Pumpkins and leftovers

Thanksgiving is almost upon us and I have spent the evening baking brownie bites, chocolate chip cookies with espresso powder and for the first time, I made pecan pies from my grandmothers recipe.  Tomorrow morning will be for the turkey and the preparing of the asparagus casserole, another recipe that I remember so fondly that my grandmother used to make.

When I think of Thanksgiving, I immediate think of going to my grandparents in NC. I can't think of a Thanksgiving we didn't spend with them. I can still see the buffet set with all the wonderful food at my Great Aunt's house in Monroe, NC. We would drive up to Southern Pines, NC to see my grandparents and then drive over the morning of Thanksgiving to be with all those in Monroe. There used to be a parade that we would go out and watch right outside of the house. I think my memories of the parade are intertwined with the photos I remember seeing of me and my brother watching it. For dinner Jim and I were at the "kids' table but as we were the only kids,  my cousins would come join us. Such fond memories of time together that continued throughout my college days. So many memories squashed into such a short time frame. Thanksgiving and North Carolina just go together for me.

So this year, for maybe the second or third time since we have been married, we will be just the five of us for Thanksgiving. We have been invited out for Thanksgiving dinner, which is wonderful,  but I am still feeling the need to cook, because really, it is all about the leftovers! So tomorrow the turkey will go into the oven and the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade will be on the TV and I will feel like my extended family is around me.  If we can just keep the boys from fighting it will be a perfect day!

Back tracking a bit - we celebrated our first Halloween in Thetford on Halloween, a school night - gasp!! It was cold and VERY dark(no streetlights) and we even had a fire in our new fire pit going to draw the trick or treaters to the right spot. The boys were lamenting the change and how it wouldn't be the same etc., and they were absolute right - it wasn't the same but it was fun and they received lots of candy! Some new friends who also moved here this summer were here to trade so all was right with the world.

Before Halloween a friend of James's had a pumpkin carving of his very large pumpkin squash.  I think they had to chain saw the top off!  He had a great time and was even the first to climb into it.

It was a great October.








 James and the giant pumpkin


 The Knight, the Business Man and the Ninja






Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Poems

Image
James has always been a creative soul.  Here are two poems he wrote recently. One he did for me for Mother's Day and the other for his brother to commiserate his broken arm. Enjoy! Mothers Day It's a special time It's a time to rhyme It's a time to rise And open your eyes It's a time to cheer This is the best part of the year You just have to stay in bed Get cosey, rest your head 'Cus it's all about you You won't hear a single boo It's the best day in May It's MOTHERS DAY! Poor Boy Poor boy No joy Poor guy It's not a lie No joke Arm broke Like I said He's not dead! First time That's a rhyme! I feel sad He feels mad I didn't know at all Until Mom made a call I felt sorry So did you Poem's over Now we're through. And while we are on James, here he is at his 4th grade Wax Museum event last night as Benjamin Franklin! ...
Read more

The Closing of a Chapter - Sunset Beach, NC

Image
We sold our home on Sunset Beach, NC  in March. It was a bittersweet decision but it had become challenging to get to SSB enough to enjoy it. Also, now living in the Caribbean sealed the deal. So, before all the restrictions of COVID-19 really came into effect, we closed on March 6th.  We were to leave our major things there to retrieve after the last rental in early August. Best laid plans on paper don't always work out! So, on April 10th movers with the help of our agent and the new owners, moved all of our things out of the house to storage. The trip we had planned as a family to see the house one last time and pack up is no longer.  I am sad but oddly content. I am so thankful for the 10 years of wonderful and precious memories we created there with grandparents, cousins, Aunts and Uncles and friends. I am especially thankful for the memories I have of my Dad at Sunset. Here is one of my favorite. We had walked to the ice cream shop after coming off the beach late...
Read more

Leaving town

The day was long and the process even longer. Our impending move to Thetford, VT was closing in and we still had so much stuff left to pack.  Where does it all come from?  It seems that when one closet was empty another was waiting patiently to be packed up. I would have to say that I didn't have any more patience for packing up our lives.  Things that were to be done weeks ago were looming in the final hours. People in and out, phone calls from friends checking on us, everyone still processing that the house we had lived in and called home for the last four years would no longer be ours. I think the process of moving, during the final hours, makes it possible to cut ties and leave. After the trucks (6 Men and 3 Trucks!) were loaded and pulling out of the driveway, we still remained.  One cabinet opened in the kitchen revealed a stack of some of my favorite platters and cooking stones. Carpets to be vacuumed, counters to be washed down, empty rooms to be swept. Two...
Read more