Monday Sundries

I've just gotten back from the Monday Night Furnace Room Prayer Meeting. I was greeted when I came in the door with a notification from Alexa that it was about to start to rain. I'm not sure if it has started yet, but I was very thankful that I got home and back inside with no rain. I have been pretty busy today doing all sorts of things from cleaning to sewing (well, preparing to sew). I got the whole downstairs vacuumed and dust mopped and did various other cleaning jobs here and there. I need to get the stockings made that Melany needlepointed for Wade and Erin. I want to be able to give them to her on Thursday so she can put them up as she is now in the midst of decorating. I got the needlepoint stockings trimmed around and then cut out the backings and the linings. Next, I have to cut bias strips of the backing/lining fabric so I can make cording. So I am getting closer to finishing...one step at a time. I am also trying to finish an e-book before it is whisked away into cyberspace...afraid that I won't be able to finish it since these next couple of days are going to be so busy. I have already put myself back on the hold list so I can get it back and finish it at another time. I did do more cross stitching last night...trying to finish a couple of Christmas gifts. This year, I haven't done my usual amount of cross stitching for Christmas. I guess Christmas will be just a bit different in many ways. I do have everything gathered to get my Christmas cards ready to send...cards, a Christmas note, address labels (with one of my photos of a red barn on them), address book, Christmas card list, and stamps. I think that next I will sign all the cards. So I have all sorts of little tasks lined up...some for Christmas...some for Thanksgiving. Tomorrow is pie crust making day. I will make the pie crusts and form the pie crust doe into discs that I will wrap in saran wrap and place in the refrigerator until I am ready to roll them out on Wednesday, when I make the pies. I checked today to see recommended amount of time to cook the turkey. My oven has a special program that you can plug in the weight of the turkey, etc. and it will do the rest of the settings. This will be the first time that I have used that feature as the last few years we haven't done Thanksgiving cooking here except for the pies since Woody couldn't eat most of the Thanksgiving dishes. We invented "pie day" to be our Thanksgiving with family. So we will be gathering back here as a family for Thanksgiving since before Covid. Hope I can wrangle this big bird into the oven!!!!! And, the settings on the oven that I mentioned above...well, I don't totally trust that so I am figuring out what I think the amount of time should be so I have a double check. I have an oven thermometer probe, but I also have an instant read thermometer...as another double check. I have cooked turkeys so many, many times over the last 56 years...but I will say not having cooked one in the last five makes me a little leary...but I know that it will turn out fine...and if timing is off a bit...it won't matter all that much...after we are all family!!!!!! Lots to do tomorrow...time will tell as to how much I will get done. But I will say I do love this time of the year...so thankful for family gatherings at the holidays. To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!