lol! the brain out of the Operation game 2) a muffler 3) paint brush 4) coin purse 5) watch 6) Mr. Potato head 7) vitamins 8) chocolate kisses 9)turtle neck sweater a coat long underwear gloves heat plane ticket PICTURE of brug cuttings Halloween candy candy jar sign for the beach greeting card ribbon paint brush stapler piggy bank candle eraser juniper berries dental floss hole punch corkscrew nose ring notepad notebook rock garden journal labels plant ties plant tags knife face mask cough syrup knife incence funnel padlock watering glass bulb scrub brush jig-saw puzzle fireplace matches Basket Brush Cheese slicer Citrus juicer Coat hook(s) Dice Door stop Egg slicer Fruit slicer Garlic peeler Garlic press Glue gun Grocery bag holder Letter opener Music box Night light Organizer Safety pins Soldering iron Splatter guard/screen Tongs Torch Trivet Yarn Book Bumper sticker Comb Coupons Drain stopper Extension cord Harmonica Key board cover Key chain Pencil/pen holder Plastic cups Popcorn Pumice Rainbow Ring Safety glasses Sling shot Slinky Spray bottle Star Telescope Tent Tissue Towel sorry for repeats!

Stinky-gardener mentioned the Sanyo 3-cup rice cooker as one of her favorite things. Same here, I use mine every week, it's such a time saver. I love the small size, used to have a 10 cup Zojirushi which made no sense when all I ever cooked was a couple cups of rice at a time. You will eat more rice if you own one of these handy little counter appliances. Another vote for Netflix, especially streaming. I also love the DVR, it remembers everything I want to record so I don't have to think about it. cooper, if you're reading this have you tried using baking soad instead of barkeeper's friend? It works the same and is much cheaper. I fill a cheap salt shaker (needs to have large holes) with baking soda I buy by the pound at Walmart and leave it out with the dish soap. One of my new favorite things is 100% Argan Oil. Not the stuff Adienne sells on HSN but the pure form that comes in a bottle. It goes on like a serum and disappears into your skin after a couple minutes, after that you can put on face cream if you need it.

Our gathering this year initiated by me. With 6 children among 3 moms living in the southern portion of California it made sense to meet in Hollywood for Thanksgiving. I recommended much of the menu according to the tastes and traditions of my friends. We had turkey wrapped in bacon, ham, mashed potatoes, gravy, two kinds of sweet potatoes, green beans almondine, a lovely salad brought by guests, corn bread with bacon stuffing, apricot sausage bread stuffing, a raspberry-cream cheese jello, three kinds of cranberry sauces, homemade pumpkin pies and cheese cake, purchased cherry and pecan pies, ice creams, and whipped cream. It was all quite traditional fare. I made stuffings and gravy at home and traveled with those. Pie filling and crust pastry dough were made at home and assembled there. My crust discs didn't have enough moisture and fought me. Thankfully pumpkin pies only have bottom crusts that were well covered by filling. They were not pretty! But the taste and texture were good. I cooked the turkey and a spare breast there. The turkey went into a roaster. I cooked it 450 for an hour and then turned it down to 325 for the rest of the cooking and held it at warm while everything else finished. It was quite fine. It was an organic 19 pound tom. My friends made the sweet potatoes, cheesecake, jello dish, and cranberries. We also had canned cranberry jell. The young'uns love that stuff. Alice and Haley made guacamole to snack on before the meal. Our hostess Lisa made hot cider and coffee. Though I asked and my emails were forwarded to all guests, no one told me that the two daughters of my friend's friends are vegetarian. :( They ate around the heavily meaty offerings. I would happily have made something for them and some veggie stuffing had I known. I had many sous chefs among the young adults who wandered in and out and helped. Everyone pitched in with everything that needed to be done. Though I am perfectly capable of turkey carving, I was also really ready to abdicate the duty due to tiredness by the time the bird emerged. I asked my son to carve. He stuttered in a panic and left the kitchen. :) I asked the super social husband of the friend's friend to carve. He also blanched at the request but manned up on the spot and did the job. Bless his heart. All of the young folks took over at dessert time and set everything out after we cleaned up the main event. We were supposed to be 15 but the elderly momma was unable to attend so we were 14. I packed up a boxed meal for her. Things I would do differently next time: have a Silpat on which to roll pie crusts, make a vegetarian side that can work as entree for the vegetarians. Make sure we don't buy 2 hams and twenty pounds of potatoes. Lisa and I accidentally doubled up on a few things. I sent my starving student children home with two bags of potatoes. Otherwise, I would not change much. If we do this next year I will suggest that the adult children make some of the sides as well. Thankfully other people took photos! The youngsters gathered in the patio before dinner. Left to right: Lisa, Alice and Alice, Noelle, Haley, Daniel, Aimee, and Gina. Daniel and Alice amusing themselves while waiting to eat. Serving ourselves. Alice and Aimee with their plates. Someone's plate. The kids' table. ;) Candace, the ham thief. She was banished to the patio until dessert after helping herself to a portion of ham from the buffet. She is very tall and will counter surf if not watched carefully. The oldsters. Lisa, our hostess, is third from the left. Tom, the turkey carver is pretending to steal a kiss. Alice and Haley with desserts. Post orgy, um...meal.

W -> Waiting Game. Children ( and big ones too) do not play the waiting game very well come the Christmas Season