Thanks for all of the replies and advice. Just so we don't miscommunicate, I'm adding the details of what I did. The advice I was following came from a newspaper article - link to a copy of the article at the bottom of this post. 1. The turkey was thawed. 2. I used an electronic thermometer with the sensor inserted into the thickest part of the thigh - I do not believe I was hitting any bones. This is the type of thermometer where the sensor is wired to a remote display, so you can monitor the food temperature as it cooks. 3. I've read that if the thermometer is placed in the turkey's thigh, then your goal temperature is 175 - 180 degrees farenheit. 4. Roasted the turkey at 325 degrees. 5. Calculated the roasting time based on turkey's weight and the fact that it was stuffed. Reached that time and well beyond it without reaching 175 - 180 on the thermometer. Once the calculate cooking time had been reached, it was a question of which do you defer to in determining if the turkey is done: the elapsed cooking time or the reading on the thermometer? From the sounds of it, the 175 - 180 mark is not always attainable, and if that is the case, determine when the turkey is done by referring to the elapsed roasting time. Here is a link that might be useful: How and Why to Roast a Turkey Breast Side Down

My advice is to find another home for the dog. You have enough caregiving going on without adding a dog to the mix, which is time-consuming and expensive. You raise children to grow up into adult individuals who will go off on their own; dogs are like toddlers that never grow up and sort of regress at the end. I am giving you my perspective as one who also is not a dog person but was talked into getting one by my family. My dh firmly believes that kids need a dog (I don't believe this at all). I have always liked dogs but have never wanted to own one and was happy with a cat. I'm not going to tell you all the nice things about having a dog, as I'm sure you know those, but I want to give you an honest assessment from someone with a similar mindset as to the negatives of dog ownership. We got our puppy a year ago and she is darling. She is sweet and good-natured. She is also, IMO, a pain in the neck in a lot of ways. There is so much training, feeding, and attention required in having a dog. They can be messy and dirty and you have to add that to your cleaning regimen or accept dog hair and dirt, water slops, drool, etc as a given, not to mention some less pleasant deposits like barf and pee (or poo, though I've not had that since the dog hit about 3 months) from time to time. They need so much attention, which some people find a bonus but to me is an aggravation. I am a person who REALLY needs a lot of personal space and dogs don't really appreciate that. I hate being followed around all day. I hate dog licks and wanting in and wanting out and wanting in and wanting out...you can't go anywhere for a weekend without taking the dog to a kennel or having someone babysit full-time. It seems I get a card from the vet on a regular basis reminding me it's time to get this shot or worm pill or what-have-you. I've already spent almost $2000 on her in the year I've had her just in vet bills (two escapes from the yard led to being hit by a car and being mauled by pit bulls). I have to clip nails and check teeth and provide chewies and pick up the shreds of whatever chewed thing is left. I have to pick up poop out of the backyard and sometimes clean off my kids' shoes when I miss some (YUK!!!!!!). In short, the dog has added as much work as having another small child without the benefit of having that child grow out of it. If I had it to do again and had any say in the matter, I'd not get a dog, even though I do really like her. I realize that I'm the kind of person who best appreciates dogs when they're owned by others. Oh, and now that we've had the dog a year, the kids don't even like her around most of the time because she sits on their cards or licks their dolls or tries in some way to participate in their games, something they don't appreciate. When the kids have playdates, I have to put the dog wherever the kids aren't because she tries too enthusiastically to play with them and little kids don't like that. BTW, my dh wants to get another dog. He claims that she won't need as much attention if she has a friend. Huh. The thought of getting another one leaves me cold, to say the least. If you were a dog lover, I'd give different advice, but you will probably resent the extra work a dog entails and you will not see the benefits of it the way someone else might. I like my dog (Bassett/Beagle mix) but honestly? I would not be broken up if she found a new home. I've had 5 kids, the oldest now almost 27 and the youngest 3, and loved it all. I don't love dog care.

My husband wanted to buy me a kindle for christmas and I said noooooo I have too many hard copy books I have not read yet. He said that is the point, maybe we could get into the guests bedrooms. Nooo, I said, I want to keep my books, what if the kindle malfunctioned and I lost all my books that I downloaded? Anyway he bought himself a kindle, but he did not get rid of his hardcopy books..but seriously Could that possibly happen, you loose your downloaded copy of books on kindle? I have over 521 books that have been catagorized, so far that have been counted and catagorized. That was several years ago. We have built in book shelves in both guest rooms for mine and my husbands books, plus the books our children left behind...if we both bought a kindle a piece do you think someone would be interested in these books? or just good for kindling? Who would you suggest we call?

I planned all the details from the beginning, so when I feel tempted to dump it all just to get it done faster, I have my vision to remind me that it's worth staying on track...A few months more to wait for the years of enjoyment. Now, as far as 'momentum', we've definitely lost that. We built our whole house DIY, so now that we've been allowed to move in, and things are basically functional, progress has slowed way down...if not halted. It's very frustrating to want things done, but feel so tired of working, too...and I know my dh feels the same, so even though I can't really help myself at times, feel guilty about pushing him to finish more things. My kitchen still seems so far from how it's supposed to look. I bet it'll be like a lot of the build...things crawl, but then just a few tasks finished will make a huge difference and there will be new life and new excitement about it. Hang in there, and make sure that if you give up something just to make it easier and faster, that you won't regret it later. These few months of waiting will soon be a distant memory, but you'll have to live with the results of your decisions for quite a while. That's what I keep reminding myself! :-)