The Pudding of Thanksgiving

    Growing up my Mom used to make a layered pudding every year for Thanksgiving. 
    The  bottom layer was an orange jello with some crushed pineapple stirred in it.
    The middle layer was a fluffy one made with whipped cream and cream cheese.
    The top layer was a smooth and absolutely delicious pineapple pudding.
    The colors of it seemed festively appropriate for Thanksgiving. I have no idea what the original creator of the recipe called this dessert, but we dubbed it as Thanksgiving pudding, and the name stuck.
    I used to look forward to it all year.
    When we moved halfway across the country, I knew we would not be celebrating Thanksgiving at my parents house any longer. The thought of missing out on that pudding made me sad, but then I thought - what's keeping me from enjoying it at anytime of the year? I called Mom for the recipe and with LV's brother and his family coming to see us I prepared a batch.
    While my sister-in-law Emma and I were putting the finishing touches on our meal I told her how my Mom always made this pudding for Thanksgiving.
    As we were cleaning up after the meal she asked if she could have the recipe, that she had really liked it.
    Fast forward to the following year when we celebrated Thanksgiving at their house. Among the bountiful spread of food was Thanksgiving pudding! "I wanted you to have your family's special pudding today," she said.
    I could almost have cried at her sweet kindness. I savored every bite of that pudding, and savored the way she had made me feel for much longer.
    Every year as I make Thanksgiving pudding I think of both my Mom and Emma.
    This year as I'm pulling out all the recipes for the things I want to prepare for our Thanksgiving meal I am once more presented with the nostalgia of this pudding.
    I still love the festively appropriate colors, still love the taste, but somehow it's the memories of Mom and Emma that I like the most now when ever I make it.
    I miss them both a great deal, but I'm so happy for them to be experiencing heaven. And I'm so thankful for the happy memories I still get to cherish from both of them

Currently

Reading ...  In the Bible I'm finishing up the book of John. 

In other books I have a lovely book filled with gorgeous illustrations and inspirational musings. It's called Gracelaced by Ruth Chou Simons.

Back in 2019, Steven used to absolutely love the pigeon books by Mo Willems. I happened to see that there's a new one out called The Pigeon Will Ride the Roller Coaster, and on a whim I got it for him. It's as simple and delightful as all the other pigeon books have been, and it was thoroughly enjoyed before being placed on the return to the library pile of books in the school room.

50 Things to Bake Before You Die looked like a fun book, but only one recipe truly piqued my interest. It's one for macarons. I would most likely have passed over it as well, but after reading the story behind the recipe I have to give them a try to see if they truly are better than normal macarons.

Writing ... is slow at the moment. There are so many other things occupying my time, that I'm having a hard time sitting down and focusing on writing. 

Listening ... to the comforting roar of the waterfall, a noisy bird protesting about something, and the clock above the desk ticking loudly in an otherwise quiet house.

Picture was taken yesterday from the front porch..

Baking ... I want to try my hand at baking those macarons later this week, and something simpler today that I haven't decided yet.
Sharon had made a triple batch of chocolate chip cookies on Saturday, but those disappeared rapidly when my brother and his family stopped in.

Cooking ... there's a pot of soup cooling on the back of the stove. Rosie Mae got up early this morning to cook it up to have some to take to along to work. It's an Asian inspired soup complete with kimchi and homemade pulled noodles. 

I'm excited about the menu I have planned for the week, but I won't bore you with all the details.

Feeling ... happy that LV can start hobbling about some. He's come a long way since the accident, and we are hopeful that he will continue to heal to where we can once again enjoy our weekend hiking excursions, and he can walk without pain.

Disliking ... the new candy thermometer I got. My other one got broken, and I couldn't find one like it to replace it. The new one, well, lets just say I'm still on the lookout for a good candy thermometer.

Loving ... cozy blankets. The house has taken on a definite fall chill. We've been holding off on starting the furnace, so blankets are especially nice right now.

Playing ... Steven and I have been doing a Europe map puzzle every day for the past few weeks. We both love puzzles and I love the fact that this is teaching him the names and locations of all the European countries. 

Cleaning ... it's fall, which means fall cleaning is underway. I'm hoping to tackle the attic tomorrow. It's been a year since the last time I was up there. I'm hoping I won't be in for a less than happy surprise when I see it again.

Later today ... Kenneth will be coming over after work to unload coal for us. We really appreciate his help. LV may be getting much better, but he's still not able to do that task.

When Grandma was Hurt

     I was almost two years old when my Grandma was in an accident where a car ran into the back of her buggy. 
    I don't remember the extent of all her injuries, but I do remember that she had both of her legs broken.
    I remember going to the hospital to see her. It was all so strange. I didn't like it at all. 
    Grandma was supposed to be in her house working in her warm kitchen, baking cookies and letting me lick the spoon, or peeling potatoes and giving me a slice sprinkled with salt to enjoy. I should be sitting on her sink watching her and Mom cook. Or maybe on the living room floor playing with the little castle with the sproing-y flags on top while she and Mom quilted and talked and laughed. That was how it was supposed to be when I saw Grandma. Everything all nice, and happy, and cozy. Not like this - lying in a narrow white bed in a bright white room.
    Dad was holding me in his arms and we went to the side of her bed, He set me next to her and she smiled and talked to me, and then folded back the white blanket to show me her legs. I was horrified. There was a metal contraption on her legs and screws turned into them. It hurt my legs just seeing it. She asked if I want to touch it, but I quickly hid my hands behind my back and said "No!"
    
    That was my first introduction to an injury. I was not impressed! To this day I still don't like seeing or hearing about injuries. 

Melt my Heart

    On my list of favorite things, is the evenings when Kenneth, Paige, and their little guy come over.
    It's a little different since LV got hurt, and is confined to the couch, but that doesn't mean that quality grandpa/grandson time is on hold.
    Being on the couch with grandpa is apparently just as fun as all the other activities they used to enjoy before the accident.

    The quality of this photo isn't the greatest since it's actually a screenshot of a video that I wish I could have uploaded so you could hear him laugh, Best sound ever!

    I'm looking forward to another evening of more fun memories being made with them later this week. 

Wednesday Hodgepodge

 1. July 6th is National Fried Chicken Day...are you a fan? Do you make your own or have a favorite place to buy from? Do you own chickens? If not chicken what's your favorite fried food?

I don't make it often, but my recipe for fried chicken is one of my favorites. I don't buy fried chicken though. I've had KFC a few times in my life, the last time was over 15 years ago though. If memory serves correctly I enjoyed it, but I know I'd still rather eat homemade.

We don't own any chickens, but with a chicken house in our backyard it's a subject I've brought up a time or two since we live here.  Would I love to have chickens? Yes and no. I've never sat down and actually weighed out the pros vs. cons of having our own chickens, but at this point I'm quite alright without any.

2.  What's something you're too chicken to try?

Administering shots. Shudder! Thankfully Sharon, with her dream of being a nurse one day, is quite happy to take care of that task.

3. When did you last find yourself running around like a 'chicken with its head cut off'?

Running to and from the hospital while trying to balance everything else going on was enough to make my head spin.

4. Something you've done recently that makes you think 'I'm no spring chicken'? 

Hoisting 44 lb cat food bags reinforced the idea that I'm not as young and strong as I used to be. It's something that LV had taken care of for years already and I never gave it a second thought until I had to take care of it while he is laid up.

5. 'Winner winner chicken dinner'...tell us about something good that's happened in your life lately. 

There have been so many little good things that have happened lately.
~ Some interesting mail arrived.
~ The girls brought some cake scraps home from work.
~ Some dear friends went above and beyond to be here for us during this time (This was pretty big)
~ A variety of birds are hanging out outside the living room window which LV enjoys immensely.
~ I found my missing cast iron skillet, it's in horrible condition, but I was happy to find it.
~ We got some much needed rain.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Steven had given me some pansies for Mother's Day. They were so pretty, and I happily planted them in the flowerbed. 

Not sure what came visiting. A deer, a groundhog, or some other flower loving creature, but what ever it was it ate it down to only a quarter of an inch of stem left. I was so disappointed!