I always love going to Mom and Dad's house for holidays. I love to see all her decorations throughout the house! It's fun to see what new additions there are from the year before. (You can click on photos to view them in a larger size.)
This Thanksgiving, we have much to be thankful for...family, food, football, fun and games, and so much more! Despite any challenges that life brings, we are blessed beyond comprehension. This is just one day a year that serves as a reminder of just how much we are blessed and how much we have to be thankful for.
This morning started out with a delicious sausage breakfast casserole and cranberry sauce!
After breakfast, we continued preparations for the dressing.
We ate a pretty late breakfast, so we planned a late "lunch." Before finishing the cooking, we went up to the hospital to visit with MaMa for a little while. She got to eat some smoked turkey that Michael made last night, dressing, cranberry sauce, a baked sweet potato, and some pecan pie. When we had first gotten there, she asked if she could have some ice cream. After eating her Thanksgiving meal, she wanted to know if she could still have her ice cream, so she finished it off with some good ole Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla ice cream. I always thought that I got the sweet tooth from PaPa, but maybe it was from her.
When we got home, it was time to start the turkey. For the second year now, Michael fried a turkey for our Thanksgiving. It was just as delicious today as it was last year! It sure makes cooking inside easier when you don't have to worry about baking a turkey.
Getting the fryer ready
The frustrated looks you see in the picture above are because they couldn't get the pilot to stay lit. It would light with the ignitor button depressed, but when you let go, the flame would go out.
Backstory on the picture below:
I had suggested that they tape the ignitor button down. Dad said that tape wouldn't hold it down. I wasn't convinced, so I went inside and got some heavy-duty tape. When I brought it out, Michael wouldn't let me put on because he said it was too close to the flame and would melt. I went back inside to help Mom and decided I would just let them figure it out. If they couldn't get it to work, we could always eat the smoked turkey Michael made yesterday.
A few minutes later, Dad and Aaron came inside the house. Aaron said that Dad had fixed the fryer. I asked if he had actually fixed it, or if he had just rigged it for that time and it would have to be rigged the next time it was used. Aaron said he wasn't sure.
The next time I went out to the garage, Michael confirmed that it was indeed fixed. When I walked around the truck, this is what I found.
That's right. The brilliant "fix" was to TAPE it! Hmmm...that sounds familiar!
Everyone eagerly waits for the oil to heat up.
The turkey is prepped and ready to go. I hope none of the neighbors' dogs wander over to our driveway!
Finally, the oil is hot, and it's time to put the turkey in.
Now, we wait for it to cook.
While the guys montiored the turkey outside, Mom and I finished preparations in the kitchen.
Sautéing onions for the corn casserole
It was pretty cold outside, so we made some apple cider for the guys to enjoy while the turkey fried.
The rolls are the last thing to bake. They look delicious!
The turkey is done!
Michael is excited to carve the turkey
Time to eat!!!
We are used to having a much bigger group, and A LOT more food. Usually, the dishes are doubled up and almost hanging off, and there isn't room for the plates or the rolls. The bar looks kind of empty this year, but we still had plenty of leftovers.
I know this picture isn't great. However, everyone was hungry, and I only got one shot at it!
After a huge meal, we enjoyed an afternoon and evening of football. We were disappointed by the end of the Cowboys' game, but at least it stayed interesting. After that, we were ready for some Aggie football! We had so much fun watching the game together, and we were very excited to add one to the win column!
We definitely had to make time for some games. I had read about
Speed Scrabble on my friend's blog, and we decided that we'd try it out. It was a lot of fun! Thanks for the suggestion Kelly.
Of course, it wouldn't feel like Thanksgiving without pie!
We missed Michael's family this Thanksgiving, but we are looking forward to seeing them at Christmas!
