I began writing on Saturday and managed to draft a paragraph before diving into a game of Portal 2 on my computer. It’s an engaging puzzle game, and I’m currently in Chapter 4. Throughout the weekend, I found myself immersed in video games and watching YouTube videos. I also started playing SimCity 4, although I struggled to get into it this time. I used to play this game frequently while living in Germany, but it just doesn’t have the same appeal as it once did. Overall, it wasn’t the most productive weekend, but it was nice to unwind. I know that one of these weekends, we’ll need to start tidying up; the dining room certainly could use some attention. Additionally, I spent some time planning the Thanksgiving menu. I reached out to everyone to gather their preferences for the meal and received a mix of helpful suggestions and a few sarcastic remarks in response.

I just tried to see how many teeth Sandy has now cause she is toothless in the front. She may not be able to hurt me while she bites me, but she still has claws. Yeah, she scratched me. I deserved it, but I wanted to see the health of her mouth. It looks good, just no front teeth.

I’ve gathered more suggestions for Thanksgiving, and I proposed that we keep it simple this year. In response, I received three new pie ideas, which brought my total to seven different pies to bake! While I truly enjoy baking and am eager to try these new recipes, it does feel like quite a task. Fortunately, two of the pies are quite easy and can be made using store-bought pie filling. Alex has requested a smoked peach cobbler, which will be a new challenge for me since I’ve never made a pie in the smoker before. Jay is looking for a blueberry cobbler, which should be relatively straightforward to prepare. Kel has asked for a pumpkin pie cheesecake, which I believe will also be easy to make. The pies this year are:

pecan (which I’m making a few because I never get a piece)
pumpkin (I have some frozen pumpkin puree. I wonder if I need more. I will have to check on that)
apple (this one is the most work. But it is very good)
cherry (which, again, is just pie filling)
blueberry cobbler
smoked peach cobbler (which will be gluten-free since Alex is the one who asked for it)
pumpkin cheesecake

So far for Thanksgiving we are having:

Lumpia (Alexis asked for this)
Turkey (Alex wants a brisket but is unsure that is happening)
Mashed potatoes
Mac n cheese
sweet potato casserole
Brussel sprouts
Green bean casserole
Cranberry sauce
Cornbread stuffing
and of course, some gravy.

The menu is quite straightforward, which I appreciate. I prefer to keep the recipes simple, especially with the pies I’m preparing for Thanksgiving. I need to go through the recipes and create a shopping list, and I think it would be helpful to categorize the list so I can easily identify which ingredients correspond to each recipe. I aim to have this finished by the weekend and plan to work on it tonight if I can get to my computer. I’m looking forward to Thanksgiving, especially since all the kids will be home and I’ll have the chance to bake. It should be enjoyable! Oh, and Alexis is bringing a friend home for Thanksgiving. We will have a full house, so I’d like to get the house clean before Turkey Day.

Coding today is almost finishing up my calculator project. I just hope that it works when I’m done.

I’m not sure what we are having for dinner tonight. I need to start Christmas cards soon. I’d like to try to send them out before Christmas. Lol