This week I had a couple of little "future moms" to my house to make Thanksgiving aprons and bake their very own Thanksgiving offerings for their families. Let me say that it was wonderful watching them bubble over with excitement with all the stirring, egg cracking, cookie cutting and tasting we did. In spite of the fact that MiMi fell off her chair holding her pan of pumpkin bread batter, and I missed the oven rack and poured one of their pans of cranberry orange bread batter INTO a 375 degree oven, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
We made "worried turkey" thumbprint paintings and designed a tiny apron using rick rack (don't you just LOVE rick rack?) with stamped polka dots and a handprint turkey. They were two very proud and stylish chefs!
Thanksgiving is truly the best day of the year. What other day is created to evoke a grateful heart? It is a time that we need to foster,emphasize and discuss with our children. With Christmas ever lurking to overpower and eliminate Thanksgiving, I believe strongly in intentionally slowing down and savoring every opportunity we have to ponder our blessings and talk about them openly with those God has placed in our lives. Christmas is beautiful, Christmas is a blessed day, but lets unite in the fight to revere Thanksgiving in our hearts and homes and not be overshadowed by the "hurry up and let's get to Christmas" spirit that pervades our culture.
Besides being a symbol of all that is good in our country and in our intentions, what other day lets you eat all you want, actually expects a soul to have a little of each pie and all the dressing and gravy an old Pilgrim like me can hold? -ever grateful for that!
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Friday, November 7, 2008
Savor every fleeting moment
" Even if something is left undone, everyone must take time to sit and watch the leaves turn."
"Autumn is the second spring when every leaf is a flower."
"Thy bounty shines in autumn unconfined and spreads a feast over all that live."
"I love the fall. I love it because of the smells and things are dying, things you don't have to take care of anymore, and the grass stops growing."
"The heart of autumn must have broken here, and poured its treasure out upon the leaves."
"Autumn is the second spring when every leaf is a flower."
"Thy bounty shines in autumn unconfined and spreads a feast over all that live."
"I love the fall. I love it because of the smells and things are dying, things you don't have to take care of anymore, and the grass stops growing."
"The heart of autumn must have broken here, and poured its treasure out upon the leaves."
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
"A power of china"
In one of Sarah Orne Jewett's novels, Deephaven, two girls discover a dining room cupboard filled with "a power of china." I loved that description. They were referring to the amount of it, but I find china does wield a certain power over me and some other dish divas as well. Come on , admit who you are! In my dining room pie safe and crammed into my pantry, are way too many sets of dishes that refuse to be given away, sold, or even stored out of sight. Is it the memories they evoke? Is it the fear that even though I may not have used some of them in this century, if I got rid of them I would immediately have a desperate need to serve some seldom thought- of dish that only that light blue fluted "thingamajig" would hold? Is it a hording complex? Whatever it is, my children will have to deal with it all after I am gone.
My Mary Hadley pottery--my mother had this farm pattern when I was a child, and I love its color and its simple elegance-not to mention the rush I get from the chicken plates!
My English breakfast set-- the only truly fine china I own, it is to die for (I thought I would be old enough to die before I saved enough money to buy it.)
Phil's mother's "Avon Rose"--I can't use it without picturing it on MiMi's dining room table laden with turkey, dressing, sweet potatoes and cranberry sauce. I also have her set of vintage Santa plates and matching glasses that bring cravings for cold coconut cake and homemade boiled custard!
My mother's German china--lime green and pink cabbage roses trimmed in gold. She, like me, had to save up to buy it and it is precious to me for it brings back memories of her table and the love she put into her simple, delicious food.
My yard sale English china--I bought it in Scotland at a yard sale across from a castle! It belonged to the lady's mother (deceased) and it is beyond beautiful with exotic birds and a pale blue border. She gave me a jar of homemade Ruebarb jam that day--what a day!
My junk store treasure--amazingly beautiful aqua and brown china that I use most often. I found it in New England and paid $25.00 for it, but it makes me feel like a million every time I set the table with it.
My "Audun Ferme"--a lovely black and white china with different pastoral scenes on it. It warms my heart with its simple scenes of the things I love and fantasize about like having chickens, shephards and cows enjoying themselves on my "small holding" in France.
My 2 sets of white Walmart dishes-- really cheap, really great-goes with everything and though a little warped, have stood the test of time and grandchildren.
My "snowman" not china--I don't know what this stuff is made of, but it is made IN china, and I use it all summer long for soup for Phil and I. I don't know why I use it for soup cause when you microwave it the bowl turns into a smoking furnace, while its contents remain cold as ice. It's pretty ugly now. The snow is turning a light brown (ugh) and there are chips here and there but it is (or was) really cute. This one I may ditch. I wouldn't want my daughters-in-law to comment on how odd I was to keep such pitiful looking stuff. As a matter of fact, I don't even like it anymore after I have seen it for what it really is-old, and getting really ugly.
Women and their dishes-like men and their _______, just can't be separated. Perhaps the tie that binds are the special memories--the holidays, the birthday dinners, celebrating good friends and good food, and all the love that is bound up in using things you love for the people you love. That I am ever grateful for.
"Its not what's on the plate that matters, its what's on the chairs."
"Just because you have four chairs, six matching plates, and three cups is not a reason you can't invite twelve to dinner."
My Mary Hadley pottery--my mother had this farm pattern when I was a child, and I love its color and its simple elegance-not to mention the rush I get from the chicken plates!
My English breakfast set-- the only truly fine china I own, it is to die for (I thought I would be old enough to die before I saved enough money to buy it.)
Phil's mother's "Avon Rose"--I can't use it without picturing it on MiMi's dining room table laden with turkey, dressing, sweet potatoes and cranberry sauce. I also have her set of vintage Santa plates and matching glasses that bring cravings for cold coconut cake and homemade boiled custard!
My mother's German china--lime green and pink cabbage roses trimmed in gold. She, like me, had to save up to buy it and it is precious to me for it brings back memories of her table and the love she put into her simple, delicious food.
My yard sale English china--I bought it in Scotland at a yard sale across from a castle! It belonged to the lady's mother (deceased) and it is beyond beautiful with exotic birds and a pale blue border. She gave me a jar of homemade Ruebarb jam that day--what a day!
My junk store treasure--amazingly beautiful aqua and brown china that I use most often. I found it in New England and paid $25.00 for it, but it makes me feel like a million every time I set the table with it.
My "Audun Ferme"--a lovely black and white china with different pastoral scenes on it. It warms my heart with its simple scenes of the things I love and fantasize about like having chickens, shephards and cows enjoying themselves on my "small holding" in France.
My 2 sets of white Walmart dishes-- really cheap, really great-goes with everything and though a little warped, have stood the test of time and grandchildren.
My "snowman" not china--I don't know what this stuff is made of, but it is made IN china, and I use it all summer long for soup for Phil and I. I don't know why I use it for soup cause when you microwave it the bowl turns into a smoking furnace, while its contents remain cold as ice. It's pretty ugly now. The snow is turning a light brown (ugh) and there are chips here and there but it is (or was) really cute. This one I may ditch. I wouldn't want my daughters-in-law to comment on how odd I was to keep such pitiful looking stuff. As a matter of fact, I don't even like it anymore after I have seen it for what it really is-old, and getting really ugly.
Women and their dishes-like men and their _______, just can't be separated. Perhaps the tie that binds are the special memories--the holidays, the birthday dinners, celebrating good friends and good food, and all the love that is bound up in using things you love for the people you love. That I am ever grateful for.
"Its not what's on the plate that matters, its what's on the chairs."
"Just because you have four chairs, six matching plates, and three cups is not a reason you can't invite twelve to dinner."
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little blanket of snow
