<p>That pudding sounds awful! When I think of pudding, I’m always thinking of chocolate, so getting a smelly meat pudding would not make me happy at all. In fact, I have a huge bag of limes that need juicing, so one of our Thanksgiving pies will just have to be a Key Lime pie (even though these are Persian limes…). Maybe the acidity will help “levitate” the stuffing and other heavy bombs that are bound to land in my stomach during this holiday. I sure hope so!</p>
<p>Speaking of Brambly Hedge, has anyone read the Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter? They’re newly written mysteries, where she is a character, as well as other locals both real and fictional and a fine group of talking animals. Anyway, each book has several recipes at the end, all of them very British and most of them involving potatoes. I haven’t tried any yet, but the latest book features a beef stew made with brown ale and it looks quite promising for winter. </p>
<p>fammom- congrats on your son’s good health and fortune. Just hide the nut bowl when he comes home, you never know what havoc a flying walnut could wreak!</p>
<p>phone call!
arrived!!
the house is like a palace!!
then
either ain’t an English parent.
It was an implanted southern plantation-sh family.
WHAAATTTT???
“Grandpa is British, yeah. something like that, I think…”</p>
<p>Oooh, a southern plantation-ish family is more British than the British. They will love a visiting boy bearing fancy English ‘biscuits’!
That pudding though - not as bad as I feared, but still not very appealing. There’s nothing like getting a bad dessert. All that fat and calories, and for what? - coconut? whipped pumpkin? lard-y frosting? spotted dick? burnt cookies?</p>
<p>I asked my kid if he could call me when he was with the host mom so I could say “Thank you”
he did and I thanked. I must have sounded stupid but all seems well.
then again, it isn’t the Tday yet…
Eeyore-y rain cloud above today. poor people traveling in the rain.
I got few more sewing to do (and pile of whole day’s worth of dishes)
depressing news on Egypt, Syria, Super committee, school bus blown up by accident near Macy’s parade route (no one got hurt) </p>
<p>I have a healthy kid, fun job, food, books, art and CC
now make a fresh cup of coffee and just get it over with?
are you up smarty? hoohooo??</p>
<p>Yes, I am Bears.
Must have heard you calling my name, just woke up.
Now I’m awake and this is crazy as it’s only 2am, I may try
to go back to sleep for awhile. Looks like it’s snowing out, I see
white glistening stuff in the light of the street lamp.
Bears keep in mind that the palace in holiday place probably costs
about half of what your average studio apartment does in our
lovely old NYC…after I had lived long enough in NYC to acclimate
I’d go out home to visit and be shocked at how much house one
could get for the money. Oh my I think I’d better try to sleep a bit
more, it looks like a lot of snow and I have to do some driving this
morning. I sure do miss that subway in the winter. Smarty over and
out for now.</p>
<p>Smarty back in.
Bears this is all your fault for calling out my name…
I think I’ve given up, cup of coffee in hand, will work for
awhile I guess and then nap before I head out in this in
the am
however
I see some pretty heavy snow in the glow of the street lamp,
Thanksgiving plans may be changed, if this keeps up we may
not even be able to get out of here. Now there’s a hoot for you
since I have absolutely no food here, ate it all and was going to
leave the fridge bare until we got back. Oh my…</p>
<p>here I got TJ’s tofu (silky kind), falafel, chicken gyoza, french green beans (frozen, no shelled edamame in the store anymore… phillymom!!helllpp!!) last box of Jaffa Cakes and one chocolate chip/chocolate muffin I am glad to share virtually with you.
honestly, how do you dig yourself out? how far is the store? </p>
<p>now 3AM EST. I am DOOONNNEEE!!! Free!!! (for a day)
good night/morning!</p>
<p>Hi Bears, I’m here - yes pie and die do rhyme. If you ever order it, remember TRUE Key Lime pie is yellow, not green. We have a Key Lime tree in our back yard and give the fruit away. My neighbor takes them and makes pies, always giving one to us. Great deal!</p>
<p>Little bears will be fine, yes I think it’s an America thing. D went home with her college friend last spring break, but is spending TG at school. Not sure if the friend went home for TG or not. A year ago, we took one of D’s friends with us to Chicago for my S’s graduation. Her mom paid for the airfare and she had her own spending money. We figured we had to get a hotel and rental car anyway and it was just easier to throw in meals too, so that’s what we did.</p>
<p>smarty and bears…I am sorry that I didn’t log on during my sleeplessness last night (or early morning). I laughed so hard about the “bird’s custard”…it must have been that brand. It lasts forever…it is like magic from cornstarch and flavoring. When I went to school in England they would put it on top of all types of puddings. I thought school food was so wonderful after school meals in Florida. My grandmother would make the same custard but put in a good dose of thick cream at the end so it was my favorite food in the world…pudding was only a necessity to then have the custard on top. Now you can buy the mix in any decent grocery store but it was once every two years when I was growing up in US with the infrequent trips to UK. No worries about the Jaffa cakes…I have never met anyone who didn’t love them. I also always call to thank parents for taking in my kid even now they are grownup…</p>
<p>Oh thanks for the tip on the BP books and reminders of brambly hedge…I am going to check the new books out…potential gift for my mother who raised us on BP and puddings of all tyhpes. I actually know some by memory from my own childhood and infinite readings to S who particularly liked tom kitten who was captured by rats and rolled up in dough to make a “pudding” but rat was concerned about smuts in the pudding. Puddings can be meat based or fruit/sweet based. All are traditionally held together by suet (beef kidney fat) which has been replaced by vegetarian suet…somewhat healthier. My mother used to sneak suet back to US …I was always worried we would be mortified when USDA or customs discovered my mother’s 10 lbs of wrapped kidney fat in amongst the socks and underwear. This year she has promised me traditional xmas pudding (fruit soaked in brandy and held together by suet) with custard and/or rum sauce. </p>
<p>S is supposed to be starting on his road trip soon with his guest. My D says she met him when partying with S during our visit to pittsburgh. She says she doesn’t even remember an accent so I am intrigued by kid’s background.</p>
<p>Well I took a nap from 6 to 8 so am up and running again. Roads look clear, but rainy, snow on the ground. Plants all bending over nodding their heads under the weight of wet snow. Bears, 4-wheel-drive, it’ll almost get you through anything, except spring mud that is.</p>
<p>see me with steam coming out of ears and nose…so po-d…S calls at 2pm to say they are just now leaving pitt and the visitor now is not coming…I called two days ago to confirm before cancelling flight for S. He would have been here by 1pm…now because of delay he will be on the road 5-6 hours missing dinner made by loving grandma…NO WAY i would have cancelled flight if friend was not coming since S had super convenient flight into DC but road trip today means sitting in hours of traffic now and to return to Pittsburgh. Financially it is a wash since transfered the flights for xmas trip so maybe $30-$50 extra money. VERY VERY UPSET. Two days I emphasized if kid was coming, where he would prefer to sleep, etc and and explained why it mattered for the air ticket. NOT COOL to dump plans at last minute…I must say that kid is no longer welcome. If my S had called early or last night or, better yet, the kid had called to say sorry and explain about an emergency project for school (that is the excuse) but to wait until I was going nuts calling because they were supposed to be here by 2pm not starting out at 2pm…oh so upset…I will probably sulk in my office for a while tonight and tomorrow. Grinding and gnashing of teeth…</p>
<p>sorry fammom “gnashing of teeth” automatically reminds me of this visual.
<a href=“http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/166fb61.jpg[/url]”>http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/166fb61.jpg</a>
I had similar experience(s). boys’ mind/brain doesn’t work the way we want.
they might not realize how much of prep you had to go thru if you are to host someone you don’t know, international-sh kid at that.
maybe the boy gotten cold feet (there must be better words… I can’t think up) or didn’t have a funds or neat/clean shirt (it actually happened to some kid I know) or there really is a huge project he weighed in pros and cons and made intelligent choice (to him) but it never occurred to tell famkid to notify you ahead enuff.</p>
<p>When I was upset about some last minutes ditching, my kid told me straight faced
“now you don’t have to do whatever you won’t do otherwise (re. fly bacon for weekday breakfast?) and don’t have to spend money for him, why are you mad?”
Well, I was looking forward to spy on them! eat that bacon weekday morning or go to full-pay museums and stuff.
motivation! change of scenery! chance to show off how “casual” “funky” “understanding” “friendly” “you are always welcome here no matter what” mom I could be!!!
I adored every friends and enemies (here the line is blurred) he ever made. I wanted to know everything about everything.
I still do, only that I don’t get to see them in action anymore.
at least he is coming home -there yet? you are gonna have wonderful family time (sob sob) leave your wild thing in the office (there there, you even got office in your house?) and come out. make peace like Max’s mom.</p>
<p>Fam he will suffer the he ll that is breezewood on thanksgiving weekend and his punishment will be sufficient. My baby and gf are getting a 130 am bus out of new York. He had class until 10 pm didn’t want to miss. They aimed for the 11 pm but thankfully have tickets for 130 because they missed the 11 pm one. Now they are somewhere in midtown eating Chinese food and hopefully not missing the 130 am bus to Boston. I am 2 hrs way from Boston at my moms so I am setting alarm for 5 and heading to meet them. Ugh.</p>
<p>Cooper art have to stop being so darn local-y minded already if they are gonna want smart OOC(city) kids who could pay to learn.
no switters I am not going out to go spy around bus terminals or pick up corners looking for the pair.
I am tempted, thou. It makes me smile to think they are together somewhere, this very moment, near me, eating noodles or dumplings…</p>
<p>famm:
don’t let that International Chinese boy ruin your holiday!
It is nice you can have all the time with your boy. Really want to know why that boy say no at the last minutes.
My baby is flying back today and I finally can see her and talk to her this afternoon.</p>
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