Thanksgiving was delightful and delicious. Originally I had planned on slow-cooking a turkey breast, baking sweet potatoes, my gluten-free gravy and dressing, a few veggies, and some kind of dessert.  Cliff, being my clean-up guy, began to visualize dirty pots and pans, the slow-cooker, utensils and mixing bowls strewn from one end of the counter to the next and all over the kitchen island.  Two weeks before Thanksgiving he announced change of plans.  We would be having Thanksgiving dinner at the Chop House surrounded by conversation and smiling faces at other tables.  The few times we stayed home alone and made dinner, we found the quiet was depressing, that we needed to mingle and socialize during our dinner.  When I found out our yoga instructor, Anita, would be alone that day, we added her to our reservation.  I brought my gluten-free gravy in a little jar and poured it on my turkey.  I don't eat dressing anyway because it fills me too quickly and I want room for more turkey, yams, vegetables and dessert.  So I didn't miss the bread dressing.  Weather was beautiful, 61 degrees and mostly sunny.

So now that Thanksgiving was successful and is in the past, let the Christmas decorating begin!  I've been listening to Christmas music on my Pandora stations since early November.  I can never hear enough Il Divo, Gregorian, Trans-Siberian, Mannheim Steamroller, and other holiday music. The boxes are down from the garage attic and have been placed on the back porch.  In order to avoid relocating any cute little mice, I've thrown a couple moth balls in each container.  We found that moth balls work better than anything.  Cliff was faithfully spraying a peppermint solution weekly on the back porch, in the gas grill doors, the garage, and my sewing room but I guess mountain mice think the peppermint aroma means candy canes and they took up residence in the grill and in the garage.

Saturday morning Lauria and Jim's children performed for their local radio station.  She sent me the streaming link and I got to hear the bells.  In the pink is Olivia, third child is Ben, fifth one is Hayden (black shirt) and next is Grant in the blue shirt.  Also, Friday afternoon they sang on the same radio station.  Thank goodness for streaming when you can't be there.