My Deep Thanks . . .

to all of you, dear friends, for your thoughts, prayers, and condolences. Your comments mean a lot. I originally thought I wouldn't share this little bit of our lives, but I had shared the joy of anticipating a new grandchild with you and considered it only right that I share some of the sorrows too. Mystie is healing and is being attended to by family and church friends. For all of them and you I am extremely grateful and feel blessed.

Sunday evening was our church's annual Thanksgiving feast and I once again volunteered to roast a turkey, make gravy, and prepare dressing. While going through my favorite channels a few days ago, I saw Martha Stewart preparing a Thanksgiving turkey that she said had been brined overnight. I had never heard of that so did a little browsing on her website and decided to try brining. On Saturday morning I cooked up a solution of salt, sugar, and vegetables and herbs, then soaked the turkey overnite in the refrigerator. I'm blessed to have a second fridge in the garage where I can store a five-gallon bucket filled with turkey and brine! I think the result was very good with the breast meat being juicier and more flavorful, however, I would decrease the amount of salt next time.

Over the weekend I also dragged ds Kevin out to run some errands. He's an inch or two taller than his twin and so his church pants have crept up around his ankles. After a couple of other stops, we found some nice pants on sale at Sears. Up to this point, I have usually shopped for the boys' clothes without them along (they dislike shopping), but now it's nice to have them along to try the clothes on and see if the item suits their taste. A side benefit is having a strong young boy to carry packages for me!

We actually went into the mall on a Saturday - something I strenuously avoid doing under normal circumstances! It's been several months since I was last there and it was interesting to see new shops and all the holiday activity gearing up. In Penney's I found a set of mugs on sale that I really needed - coffee mugs seem to disappear mysteriously to the nether regions of the house and cars. I also picked up a new canister vacuum, on sale, of course. DH has been unhappy with our old one and I'm tired of emptying the dust cup. So when I spotted this one in the Sears ad, I did a little checking and found some good reviews. With more hard surfaces than carpet these days I think it will fit our needs nicely. We returned home with a satisfying number of bags and a great feeling of accomplishment. :)

Today and tomorrow we'll be preparing for Thanksgiving with our family in Boise. I will bake some dinner rolls, my sister prepares the pies, and dsil hosts us all at her house. Traveling over the mountains this time of year is a cause for concern, but usually everything is fine. Those times when we're stuck on the side of the road waiting for it to open just make for great stories in the future.