Hard time of year

Derek's cousin Lindsey just forwarded this e-mail to me from my sweet mother-in-law written after Thanksgiving 2007 when we hosted everyone at our house for the first time. This was her Thanksgiving summary sent to the "fam spam" e-mail group. It was SO just like her. It made me cry... thought I'd share. It's going to be hard this first holiday season without her.

hey y'all.....
just turned the old computer on.....
enjoying the "conversations"....

celebrated thanksgiving THREE times....WONDERFUL

derek and elizabeth really put on a fine spread at their home....we thoroughly enjoyed visiting with elizabeth's family and the food was divine...they pulled out all their "finest"....china and crystal....fresh flowers for the centerpiece...just PERFECT....derek fried the turkey and it was great...all the "trimmings" were DELICIOUS...lizzie made a peach cobbler using MY recipe, but it beats any one i've ever made...they had a spinach and artichoke casserole that was fabulous....lizzie's granny made the dressing...boy, was it GOOD...it was perfect...we had hash brown casserole, a favorite....and HAM and homemade biscuits....all of it was great....

when we got home from jackson, i "baked" a turkey breast and made dressing and other "fixins" for ryan and gary....ryan had hunted all day but i didn't want him to feel "left out" for the day....it was enjoyable for the three of us....

THEN....on saturday afternoon, katie and neil came to vicksburg and she and i went grocery shopping and she got in my kitchen saturday night and truly put on a show with dinner on sunday at noon....LORDY that child can COOK....we had a 20 lb. baked turkey, a cajun rice connoction that she "invented"....it was to die for....a sweet potato casserole that beat any i've ever tasted before...some scalloped potatoes...a fried corn pudding casserole that was also better than any i've had before...a pasta salad that she's "refined" and is a signature of hers...rolls....gary's mother brought mustard greens and cornbread and a romaine wilted salad (very good)...for dessert katie made a coconut cake (melts in your mouth) and the VERY BEST apple cobbler/crunch....uuummm, uuummm, GOOD....she is truly missing her calling by not being in the restaurant business....and she LOVES doing it...and just makes it up as she goes....the rice stuff was scrumptious....everybody came and we had a very, very nice time.....little ryan hadley stole the show, naturally....she is just TOO, TOO darling....so....we had some "good" eatin this past weekend....

christmas is really right around the corner....poor derek and lizzie put up their tree and it fell over some hours later....onto the hardwood floor...they lost about 30 ornaments....they are heartbroken....they had some unique, and sentimental things that they lost...

i'm rambling...as always....
everyone take care....
love to all.
candee