Tittle Tales

“I’m stuffed.”
No, that is not what our turkey was thinking roasting in the oven. That is the comment you heard from everyone around the table in my home on Thanksgiv-ing Day.
My parents were up the week of Thanksgiving to spend some time with us and prepare for our feast on Thursday. My mom cooked most of the traditional recipes from our family, which have been handed from generation to generation. Our menu included a turkey, as well as homemade corn bread dressing complimented by my mother’s homemade cranberry relish. We also incorporated squash casserole and homemade macaroni and cheese paired with collard greens, all cooked to perfection.
Despite losing power Thanksgiving morning, we were still able to get the thawed turkey and casseroles in the oven and cooked by 5 p.m. that evening for our yearly feast. The Water Valley Electric department did a great job of restoring power quickly that morning so everyone was able to continue cooking. Everyone should be thankful for a reliable and consistently hard working utility company and the outcome of a very delicious oven roasted turkey.
The day after Thanks-giving we decided to put up a few Christmas lights outside and go get our Christmas tree so all of our family visiting could be included in our Christmas decorating. My husband’s parents came to town that evening and were excited to help us decorate the tree. We all enjoyed watching the kids get excited about the Christmas season.
We also listened to Christmas music and enjoyed candy canes and hot chocolate topped with marshmallows, cool whip, and sprinkles as we garnished our tree with glistening ornaments.
Our families left this past Monday to head back to sunny Florida, but they are looking forward to returning for Christmas.
I started back with our kind of normal routine this week with school and tried to finish up the decorating we didn’t get done. I finished out the week Friday night leisurely browsing through the amazing art studios we have here in the Valley. I visited Bozarts and Yalo Studio to view the phenomenal talent displayed in both galleries. The art show openings were a huge hit and I cannot wait until the next art event.
On Saturday the kids and I, dressed in holiday colors, walked in the Christmas parade downtown throwing candy to the children lining the street. It was an incredible parade. The kids and I had a great time participating and helping with the festivities. In spite of the frigid weather, to which our Floridian blood has tried to acclimate, the patches of snow flurries helped distract the kids from the feeling that their little toes were freezing. The kids were excited by the fire trucks, coasting down Main Street filled with children. There were also several creative and entertaining floats. Everyone did an outstanding job decorating.
We ended our fun filled Saturday with great friends, hot chocolate and a Christmas movie while feasting on a pizza, made by the fantastic cook at Pizzagetti (my favorite pizza place).  We are anticipating all the other exciting holiday events that Water Valley has to offer.
I feel incredibly honored to make new wonderful holiday memories in Water Valley with my family.