Hello my little dumplings. Did y'all have a wonderful Thanksgiving? I think I need to start dreading Thanksgiving for years to come. But no, each year I look forward to the beginning of the holiday season with reckless abandon and some how all of the work it entails doesn't compute in my mind.

I have been off from work since Wednesday. Five days off and they have flown by despite cramming so much into such a short time. Honestly, I could use an additional five days just so I can enjoy the fruits of my labors.

I spent Wednesday prepping for Thanksgiving dinner. I made the pies and cake, prepped the veggies and Tobey helped out with the Cornbread Sausage stuffing and we brined the turkey. Do you call it dressing or stuffing? Dressing just sounds to she-she-pooh-pooh to me.

This was our first brining of the bird and I used PW's brine recipe. I cut the salt down to 1.5 cups and we left the bird in a cooler chock full of ice overnight. I was very concerned about the turkey being too salty but it turned out perfect. Just perfect. I have never had a bird be so moist and Frodo says we aren't to make turkey any other way from now on and I agree.

I did have one minor disaster that would have went unnoticed if I hadn't told on myself. I baked two pumpkin pies: one regular boring pie and one streusel topped pie. But something went awry in the oven. The pies overflowed. The streusel one overflowed to the front of the oven and the plain one overflowed to the back to the over. Lucky I baked them on a cookie sheet so there was no mess to clean up. But how the heck does one pie overflow in the opposite direction of the overflow mess of another pie on the same rack. I have no idea. Bermuda Triangle Oven? Who knows. Tobey named the pies though. Over-the-Top Pumpkin Pie. And then he told anyone who would listen about the over-the-toppedness of the pies.

Thanksgiving went off pretty painless. I made a double batch of yeast rolls and they were so dang good y'all. I calculated that I spent roughly 6 hours cooking, not including prepping and brining. It took me 40 minutes to do the first round of dishes after the meal was eaten. And about 20 minutes to eat the actual dinner. Something about that seems so wrong.

We had a good time eating and laughing with the whole family and it was nice to share that time with Barbie's new boyfriend George - whom I am beginning to just adore. Did I mention he is 6' 5"?

On Friday I swore I would not go out on Black Friday because I am one of those people. Ya know the kind. Self-centered, grumpy, gimme-that-sweater, shoving-Grannies-out-of-the-way

kinda people. Yes, I know. I am terrible. I was out the door by 5 a.m. and home by 6:30 with sausage biscuits for Tobey and I. Tobey slept in this year. The bum. Unlike years past though I was able to get everything on my list and that made me happy.

Friday morning we got out the Christmas decorations and put up our new 9 foot pre-lit tree which was a booger and a half to get working. Simba stopped by Friday night and she and Butter hung all the ornaments on the tree and it looks lovely. I worked on the elephant tree and more on that tomorrow.

Saturday I spent the day finishing up the decorations and it looks like Santa exploded in our house. Tobey and I went out and bought some Christmas candles and the house smells so yummy. I would advise you not to sniff the Yankee Candle Mountain Pine scent. It smells like those little green Christmas Trees folks hang in their cars. Ugh. Tobey was partial to the Mistletoe scent which is now in the main bathroom and I liked the Red Apple Wreath scent which is in the living room.

I am going to spend today just being lazy and enjoying the last day of my vacay. We will be having a simple breakfast supper for dinner tonight and I may try to get a little more cleaning done - but who knows. I think I am being to get the cold Tobey has had for the last few weeks so I just might stay in my jammies and not do much of anything.

Be sure to stop by tomorrow - I will post some pictures of the house decked out in all its Christmas glory.

~ame