Happy Thanksgiving Eve!

Brennen and I started out for our Thanksgiving Holiday on Tuesday.  I picked up Brennen about 3:45pm on Tuesday afternoon.  The car was packed and filled up.  We got sodas and hit the road.  We were Dublin, TX bound.  We arrived at Mamaw's about 12:15am on Wednesday morning.  My mom and Scotty had made it in Tuesday morning and everyone else was expected to arrive on Wednesday.

Unfortunately, Wednesday morning did not start out well for us.  My mom was sick to her stomach.  My Mamaw went to the doctor with a sore throat, and we were missing Aunt Kay and Rob.  Kim called and announced that she wouldn't be in until Friday.

So, while we waiting for everyone, we took care of some things in preparation for our Thanksgiving Feast.

Brennen and Scotty worked on a list of stuff Mamaw - which included taking down the screen door; fixing it; and then re-hanging it.  You cant' see Brenn, but he is on the other side of the door, holding it while Scotty put the screws in it.  They also worked on the garbage disposal and some other stuff.

My mom and I made homemade dressing; cleaned out the refrigerator to make room; put away dishes, went to the store for stuff for lunch, etc.  Alot of the work was cut out because Aunt Kay and Kim had come down over the weekend and did all of the grocery shopping, made the beds, cleaned up, and stuff.  It was really alot of help.

Towards the middle of the afternoon, we started playing some cards while Mamaw took a nap.  In the late afternoon, Chris, Savannah, and Aunt Pam came in. 


After a dinner of sandwiches we all got busy preparing the meal for tomorrow.  Aunt Pam, Mamaw, and my mom all made pies.  In fact, here is one of my mom's pie crusts.  (It didn't work out so well.  One ended up in a ball and the other ended up doughy and not big enough.  But in the end, we made them both work).

Everyone helped out in the kitchen this year.  Here is Aunt Pam doing making a Cherry O' Cheese pie and my mom washing the dishes.  Mamaw and I helped out a lot by cleaning the beaters. Ha Ha. 

While all of that was occurring in the kitchen, Chris was sure to interject his comments and instructions from the living room.  Scotty helped out by making runs to the store at about 9:00pm for Karo syrup.  He even went to several stores but could not find it.  So, he brought back an acceptable substitute.  The "Teenagers" did their part to by staying out of the kitchen.  (Except to sneak in for candy).

Of course, if you know anything about my Mamaw's house, we know that it gets really warm in there.  Especially with everyone around and the oven on.  So, usually we have windows cracked and fan on.  This year was no exception.  On this night, The Eve Before Thanksgiving, we give the BEST ENTERTAINMENT AWARD to the FAN!!!!!

This fan and people's reaction to it got more laughs than anything this evening.  It makes a whomp whomp sound.  It was pretty bad and in the end it ended up getting turned off. 

So, the rest of the evening was spent playing cards and searching for stuff.  Everything had to be searched for.  But it was a great scavenger hunt!

One thing that really hit home for me this year is that I really enjoy everything that everyone does to make this holiday great.  The traveling, and cooking, and grocery shopping.  Even down to making the beds for family and rearranging the furniture.  I don't want to ever take the little stuff for granted.  I missed a lot of family this year, but enjoyed everything that contributed to my Thanksgiving - even in their absence.