I'm in the same boat. I try very hard not to get sick to the point that I need antibiotics, because I'm allergic to almost everything...except Cipro and Levaquin. This is not good news for me.

Baklava. It's become something of a family joke, because so many people from different places rave about my baklava, and I don't even know what I do that makes it so amazing!

Look, I obviously don't have a dog in this race. You're going to do what you want. But I would encourage you to consider how united The Hive's opinion is on this one, because let's face it, that doesn't happen often. If so many people are telling you this could be potentially harmful, they may have experiences that are worth taking into account.

I think what people are trying to tell you is that just contacting her could be upsetting to her. And since you don't know her, you can't predict if that will be the case. I try to err on the side of kindness whenever possible, and it seems to me in this case, just the possibility that this might be upsetting to an elderly woman would be enough to keep me from contacting her at all.

We stayed at Cabana Bay this summer, and it was the most amazing vacation ever...I hope you have a wonderful time!

Popper Dip (my very favorite!): Soften 2 8 oz. package of cream cheese. Mix with a cup of mayo, 4 oz. canned chopped green chilies, 2 oz. diced jarred jalapeños, and 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese. Put in oven safe bowl and bake at 375 for about 30 minutes, stirring halfway through. Serve with tortilla chips.

I just sent my husband a text message about that...I had no idea he was still alive. It was quite a touching moment.

As long as we're talking about words that may or may not have slipped out of common usage, I have to ask...is anyone familiar with the term "davenport" for couch or sofa? My Grandma called her couch a davenport, but I've never, ever heard anyone else use that word. I've looked it up, so I know it's an actual term, but I really wonder where she picked it up! eta: I see Quill actually used the word earlier in the thread! But my Grandma was definitely not from the Maryland area, so now I'm really curious where that word comes from, and why she used it!

I also cut the lights off of our prelit tree...total PITA. It's been...at least eight years, I think, since I did that, and we're still using the tree, and I am not kidding when I say that I find pieces of the original strings every single year when I put it up. It's become a holiday tradition, and we all laugh about it, but still... 🙂

I will be the voice of dissension and say unlit. We bought a prelit tree, and started losing big sections of lights way sooner than we should have. And taking off the old strands so we could continue using the tree was a HUGE pain. I also don't think prelit trees have enough lights, and they always look kind of bare because of it.

I agree 100%. Something's gotta give, and it's homemade pie crusts. I'm making nine pies this year. I got a head start, and made four yesterday (plus the cranberry sauce), and I got another three done this morning. I just have make it through the last two, and prep the stuffing, and then I can "relax" until tomorrow!

No, the bolded definitely wasn't me. I did almost start crying in Walmart, though, because I realized that I would have to go to another store if I was going to find an adequate bird. Walmart was out of enough stuff that I also had to pick up at the other store that at least the trip was worth it, though! ?

Were you shopping at my store this morning? Because the bolded could have been me. We were at Walmart, and I was searching through all of the turkeys, trying to find one bigger than 16 pounds (usually, I try to find a 23-24 pound bird, because we LOVE leftovers). And I did get agitated at one point, because I couldn't believe that there was literally nothing bigger than 16. I didn't go shopping earlier, though, because I broke my ankle two weeks ago, and today is the first day I really feel human again. The only angry people I saw were the ones who didn't think I was moving fast enough on my knee scooter, but I did my best. But I'm not giving up one of our favorite holidays and making pizza just because I did something clumsy! In general, I think most shoppers were fairly pleasant when I was out today. There was a bit of a to-do in the stuffing aisle, because they were out of everything but cornbread stuffing, and multiple shoppers were confused, and certain there must have been more somewhere else in the store (there wasn't). But all in all, it was one of the more efficient Thanksgiving shopping trips I can remember!

Stunning!!!

All of them. Every last one. And then maybe a few more, too.

I hobbled in on my crutches and voted this morning. No long lines, but the polling place was busier than usual. I was voter #247, which is unheard of at that time of day in a non-presidential election year, so I think that's a good thing!

Oh, definitely! I've been really good about keeping it elevated all weekend, which was the only real advice the ER doctor gave me besides staying off it. I'm just looking forward to getting more specific instructions at my appointment on Wednesday, so I know what I have to look forward to.

Thanks for all the suggestions! This isn't exactly how I planned spending my time leading up to the holidays, but I'm surviving (so far). Now I'm just waiting to hear back from the orthopedist so I can move on to phase two of this wonderful adventure.

I rolled my ankle going down the stairs today, and I must have done quite a job of it, because it's broken. Please tell me I'm going to survive this. I am so terrible at sitting still. One evening on the couch with my leg up, and I'm already going crazy! And tips to get through this? I know there are so many worse things that could happen, but I'm really struggling!

I've followed Oksana's career for some time, and she amazes me in so many ways...I really hope we get to see her compete in the next Olympics. And Simone Biles is beyond fierce...I love watching her compete!

Usually when people say stupid stuff about my five, I just ignore them, and keep going with the conversation, pretending they didn't say anything at all. But this one time, when youngest was a baby, this old man said "Don't you know what causes that?" in a really nasty way, and I was in a A Mood, so I said, "Yes, and I stopped washing our underwear together, but it didn't make a difference" and he was so confused he just kind of slunk away...

That is AMAZING!!! Last weekend, I made only two meals in advance, and I was so done with cooking. I'm super impressed, and so glad there was so much that your family enjoyed!

Could someone please tell me that I'm not the only one who bought a bottle of wine to go with dinner because of this conversation? ? I drink wine sometimes. Mostly I buy Yellow Tail, which isn't expensive at all, but I really like it, especially the Shiraz /Cab blend. I've had some expensive wines that dh has received as gifts through work, and they're great, but I'm not really discerning enough to tell just how great they are, and why they're worth the cost (I just like to pair a red with a nice hearty pasta dish), so the cheap stuff is good enough for me!

I've shared all of my family's favorite soups on my website. Now if only it would actually cool off, so I wanted to make them...

And don't forget to burp it!!! ?