This year is a mixed bag for me. There's no big family celebration and I'll be missing my son because for the first time, he will be going to his GF's family's Thanksgiving. Also, my daughter is in treatment for an eating disorder and depression, and she actually has program that day, so it will delay things a bit. That said, I'm still thankful that our lives give us reason to celebrate and be together, even if it's just a few of us. I'm trying to be more mindful of the little blessings. I'm thankful for family and friends that love and support us, in good times and bad! As for a recipe, when we host, I always make my mother's stuffing, which has chestnuts, sausage, and apples in it. It's one of my favorite dishes!! Wishing you and yours a wonderful Thanksgiving!

I have such mixed memories of peeling chestnuts. It was a bit of a family project, so that holds fond memories. But peeling those little suckers until me hands were pruny was less than enjoyable. I'm thankful that I can now buy chestnuts that are cooked and peeled right out of the pouch! 😉

Happy Thanksgiving, Laura and my fellow cookies! I know you posted this ages ago, but the time leading up to Thanksgiving has been hectic! I most cherish my time with family, but tbh, that can also be a big source of anxiety to me. We've had many issues with my daughter recently, and just anticipating whether it was going to be a good or bad day with her was giving me heartburn and I hadn't even eaten the yummy food yet! As it turns out, it was a good day and after the two year break, we were able to have family in our home again. It was nice to share the day with everyone. As for my favorite dish, I will forever love my mother's stuffing, which I now make because she doesn't cook anymore. It's a chestnut, sausage, and apple stuffing and it's awesome! I will say that as unhealthy as it is, the stuffing from the bird tastes better than the stuffing cooked separately. But we had a smoked turkey this year and we were unable to stuff the bird. Still, everything tasted yummm and I'm overstuffed myself. xo Nan

@WishIwasHiking Hmm. I tried that and when I clicked on the message box, nothing happened. Maybe I have something weird going on with my settings. I'll figure it out sooner or later. Thanks for the tip! I'll keep trying.

@WishIwasHiking And I have to say my man-boy is one of the joys of my life. Often even easier to deal with than my 60 yo man-boy. LOL

@WishIwasHiking Just out of curiosity, how did you send the message in the first place? That would be a good thing for me to know and I can't see how to do that.

Hi Ellen! I saw an alert to message from you, but I can't figure out how to see the message, let alone answer it. But please know that I'm trying. In the meantime, glad you're here!

You're not alone. Welcome to our escape from the oven! 🤗

Hey there, Mark and Becca! It's nice to see our community growing! I finally was able to see a new therapist today and I feel like my edges are slightly less crispy now. It's great to unload all that mental baggage, whether we get advice in return or not. However, I did come away from the session with some great suggestions and nuggets of insight. I feel lighter already!

LOL I "see" a theme here, Becca. But it did make me giggle, so mission accomplished!

Why is that not surprising? Lol My turn: Asking my teenage daughter to do...pretty much anything...and getting a cranky response back.

Hi Barbara! I'm glad you joined us!

I've heard of that. Sounds like it's definitely worth a try. Thanks, BC!

Hi! I'm Nan and I'm very burnt with some mushy middle right now. I live in the Chicago area and have two kids: a man-boy, 21, and a girl, 15. My daughter has a lot of depression and anxiety issues and dealing with that is a priority, but also the cause of lots of anxiety for me too. Coupled with Covid and my mom living with us, I often feel ready to explode. Under normal circumstances, I'm a pretty positive person.