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We get to have two Thanksgivings this year - one that we are hosting at our home on Thanksgiving for our Chicago relatives and one on Saturday at my sister's home for the Wisconsin relatives. The gathering at our house will be rather small - 6 adults and 4 children. Of that group, only 6 eat meat (my children and I are vegetarians). I do, however, prepare turkey on Thanksgiving for omnivorous loved ones. This year I'm preparing a bone-in turkey breast, rather than a whole bird. Our Chicago relatives often travel here by train and don't like to take leftovers. There is only so much leftover turkey meat my husband can eat on his own, so this year I decided to cook what they'll actually eat! The family prefers a more traditional feast, so here's our menu:

Right now most of my crafting revolves around some charity projects I have going. Above is a scarf I'm knitting for the Special Olympics. The principal at my daughter's school wants to donate a bunch from the school, so I thought I'd knit one (or two, if I'm lucky!).

Also working on cutting fleece for blankets for Project Linus. This is a Girl Scout project. Myself and one of the other leaders are cutting the fleece and the girls will do the tying.


Finally, I hope, hope, hope to be able to complete a few hats for the Mama To Mama Caps to Cap Haitien Project. I haven't started this yet, but will be looking for some colorful shirts from the thrift shop tomorrow. By all accounts, the hats sew up fast so I look forward to contributing a few (though there's not much time left...!)

This has been occupying too much of my time lately. My troop (of 4 girls!) are working on their Sew Simple badge and will be making Fast & Easy pajama pants. First, I needed to whip up a pair for my daughter just to make sure it really is fast and easy. Well, it probably would be fast and easy if you sewed the four simple pieces together the right way. But, if you sew them together upside down and then rip out the wrong seams, it's not so fast anymore. And, it doesn't feel so easy. And you decide that you need to stay up all night until you get it right. Only you're so tired and bleary-eyed that putting together Fast and Easy pajama pants seems like some sort of ancient brain teaser that only graduates of MIT could figure out. And then, you just get it and sew them together and wonder what your problem was. Oh, well, lesson learned. Now I know to pay extra attention when the girls are sewing their pieces together!

Thank you, Dad and all other veterans, for your sacrifice.

An election day cake for the family and cupcakes for the bake sale!