I loved my electric roaster but didn’t keep it in the move. Your post prompted research (yes, $25 gets an Oster electric roaster at Walmart) that led to the discovery that Oster makes a combination roaster/ smoker. https://www.oster.com/ovens-and-toasters/roaster-ovens/oster-16-quart-smoker-roaster-oven-red-ckstrosmk18/CKSTROSMK18.html I may need one of those for Dh........

Fwiw, Personally I would go with the turkey and the ham. I don’t like the Turkey leftovers. That said I think the large amount of meat per person is so you can package take home leftovers for the guests.

I just saw this blog article about knitting/crocheting advent kits and thought people here might enjoy it. It mentions yarn with hedgehog fibers which I just can’t imagine.🤔.https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2019/11/elyses-knitting-advent-knitting/

@Kareni I finished Confluence this morning and have to say it was the favorite but it ended with the need for another book! I don’t think a newish book by the author called Stars Uncharted will have the same characters but I did check it out. I did a very quick look and couldn’t find anything about a new Linesman book. Is there one in progress?

I use Lysol in concentrate form as a laundry additive when we have a germy person in the family in an effort to stop the spread. You don’t need much of the oddly deep red liquid in a load to have it scent the clothes. I have added it to particularly bad smelling loads and they just ended up smelling like the Lysol concentrate, no more teen boy smell. I know I prefer the smell to Pine Sol so just a thought. I pour a bit into the water before adding the clothing and have never had a problem with discoloration as i just add a couple of tablespoons.

I still don’t know the ending so am not positive as to favorite for sure. I am find the technology on the alien ships fascinating and of course budding romances are my soft spot so at this moment Confluence wins. I think there is another couple beyond the hidden one also developing........am I wrong?

Welcome back! Glad you had such an enjoyable time. Polaris Rising is a book that I have had on hold for a few weeks...I expect to find it in my account this week.😉. I am finishing the Linesman series soon, possibly tonight as we are heading out to pick up a neighbor at the airport. Her flight is delayed currently. As soon as her plane is in the air Dh and I are heading to the cell phone lot. The Linesman has been fun ....Dd is right behind me reading the books as I gave her one of my old fires that I could download them on. I believe she is at the end of Linesman. I am unexpectedly really enjoying Confluence......which was you favorite?

So true...... I have to say much of my really creative side went into elementary. By high school my kids had some pretty serious interests that they were intense about...... My kids both enjoyed the freedom of doing mooc’s which really did not honestly offer enough content to give a semester credit for usually but they were high interest for them and unique topics. The Business of Sport, for instance, which studied Man United was super high interest for them growing up 45 minutes from Old Trafford. We paired that with a couple of international business mooc’s and called it a semester of electives. They also did micro and macro as mooc’s with Clep exams for other credits. I used to sit down with the stack of mooc certificates in February or so and figure out how to combine as many as possible interesting course titles and electives as possible. We still had a couple of months to supplement where needed. Our most unique elective was probably tower and hand bell ringing which I used to fulfill the music requirement for Ds.

The VHS of Paddle to the Sea was super expensive back when my kids were little so I never bought it. I may watch it.......thanks.

Minn of the Mississippi was quite good. I know I learned a whole lot about terrapins and turtles as well as the Mississippi River. I grew up in part on the Great Lakes so fondly remember watching the Paddle to the Sea movie pretty often in school. I was so excited to read the book to my kids and they were very so so about it......We all loved Pagoo.

Both my dc’s took and received credit for several CLEP exams. Quite a variety between both of them. For most they used REA, Peterson’s, and we paid for Instacert https://www.instantcert.com/college.php4 for a couple of the harder exams. From my memory I think that one of my kids took these exams......French, Spanish, Chemistry, Gen Science, Humanities, American History, Western Civ., both Economics, Business Management, Calculus, and literature.

Best Tips I have learned...... Hair not being washed well.......the gal who cuts ds’s hair recommended a plastic hair scrubber. He used it plus shampoo and no longer has greasy hair. It was sort of miraculous .......he simply was not moving the shampoo through his hair. https://www.amazon.com/Bossman-Shampoo-Scalp-Massage-Shower/dp/B07MTPJZL9/ref=sr_1_9?crid=MKMOD99XA477&keywords=hair+scrubber+for+shower&qid=1573132294&sprefix=Hair+scrubber%2Caps%2C177&sr=8-9 Spraying rubbing alcohol in the arm pits helps get rid of the nasty smell too. Kills the bacteria and you start fresh with deodorant. Far better than just soap. The bonus was having rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle is super handy, who knew, we all use it for cuts. I actually grab it for cleaning issues pretty often and keep one in my bathroom too.

This has been a busy week so far and I have just gotten a chance to click on the links as I have been reading in locations where the wi Fi has been poor. Thanks for mentioning Empress of a Thousand Sky’s. My library has the audiobook so I plan to listen to it soon as I believe it actually takes place in outer space. I made outer space a reading category for books for 2019 and seem to be either abandoning them or discovering they take place in an earthly alternative world. I haven’t read Hazards in Hampshire but it sounds like something I would enjoy. I noticed it was recently released......... btw, Your book Categories are so well done. Glad to see you enjoyed The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle. I finished spelling Toby Peters the detective for October....... T.........Three Act Tragedy by Agatha Christie O........Once a Spy by Mary Jo Putney B.........The Blight Way by Patrick McManus Y..........Murder on the Yellow Brick Road by Stuart Kaminsky P.........Roadside Picnic by Arkady and Boris Strugatsy E........Plain Killing by Emma Miller T........Delivering the Truth by Edith Maxwell E........The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison R........Rupture by Ragnar Jonasson S.........The Stolen Mackenzie Bride by Jennifer Ashley

Before I forget........The Goodreads Choice Awards are available for voting. These awards always fascinate me because I frequently have only read one or two of the books across all the categories. I pay a lot of attention to new releases and always expect to have read most of the mystery section for instance.....one this year. This year I did a bit better because of my Sci Fi challenge (2 in that section) and the fact that I have been reading some (what I call modern) romances. Not Harliquin/Mills Boone which are comfort reads for me.....I have decided I like Helena Hunting and just finished her latest Handle with Care this morning......two of her other books were part of the Goodreads best of’s. Does anyone else even bother to vote? I always feel bad voting for the one or two that I have read.......opinions? Btw When I see books in the categories I have abandoned which sort of makes me vote for the one I managed to finish

Just wanted to say I am glad it is all working out!

The Secret Book &Scone Society was a book that I really liked until I didn’t. I really had a hard time deciding what to do with it rating wise. I gave it a 3* because I loved the setting, the boxcar etc just completely captured my imagination. That said I ceased to like the characters as the book progressed and finished to confirm who did it. I could read more in the series but doubt I ever will.......I know the author has other Cozy series and I think I have tried one of those and abandoned it early. Fyi, The Novel Art of Murder and By Cook and By Cook were other series that I probably will not be reading more of. Overall I feel like I accomplished something with the category because I used to love this type of light “niche” mystery. I stopped reading them for a few years and the market sort of exploded and there were so many choices I wasn’t checking any out of the library. Now I know a few series that I like and have identified the next in the series on wish lists for spelling challenges.😉

I have Cocaine Blues ready to go also.........The Coneheads, I know Dh had it on a couple of weeks ago(it was free streaming) but I believe my kids gave up on it. Still slowly working on my Faith Hunter reread.......very slowly as I finished Mercy Blade last week. Last week was spent quickly reading books before Overdrive snatched them away. I now do much of my reading on my iPad because of it’s stand and am unable to the WiFi off on the iPad so I try much harder to finish on time now.😉 The highlights were Once a Spy by Mary Joy Putney and Arsenic with Austen by Katherine Bolger Hyde. Once a Spy was written by a favorite Flufferton author but this one is not for everyone...r*pe was mentioned more than once in detail. The setting was England, France, and Belgium at the time of Waterloo. It was well done. Arsenic with Austen was an enjoyable cozy mystery and my 11th book in my 10 by 10 category titled “New Cozy Sampler Plate” which was designed so I would try some new series. I forgot to record one series so my count was off and I read an extra but Arsenic with Austen was one of my favorites on this list😉 so glad I messed up. I also read The Vampire Knitting Club which I linked last week on Halloween for my official Spooky October book. I really enjoyed it and will probably read more in the series. It was light and read quickly. The raised in the US main character arrives in Oxford England to visit her grandmother and learns her grandmother is dead or undead. She has inherited a Wool shop that hosts a knitting club made up of vampires..........as I said light😉 New Cozy Sampler Plate.......new to me Cozy mysteries ........10x10 1. The Unexpected Mrs. Polifax by Dorothy Gilman 2. A Murder for the Books by Victoria Gilbert 3. The Novel Art of Murder by VM Burns 4. Sew Deadly by Elizabeth Lynn Casey 5. By Cook or By Cook by Maya Corrigan 6. The Secret Book & Scone Society by Ellery Adams 7. Death Overdue by Allison Brook 8. Hearse and Buggy by Laura Bradford 9. Delivering the Truth by Edith Maxwell 10. Arsenic with Austen by Katherine Bolger Hyde 11. Plain Murder by Emma Miller

I have been busy reading or listening to many of this threads recommendations and thought I would update. I still have a few more to read. I loved The Goblin Emperor and ended up listening to it. At one point I tried to read the book and didn’t enjoy it nearly as much in print. It will be on my top ten list this year....... Rabbit Cake was also an intriguing listen. As the mom of a former sleep walker this book probably caused reaction that were not quite typical as I spent much of the book being incredibly grateful that we are beyond that stage. I am so in love with Bo Tully........I am not done with the series yet but totally enjoying these books. Thank you! I listened to Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend and really enjoyed it. This book was so fascinating along with being quite funny. Great book. I also finally read @Kareni recommendation of The Linesman. Great Sci Fl......truly enjoyed it.

How long is your train journey?

@Kareni I hope you have a lovely time!

You were right. My kids are a bit older and attending a University where many commute including them. They went to a party that was very low key at a friend’s house on the other side of the campus from us from 7 to 9ish. It was a give candy to little kids and hang out event. Dh and I drove them over and went out to dinner and did some shopping near the campus. I was happy we were driving not the dc’s because the roads were crazy with cars where we suspected drivers under the influence, bikers in dark colors, and trick or treaters last night. Very stressful. Btw, several of the group were not able to attend because they are swamped with coursework. I was sort of proud of the friends who made that call.

Praying they find him.

@Lady Florida. Happy Birthday! 🥳

I just finished The Last Policeman by Ben Winter’ https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43834410-the-last-policeman. It was very good and a bit of a classic. The world is ending, everyone knows in six months the earth will be destroyed by the meteor hurtling towards us. Many stop working to live out their bucket list, others commit suicide, others are going their lives apparently. This detective is called to the scene of a suicide and decides it is really a murder and investigates........this book was on my master list to be read this year for my Sci Fi category 10x10’s, Alternate Worlds and Outer Space. This one is Alternate Worlds....... Great job @tuesdayschild! I have O to go for Toby Peters. I just finished Plain Killing by Emma Miller for E and have Once a Spy by Mary Jo Pitney started. Fun thread...I have browsed.😉

I really have no idea ......I think your menu sounds great. I think I would serve the appetizers at the same time as the main meal so people can pick and choose. There is a lot of variety and I think not having many leftovers is a good thing. I also think some more beverages might be needed, not alcohol. Just more liquid in case you run out. Extra bottles of water ready to bring out maybe? Coffee with dessert?