Pumpkin Pie Memories!

Thanksgiving and pumpkin pies just go together, in my opinion!

I remember watching Momma make pumpkin pies for the holidays -- especially at Thanksgiving. While she prepared the homemade crusts, I'd sit on a stool near the counter and watch. Her hands would work the dough as the rolling pin flew back and forth across it. Then she'd flip it and do it again.

When the crust was big enough 'round to cover the inside of the pan and come up over the sides, Momma gently laid it inside -- almost like putting a baby to bed. Then, with one hand, she'd twirl the pan slowly while with the other, a sharp knife would slice off the extra dough hanging over the edges. Last, but not least, she'd "crimp" the edges to make pretty patterns like those pictured below.

The scraps that fell from her knife were all mine -- and I knew just what to do with them! When my enthusiasm with the rolling pin threatened to tear the tender dough, Momma would remind me to handle it ever-so-gently. It took more than a few tries, but after I rolled it out just-so, I'd slather butter on it and sprinkle a cinnamon-sugar mix on top of the entire piece.

We would then cut it in 1-inch-wide strips and place it on a cookie sheet for baking. I could hardly wait for it to come out of the oven! Those baked cinnamon strips were a melt-in-your-mouth home made experience ... but one that had to be shared with all my siblings.

Momma's pies were always made with just the right mixture of Libby's canned pumpkin, eggs, milk, butter and sugar, along with the perfect balance of nutmeg, cinnamon and all spice. Our electric mixer would whip it to a lovely height while the smell of spices tickled my nose.

After the filling was in those lovely crusts, Momma would decorate them with a cookie-cutter pumpkin shape made of scraps of dough she'd reserved for that purpose. Then, with all the love and care of a domestic goddess, she'd slide her pies into the oven.

Once that happened, we children were reminded not to run or jump in the kitchen. Pies in the makin' must not be shaken! The whole house smelled like Thanksgiving on those days, and I could hardly wait until it was time for our special holiday meal. Momma's pies were the crowning touch after a chicken and dressing meal complete with all the trimmings: Mashed potatoes, homemade gravy (always made with giblets), homemade yeast rolls, corn, beans and of course, the cranberry sauce.

When our children were growing up, we carried on the same pie-baking day traditions. Just like me, they enjoyed rolling out scraps of dough to sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Once in the oven, they watched through the glass door or sometimes called from another room of the house, "Are they done yet?"

While I finished preparing the pies, they would decide on a special shape for the decorations on top. I've collected a lot of cookie cutters over the years, and during the holidays, the kids enjoyed dumping them all out on the table to sort and admire. We made lots of tea-cake cookies of various shapes and sizes with those cookie cutters, but when Thanksgiving pies were baked, the children chose a thematic topper -- a pilgrim, turkey, pumpkin or leaf shape.

This year, our daughter, son-in-law and grandson Ethan are coming home for Thanksgiving. Our son Kevin will be here for dinner that day, too, along with one of my four sisters AND my Momma. I'm planning to make pumpkin pies again, just like she used to make.

She's altered her recipe through the years, but I don't think you can improve on perfection. So I stick to the original ... the one I remember Momma making when I grew up. No matter how you cut it, you just can't beat a homemade pumpkin pie that's full of just the right combination of ingredients ... and pleasant memories to match.

Happy Thanksgiving to one and all!

Some down-home country decor ...

Welcome! So glad you could stop by for a little tour of our place. This is where we raised our three children, where we made lots of happy memories and where hubby and I are now in our empty-nest years. We look forward to having our grandchildren come with their parents for visits! Hopefully, Ethan and Jason Cody will learn to love the place where their parents grew up.

This little pilgrim couple greets you when you enter our front screened porch. Hubby built the porch, which runs almost the length of our place, and put a basement storm shelter room under it. That's a very important thing here in the south where tornadoes are common.

I've had these little pilgrims for over 10 years, and they come out every autumn to keep us company from mid-October and on into the Thanksgiving holiday. They're still smiling right now, because the weather is lovely. When it turns colder and the winds start whipping, I may have to bring them indoors to warm their toes by the fire!

When you enter the front door, our fireplace is the first thing you notice. It brightens up our small living room and welcomes you on into the rest of the house. I love making the mantle a display of seasonal things. Here, you'll notice my autumn angel, a favorite pumpkin and a clock my parents had when I was a teen. It has a lovely tick-tock sound that soothes the heart and soul.

The floral in the middle was done by yours truly when I visited my sister in her home-decor store. She taught me how to make something pretty with leftover silk flowers and stems. I just kept piddling with it until -- voila! it came out like this.

On the other end is a photo of dogwood leaves I need to frame. It was entered in the county fair this year and is a colorful piece. In front of it is a cute little squirrel I've had about 12 years now. He comes out of hiding each fall, too, and is still nibbling on the same acorn!

Beside him is a favorite fabric frame that holds a picture of our three children when they were very young. In it, they are running across a grassy field toward a huge Indian mound. It speaks to me of youthful energy and happy memories.

The candle behind that is a cherry wood spool shape I found at a thrift store (it's one of a pair). I brought it home and polished them up, then adorned them with scraps of fabric ribbon. The little "welcome" blocks have been around for 20 years now! And the tall candle sticks behind the floral are a gift from our daughter-in-law.

Here's a quick peek at the kitchen and dining room wall above a long buffet. The decor for this area was settled when I found a cute little ceramic rooster 7 years ago and brought it home. I now have roosters everywhere -- on rugs, walls, counters, serving trays, dishes, etc.

If you could have seen this room before we redecorated in 2003! It was so dark and dreary looking and my former cabinets were hanging by their hinges (almost). What an improvement and blessing to have a pretty kitchen. It's not fancy, (and neither are we) but it's a place people can feel welcome to relax and pull up to the table. That's what matters.

Our kerosene lamp goes back 35 years -- a gift from a wedding shower. I like the globe with it's "Home Sweet Home motto. About 10 years into our marriage I broke one just like it and later found a supplier who made the exact globe. What a thrill to have it back to the original style.


This photo frame features my cute husband as a child with his parents. I treasure this photo and love the perky frame that makes it stand out as a special addition to the dining room. My mother-in-law was a very precious lady who died in 1991. We still miss her! At Thanksgiving I always make her sweet potato casserole and angel-flake biscuits. They are yummy and help us remember a very special Mom.

Before we go, I'll take you out back to show you two items I found at thrift stores. Hooter was lovingly made by hand with a patchwork overlap design. The chair is old -- very old -- and someone painted it green, then accidentally spilled some purple paint on it? Anyhow, I love old chairs with character and brought it home. (My hubby doesn't understand my need to rescue old chairs with a history...)

Hooter has been sitting in this chair the past eight years, faithfully guarding our sun porch. So why is he in the yard among the leaves? I thought he might like to get out for a bit of fresh air.

Okay, you're not buying that story, so I'll be honest -- the sun porch is a mess with dear hubby's "stuff" that will go in our future shop. Poor Hooter has been guarding the power saw, golf clubs, plumbing supplies and everything else you can imagine!

We're anxious to get started on that shop. Over the past several weeks, some concrete guys gave us the run-around and then the heavy rains came, delaying any hopes of pouring a pad. Finally -- we've found someone who is planning to start soon. I think when I look out and see that pad, I'll feel like there really will be a shop in our future!

Well, that's about it for now -- I had my camera out today and took photos of the autumn decor to share. Maybe others will come later, who knows? I hope this little peek in my window helps you know me a bit better. I'm just a country gal at heart!

Autumn on the farm

I took my camera with me on a walk to the pasture yesterday, passing through the woods on the way. We're having our last week of beautiful colors here in NW Alabama, so I wanted to capture the leaves before they fade and fall to the ground.

You never know what you'll come across in the woods! The photo above is an unusual-shaped growth of branches and vines and always catches my eye. Yesterday when I passed by, the sun sifted through the canopy of trees overhead and kissed these golden leaves -- long enough to make them "pop" in the picture.

I also noticed a fallen tree covered with orange dots. From a distance, it looked like someone had used neon-orange spray paint to write on the tree, so I went closer to take a look. This is actually an unusual fungus -- a touch of vivid orange on a fallen tree in the middle of our woods. If I hadn't glanced that direction, I wouldn't have this photo. It's fun to find surprises in the quiet of our woods!



Taking that walk also stirred up a lot of good memories. You see, our children used to walk those same paths with me in the lovely days of autumn. The boys would dash hither and yon, picking up acorns to toss at one another while Melissa and I collected pretty leaves. All that fresh air and sunshine cleared the mind and strengthened the lungs. By the time we got back up to the house, we'd had a good workout.



It was in those same pastures my hubby would cut hay in the summer and have the boys help bring it back to the barn. When there's no grass growing in winter, cows still have to eat -- and they love farm-fresh hay. Hauling hay is hard work, but Phillip introduced the boys to it early on. When they were old enough to go with him to the field, they could be helpful in some way or other -- if nothing else, carrying the water jug to thirsty Daddy.



As they grew older, they learned to grab those heavy bales of hay and drag them to the truck. Later, as strapping teens, they were able to toss them up on the truck and stack them. In the photo above, a friend (on the left) helps Kevin (7) and Jason (10). They'd all been working hard and it shows! I always made it a point to feed them a man-sized meal after this kind of workout.

The children also went to the pastures in late fall and winter, rounding up the cows and heading them home for a healthy portion of hay at the barn. Normally, Jason or Kevin would slip around behind the cows who were furthest away and start working them back toward the upper pasture. If that failed, Melissa would locate the bossiest Mama cow and start her in the right direction. The others would inevitably follow along!



When they came through the gate near the pond, one of the kids would perch on the post and count heads. That could be a challenge at times, because the cows and calves were pushing and rushing toward the sweet-smelling hay. At times, the sound of their hooves on the cold ground was like an out-of-sync drumbeat. Cows usually don't get in a big hurry to do anything, but if they are frightened -- or, in this case, hungry -- they can certainly run. The little calves usually kicked their heels and pranced, which was quite cute!

After the cows were in the barn lot, I'd have have hot chocolate or a special treat waiting for my helpers, especially in winter. They would come to the back door, slapping ice off their gloves and stepping out of muddy boots before entering the sun room in their sock feet.

Now and then, I miss those days ... but we decided when all the kids left home, we didn't need to keep a herd any longer. We're thinking of repairing the fence around the barn lot so we can raise a few steers for beef. I can handle that part just fine -- befriending young calves and feeding them corn and sweet feed while they're at the barn. I'm just not nimble enough (or willing) to round up a whole herd of pig-headed cows in the pasture anymore!

Ahh, the crisp, colorful days of autumn. They stir up a lot of good memories for this Mom!

Pumpkins or Punkin's?

Which is the correct pronunciation -- pumpkin or punkin? I suppose it all depends on what you're talking about -- and perhaps, where you're from. To me, pumpkin is the proper pronunciation for a perfectly plump growth on the end of a harvest vine... such as those shown in the photo above.

Punkin' -- on the other hand -- is a beloved nickname for my newest little grandson, Jason Cody. I suppose it started because there were pumpkin decorations around the home when I got there -- the pretty pumpkins on their front stoop (above), ceramic pumpkins on the kitchen table and a bronze-type wire pumpkin shape adorning the floor near the staircase.

I don't know why, it slipped out, but when I took Jason Cody from his Daddy's arms that first time, I cooed, "How's my sweet lil' Punkin' doing?" And he didn't mind a bit. Without giving it much thought, over the period of a week, the nickname slipped from my tongue several more times. Do you suppose that's why they sent me the photo below?




Just a few days later, I got an email from our daughter with lots of new photos for us to drool over. There he was -- our seven month old Ethan posing and playing with a pumpkin in sunny Florida!




So I ask you, is it pumpkin or punkin? :-)