Maybe Only The Knitters Will Understand

Purl 1, knit 2...

"Mimi, I need help to tie my shoe."

Knit 2, yarn over, slip 1, knit 3...

"I wasn't doing anything! Don't look at me!!!"

Slip 1 knitwise, knit 2, purl 4...

"I spilled my milk. Can I have some more?"

Knit 2, purl 2, slip 1, knit 5...

"Yes, Daddy-O. I'm still alive."

Knit 4, purl 2, yarn over, knit 6...

"Mimi! Make her give it back. She took my stick!"

Slip slip knit, purl 1, knit 7...

"A whole night's sleep would feel like heaven."

Knit front & back, knit 2, purl 8...

"Hurry, girls! We're running late!!!"

Knit 2, purl 2, yarn over, knit 9...

"I promise, Daddy-O. We're doing fine."

Knit 3, knit 2 together, yarn over, knit 10...

"Hallelujah! Mommy's home again!!!"

I always pack some knitting when I leave home. This time I had several very simple projects tucked in my bag because it was a longer stay. Why would I even bother when I knew how busy I was going to be? Because knitting makes me feel normal. I found time for a little knitting in the early, early morning, waiting in car line, and right after dinner. Even a few stitches a day is better than no knitting. 

Okay. The knitting "directions" here are pure nonsense. All of my knitting during my visit was plain, plain, plain. But the sentiment is pretty accurate. Come to think of it, maybe the grandmothers will understand, too.

Bonus:  Here is the recipe I'll use for our "emergency" turkey on Thursday. Son-in-law is frying a turkey for the first time on Thanksgiving. Prudence calls for a backup. This slow cooker turkey breast will do just fine.

First Grader Hospitality

Parents and grandparents everywhere wonder what a child might be when he/she grows up. It's a natural thought. (Personally, I am mostly hoping for "be kind.") Doctor? Farmer? Judge? Auto mechanic? Teacher? Salesman? And the list goes on and on.

Well, after the greeting I got when I arrived here for several days of "Mimi duty" while the parents are away, I'm thinking that Little Sister might have a future in the Air B&B industry. She helped take my things upstairs. And when we walked into my room, she gave me the tour.

"Mimi, I put these animals (see the penguin and cat above) in your bed 

so you won't be lonely."

"And I thought you might want something to read at bedtime, 

so here are some books for you."

"If you need something to do, (while I am the sole adult in the house this weekend) 

I left you some activities."

"And there are TWO bottles of water for you this time. 

I don't want you to get thirsty."

And I found these little notes stuck all around the room. There is no doubt that I am loved. Let's hope that by the time the weekend is over, she still thinks I'm fun.

Thinking About Thanksgiving

I know holidays are about tradition. And I know that traditions change. That's the nature of...well, nature. Things change. Circumstances change. People change. This is our year of change. Thanksgiving is about being grateful. And I am MORE than grateful for years and years of eating Thanksgiving turkey at one of many tables fitted into every possible space of a house, where my metal folding chair would bang into the folding chair behind me. There were that many of us. And it was always fun.

These were Thanksgivings where the number of cousins in line for turkey ranged from 25 to 45, depending on the year. It has been the gathering where boyfriends—who later became husbands—were introduced to the family. (Daddy-O was one of those.) And sometimes boyfriends were just boyfriends. But this year it will be just my family at our house. And it's finally time for me to act like a grownup and place an entire Thanksgiving dinner on the table.

Yes, the focus of Thanksgiving should be gratitude and thankfulness and not food. And this year we are truly thankful. But let's be honest. Food does play a big role in the day. As I am making my list and checking it twice, I'm looking for recipes I can use this Thanksgiving. Maybe I can save you a little searching if you are also on the recipe hunt.

In no particular order, these are recipes we have used for years. No, not every recipe every year, but all (but one) of these have made it to a Thanksgiving table at one time or another. Click on the title to find the recipe.

Macaroni & Cheese. If you are from another part of the country, maybe even another part of our state, this might not be the kind you make. But this is the recipe we that expect on every big dinner table. When I was growing up, we called it "macaroni pie." 

Cranberry Apple Crunch. Jessica has been making this for years to add to the table. It falls somewhere between side dish and dessert. (It's delish with a scoop of ice cream.) And we have been known to have leftovers for breakfast. 

Sweet Potato Souffle. Many years ago, my mother moved on past sweet potatoes with marshmallows on top to this nutty topping. This is her recipe—except I use less butter in the topping than she did. We like it fine this way. PS...it's really not a souffle but that's what we've always called it. 

Caramelized Brussel Sprouts. Mommy found this recipe ages ago. Even the non-Brussel sprouts folks usually like this dish. Maybe because the sprouts are shredded and don't look like Brussel sprouts. 

Baked Pineapple. Another easy side dish with a sweet taste. (Hey, don't judge. We're in the South.) 

Company Carrots. These carrots are not the typical glazed sweet ones. They are savory. And they easily can slip into the oven along side other dishes. You can even bake them at several oven temps to make it work with the rest of your menu. 

Cranberry Sauce. This is the recipe Mommy made the year they were far away from home and she made the entire dinner. Now it's a regular recipe for her. 

Cornbread Dressing. Not my mother's recipe and I haven't made or tasted this one. But both daughters have made it and served it and say it's delicious. 

Pumpkin Pie Spectacular. I make the most basic of pumpkin pies. But Mommy makes this one and her family loves it. I think their words were, "It's a show stopper!" They are begging for it again this year. 

Pumpkin Angel Food Cake. Any folks are your table who are health conscious? This might be the dessert for them. If you're an angel food cake fan, this is a perfect fall version. It's easy, too 

Sweet Potato Biscuits. These are SO good. Even work for the non-biscuit baker (like me) AND they can be made ahead of time and frozen until the day you need them. For Thanksgiving, we just serve them with butter. 

Blushing Apple Julep. Okay. I've never had this for Thanksgiving, but it would be so good if your day calls for a beverage and a munchie while folks wait for the big dinner.

Can you tell I'm a whiz at side dishes? And desserts are pretty easy. It's the turkey and dressing and gravy that I've never had to do. Son-in-law has offered to fry our turkey this year. We decided that the cooking process will be our Thanksgiving "activity"—which, if we're lucky, might also produce an entree. (He suggested having a backup turkey in the oven might be wise.) This turkey frying thing might become our new tradition.

So here's to tradition, both old ones and new ones! That house where we gathered might not be as full of people this Thanksgiving, but it will be just as full of love as ever. It's just that the love is coming from a little further down the road. And I have no doubt that they will feel it.


These recipes are posted here just as a quick reference if you need ideas for the holiday. And don't forget there are more salads, desserts, appetizers, etc. listed in the Recipe Index at the top of the post. Click on that tab to reach the index. 

Don't overlook the little search box at the top left of the blog. I use that as often as the index. When I discovered this week that Sweet Potato Souffle was not in the index, and I was positive that I had blogged that recipe, the search box led me straight to the recipe. And it's now safely listed in the index along with its brother and sister side dishes.

Snow?

It wasn't an intentional deception. You just need to understand that I live in a part of the country where a dozen snow flakes falling out of the sky will cause the local TV stations to break out the special weather alert team. And even though those intrepid meteorologists use words like "maybe" and "slight probability" and "conditions could be right", that is enough to send people rushing to the store where the milk case and bread shelves are empty within minutes. Just in case. Because once every few years, there really might be several inches on the ground. So now you know. When I see snow, it is a BIG deal.

While in the mountains this weekend for the loveliest knitting retreat, we arrived at the building where the knitters gathered each morning and I saw snow. I dropped my knitting gear on a table, grabbed my phone and headed out the back door to make a picture. Then I posted it on Instagram with a one word caption. "Snow!"

I went back in to find my comfy seat by the fireplace and thought not much more about it. But much later when I checked my phone (cell reception was somewhere between slim and none) I saw messages and comments like, "Are you snowed in?" "Are the roads okay for driving home?" "Oh, how perfect for knitting!" "Isn't this great?" "Lucky you...you've got snow!"

And I realized people had misunderstood. I posted the part of the photo that was the most fun for me. THIS was the whole photograph...

The resort was testing their snow making equipment. This is all the snow there was. And it is entirely possible this is all the snow I'll see this winter. So, please forgive my excitement.

Warning:  When you see a magazine picture, or a post on social media that makes you a little envious of the kitchen/furniture/house/dinner you're admiring, keep this in mind. You are only seeing the part someone wants you to see. Who knows what the whole setting looks like? That gorgeous kitchen may be neat because the junky stuff is behind the camera. The burned rolls are not in the picture. The green grass may have been cropped out of the snow photo. Just remember that. Even if, like me, it wasn't an intentional attempt to distort reality, that is how photo editing works. Have fun admiring, but keep your expectations real.

The knitting weekend was wonderful. There really wasn't snow on the ground but it was cold enough for rocking chairs by the fire. The quiet whirr of a spinning wheel was our background music. One man who was helping out with the retreat popped in and stood still for a minute. He said "Wow. I can feel the peace in this room." And that's exactly how a retreat should feel.

Winter At Last

I am almost packed. Leaving shortly for a knitting retreat in the mountains. And just on time, the weather has decided to give us cold temps. We have had a nearly endless summer. There are sunflowers still blooming in our back yard. I can see them as I write this.

The zinnias were gorgeous right up until Halloween. Then we had our first frost that took care of them. The sunflowers actually bloomed AFTER that frost. Crazy, isn't it.

But the point is, it has been so long since we've had a winter kind of day that I can't really remember how to pack for cold weather. So I'm taking everything. Besides my suitcase, I have a bag loaded with warm knitted things. Morning temperatures are predicted to be in the 20s. Finally! I get to wear some of what I have knitted. Knowing how fickle Mother Nature has been this year, I put an assortment of shirts in my suitcase. Warm snuggly pullovers. A long sleeve T-shirt. We just never know. At the rate we're going, we may be picking tomatoes when I get home. (Just kidding. That WOULD be crazy!)

No blog posts for a while. See you soon!

Life In Black And White

Day 1

I am the last person to jump into any kind of challenge or quiz or game on Facebook or other social media outlets. But when I was tagged last week to participate in this Instagram photo challenge, I started that day. Maybe it was the challenge of making a good black and white photo. It's harder when there are no colors to work with. I had to think about lighting and composition, but without arranging things. I could only change the angle of the photograph. Maybe it was working within the limitations that was the tease. I was instructed to photograph "everyday life"—but without any explanations and without including any people

It was good fun and I encourage you to make a few black and white photos yourself. (Consider yourself tagged!) If you use Instagram, there are three black & white filters that easily change your normal smart phone photos to black and white. If you are not on Instagram, you'll likely find some B&W options in the photo edit function on your phone. (Still lost? Ask your grandchild for help.) It's a good way to find out more about using your phone as a camera.

This challenge forces you see your world through "new" eyes. It makes you search for beauty in everyday items or in your everyday life. There are plenty of days when we think nothing special happened. We moan about our dreary days. But there is always something worthy, something beautiful right in front of us. We just have to train ourselves to recognize it. 

Here are the photos from my "Seven day black & white photos of everyday life challenge. No explanation. No people."  

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

If you take this challenge, consider it a way to stretch your brain and stimulate your artistic senses. Make up your own version. A three day challenge works. Or, black & white photos only of people. Share your photos with others. Or not. This is mostly an exercise in creativity. And one simple enough for anyone to do.

It reminded me of keeping a gratitude journal several years ago. When I was doing that, I started to become more aware of what was around me as I searched for five things to list each day. It is so easy to fall into a rut of the routine. It is easy to give in to the awful things this we see each day on the news. But our world is too full of wonder for us to let that happen. Sometimes we just need a reminder to look for the good, for the beauty in the ordinary.


I have no words left for addressing another national tragedy. The only words that come to mind come from the Romantic poet William Wordsworth—"The world is too much with us." Today give an extra smile, an extra hug be kind. And take care of yourself.

Be Ye Kind

Yesterday I made a trip to the brand spanking new grocery story in the town just up the interstate. It's a bigger, fancier replacement store for the one where I often did my weekly grocery shopping. I picked up the three items I needed. Tossed a few BOGO (buy one, get one free) deals into the cart. Then I backtracked to get a pack of slider rolls in the bakery/deli section.

The grand opening was only a few days ago, so they still had several food sampling stations set up. I bypassed a couple of them but then I saw one that was too good to skip. The plate of samples looked like a plate you might have at a party. It was loaded with goodies. I walked on to find the rolls for dinner and came back to get a plate of the party foods.

When I came back the lady was preparing a plate for another customer. I wasn't in a hurry so I stood a few steps away and waited. She was carefully telling him about each item as she placed it on the small white plate. Another man stopped and realized this was going to take too long and moved on. I waited. And watched. "Sir, have you ever had brie?" He shook his head no.

She told him about that cheese and how it was prepared with the apricot topping. She explained how you pronounce muenster cheese and told him that her son called it "monster cheese" when he was little.  She added the several meats and said that one was a new turkey item, flavored slightly with curry. And finally she dipped a fresh strawberry dipped into chocolate dessert hummus. Yes, this was quite the sample plate!

When the plate was full, she handed it to him and he thanked her politely. Then he shuffled down the next aisle. He was in his mid-40s, wearing a jacket a size or two too large for him. His frayed jeans were not a fashion choice. They were just that worn. He didn't look like this store's typical customers.

As the man walked away, the food demonstrator, who was wearing the required apron and hairnet, watched him for a couple of seconds and said quietly, "That was a child of God." Then she turned to me and apologized that I had to wait. And she repeated, "That was a child of God."

I told her that I was in no hurry and that I had appreciated watching her work with such patience.  Another lady who had walked up midway through echoed my reply. The food demonstrator went right back to work making plates for us. Before she started telling us about the meats and cheeses she said, "I am a woman of faith and I know I am here to do this." 

She didn't mean she was there to hand out plates of deli meat samples to folks who probably buy that brand anyway. She was there to be kind. She was there to recognize the dignity in each shopper. She was there to treat everyone who passed her way with the same respect. This was such a sermon. More powerful than many I've listened to from a pew. She simply lived her faith.

When I was about three, same age that Baby Girl is now, the very first Bible verse I learned in Sunday school was "be ye kind." We would put our little hands together, then open them like a book and say, "I open my Bible book and read...be ye kind." A year or so later, we added a few more words. "Be ye kind one to another."

And this store employee did exactly that. Goodness knows this world could use more kindness.

Ephesians 4:32

“And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.”
King James Version (KJV)