks to Shera's culinary wizardry!


I contributed the sides. We had a big green salad and a small fruit salad. I had leftover oranges and apples that were no longer so crisp and fresh, so it seemed a good idea to salvage what I could from them.

 
Even Jacob was able to enjoy the bounty. He came home from work a little after 10pm, and he settled in to savor some leftovers before bedtime.
 
We are really enjoying our weekly get-togethers. Of course, we sometimes have big family dinners on other nights of the week, as well. But we always plan to be together on at least this one night, and we always have great fun. I am so grateful to enjoy the blessings of family!

2 comments:

Grandma Honey said...

Okay, this inspired me! I've been thinking we need to get back to Sunday dinners, at least once a month with all my in town kids and grandkids, and your post solidified it in my head. Thank you!

Mary said...

Glad I could help! :)