Yes, Eden, I'm having the party this year. It's on the 17th-anytime after 6 PM. You're all invited. So far the idylls in attendance will be Deanne, Monique and Martie. Now that Thanksgiving is out of the way I can start working on the menu and agenda for the party. We went tree shopping today and I came to the conclusion that furniture will be moved out of the livingroom so I can have my usual tree setup although I still may get a smaller one for an empty corner of the breakfast room. All the fake trees come pre-lit now which was a huge selling feature to Tom but I just couldn't get excited about forking over $200, $300, $400 for something perfectly fine that we already have. Deanne, I think people tend to hold back compliments when they're jealous and based on your catty bathroom experience that may very well be the case. No garden work got done here today but I did buy a bag of peat moss at Lowes so I can start packing away the canna and dahlia tubers I still have in the garage. Maybe I'll drag myself out to do that some night this week. Martie what does low blood pressure have to do with being thin? The reason I ask is because although I don't try to gain weight, I've always been on the thin side and also have low blood pressure. Recently I've lost about 5 pounds just by eating better and exercising. Since I don't need to lose any more weight I probably should watch carefully to make sure I don't. Cynthia, lol on the Victoria Secret pornologues. It's too late for me though. One of the reasons I started ordering stuff from them was because they offer just about every pair of pants they sell in a 34 inch inseam and a few of their styles fit me perfectly right off the rack. At first I was skeptical but I've been shopping their sales and promotional offers and so far everything I've ordered has been decent quality and well fitting. Years ago I tried their underwear and that never fit me well at all so I don't bother with that part of the catalogue. I always enjoy reading dialogue from people who agree to disagree but rarely have the time or inclination to participate. Composing a respectful, well organized message for an on line debate of sorts just takes time and brain power and energy that I don't have I guess. Being raised in an environment where everyone avoided confrontation and rarely expressed an opinion surely doesn't help. Wendy my cuttings did well in water all winter last year. So far this year I've let the water dry out a few times already so that certainly doesn't bode well for the months to come...lol. I can't believe this weekend is gone already. Back to work for me tomorrow, for better or worse. Time will tell. Sue

Thanks so much for the kind wishes! It's especially sweet that you noticed our holiday (yours is at a time that makes more sense, October being a little more of a real harvest time) I'm glad wintersowing has been so enjoyable for you, and things are getting better. I love this forum, too!

What a bummer Ken. I had a weird experience today too - but first - it all started last Thanksgiving, I invited some of my children's friends for full course turkey dinner. Did it many times in the past - so felt I knew the "ropes." Anyway, this bird was so big, that I had a hard time fitting it into the roaster I had - and without my knowledge, one wing extended over the side of the pan. Well, as you may have guessed, when the guests arrived, I had a whole house full of smoke and the smoke alarm was going off like crazy. My daughter came in and punched the self-cleaning button - and that just made it a lot worse. I turned off the oven, and fortunately, put out the fire in the undercarriage, and after a good airing, we all sat down to dinner. As luck would have it, this year, I'm invited out (oh happy day) and so only had 2 pumpkin pies to contribute. However, just about time to take them out - a repeat of last year's episode occurred - lots of smoke - and the alarm again! Fortunately, it was short lived, and my pies didn't suffer any the worse. I don't know what triggered it this time - perhaps when my son cooked an over-loaded pot roast - and some grease got down below. Anyway, I'm not sure I like this new oven - from now on, I won't go off and leave it for any length of time, that's for sure. Hope you have a nice Thanksgiving otherwise (at least no work today eh?) - and again, many thanks for all the good advice - I've appreciated all of you fine folks here on this forum. Really makes my day a bit brighter. Bejay

I'm not eating until tomorrow, the girls had dinner at their Dad's today, at my house tomorrow. I made Fatlester's Espresso Brownie Chunk ice cream along with a batch of plain vanilla to go with the blueberry crisp and I finished the cranberry jezebel. Sol's Honey Rolls are baked and the turkey is still in a cooler in the garage, but the sweet potatoes are cooked and ready to get "marshmallowed" tomorrow. The fruit salad is in the refrigerator, the green bean casserole is ready to assemble and the chocolate cupcakes have become turkeys for the kids. Tomorrow I'll roast the turkey, make the mashed potatoes and gravy, construct the salad, bake the blueberry crisp and be thankful. After that trip to the store for the marshmallows that I forgot. I think I have a mental block about those..... Annie