The Great Turkey Chase, Reprise
It was decided.The powers that be decided that I would be hostessing Thanksgiving at my house this year, which meant that I had to cook the turkey.Cue the scary music.The last time I cooked a turkey, I left the bag with all the giblets and stuff that was supposed to go into a special dish of stuffing for those who enjoy eating a turkey's parts, inside the bird! Yes, I've heard that this is a common mistake, but how much of a dummy do you have to be to think that the yucky looking neck portion and it's related tissue were, in fact, the giblets?Apparently a dummy like me.It's not the actual cooking of the bird that

Bad Mommy
I abandoned my kids yesterday.Maybe "abandon" is a bit harsh, but I did leave them alone for more than 2 hours while I escaped to my neighbor Sally's* house for hot buttered rum, conversation and the making of holiday crafts. I could totally see my entire house from Sally's window; which was nice because if it caught on fire I'd be able to rescue them in a heartbeat. So, just like it's legal to run into a store to grab a gallon of milk (or vodka...ONLY KIDDING) and leave your kids in the car as long as you can see them through the store window, this was the same thing.At least that's how my logic works.Besides, the oldest is almost thirteen - tot

Beauty School Drop Out
So I'm standing in my bathroom affixing certain cosmetics to my face which, if you knew me at all, isn't really all that much (I'm talking a little concealer, eyeliner and swipe of lipgloss and you're done kind of make-up application), and my daughter, who loves to sit on the toilet and watch my every, most fascinating I'm sure of it move, says to me, "Mama what is that stuff you're putting on your face?"I ponder.I contemplate.I do a quick inventory of what is left of my brain on this early Friday morning, weighing the pros and cons of using certain language regarding cosmetics in front of my daughter because yes, I really don't want her to ever think her

Underwire
Like I've said before, I live in a small town.Johnny Mellencamp, little pink houses, small.It may be small, but the power of a close-knit group of people never ceases to amaze me here in this same small town that I grew up in, that I learned to ride a bike in, that I first kissed a boy in.When a high school friend's child was diagnosed with a medical condition, people rallied. They supported, they gave, they gathered. When a loved one is lost, it is not just felt by one - but by many. We support, we give, we gather.I was in the grocery store yesterday morning, picking up the usual, when I saw the ancient friend of my Grandma Dorie, who passed

Anticipation is Not Just a Carly Simon Song
It's about looking out the window, into the black, black and frighteningly cold night to check for snowflakes.It's thumbing through the latest catalog looking at all the cable knit sweaters, hats, and mittens and imagining wearing them while sipping hot cocoa as your kids glide down the snow-covered hill on their sleds.It's cranking up the heat...just one more degree, and not worrying about what the next power bill will look like (yikes).It's tucking little bodies into beds under cozy comforters and whispering for them to "sleep good, you never know what tomorrow may bring," before winking and turning out the light.It's curling up under your f