Cranberry Sauce

Oh, happy Thanksgiving, dear ones! I am thankful for your company on this journey. So, so thankful. I am also thankful that I decided not to make sweet potatoes this year. Just like that. "I'm not making sweet potatoes," I just said to Michael, two minutes ago. And he made a sad face. Too bad. He can be thankful that I've made them so many times before! Oops--that wasn't a very thankful thing to say, was it? No. It wasn't.

And will you be thankful for my recipe for cranberry sauce? Maybe. But only if you didn't already buy canned. It's fine to buy canned. Be thankful that you did.

I am also thankful for Mr. Outtakes.


Oh he sure likes to insinuate himself into photographs, that Flattypants Cat of ours.


Although this sad little scene I couldn't even blame on the cat.


Are you thankful that you didn't have to clean my stove top? I know I was! Ha ha. Thank you, Michael. I owe you.

Next week I'm going to offer some book and game suggestions for holiday giving--to grown-ups and kids both. And I'm wondering if you might offer me some advice: Ben is getting a little bit of computer time, newly, and I'm wondering about some great sites for kids. Mostly he plays little games on the American Girl site, and they are quite benign ("Fun for girls!" he likes to read from the banner, in his wry way, before playing). But do you have any thoughts about other fun games he could play? Cool things he could look at? Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you!
xo

Well, hello there! How did it get to be the second half of November? Birdy just now said to me, "Wow, soon it will snow because it will be December!" And I said, "Uh oh." "What is it, Mama?" "I have to go order a turkey." This part of the year crashes in like a sleeper wave, and I will pop up in January, gasping and exhilarated and happy to be combing the seaweed out of my hair.

Meanwhile, as the weather cools, there is my world-famous (okay, at least 3 or 4 of my friends make this) instant oatmeal recipe over at family.com. And then there is the buttermilk birthday cake, which is up though not posting on the homepage. In it you get to ogle many parade-float style cakes we've designed over the years.

And did you want to see how the carnival fortune teller answered Birdy's question, "Will I go to college?" I like how her New York accent breaks through on the word "chariot." The funniest thing was how few of the kids realized that they actually *knew* her. "I do!" they'd cry, baffled and thrilled. "I *do* have two older brothers!" Or, even the kids she didn't know: "I am! I *am* kind towards animals! How did you know?" Eet voz a lucky guezz.

Edited to add: I thought it was so obvious, but before anyone says anything awkward about the fortune teller, I wanted to give you a hint that I'm in this video. And I'm not the one filming it.

Hi guys! For some reason the new column is posting on the home page this week. But you can find it here, where you will see many frightening things there. The specter of tooth decay! A wild beast! Roasted cauliflower! But you won't see this. Birdy's Charlotte in her Halloween bunny costume. Enjoy the rest of your week. And don't make me tape a paper carrot to your face.