Or rather, my guests survived Thanksgiving. Had I not had an 8 year old helper, I would have gotten out my camera to document my first ever Thanksgiving where I, not my mother, did all of the cooking. However, then I would have had to explain it all to my nephew, which would have lead to lots of questions about why I was taking pictures, and what were they for, and could we look at them after spending 8 gazillion hours on Neopets? So, I forewent the pictures.

I made Pumpkin Soup with Chili Cran-Apple Relish, dressing with onions, celery, and apples (left out the raisins for the picky family members- Mom!), mashed potatoes with way too much butter, milk, and cream, baked corn, and a turkey. We also had a layered lettuce salad, carrots and dill dip, pumpkin roll, and canned cranberry sauce (yuck!). I followed Alton's rule of taking the turkey out when it reached 161 degrees F, but I think I must not have had the thermometer in exactly the right place. It certainly was moist and juicy... but it was also undercooked! Luckily, my stepdad just didn't put that on the serving plate! I think it could have maybe cooked for an additional 20 minutes or so, which meant that it wasn't terribly undercooked, but there was still some pink right next to the bones. Now I know what to do next year. Oh, and I also found out that that plastic thing in the bird is actually supposed to hold its legs together. Huh, I thought it would melt so I spent 15 minutes wrestling with it trying to get it out. Next time I'll just leave it in.

I hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving!

I am so incredibly itchy. My fingers are just itching to start itching. I'm covered with a nasty, red, and very itchy rash on my arms and legs, and it's been there since Saturday night, and it's spreading. It hasn't been this itchy though. I've been trying hard to figure out what is causing it, and so far I've ruled out a change in soap or laundry detergent and softener, scarlet fever, rosacea, poison ivy or poison oak, impetigo, ringworm, chickenpox (but not shingles), eczema, celiac, atopic dermatitis, and Lyme Disease. So please, diagnose me so that I don't have to go to the doctor. Benadryl helped a bit last night, at least so that I could sleep.

Wahoo! I've lost 20 pounds as of today! Go me! I went Christmas shopping today, and to celebrate losing 20 pounds, I bought myself a new outfit that I can't wait to wear on Monday. And it was all on sale, too! I also managed to check 8 people off my Christmas list, only 13 more people to buy for...

I just saw the new Alton Brown Welch's commercial. So not a good look for him. He looks just like Michael Mckean, which would be wonderful, if he actually were Michael Mckean. Cut your hair, Alton!

I finally found the time and courage to try the rice milk that has been sitting in my fridge for the past month this weekend. It's a good thing the expiration date is May 09! Anyways, it was quite good. And it was really really good on the High Fiber Cereal from Archer Farms, who incidentally needs a better development team if all they can come with for a cereal name is High Fiber Cereal. I tried the unsweetened plain rice milk from West Soy, and I'll certainly be buying it again. Too bad I couldn't find rice yogurt.

Do you speak Spanish? If so, you have to check out the new series, Guante Blanco! I just watched the pilot episode, and it is fabulous! It's about a gang of high class thieves and the police who are trying to catch them. That description just doesn't do it justice. You see both sides of the crime, you get to know the families of the chief inspector and the leader of the gang. In fact, you come to root for the gang to pull off their heists, which they do without any violence and with a lot of thought. All five episodes are available here on TVE . So go! Go now!

Happy National Adoption Day!

What can I say? There are more prospective parents who say they are looking to adopt than there are children who are able to be adopted in the US. So why aren't they being adopted? I wish I could tell you! So consider this your PSA for the day. If you are looking to adopt, there are sooooooo many kids waiting in foster care for their own forever family. There are also many funds available to help with the adoption of a foster child so that it will not be a financial burden for those wishing to adopt. There are also funds available after adoption to help with health care and other costs. So please consider adopting from foster care. Those of us who were part of it, no matter how short or long of a time, are truly grateful.

This is Maru the cat. I think s/he must be related to my kitties!

It was a very odd feeling that came over me in the voting booth this afternoon. I actually felt like I could make a difference, and that I was making history just by filling in that little oval next to my presidential choice, Obama, for any who care to know. After 8 years of absolute idiocy, law-breaking, and complete disregard for the wishes of the American public, I believe that we will finally elect someone who can change our country for the better. I know that voting still hasn't ended, and it may be hours until the results are all in, but I know that the better candidate will prevail.

Driving home I was listening to the news on the radio, and it occurred to me that not everyone is as lucky as we Americans are to be able to voice our opinion. Women still are even luckier (as if it were come by with luck!) to be able to be who we want to be, do what we want to do, and have the same power to vote, own property, and be in charge of ourselves. I think about all of the women around the world who are disenfranchised, shackled to laws they have no say in, taught to believe that they are not as good as men, that men have all of the power, and I hope and pray that one day they will be afforded the same basic human rights that we in America have.