Time sure flies when you’re cooking turkey don’t it?
Yeah, so Thanksgiving was a success. The recipes I zoinked from Pioneer Woman went over smashingly. For the most part anyway. I brined the bird in the Williams-Sonoma brine just like she told me to. I followed the recipes for her sweet potatoes, make-ahead mashed potatoes, cornbread stuffing, whiskey-glazed carrots, corn and wild rice casserole, pecan pie, and pumpkin cheesecake to the T. And they all turned out just right. Jeff and I weren’t big on the corn and wild rice casserole, but everybody else liked it. Or at least said they did. Maybe they were just being nice, it’s hard to say. Nonetheless I can wholeheartedly recommend that, if you didn’t this year, next year you heed the wise words of wisdom from the Pioneer Woman herself.
She’s my new hero.
Enough about her though.
Let’s talk shopping.
Mom, Gram, Kennedy and I woke up at 4 am on black Friday morning in search of deals galore. We were fairly successful in our endeavor. Gram and I both scored one of those flat screen TV’s Target had front and center in their ad. I probably would have felt really good about that had I not gone back into the store around 11am only to see that they had about a dozen of those same TV’s available to anyone who was interested.
Yeah, so I totally got up at the butt-crack of dawn for no good reason.
NOT. COOL.
Anywho.
When we got home later that day we read about the Wal Mart employee who’d been trampled to death by savage customers.
Can you even fathom that?
Jeff and I talked about it as we were falling asleep that night. The thought of what we, as a society, are becoming is scary isn’t it? I had one of my recurring teeth dreams that night. The one where all of my teeth fall out and I’m left scrambling to spit them all out before they choke me. It’s the only recurring dream I’ve ever had. I looked it up once and learned that teeth dreams signify a feeling of helplessness. A loss of control.
Considering that I went to sleep praying for the family of that poor Wal-Mart man I guess it’s not hard to see why that dream crept in to my subconscious again.
I’m sorry.
I meant for this post to be a lighthearted one. And now I’ve gone and gotten all serious on you.
It’s just so terribly disturbing.
On a completely lighter note, but on the same subject, we had a run-in of our own with a savage shopper at the mall.
It happened in the parking lot actually.
There was a truck in front of us, that stopped at the main entrance in order to give the passengers front door service. They were stopped there, completely blocking traffic for a good two minutes or so before my patience wore thin and I gave the horn a little tap.
I should tell you that these weren’t handicapped shoppers. Or elderly people. They were perfectly able-bodied young women.
Anyway, I tapped the horn and one of the women (who’d already started toward the entrance) hollered out an expletive in my general direction. And yes, there were a multitude of other shoppers (children included) in the vicinity. In fact, my own redheaded child was in the seat directly behind me.
Gram doesn’t take well to expletives being tossed haphazardly around so she rolled down the window and put a finger to her lips motioning to the crass shopper to hush her dirty mouth.
And them Mom chimed in from the front seat, wishing that same crass shopper a very Merry Christmas.
Surely you’ve heard of ‘killing with kindness’, no?
Anyway, the crass shopper proceeded to offer her own bit of Christmas cheer, in the way of a flipped bird, and we’re not talking turtledoves, if you get my drift.
Anyway, after our little parking lot exchange I think the four of us were slightly intimidated to actually go into the mall.
We’re all bad to the bone from the confines of our four-door sedan but should we have run into those four motley gang bangers once inside the mall we may not have been so bold.
We just took extra precaution to avoid Hot Topic and Spencer’s.
Luckily our paths didn’t cross.
I can see the headline now: Four Generations of Shoppers Mauled in Local Mall After Granny Hushed a Savage Shopper.
Oy vey.
Be careful; it’s rough out there.
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
It is pretty sad that the world will know Americans in this way. I can’t believe that people were mad about being told to leave even after hearing what happened. Let’s hope and pray that holiday spirit will prevail. Always trying to be an optimist.
Your mom did the right thing…those girls should feel horrible for their behavior. Some people are just rude. I’m waiting for my encounter – it’s still early but it’s bound to happen. The holidays bring out the “real” in people.
Oh My! I thought I was the only person who dreamed that their teeth were falling out. Thanks for looking up the meaning. Also, thanks for letting me know I am not the only one. Nice not to feel alone. Wow!
Happy Holidays!
You are so funny!
I have the teeth dreams from time to time as well. And I also tell people to watch their mouths. In fact on a road trip a couple of years ago, I nearly got my father into a fist fight over it! Told some potty mouthed guys to watch it when they swore in front of my children, and they got all beligerant with me. My dad stepped in and they wanted him to go outside and fight! He was on his way out the door, too, which totally shocked them – and they left. ROFL!
Oh my! Avoiding Hot Topic was probably the thing to do. I’m always astounded at how obnoxious people become around the holidays. It’s the opposite effect of what it should be, but people just get crazed. Case in point with the Wall Mart thing. It’s truly a travesty. And I know using the word travesty makes me sounds snarky, which is obviously not how I mean it. It really is.
So, trying to lighten things as you did in your post – thanks to you for turning me on to Pioneer Woman. Totally followed her recipe for the turkey. Awsomeness. And I had some seriously skeptical people in my house. But I totally won.
So glad you have a lovely Thanksgiving. Sounds divine. I didn’t have it in me to brave the crazies. And now I’m glad I didn’t. Got some great deals on Saturday! But getting up at 4:00 is half the fun, right? :)
You’re a better woman than me, braving those crowds Black Friday crowds. I prefer shopping in my pjs at the computer with coffee in hand on the day after Thanksgiving. That’s just me.
The only dream I ever had involving teeth was when I was pregnant with my first. In my dream, I had just finished giving birth and the doctor held her up for me to see. I looked at her face and she cracked this huge smile, revealing a full set of adult teeth. It freaked me out (I remember waking up with a start), but now that you mention the whole “helplessness” meaning, I guess it kind of makes sense now…
Ok, I have had those weird teeth dreams for years too. I now know I am in company with at least two other people. I hate those dreams. I wake up and check to make sure they are all still there and in tight!
I avoid Black Friday. The whole concept intimidates me. It also really aggravates me that you can’t get those good deals at reasonable hours of the day. And the fact that they tease you with 5 of those items at the great price per store. I’m sticking to the internet! Not only that, but around here the craft store was even open Thanksgiving evening. For heaven’s sake – can’t we even have one day where the stores aren’t vying for our wallets?!!
Sorry. done with my rant. Back to your regularly scheduled blogger…..
The corn and wild rice cassarole was good! As was the whole meal, you are the bomb when it comes to a home cooked meal!
Yes I believe getting up at 4 is half the fun and we made a memory, right? Luckily we came away unharmed.
xoxo
Sounds like a wonderful all-around holiday weekend, well, except for the parking lot incident! I used to work retail, so I try to avoid it at all costs on Black Friday. I guess those few years scarred me a bit. You would be surprised at some of the comments or behaviors of shoppers I came in contact with as a sales clerk/manager during the holiday mayhem…and all over such trivial things, too! Anyway, thanks for sharing and I may have to try some of those tips from Pioneer Woman next year!
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