Thanksgiving 2009

We could not have had a more wonderful Thanksgiving break... we were off Wednesday through yesterday, and it was quite a nice little vacay. Thursday we hosted my family at our house, and then Saturday we went to Vicksburg for the Greys' lunch at Mamaw's house.

Here's my summary of our little break:

We fried the biggest turkey I've ever seen (no, that's not it pictured above - I forgot to get my camera out until after we finished eating, and Derek told me then that no one wanted to see pictures of half-eaten food.) Anyways, this turkey was huge and DELICIOUS.

We ate entirely too much tasty-but-bad-for-us Thanksgiving food and leftovers.

We ate entirely too much tasty-but-bad-for-us just plain junk food (pizza, burgers, etc.)

We decorated our house for Christmas. It's beautiful. I wish I could stay at home all day and night and just look at the tree and the fireplace.

We did a little more Christmas shopping. We're about 80% done already, and a tree just isn't a tree until there are lots of presents underneath!

We had our fair share of adult beverages... wine just kept disappearing... I think the elves drank it.

We were total homebodies and could not have enjoyed it more! I love being home for the holidays!

It was a great break, and now it's back to the real world. We'll be busy the next two weekends, so some down time at home was wonderful. And, I'm thinking it's a good thing December is not meant for bikinis because it would NOT be a pretty sight right now. :)

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

I'm a proud daughter

Today my parents are being inducted into the USM School of Mass Communication Hall of Fame. I could not be more proud of them! Not only is this my alma mater, I'm also a Mass Communication graduate.

They’ve been huge supporters of USM since their own graduation from there in the late ‘70s, and they've hired many a USM graduate or intern as well as doing plenty of work for the school themselves throughout the years. Here’s the write-up that will be in today’s program:

Rick and Beth Bice, '78 and '77, established Bice Advertising Inc., in 1978 aiming to provide creative advertising, graphic design and multimedia for clients. Their work spans more than 30 years and includes local clients such as Southern Miss, the City of Hattiesburg, the Area Development Partnership, South Mississippi Electric Power Association and Hattiesburg Clinic. The firm has won numerous awards and honors, including nods from the regional and district American Advertising Federation. Rick was named Graphic Designer of the Year in 2005.

I’m proud to be a Bice today and always, and I wish them the biggest congratulations on their great success! I can't think of two people who are more deserving of this honor. Love you both!

The Great Frozen Turkey Fiasco of '09

Late yesterday afternoon I headed to Kroger to take advantage of the incredible turkey sale that ends today. Frozen turkeys for 37 CENTS A POUND when you spend $10… now that’s a pretty good sale. I’ve never been one to bargain hunt to the point where I’m literally fighting over the item that’s on sale, but I found myself in that exact situation yesterday.

There were about eight people crowded around the frozen turkey bin. I had to weasel my way into a spot where I could stand on my tippy toes and reach down to pick up these turkeys to find one that was the perfect size. I was picking them up and throwing them back in the bin, then picking them back up and throwing them back in the bin again. The other turkey hunters were doing the same thing. Just when I had picked up turkey #11 or 12 and finally decided on one that I thought would work, the Kroger man brought out two more boxes full of frozen turkeys…

“What size are those?” all the turkey hunters asked in unison. Then they all left their prospective spots at the turkey bin and swarmed around the Kroger man, picking out turkeys from the box before he could even unload them. That’s when I had my chance… I picked up one in the corner that was the EXACT size I wanted.

I hurried to the register, feeling like I was on Supermarket Sweep fighting my way through the crowds in under a minute, keeping an eye over my shoulder to make sure no one stole the turkey out of my basket. (I really did feel this way, I’m not exaggerating.)

Moment of truth… an almost NINETEEN-POUND turkey for $6.97. Totally worth it… All the other turkey hunters were left with 13- or 14-pounders while I got the King Kong of frozen turkeys. Bring it on, Thanksgiving... I’m ready for you.

Too early for Holidayitis?

It’s not even Thanksgiving yet and I’m already suffering from teeny tiny bit of Holidayitis. Not that it’s a bad thing… We already have about 15 presents wrapped and ready to go under the tree as soon as we can put it up! I’ve wanted to decorate for the past two weeks!

I don’t know what’s gotten into me, but I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE this time of year, and it never seems to last long enough for my liking, so I’ve decided I’ll just start celebrating the holidays before Thanksgiving. It’s not like I’m the only one… all the stores already have Christmas decorations out, and the music channels on television have been playing Christmas music since midnight on Halloween. Now that’s a wee bit too early, I think, but whatever.

We have a very busy December planned this year, and the good news is that starting this week, I won’t have a full 40-hour work week until the beginning of January! Just another reason to love the holiday season… :)

Dream Interpreter Needed!

The past three nights I have had THE STRANGEST dreams, and I’ve remembered every detail in the mornings when I wake up like they really happened. Here’s a recap…

Saturday: Derek and I were on vacation in the mountains with our family friends Carl and Tricia… We went to this resort where it snowed inside and we took Christmas card pictures. There were two little puppies there that needed adopting. We kept saying they were Border Collie mixes, but they looked like really fluffy Golden Retriever/Chow mixes. The dogs were already named (like the little stuffed Pound Puppies used to be) – Carl and Tricia’s brown one was named Caramel and our yellow one was named Biloxi. Then I woke up.

Sunday: Derek and I went to dinner with our friends Wes and Elise on this pirate ship. It was like a pirate ship out of Mario Brothers with the ominous music in the background and cannons firing. But once you got inside, it was like Long John Silvers. The food there was really strange, and I think it made me sick. Afterwards, I left to go volunteer with the Miss America pageant, but it was like the pageant was combined with the Grammy Awards, because I was a backstage “costume changer” for Beyonce. But I woke up before I met her.

Monday: We were running late for an island bachelorette party, so we decided to take a private jet. My friend Claire decided she could fly the jet, but we’d have to fly Santa-style through the snow when we let the top down and the jet turned into a sleigh. We made it to the island after an overnight flight. But then what I thought was a bachelorette party was really a new season of “The Bachelor.” I was the only one who was married, so I left everyone else there and took a train (it was in the air like the Monorail at Disney World) back home. Then I woke up.

I told you they were strange! Anyways, just thought I’d share my subconscious thoughts with you. I’m sure a dream interpreter would have a great time telling me how crazy I am…

Happy 71st and 26th!

We had a pretty quiet weekend as we're still trying to get totally well from these colds we've had all week. We had a few friends over Friday night for some fall deck-sitting, and Saturday Derek went into work for a couple of hours while I had a "me" day complete with a mani/pedi and 90-minute massage. It was FANTASTIC.

We hit the road to Vicksburg late yesterday afternoon to grill steaks at Katie and Neil's in honor of Mamaw's and Ryan's birthdays. It was a bit calmer than last year's Magnolias and Moonshine night at the VFW, but it was fun just the same. Ryan Hadley was as cute as ever and was pretty patient about waiting until after dinner to eat birthday cake.

She did get a little upset when Uncle Derek told her it actually wasn't a birthday party for her but for Mamaw and Ryan instead. Poor little girl... January 9th is just right around the corner. :)

Today we slept late, and Derek did some early Christmas shopping while I went to Pilates. Homemade chicken and dumplings and the Saints game were also on the agenda for this afternoon, both of which I'd consider a definite success.

A quiet weekend was just what we needed after last weekend's fun. Happy Birthday, Ryan and Mamaw! Now we just need to rest up some more for the holidays... :)