I am sitting on the edge of the tub with my sweats pushed up and my feet covering the drain, which Reuben insists "has sharp teeth". He won't bathe unless the drain is covered, so I'm writing and eating my granola and yogurt.

Thanksgiving was very fun. We made pumpkin, peach, cherry, banana cream, lemon meringue and apple pie and a fruit tart and rolls and two kinds of cranberry stuff and exotic juice and fruit salad. Then we went to Mom's and I helped watch the two kinds of dressing in the downstairs oven while others finished up preparations upstairs. The rolls turned out nicely, since Steve prevented me from my usual blunder of adding too much flour.

We ate and talked and then played games and talked and then ate dessert and talked and played more games.

Sheila, Barney, and the kids came Friday. Since Crystal (now with short hair) and Camille turn 9 soon, and Haruka turns 18 soon, we celebrated by going ice skating on Saturday. I always forget how in the interim between visits to the rink and then have to relearn. The Sakizzie kids and Haruka did very well for it being their first time, and we only had one fall that caused tears. Reuben even skated about 2 times around with Steve or I holding him up by the armpits. Joe chose not to come, which puzzled me, because he loved the skating lessons the kids did a couple of summers ago. Afterwards, Grandma had hot chocolate, and then we had the birthday treats of ice cream and little Italian cookies called Pizzelle, which looked like pressed lace. Elisabeth and I talked knitting and James, Steve, Paul, Nathaniel, and I played a couple of games of Scrabble. It's so fun to have Paul here!

Steve had found his recommend, so we went to the temple Saturday morning while Paul sat at our house and shuffled kids to Grandma's for breakfast and played with LED lights and batteries.

I had called the temple to ask about my hairdon't and whether I should wear a white something to make my head more presentable. the woman I spoke with went and asked someone, and returned with the verdict that I could do what I felt comfortable with -- bare head or covered head, but to make sure the covering was white. I went bareheaded.

Why was this easier than going to church bareheaded? Reuben usually wants to wear my hat during sacrament meeting, but I haven't let him. Mild hypocrisy, I'm sure. I was bareheaded during Joe's Indian-and-pilgrim program last week because the hat I'd chosen had a floppy brim that made it hard to see.

Well, Reuben wants to make biscuits now that he's dry and clothed, so off we go!