Thanks, CAP, for the lovely holiday thoughts. I will be putting something together for the little chilluns of Kabul.

What a great idea! I'm a sucker for the quicky McNugget Happy Meal so I always have toys in the backseat of my car. Now I have somewhere to send them. Thanks for putting this together!

First, Happy Thanksgiving! Second, thank you for posting about your friend Haji. I will definately be emailing him to send him some goodies. Your post made be realize that I am too focused on me and my surroundings and that there are children out there don't get a new toy occasionally. Usually, I drop my son's old toys off to the Goodwill so they can sell them at un-Godly prices. My husband is in Kuwait, on an Army/Naval base so he doesn't see what your friend sees...I am thankful for your post.

Hey! Happy Thanksgiving! This was Haji's idea, not mine... but I am happy to talk it up and so glad ya'll will be sending stuff!

What a great way to celebrate Thanksgiving. And you missed that you can drink wine and eat pizza in COMFORTABLE shoes with your friends...

And for lovely stripy yarn check this out http://www.yarnfwd.com/tosca.html

Happy Thanksgiving! I would love pizza and wine. As a vegetarian, this is not one of my favorite holidays. But the giving thanks and helping others I can get into. So off to Haji will go some goodies. Kisses to your kitties and I hope Roy is feeling well enough for some turkey (or turkey bacon!)

Happy Thanksgiving! I'll email Haji and find some little toys to send. :)

Hi Laurie. I've emailed your friend in Kabul, I have a bunch of stuff for kids that I tried to get rid of in a garage sale this past summer when I moved, but got stuck with - and I'd like to do something nice for the holidays, and was thinking of donating the stuff to some donation place. Since I don't live in your area and I will send the stuff on my own (shouldn't be too heavy since it's stuffed animals! Well - have a nice day, and thanks for giving me a place to help donate some of my old junk!

Robyn, you're welcome! And this way you know it is going to an actual person, not maybe possibly in a trash bin somewhere.

Samantha & Sharon, Tami & Martigny thanks! He's 12.5 hours ahead of california time, so usually he gets online around 6 p.m. my time. Just in case you don't get a response right away you know why.

Jove you are an enabler!! LOL

Pink Rocket - here's a little toast to you (momosas!) and sorry you are so far from your husband on this day.

uh. momosas = mimosas. Yup. You see how I am.

The first time I cooked a turkey, I was saved from making the same mistake by one of my friends who shared her cautionary tale. She too had been a turkey novice. She too had been blissfully unaware that the fiends who package the turkey hide the neck and giblets and who knows what else inside the turkey. Her turkey cooking experience Did Not Go Well.
Happy Thanksgiving!

what, no pie?
We just washed a million tiny stuffed animals, to make way for the new, and will send them on asap.
happy thanksgiving!

Thanks for the entertaining post (turkey, teflon and plastic wrapped body parts)

My daughter's bedroom is being taken over by stuffies. She can definately thin out and send something overseas. Thanks (to you and Haji) for the idea.

My mother's first turkey (just after WWII) had the same problem - little bits cooked in parchment in the cavity. While your culinary skills have probably improved my poor mother's remained about the same.

For my first foray into cooking Thanksgiving dinner I went to the local market that let you preorder cooked turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, squash, rolls and pie. I do it all myself now, but was able to get over the scarey hump with just that little bit of panache!

Thanks for the Haji story - I'll try to get some of those old stuffed animals washed and away from Perry to send.

Hugs and happy Thanksgiving, Laurie!

Laurie!
I was hopeful you would be on the internets today.
I am thankful for that! And your friend Haji...I will grab some beanies (where are they now? hm...) and send them along.
Clutter clearing and helping children... what a wonderful thanksgiving!
I went to Cracker Barrel for Thanksgiving. Sorry I did not have the hashbrown casserole for you dear...but I did have sweet tea!

I cook really well in some areas (my vegie lasagne and my green tomato relish KICK ASS), but I have never had the courage to tackle a turkey! Er... you know what I mean....

My hubby and I avoid Christmas like the plague - too much stress, too much emphasis on buying presents, etc etc - so instead we usually have an open house on Christmas Day for friends who need to drop in somewhere normal to detox before they head off to the next family gathering. I like to think we've preserved some sanity over the years.

So. Spending time with good friends and wine over the holiday period? Excellent. And soooooo much more relaxing!

I cook really well in some areas (my vegie lasagne and my green tomato relish KICK ASS), but I have never had the courage to tackle a turkey! Er... you know what I mean....

My hubby and I avoid Christmas like the plague - too much stress, too much emphasis on buying presents, etc etc - so instead we usually have an open house on Christmas Day for friends who need to drop in somewhere normal to detox before they head off to the next family gathering. I like to think we've preserved some sanity over the years.

So. Spending time with good friends and wine over the holiday period? Excellent. And soooooo much more relaxing!

oops. Forgive my technical wizardry. It's early in the morning here and I haven't had enough diet coke to be declared legally competent yet.

I LOVE this idea Laurie! We're cleaning out the house to get ready for a garage sale. The girls can put together a package. Id love them to see pix of the kids with toys they donated. It would be great for them to see how happy the kids receiving them would be. When are you sending the package?

:-) Debra

Thank you for the suggestion - I'll be putting together some toys & stuffed animals.
Happy Thanksgiving!

Very happy to hear your Tday has worked out well, after all [of course, all of us out here in the interweb knew it would]. I've just sent you're friend an email, and I'm really looking forward to sending a package of little toys to Kabul! Happy Thanksgiving, and let's all raise a glass [or two] of bubbly in thanks for all we have! Cheers!

I have a couple of boxes of toys in the closet. I knew I would eventually find a use for them.

Muffy has made me jealous with the mention of sweet tea.

How did I know that you would not know about the fun bag of parts inside of the turkey? (This is standard for all birds by the way.) My mom once went to an office potluck where the woman who cooked the turkey proclaimed that it had come prestuffed. Needless to say, not much turkey was eaten that day.

I have been busy in the kitchen today -- cranberry sauce, cornbread dressing, sweet potato souffle, and mac and cheese. The turkey will be going into the oven soon. This year I am going to try a high temp cooking method. My neighbor gave me half a pumpkin pie last night.

Happy Turkey Day. I will think of you as I stuff my face.

So when I was sitting in the house sobbing at 1pm in my flannels -- the crying commenced FINALLY, and lasted all of 1 friggin minute -- the reason it stopped is I remembered our first Thanksgiving 9 years ago, tottery heels, wine, pearls, apron, napkins, and cute chocolate turkeys at each plate. And no one saw fit to warn me about the bag of stuff inside the turkey either. Which is why this year I am on my way over to a friends, and the Person who still inhabits the house with me is at his parents.

Great photos from your friend, and great idea. I'll post it on my shop blog, if you don't think he'll mind!

Happy Thanksgiving, Laurie...You should be thankful, for this IS the happy ending, it just doesn't seem like it yet.

I'm glad you're having a good holiday with friends and no turkey guts. Although the cats would probably like them.

Laurie, Happy Thanksgiving! We just finished up Thanksgiving dinner, with your recipe for fried chicken as the main dish. :) Thank you for the explicit frying directions; I used to be (and probably still am, really) a miserable bad fryer, despite my Virginian upbringing, but when you posted your recipe for fried chicken a couple of months ago, I thought: "I'll bet I can do that." And I can! Hurray!

Thanks for all the laughter, and the wisdom, and the turkey stories. (I also once found out the hard way about that plastic bag of turkey innards, which is one reason I don't bother with turkey anymore!) Happy Thanksgiving to all!

I never understood why people would actually eat "giblets" and "gizzards" -- ick....
Hope you have had a good day girlfriend.

CAP, you're such a good writer!!!! I love your blog. Someday, I wanna be like you. Don't worry, I can't cook either. So, let's go to Luby's together!!

I'm thankful for you and your blog and how you make me laugh and cry and feel like I'm not the only one who feels this way sometimes.

Thanks You!

I e-mailed him, too. Thank you for finding a person for me to send stuff to. ;) I've got candy I bought to send to one of our troops, and I've got the yarn to make a lovely helmet liner for those cold nights on guard duty. To top it off, I have access to medical stuff (hubby's a doc) he might need or know where to send, so it'll be a good place to send stuff.

Bless you for remembering that Thanksgiving. It sounds like you're much better off now. Life sucks, but then there are cats, so it's about even. :D

Hey Laurie - I really hope that no one tried to find out if Bob tasted like chicken today... :O

i once had a very similar thanksgiving dinner except mine involved an incredibly crispy tofurky.
happy thanksgiving

you're probably in a food coma right now -- i'm glad you're with friends. most of my thanksgivings were spent with friends -- sometimes eating turkey, sometimes with pizza, sometimes with chinese food (one year i stayed home and had a jenny craig meal because i was trying to lose weight. i ended up the thinnest of my adult life but very cranky and lonely).

anyway, thanks for haji's email -- maybe i can get my nieces and nephews to donate an old stuffed animal or toy for the kids of kabul.

My first turkey had hidden innards too! Only to make it even more disgusting, I smoked mine on the bbq first complete with turkey toes, etc., stuffed it (wondering why I couldn't get much in there!), and then roasted it in the oven. The smell/odor was indescribable! This year had surgery a week before T-day and bought pre-cooked and pre-sliced turkey from a fabulous restaurant. It was delicious. Happy Thanksgiving, Laurie and kitties.

Happy Thanksgiving!
I was just telling my husband I want pizza next year instead of turkey. :-)
I emailed Haji and think I can rally my 4 girls to donate some toys.
Take Care!
Liz

I emailed for the address; hopefully he is getting inundated! ( If it's an APO the shipping won't be more than domestic.) I suggest everyone put in a local postcard, so the kids can see how small the world really is! (I'm going to ask at church if anyone else wants to contribute to the box.) Thanks, Laurie!

hope you got to have a yummy foodie day.

my ginormous turkey and i (and also the turkey bird... haha get it? i called my boy a turkey! i'm so drunk) wish you had made it.

i screwed up the pie, and that's usually my strong suit, so no harm no foul.

I'm a (knitting!) lurker, but I wanted to let you know that my six year old daughter, Rosie, has been busily collecting and washing toys for Afghan children. I'm feeling VERY proud of her - thank you for thinking of this kindness.

HAPPY TURKEY DAY.

I'm glad you found the key for a happy life - cooking is for the birds!! We just snarfed on some left-overs my friend brought home for us, so we didn't even have to do the usual dress-up-and-act-nice thing. Yay.

I think you and Haji have a great idea. I'm gonna use it as one more compelling reason to go to WeHo SnB. :)

BTW, did you catch Lost last nite?!!! Eggsalent episode. Still hatin' on that Anna Lucha, tho.

monkey-- HELLO!!!! What the h-e-double-hockey-sticks?? Is Ana-L nutso? And poor sayid carrying limp shannonback to camp. makes me sad.

Happy Turkey day to you! Thanks for making me smile.... Bob really does look a bit "turkeyish" in that pic! LOL

YEAH for your friend and this toy cruisade... did you warn him just how much your readers love you and this blog? He is probably going to receive 10 tons of toys in the next few weeks:)

This post really snapped me back to BE THANKFUL for goodness sakes... I get wrapped up in me too much, today yelled at my kids to pick up all of their toys, instead of being thankful we have so much.

this blog seems to give me bits of wisdom all the time. So glad I found it and you!

Ahhh! You're so good, CAP! Making not only us on the Internets happy but also a whole bunch of kiddos on the other side of the world! First you make me laugh, then you make me cry, then make me smile - my family is really beginning to worry about my mood swings when I'm on the Internets...Glad you & the kitties had friends to celebrate with today!
p.s. By the end of Lost, I was crying for A.L. as well as Sahid - did you hear what A.L. said to bad guy in parking lot??? No wonder she has post-traumatic stress making her so trigger happy...

Since I recently finished a year of shipping things to Afghanistan, here's a tip for shipping.

(I'm assuming Haji is US military, if not, this may not apply)

The post office offers flat rate shipping boxes. They come in two different sizes (the shirt box size holds a LOT of goodies)..no matter how much you stuff inside, no matter how heavy it gets, the shipping is only $7.70..

Trust me, the children? Little things truly light up their lives.

And if anyone is up to sending larger things, winter in Afghanistan means snow...last year it meant record breaking snow. Jackets, shoes, gloves, anything warm and toasty is desperately needed.

Thanks for thinking of the kids..

:D My first attempt at turkey et al I wound up weeping over gravy. My gravy just wouldn't...gravy. :P It took me ten years to get that bitch to give it up. It was a dastardly arch memesis...

I happen to have a stash of knits (who doesn't?), and among the items I didn't manage to gift or sell are children's hats, mitts, and slippers. I was planning to donate them to Holiday Wish, but let's be blunt here, I knit compulsively in times of stress, it helps me relax, and, boy, it's been a rough few months....so, point is, the way I'm going I'll be soon stopping people on the street and asking: 'Do you need a blanket? I've got this afghan and this throw and then there's this--no wait! My closet is full! Please take this sweater! Socks? Anything?!!...'

Anyway, I may be able to scrounge some toys, but I was wondering if knits would also be useful? If not, I suppose I can knit a bear. :P

Thanks for hooking us up with Haji...great idea!

Also, I read one of the posts that mentioned you had shared your fried chicken recipe...can you please please email me with it or re-post or tell me when you originally posted it and I'll go find it in the archives?

THANKS and Happy Holidays to our favorite blogster...

bob and fishball(dandan) might very well be twins.

here's proof

here's proof

http://fishydude.blogspot.com/2005/07/this-is-my-cat.html

here is a link for a stuffed bunny for all you knitsters, it starts out as a square, and with a few well placed stitches becomes a bunny!!! Eene I made one. http://www.heartstringsfiberarts.com/bunny.shtm
there, now we can knit and send bunnies to Haji.

here is a link for a stuffed bunny for all you knitsters, it starts out as a square, and with a few well placed stitches becomes a bunny!!! Even I made one. http://www.heartstringsfiberarts.com/bunny.shtm
there, now we can knit and send bunnies to Haji.

A late Thanksgiving ::HUGS:: to you, Laurie! Wish you lived up here...my turkey turned out great.

Hugs to Roy, too.

I just finished probably the 3rd to the last load of dishes from our feast of 25 people at my house yesterday. We had a hoot. Lots of crazy relatives talking to each other while the sane ones just sat back and shook our heads.

I am SO happy I read your post today. I have probably 150 beanie babies sitting in a bag waiting for the goodwill truck. I would SO rather have them go to kids who really need them.

Maybe someone else said this, but how about doing a mitten and hat knit along for the kids that Haji sees. I would think you could get a lot of your readers to join in. I am having carpal tunnel surgery next week, but I would join as soon as I am able to knit.

Hey, CAP, I think you should blame the wine. Apparently alcohol severely impairs a human's cooking ability, especially in November. My DH2B and I have been cooking Thanksgiving for 2 for the last ten years or so, and yesterday he proved the intelligence-inhibiting qualities of alcohol by turning on the one burner that had all the cute burner covers on it. He wanted the right rear burner on, so of course he goes to the left side of the stove and turns the knob next to the BIG P-Touch label that says "LEFT REAR" I added to the stove to avoid confusion. Confusion between front and rear. He claimed it was his dyslexia. And of course we discovered his mistake when the kitchen filled with the nasty smell of scorched burner cover. PU.

p.s. Thanks for the idea to send gifts to Kabul. I'm sure I have something under the piles of yarn...

I also have TONS of Beanies that I've held onto thinking "they may have a value again someday and pay for my granddaughter's college tuition" - I seriously doubt it - so, I think I'll "unearth" them and send some Haji's way. Also, another idea that we could do is to ship off some of our "excess" scarves and stuff. I know I have more than I need and also - any projects we consider to be "turkeys" that is, didn't exactly turn out like we thought they would - I'm betting those kids would think they were beautiful!!
Thanks for your suggestion and the great post!

So naive it's adorable! You that is. Mmm, I could have gone for a pizza last night instead.

Uh, Haji if you read this today... can folks send hats and gloves and scarves and stuff too? Let us know. Thanks!

Also haji if you have anymore beefcake pics to send, I am open for bidness. You know.

heh

Thanks for putting Haji's idea out there, Raurie. (This is how I always think of you, tee hee.)

I have written to him to find out his address. This is a great idea, because I somehow managed to spend about $100 on little tiny vending machine toys in Tokyo earlier this month.

Rock on with the great writing, my fellow Cancerian...

So I wrote to Haji, and heard back from him, and for anyone who's wondering, it is indeed an APO address. It looks like a Halliburton contractor address, not a military personnel address... which I must admit is not exactly what I was picturing when I read he was stationed in Afghanistan. In fact, my neighbor totally backed off the idea when she saw the address. Me, I'm still deciding.

Just FYI, in case that figures into anybody's plans.

FOR THE RECORD:
Yes.. I am currently working for KBR (Halliburton).
Yes...cold weather clothes will be accepted.

BUT...this is my idea...not the company. And the kids and medics will be greatful for anything you send.
PS- my pic is on the frappr map (only one in Afgh.) so you can see what I look like in body armor.

None of this is going to support halliburton... I seriously doubt they care if little Afghan kids get a stuffed animal when the shrapnel is cut out. You know?

He's just a nice guy with a good idea, and he sees stuff every day and I thought it was a good idea, too.

Haji is a good friend and a good guy and we all do what we can to make ends meet for our families, including sometimes taking a job at THE DEVIL. LOL. I don't judge (except everytime I get an email from him @halliburton.com it's like... My. Friend @666SignOfTheBeast.com!!! heh heh) (sorry Haji) (but true darlin)

Laurie: Thanks for the toast! I needed that, well I could've used a drink too! What's sad is that it made me a little teary; I appreciated it more than you'll ever know!

Haji: My husband almost worked for Halliburton, he signed on with ITT instead. He's working out of Camp Arifjan in Kuwait, been there since September. He said there's no need for toys, etc. there so I'm glad to help out if you're not too overwhelmed with other people sending things...I just sent you an email!

Hi Laurie-I read this thing all the time, and look forward to it everyday!! I really am glad you told us about Haji and the children he photographs. I already e-mailed him about where I can send a box of goodies too. You've really doen a nice thing for those kids, Sweetie, --cause a lot of your readers are going to send things, I just know it!!

I've been reading this ever since I google'd "easy knit hat" but I've never written. Everyone in my knitting group reads too and we all get together on Tuesdays and talk about what you've written for the week.

Thank you for being so fabulous and wonderful and real.

God Bless Us, One and All ...

Peace in the coming year.

Chase

You are a good and sweet person. I hope YOU had a great thanksgiving, because YOU deserve it!

I have read it all. Every last bit. Not the comments, but all your posts and it's been a fun ride. All I can say is that I have become a groupie. Me who doesn't like being a groupie. But here I am.

Love to you.

What a great idea. I'm moving, and I've got "toys" at work I don't want to take with me. Much better giving them to someone who'll play with them than giving them to Goodwill to sit on a shelf.

Hope your Turkey Day was a nice one!

Thanks for a wonderful blog. From one divorcee to another, it's an excellent read, and many big hugs for you.

My brother-in-law just got back from Afghanistan. Two months later he was sent to New Orleans with the National Guard where he is now protecting the contractors who are doing the rebuilding.

I just did a big purge which went to the thrift store and I still have stuff that I need to get rid off. I'll send him an e-mail.

My favorite Thanksgiving screw up is the one where I gave myself food poisoning. Don't worry, I was the only one who got it.

Hope you and the cats had a happy thanksgiving.

I have had the same, really, the same Turkey Day experience. You are wonderful, creative and a scream. I shall henceforth read you every day. Your blog is an inspiration!

is it to late now to send stuff please e-mail me.
www.pseudarthrosis@gmail.com

Good design!
[url=http://oyjwfvcq.com/iqmd/iuch.html]My homepage[/url] | [url=http://srswfvqe.com/gjjy/unpp.html]Cool site[/url]

Well done!
My homepage | Please visit

Nice site!
http://oyjwfvcq.com/iqmd/iuch.html | http://zzmhplwb.com/wmct/gapj.html