I must say - this was probably the most organized Thanksgiving turkey dinner I've cooked. Thank goodness. My oven behaved - probably because I took care to tuck in the wings this time - so that the dripping grease wouldn't drop down onto the burners causing a bit of a "flare-up" which My oven is prone to do if something boils over. Anyway, I cooked the bird as I usually do - upside down on the "X" shaped rack that has been a stand-by for such an event each turkey day. The bird is then slow cooked at 250 degrees - not basting until the skin hardens a bit. This seals in the juices, making the bird more moist. About half way through after the underside is nicely browned, I turn the bird over, to brown and cook the breast. When the breast reaches 180 degrees internally, we grab the carvers and that beautiful creation soon becomes a mess. Everything turned out quite well - expect perhaps for the marshmallows that were put on the sweet potato/pineapple dish - they refused to melt and perhaps the toasting oven was a bit too toasty. Ahem. So - now for making the pies. I liked my scheme last year - freezing the turkey, dressing and gravy in a pie pan shaped container. Then it is ready for use - either put in a pie shell - adding frozen peas, and top crust and baking. Or - just heating it up for another plain meal. Either way, lots of good left-over eating in store. As luck would have it - I had lots of volunteer help with clean up - and yours truly was ready for early retirement. Hope you had a nice holiday. Soooo - on to the next big bash - right. What are you planning on eating for X-mas - another turkey perhaps/or? Oh yes - about the dressing - it was a bit moist - will add less moisture next time, but tasty nevertheless. Some sage would have been nice tho. Just my 2 c's. Bejay

I don't know if I am about to reveal the outcome of the show to anyone who didn't see it in it's entirety,but I guess it really doesn't matter since everyone seems pretty disinterested anyway. I watched the whole show and I have a whole new perspective on this woman now.I originally felt like everyone else,that she was selfish,in it for the money,etc.I think Dr.Phil did make an impression on her and made her think a little farther into the future than what she has been.He concluded that she lives in a fantasy world,has little concept of the real world and is immature in her thinking and problem solving skills.Because I have some family members who have the same problem,I can fully understand it.It's not their fault and nothing anyone can do can change it.Their minds just don't work in the same way that some other people's minds work! She did finally admit to Dr. Phil that she made a mistake by becoming pregnant again and by having all 6 embryos implanted.I do understand her thinking about implanting all 6.she thought it would result in only one or maybe two and she didn't want to "kill" (which in her eyes is what it would have been) the other embryos.Yes,she could have kept the other embryos frozen indefinitely,but in her mind she was "done having babies" and using all the embryos made it "final".At the end of the show Dr. Phil said that she called him after she came home from the hospital that evening and told him that she had realized that the nurses had been taking care of her babies and that she hadn't really thought ahead to what it would actually be like when she got them all home.She said also that she realized that she hadn't cried in months,and that she had been crying since she got home.She also sent him a multiple page list of things that had to be in place before the hospital would allow her to bring those babies home and she was very concerned about that.Regardless of what we think about this woman,those babies are here and she will need help to care for them and her other children.As the old saying goes,lets not throw out the baby with the bathwater (no pun intended). Also remember that there are people out there who will try to profit from all of this.I don't put much stock in "they say". JMHO

As far as what Moni said about their relationship not being anyones business...I agree with that, however, Tori wrote a book talking about it all, then did a reality tv show and still talked about it. And now Candy has a book. If they didnt want to air their dirty laundry, they should not have written books. There's always 2 sides to every story. Sure we hear what we hear from both of them but I'm sure there's probably alot more to their stories than what their books say though.

tos~ How she and her best friends have maintained their friendship, despite the miles, is a source of amazement to all of us. They have a very special relationship and they are all so close. I was just speaking to one of the other mothers last pm, and we both continue to marvel at the strength of their bond. They make it a point to spend lots of time together whenever they can (when she's here for visits). My stepson is best friends with the 2 older brothers in the families, and we adults are friendly as well...have occasional cookouts, pool parties, etc. Although, I think the kids friendship has fostered the adult/family gatherings.... As far as her friends in NC...the majority of her non-school time is spent in dance class, so she is friendly with the girls she dances with. But she says that she really doesn't have any super-close school friends that she "hangs out with", etc. She rarely has sleepovers or talks of anything she does with other kids there. Mostly she is at the dance studio...she's a very accomplished dancer. Lack of good friends there was actually one of the things she discussed when she brought up the idea of coming here for high school. So tos, it's your turn....are you a step-parent? Are you a NCP? What would you have told your daughter in the "hypothetical" situation I posted?...seriously WWYD? Like you, I have no intention of EVER divorcing, but I can "imagine" what I'd do if I were faced with a similar situation....so, please, tell us what you'd say. For the record, my DH fought the move in court. Michigan is a no-fault divorce state, and spousal infidelity has NO bearing on custody, whatsoever. Michigan is VERY pro-mom, despite the fact the courts say they have no "gender bias". Essentially, the only time a mother does not win custody is if she can be deemed "unfit", due to drugs or extreme circumstances. Even homeless mothers win custody here...since we have many women/children shelters, etc. It's really disturbing that the courts do not really have the best interest of the child as their main focus. At the time of his ex-wife's affair, the children were ages 1 & 4. Since they were babies (toddler) he felt that the kids should stay in their home, and with his work schedule at the time, it just made more sense for her to stay in the house. He got an apartment closeby with the understanding that it would be temporary while they "worked on it". Obviously, the outcome was different than the plan. Trust me, if he could have changed the outcome of the custody situation, he would have. Initially, they had joint custody, 50/50 split. When she decided to move, she filed for sole physical, joint legal. He fought it and lost. The judge thought that her soon-to-be new husbands job promotion was more important than children having close, easy access to both parents. That was the sole deciding factor...her husbands increased income. So they can use spouse income to decided custody, but they won't use it to calculate child support...go figure...great court system.