For Thanksgiving, we went back east to be with some of our family. You no doubt heard about the storms and flights cancelled by the thousands. Our flight home was scheduled to depart at 6:20 am so we got up at 4:00 to get to the airport in time to catch our flight.

The announcement came at 6:00 am as we sat in an early, morning daze, full of turkey and sugar from the day before. Our flight was delayed because of “an emergency mechanical problem.” We never learned what that was. Passengers at the gate put on puzzled and confused faces and there was a general air of curiosity about the reason. But more important we wanted to know when it’d be fixed.

An hour went by and another announcement broke our collective wait. “We’re sorry for the delay. We’re issuing food vouchers so you can have something to eat while you wait. At this point in time we do not know a time.” The food vouchers were good at any of the restaurants in the airport, so we took ours and had breakfast in a nice grill.

Holiday food is always fun, unless of course it's your last meal and you're on death row eating it right before Christmas. That can't be fun. Now with that said, to change the subject, what does a log cabin, a snowman, a sleigh, penguins and an igloo have in common? You probably said, "Snow or cold weather." Okay, you're right, but when you're through reading this blog you'll be able to say, "Holiday Food."

Let's start with the log cabin. It's a pepperoni log cabin. It was inspired by the witch's words in Hansel and Gretel, "Nibble, nibble on my house, who is nibbling like a mouse?"

To make the cabin, you'll need a loaf of white bread, eight sticks of pepperoni about 12" long, a package of sliced pepperoni, a package of cream cheese and a cup of Fage (Greek yogurt). To make the mortar, mix a cup of cream cheese with a cup of yogurt and season to your taste by adding garlic powder, onion powder and salt (stay away from any colored spices as you'll want the mortar to be white).

Cut the pepperoni sticks in half for the six" logs, cut off the rounded part of two slices of bread (so you have squares) for the roof and put them in the oven at 200 degrees to dry them out. Cut the crusts off four slices of the bread and cut them into squares theyt will fit into the middle of the cabin for support. (You'll need more support for the roof and you can use more slices of bread cut smaller and smaller, or a roll works nicely.) Build your log cabin using the mortar mixture (don't even try to put slots into the logs so they fit together, you're going to eat the thing, not live in it). 

To make the roof, put the dried bread slices in place using the mortar mixture for "glue" and dab a little mortar on the pepperoni slices (shingles) and starting at the bottom of each slice, lay the shingles on in rows right up to the peak. (Be liberal with the mortar.) Use cherry tomatoes to adorn the peak of the roof. Use cauliflower around the cabin (it sorta looks like bushes covered in snow.)

SHEs (Sidetracked Home Executives) have to be very cautious when any big holiday comes around and Thanksgiving is no exception. The excitement accompanied by our amazing creative abilities can send us to places that make great material for sitcoms, full-length movies and can't-put-down novels. If you don’t want to slip over the holiday edge this year, the following DON’Ts will help you think twice before you make any festive moves.

By the way, that's a fake turkey that matches my fake smile. I use that turkey as one of my festive holiday decorations. It's been know to make a visitor's mouth water. Fake apples, oranges and lettuce. Real hair.

You probably saw Ellen sitting by President Bush at a football game in Dallas and they were laughing. Caught having fun with George, caused Ellen to comment about the encounter. She's very liberal, but gracious to discuss the divide in our country today. She said she doesn't like to see people wearing fur, but she has good friends who wear fur and she doesn't cut them out of her life because of it. She really encouraged us to be kinder and more tolerant.

A few years ago my son Michael and his wife Meredith were invited by the FOX network to go to the Super Bowl and Terry and I were invited to babysit the two grandchildren Jack age eight and Brooklyn age 11. I have such fun with these two! (They're probably 2 and 5 in this photo of them taking a "pretend" bath.).

The first night we were with them, when it was bedtime they both wanted me to tell them a bedtime story. Since they slept in separate rooms I sat in the hallway with the light on so they could both see me if they sat up and it was easy for them to hear me. I love to make up bedtime stories because I never know what I’m going to say myself. I guess I should say Nelly (my inner child) loves to hear my stories or maybe she's the one who makes them up? Whatever, I love todo it.

In the story, you'll see why I've titled this blog, "Let's Practice More Tolerance."

Here's the story:

Rabbit Ears, Elephants, and Donkeys

Halloween is wearing a costume. Halloween is scary. But the biggest thing Halloween is, is Halloween CANDY!

You know your kids are going to bring home a pillowcase full of it and you know you'll have CANDY left-over after the last witch leaves your porch.

So the question is, What can you do with all that Halloween CANDY now?

In this video you'll get some great ideas for decorating with that left-over sugar.

Last week I was given the best gift I’ve ever been given! Ally, my niece and her husband Harrison asked me if I would take Maggie, their labradoodle. Maggie is six-years-old and has spent three different weeks with us while her parents travelled on vacations. She loves to run on our three acres and is very comfortable with us. In this photo taken today, I had her jump up into a raised flowed bed with my gorgeous fire thorn bush behind her. She's looking at a squirrel in the yard.

Maggie has the manners of an Emily Post and eats like a model demonstrating a dainty approach to food consumption.  

Harry and Ally are hard working professionals and their focus is on their careers. They were smart and loving enough to see that Maggie was not getting the attention she loves and deserves because of their busy schedules.  Ally said, “There’s a doggy cam at the doggy daycare place where Maggie goes and I’ve been so busy I haven’t looked at it in six months!” Ally is the art director for Columbia Sportswear which is headquartered in Portland, OR. Harry is a paramedic who became one after being on Wall Street on 9/11 as a financier. His building was across the street from the twin towers. He helped rescue people that day and shortly after quit his job and moved back to the northwest.

Maggie even matches my furnishings!

Two months ago I told Terry I wanted to get a dog because I’m a dog person and I hadn’t had a dog in more than 20 years. Terry is not a dog person, but knowing how much I love animals he understood. My guess is he thought I’d forget about it, because I’d talked about getting a dog on-and-off for those 20 years.

So I went on the internet and found out I can’t afford a labradoodle puppy. Yikes, they're expensive! I also thought about how much work a puppy is. And besides, it wouldn’t be fair to the puppy for me to get one because I don’t think I’ll want a dog when I’m 92 or be able to take care of an old dog when I’m one too. It also takes a good year to get a puppy trained and I have very strict rules. That caused me to consider a used labradoodle. There were lots to pick from, but I didn’t want a dog with issues. In one video the poor dog cowed down and could barely walk with her leash on and it made me know I’m not a rehabilitator-type person so I wouldn’t do well with a dog unless it were well adjusted.

As Terry thought, I quit thinking about how much I wanted a labradoodle even though it was simmering in some portion of my mind.

Turn dreary into fun!

Make memories you'll talk about for years to come.

We who live in the northwest, have had to learn early on, we can’t let the rain dowse our fun outdoors. The main advice is make sure you have play clothes, so you don’t have to worry about muddying up your good clothes.

Whether it's just misting or pouring rats and hogs make the most of the wet weather and play with your kids or grandkids in the rain using these family-tested outdoor activities.

1. Puddle Play

Mom, you usually discourage your kids from jumping in puddles, so they’ll be shocked and excited when you suggest a splashing contest. Get your play clothes and rain boots on and head out looking for the biggest puddles you can find. Let your kids get soaking wet! Let the child who makes the biggest spray, get to pick the movie the family will watch or be freed from some chore. Give points for the one who gets the wettest. If you’ve got dancers in the family, have them practice some steps they’ve learned and take your phone so you can have music.

Mom, come on; get in the puddles with them! Motherhood is not a spectator sport. Let your kids splash you. All it takes is saying, “Don’t you splash me,” in a way they know you’re daring them to do it. Oh and just think how good a hot shower will feel after the fun!

9 SHE Don'ts for Halloween

SHEs (Sidetracked Home Executives) have to be  very cautious when any big holiday comes around and Halloween is no exception. The excitement, assisted by our amazing creative abilities, can send us over the holiday edge into over-doing. The following DON’Ts will help you think twice before you make any big Halloween moves. (This photo was taken in 2016. We were dressed as Trump and Hillary before the election.)

This photo was taken at a couple years ago at a Halloween party at our neighbor's home. Read on and you'll find out what we used to make the very realistic beards.

In the video clip in this blog, my sister Peggy and I share some great last minute Halloween costumes and some very good advice.

(You'll notice Peggy has a beard too. In the first segment of the show she demonstrated how to make that beard. You just smear Karo syrup where a beard would be and then roll your face in fresh coffee grounds.) I've discovered a new way to create that beard and it's very "healthy."