early "things i love thursday"

of course, due to the busy schedule tomorrow, i probably wont be blogging on turkey day. so here is my favorite things thursday a day early...






what better way to get ready for the big "stuff-your-face-day" than to look at pictures of the yummy stuff the day before?? you're welcome...







first up... deep fried turkey. sure, you can bake it. sure, you can grill it. buuuut doesnt everything taste better deep fried? i know if you're from the   s o u t h   it does...






one of the first family recipes that i cooked andy was my step-moms baked mac & cheese. all of the other recipes off of the internet, he wasnt very fond of (his mama's a good cook, so of course he's very critical of mine). but this is the first recipe he had no objection to. i'm not picky when it comes to food and even less when it's mac & cheese. love it all.






the holidays just arent the same without green bean casserole. there's really nothing to say except... i could eat the whole dish to myself...








i never ever liked sweet potatoes growing up. (i actually didnt like much of anything, and i'm kicking myself in the butt for it now while finding out what i was missing out on that whole time!!) i've recently discovered that i LOVE them!! sweet potato casserole is delicious in itself... and now i hear that my big sister, candace, is making sweet potato souffle. she's an amazing cook, i havent had anything of hers that wasnt scrumptious... so i'm extra excited about THIS particular souffle... no pressure candace.







then there are desserts. after rolling yourself away from the table, stuffed and unbutton pants and all, you go watch some football, talk with family, watch the kids play.. when your stomach finds that liiiiiittle bit of space, you find the desserts. pictured is a dump cake which i'm salivating over right now, because i know my mama sandie is making her delicious dump cake for tomorrow. 24 hours, i tell myself. there is also pound cake, carrot cake, cheese cake, chocolate mousse cake, pumpkin pie, it's endless... and i love it.






my mom and i watched the parade every year (rather, i did while she made the rest of the fixings for dinner. now i'm realizing it was pretty smart of her to get me to watch this so i would leave her be.). i really want to carry on that tradition with ava. i'm sure she would be watching it with her this year. plus every time we're in the store, ava seems to find every balloon in there. pretty sure she likes balloons. if not, coulda fooled me..






looooove the smell of christmas trees. the best part of it all is picking it out as a family and chopping it down! andy and i havent decided whether or not we're going to get a real one this year. i would love to, but sometimes the pricing is just outrageous. we'll have to take a look and see what they're asking this year and if the budget allows it. if not i'm perfectly happy trimming a plastic one. there's always next year :0)







arent christmas movies the best?!! i could watch them all year 'round. especially all of these. i also loooove it's a wonderful life, love actually, nightmare before christmas, holiday inn *who doesnt love fred astair and bing crosby??*, and of course, home alone!!







last but most definitely not least... the christmas music. i would think working retail a lot of years would make me loathe christmas music. i think it did the opposite. i lean more towards the classic christmas music with frank, bing, nat, ella, and dean. that's my crowd. this cd has them all and more... might have to invest in that. also it would go nicely with the light show they have here in charleston which should be on the list. but ava has awoken from her beauty sleep so i must run.




i hope you all have a safe and pleasant thanksgiving day! i'm thankful for friends, family, our health, and for everything i have in my life!