Thanksgiving was nice. Quiet, but nice. Mom’s dressing was awesome (as usual) and this year my sister burned the rolls. She’s just not meant for more than toast and cereal where kitchen matters are concerned. That’s probably what keeps her stick-thin.

By Thanksgiving evening mom and I were coming down with what we swore were “allergies.” Turns out – not so much. By Friday morning we both had roaring head colds. By Saturday mine was nearly gone but by then both Mike and Ethan had come down with it as well.

In spite of the colds and stormy weather Saturday turned out far better than expected. We bought our car, with very little hassle, I might add. Mike behaved himself (probably the cold) and haggled until he got a good deal. We didn’t even deal at the dealership but did most of it online and over the phone – which was great, especially given the state of everyone’s health and the weather.

By 3pm we were test driving the soon-to-be new vehicle (a Suburban – it’s wonderful!) and signing the papers while they washed it and took stickers off, etc. It pays to go into the lot when the weather is bad, towards the end of the month, and later in the day. In this case, they closed by 6pm and were rushing to get our paperwork done and us out the door. )