Wolfcub, Happy Thanksgiving to you! I also would like to say Happy Thanksgiving to all of the fantastic clematis growers over here that have helped me with so many of my questions over the last few months! Thank you to all and have a very Safe and Blessed Thanksgiving! Tracy

We usually have 20+ at Thanksgiving and this is what works for me because I like to do as much as possible ahead: Buy 2 smallish (12-14lb) turkeys. Cheap turkeys are fine. The small ones go fast so look as soon as they go on sale. Cook one the day before and make your gravy. This is the "back up" turkey, for leftovers and possible seconds. Slice it and put it on a platter with some broth. Buy a spiral sliced ham. It will impress all those thinking turkey is the only meat and it is generally much appreciated. You can bake it in a crock pot if necessary or, even better, a roaster oven. Serve the second turkey hot from the oven and slice to order. Like a carving buffet! I have never had to use the turkey form the previous day because I also have the ham. However, it IS nice to have to give people leftovers to take home and, of course, the gravy is done. All the side dishes? Make your stuffing now and freeze. It reheats great. Mashed potatoes will keep warm for hours and cranberry sauce can be made 3 days ahead. Roll dough can be made the night before and baked that morning..or made earlier and frozen. Ok, I do get up really early and make pies because I like fresh pies, but the dough can be made 2 days before and kept in the refrigerator tightly wrapped. We like marinated asparagus..nice to have a cold vegetable made the day before. And I'm really blessed to have relatives who bring most everything else even if it is yucky...like green bean casserole. They like it though! And the best part- dh will clean while I cook.

First, take a deep breath and de-stress! Enjoy the precious time with your family. If you go the futon or sofabed route, you can make the mattress much more comfortable by adding a foam mattress topper and a quality mattress cover. Check Overstock for comfy hotel cover pads. Memory toppers are ubiquitous so just search for the best price. Have you considered a Murphy bed if you can find one one CL or Ebay that you can incorporate permanently? If storage isn't a problem, orie's suggestion to get a decent mattress on sale is good. You can sometimes find pretty decent mattresses and box springs, any size, for $250 or less. Won't necessarily hold up for regular use, but for your purposes should be fine.

Cynic, is that all???? I better get moving. LOL Maybe I will surprise my family and leave them to fend for themselves and take that trip to England for Christmas. I'll let them have my house and they can do their own cooking. Fat chance, they would starve. I think Laura's boyfriend knows how to cook though and my brother's specialty is Greek pasta salad. My sister is the Queen on Lean Cuisine. LOLOL Not exactly a nice Christmas dinner is it. Okay I have been reprieved, a ton of weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I just called my brother and he and his girlfriend are driving to Toronto for Thanksgiving. David is still at his store counting stock and will be there pretty much all night since the store just closed. He sounds happy to be retiring but I feel kind of sad for him. End of an era. I then called my friend Kathy to see if she had any bacon on hand and she said she did. I asked her to make me some bacon bits for the broccoli salad but she said not to bother making it since rarely do we have a cold salad at Thanksgiving and then she said I ruined her surprise. Kathy is one of my childhood friends and it has always been the tradition in her family to have that marshmallow 24 hour salad for their holiday dinners. I consider that more a dessert salad but hey who am I to mess with tradition and this is her first Thanksgiving without her Mom so I said that was wonderful she made the salad. I like it but usually at a shower or something like that. I never thought to make what we call my Grandma's green lime jello salad made with pineapple, celery and cream cheese LOLOL At our family dinners there was always that pale green Pyrex casserole dish on the holiday table that held the lime green salad. Refreshing it was and I had forgotten all about it. I will have to remember it for Christmas. Out of all the vintage Pyrex I have in my huge collection that pale green casserole dish is one I have never been able to find at yards sales or thrift shops. I think my sister Lizzie absconded Grandma's green dish so I will have to ask her if she still has it. Lime green cream cheese jello is just not tradition without serving it in that dish. Oh my. I now don't have to put 2 extenders in the table now so I should have a table cloth that will suffice. I know I should do it anyway but now I don't have to make that extra effort to make sure everything in my house is in perfect order and now I can hide books and my computer stuff on the attic stairs and the dog can still have his toys out and the dog food bag can remain where it is. I was getting ready to get on my butt and start cleaning baseboards since the "girlfriend" was coming. Tomorrows Menu Turkey Stuffing Cranberry Sauce Brussel Sprouts sliced cooked with garlic and cream Orange glazed carrots Squash Mashed turnip Mashed potatoes and gravy Tray with raddishes, olives, my pickled beets 24 hour salad Rolls Pumpkin pie Butter tarts - my Mom's filling recipe, Tenderflake shells I will go raid my Pyrex collection for all the autumn coloured pieces and that way I can keep the food warm in the oven and put right on the dinner table to serve. I wouldn't do that with good china which I don't have right now. I'm still waiting for my Grandma's china to make its way back to Windsor - it just needs a ride LOL Grandma's Royal Doulton china and her pale green Pyrex dish now that for a beautiful holiday table. Thanks again for helping me and listening to my rant. I am so relieved and now will be able to enjoy myself more with the usual suspects in attendance. Anne