In the kitchen, Mabry was already hard at work. There were two turkey in the oven, as well, as a ham, and four different kinds of pie to make (pumpkin, pecan, mince, and cherry). A variety of pots were bubbling on the stove, and she was currently in the process of making one of her family's most cherished recipes Big Mama's Ice-box rolls, which required rolling out the rolls, then dipping them in butter before folding them in half and cramming them into the pan. Thus, Mabry was coated in butter up to the elbows and flour everywhere else.

She was also grinning hugely and singing along (slightly out of tune) to the Christmas music that was playing while she cooked. She was also keeping an eye on Ashlyn who was bouncing in a nearby swing while giggling and cooing at all of the activity. She too was covered in flour and seemed equally pleased with this development.