Happy Thanksgiving 2008!

I just put a huge pumpkin pie in the oven. I made it in a 9x13 rectangular glass baking dish and it's almost running over.

I stewed 2 whole chickens and made 2 cast iron skillets of cornbread to use in my dressing. I made it in a humongous enamelware roasting pan that was my Mama's and it's nearly full. There's at least 2 gallons of dressing in that pan and I'm not exaggerating a bit.

I had intended to make some candied sweet potatoes but after reading JESSICA'S LATEST POST and seeing her description of what she's already got prepared for our Thanksgiving dinner, I decided we didn't need sweet potatoes.

Besides, after all the cooking I've already done this evening, I'm too TARD to cook anything else. After that pumpkin pie comes out of the oven I'm done cooking for the night.

My hubby, Lamar, is in Texas visiting his brother for Thanksgiving, so I've been by myself this week. He'll be back on Saturday if all goes as planned.

After much discussion among various family members as to what everyone was doing for Thanksgiving, Jessica and I decided that we'd have the meal at her place. She and Jason have more room than I do and it's convenient to have everyone there. Various other family members who'll be there have contributed side dishes, desserts and other things for the meal so that the burden doesn't fall on any one person or family.

I'm bringing the dressing and we'll cook it after the turkey comes out of the oven. I'll also bring my pumpkin pie and I'll be making the giblet gravy in time for the meal. I provided the turkey but Jessica will cook it. Of course all of us women will have to poke and prod on the turkey and decide when it's really done.

As of right now I know that besides Jessica's family, I'll be there, my sisters Ducky and Cecil, and Cecil's hubby Brian if he makes it home in time, and my mother in law and father in law will there for the noon meal. It's possible that my sister Sue and her daughter will be there, and maybe Sue's hubby, but we won't know for sure until close to meal time.

Cecil's hubby has been in Indiana on business and the roads are icy and snowy up there. He started driving back home to Arkansas on Wednesday afternoon but the roads were so bad he had to stop for the night and get a hotel room. It all depends on the weather and the roads whether he'll make it home in time for Thanksgiving dinner.

I am so blessed and I'm thankful for so many things. My Mama and Daddy died a few years ago, and for a long time I grieved because I knew that our holidays would never be the same again with them gone.

But I soon realized that I still have my wonderful, priceless memories of holidays past. Time moves on and nothing stays the same for long. It's the nature of life that things change.

My parents are gone but time moves on and the holidays still come. Mama and Daddy wouldn't want us to keep grieving. They'd want us to celebrate and remember the happy times, and make the holidays a happy time for our children and grandchildren.

When Jessica was growing up I went home to Mama's and Daddy's house for the holidays and took Jessica to see her Grandma and Grandpa.

Now, I'm Grandma and God willing, Emmy will have wonderful memories of spending the holidays with her grandparents and family, surrounded with love and good food and good times together.

Life just doesn't get any better than that.

Mama and Daddy, I love you and miss you. I hope us girls and the rest of your family are doing you proud by carrying on the traditions of love and family that you instilled in us.

My prayer for all my dear friends and family who read this is that you'll be blessed with a wonderful, meaningful Thanksgiving, full of love, good food and all God's blessings.

Happy Thanksgiving, y'all.