Thanksgiving 2025: We Have Pie

Yesterday the first thing on my to-do list was to make two cherry pies. A family favorite, the recipe from my Grandma Honeywell has been used in our family since 1955.

It can be a bear to make. Most scratch pies are, but they and this pie are worth it. However, I was feeling weak and tired and was rolling around with my walker. Honestly, I was not sure how I would get those pies made.

Enter Kyle.

"Need any help?" he asked. Boy howdy, I was so relieved I thought I might cry then and there.

What began with just a few requests to get the pie plates down from the cupboard and open the cans of cherries so I could make the filling soon turned into a joint pie baking effort.

It was so much fun. It was also so helpful. 

Making scratch pie dough is a messy process.

The first pie was ready to go into the oven in far less time than usual.

And the second one was put together just as quickly. We vented the pies with my Grandma Honeywell's signature design and popped them into the oven.

A half hour later we had two beautiful cherry pies ready for Thanksgiving dinner.

We also made a memory together, one that I will always cherish. Thanks, Kyle. I don't think I could've made those pies this year without your help. xo

Here's a step by step blog post with the recipe and how to make the pie. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to you all! 

I am thankful to have gotten to know so many of you through the Horsiemama blog and hope that wherever you are, you are warm, safe, and content.

Thanksgiving, 1971. Me on Amy with our dog Chuck, and my Grandma and Grandpa Honeywell.

There may be a bonus post coming soon if I can finish it before I need to go downstairs and get busy in the kitchen.

Stay 'tooned!

 

Dogs of Our Lives: The Holidays are Coming!

 First Post of the Day

Oh, man. The holidays are coming. And you know what that means?

Constant vigilance! 

In this house, you must always be watching during the holidays.

"Bring your dogs!" Lynn and Craig always say. "They're welcome to come!"

But do they ever ask me or Pepper about that?

Sure, we like our friends. But those friends sometimes... well... they overstep.

My comfy spot on the sofa next to Boompa becomes a, "I called shotgun!" when Blue is around.

Nash is okay; he's here often enough that he understands that that is really MY spot and I am LETTING him sleep in it because he is on guard dog duty and guarding the homestead. What better place than in MY spot? At least, that's what Nash tells me.

And look at Mama here! She has her own bed but sometimes she takes Pepper's!

She's even been known to hog BOTH her bed and Pepper's at the same time!

Pssst! Tammo! It was okay! She was feeling ouchy so I said she could play Goldilocks with our beds. Honestly, I didn't mind!

Well, okay, Pep. I guess that was nice of you. But don't go around setting... um... a present because you know she might come over and think she can Golidlocks on my bed.

No, Tammo, I'm not worried about setting a PRECEDENT. It will be fine, buddy.

Constant vigilance means guarding my toys and laying in the best sun puddles when the others are visiting.

I certainly would never take someone else's toy!

(Pepper off in the distance) Has anyone seen my purple octopus? I left it on my bed and it's gone!

Those holiday guest dogs even go upstairs and scope out the best sleeping places. Blue! Get down! That's Pepper and Lynn's favorite napping spot!

Which means Pepper and I get stuck with the downstairs bed and have to SHARE. It is so crowded!

Man, I just wish things were back to normal around here. Wait. What??

You're cooking two turkeys? And you plan to put some turkey in my dish? 

Maybe the holidays and the company are not so bad after all! Count me in!

Don't forget the Give Away! I'm heading out to Oxford this morning and will post what I get later today. Comment to enter! Stay 'tooned!

An Unwelcome Surprise

Note: this was posted yesterday then removed as the family member I wrote about asked that it not be mentioned for a while. 

There may be another post later today if I can get it finished.

Our Thanksgiving gathering was wonderful, there was lots of laughter and fun mixed with turkey and pie, family games played, and more.

At midnight as I was preparing for bed, I got a text - a local family member had become very ill, was in the hospital, and is now awaiting emergency surgery.

I'm going to head to the hospital, so today's post is one that I had just begun working on and had intended to add to before posting it in a week or so. Sorry for it's incompleteness but it can't be helped this morning.

Some new haversacks that I finished a couple of days ago.

A Hamilton sized Traditional in Chalk Horses. Ever watched Disney's Mary Poppins?

That fabric has always reminded me of the chalk drawing adventure Mary Poppins, Bert, Jane, and Michael on!

Classic/Traditional Foal size.

I always take a photo to show customers what will fit inside (and I have always checked to be sure that it does indeed fit.)

Another Classic/Traditional Foal pouch.

The fabric is Crazy Colored Flamingos.

Finally, a Stablemate pouch in Hunting Scene. I haven't got any photos with a Stablemate yet.

There you be! This is not the post I intended to share today. Hopefully tomorrow things will have settled down.

Stay 'tooned.

Happy Thanksgiving & Happy Birthday!

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody!

Vanessa did a series of photos of Abby just after I got her and this one (which I call "Contented Abby") is perfect for today. I am contented, I am grateful, and while it has been a challenging year in many ways, all is well.

Today is also another holiday in our family. Happy Birthday, Hawkeye Sarah!!

While not actually born on Thanksgiving, every couple of years (like this one) Thanksgiving falls on her birthday. Then we eat birthday cake and ice cream along with our turkey and pie.

We won't be together today but we will call and chat later this afternoon.

I am so proud of the woman she has become and the kind, caring soul that she is. 

And I cannot wait to see her at Christmas! Happy Birthday, sweetie!

I thought I'd share a few favorite memories of past Thanksgivings today. These three are the ones that stand out the most in my mind.

Jessica's Birth

The most important Thanksgiving memory of all. Sarah was only a toddler, we had just moved to Illinois, and the few people I knew at church who had said they would watch Sarah when I went into labor all ended with the caveat, "Sure, we will watch Sarah! Unless it's Thanksgiving Day. Then we can't."

And of course I woke up at 5:00 Thanksgiving morning in labor and with no one to care for Sarah. Panic!!

Luckily, one of those friends agreed to watch her when Craig called and explained that we were going to the hospital right away and needed help. To this day, I am grateful for their help.

I Broke My Leg (but Saved the Pie)

Fast forward twenty years. We were heading to Indiana on Thanksgiving morning for dinner with our parents and I had those all-important cherry pies to load into the van.

I was dressed in a skirt and heels and carrying a cherry pie out to the van when suddenly I turned my ankle while going down the front steps. Down I fell but I hung onto the pie as I tumbled, protecting it from smashing on the ground. My ankle hurt, but we got the kids into the van and headed to Indiana anyway.  

The next day, still hurting, I went to Urgent Care. The ankle was x-rayed and wrapped and I was told that nothing was broken. (I later learned that that doctor was fresh out of Med school and had just started practicing.)

A month later, I was still in pain when I walked and made an appointment to see my own doctor. Another x-ray was taken and he discovered that I'd been walking around for a month on a leg that was broken right at the ankle joint. A cast was put on, crutches were handed to me, and I got bragging rights for having walked around on a broken leg for a month.

Thanksgiving Day Triplets are Born!

When Jessica was in first grade, her class had a guinea pig for a pet. She loved it so much that we gave her one, Brownie, for her birthday just a few days before Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving morning we were all preparing to hop into the van and head to Indiana when Jessie came to find me, her eyes wide open and visibly upset.

"Mom, Brownie had babies and she's eating one of them."

What?? Oh, no! I rushed into Jessie's bedroom and she was right. The dead one clearly had been born that way, but the other two were fine. I removed the poor little dead baby, made sure Brownie and her other babies were okay, and off to Indiana we went. The other two piggies lived good long lives and I learned a lesson - even if you are told the guinea pig you are buying is just a baby herself, that doesn't mean she isn't pregnant!

Thanksgiving, 1964 with my Honeywell grandparents. Clockwise from bottom left: my mom, Steve, Great Aunt Faye, Jenny, Grandpa Honeywell, Grandma Honeywell, me, and Leslie.

Have a great Thanksgiving, everyone! I am thankful that you join me here on the blog and give me a reason to write. And I am grateful that, during some of the hard parts of this year (Abby's passing, for example), so many of you have reached out to me with words of comfort, hugs from afar, and more.

I am thankful for you!

Researching & Writing & Cleaning & Cooking, Oh My!

Currently I am doing research for a couple of upcoming blog posts. One pertains to Breyer and other advent calendars that we have used, past and present.

I get to open the first door of the 2024 calendar in only five days and can hardly wait!

The other? I've been going through my collection and looking for B stamp Breyers.

And in so doing, I've come across some things that make me smile.

Like this Rearing Stallion in alabaster. Some have been found with a B stamp but mine did not have it. However, what he had was an unexpected treasure to me.

His old tags from when Music City Son Cole was little and live showing with me were still on him!

Oh, my heart! That tag is never being removed! A year ago I gave Cole back an early Lady Phase that had been his and he'd said he wanted for his girls.  I plan to ask him if he'd like this one, too. 

As I checked pieces in my collection for that elusive B stamp, there were also some things that dismayed me and made me sad.

It was very hard to photograph, but my carpet herd Clydesdale Mare, Whippoorwill, seems to have some plastic disintegration starting on her near hock.

A Breyer Western Horse from my collection mid-disintegration. Poor boy, I finally had to throw him out. She will eventually look like this.

Knowing that one of my childhood pieces is starting to deteriorate was saddening but not really a surprise. What was surprising is that I have not found any others with signs that their time on my shelves is drawing to a close. (Grateful!)

(Kirsten Wellman did several well-researched articles on Vinegar Syndrome, shrinkies, and oozies. Worth a read!)

The advent calendar post is scheduled to drop on November 30th, and the B Stamp possibly the day after Thanksgiving depending on if I can finish that research.

Speaking of Thanksgiving, things are ratcheting up here for the big day. I've got carpet cleaners coming today, the sheets in the guest bedrooms are clean, the bathrooms are all cleaned, fresh towels are out, and the house is just about ready to go. The grocery shopping is done, too.

Today we move on to cooking prep.  Here is the most up to date menu and info about the day that I just sent out to those who are coming:

Craig & Lynn: turkey, gravy, dressing, mashed potatoes, butter, cherry pies, spiced peaches, olives, pickles, traffic jam, paper products

Leslie & Rick: pumpkin pie, whipped cream, cheese

Jenny: green bean casserole

Steve & Cindie: asparagus casserole, beets, O'Rears' rolls, pumpkin butter

Lisa: cheeseballs & crackers, corn casserole, apple butter

Reminder:  

~ Come any time after 11:00 and cheeseballs and nibbles will be available. We will eat at 12:30 or close to it. Dogs welcome as always.

~  I have a lot of serving spoons in my kitchen drawer that have accumulated from family gatherings over the years and are not mine. Please check and see if any belong to you while you are here.

~ Last year someone brought their own containers to take home leftovers. (I think it was Jenny.) That was so helpful! If you can do that, that would be nice.

~ Feel free to stay and socialize, play games, etc. We have a couple of new ones that are easy to play and really fun. Football will be on, too.

~ Open kitchen when you get hungry (if??) later in the day. Help yourselves.

Off to get ready for those carpet cleaners to arrive. There are umpteen million doggo toys to pick up courtesy of Tammo. Although he will start getting them out as soon as I put them in the basket. Silly boy!

Thanksgiving 2023: Goodbye, Kids (A Very Personal Post)

It's over.

Thanksgiving Day has come and gone, our kids have all headed back to their own homes and lives, and it's just Craig, me, and Pepper in the house again. Oh, and leftovers. Lots of leftovers. (We always cook way too much!)

It's so quiet. 

No one is popping in on me to chat as I write, no sounds are coming from downstairs as folks fix themselves breakfast, and the showers are all open and available. All I can hear is Pepper snoring softly as she snoozes at my feet.

Part of me is enjoying catching up on sleep and returning to routine. I am looking forward to getting back to my sewing and embroidery machines and continuing to work on Christmas gifts later today. Heading out to the barn to see Abby and the herd. Running some errands that have been put off so I could be with family.

Sarah, Kyle, Jessica, Curt, Lisa, Cole, and me in Salt Lake City, 1989.

But another part of me is feeling old and wondering where the time has gone. How did my babies grow up so soon? When did they get old enough to become parents themselves? 

All of us together on Jessica and Andrew's wedding day, 2012.

I'm so proud of the people they have become and the lives of service and giving that they are living, but there are times when I wish we could turn the clock back and they'd all still be at home with Craig and me.

This picture hangs over my dresser in my bedroom. 

I miss them and I love them so much.

Goodbye, kids, and thanks for taking time out of your busy lives to come home for Thanksgiving. 

Godspeed. XOXOX Mom (XOXY for you, Jessica! LOL)

A Sort of Family Photo

Second Post of the Day

Missing are Hawkeye Sarah, Beach Boy Kyle, and Music City Son Cole and their families, but here are those who were in town for our anniversary dinner on Monday.

Teacher Daughter Lisa, Frank, Vanessa, Mila, Titan, Ian, me, Craig, Lukie (that face!), Cambria (ditto!), Andrew, Mountain Mama Jessica, and Local Son Curt.

Happy Thanksgiving from the Isenbargers in Indiana!

Thanksgiving 2023: Busy! Busy! Busy!

 Second Post of the Day

(My kids will catch that movie quote in the title.)

Tuesday passed in a blur. Having said that, it was a quiet blur that allowed Craig and me to catch our breaths.

Despite having had a brand new water heater installed the previous day, we woke up to no hot water. That would be a huge challenge if we did not get it fixed right away. Luckily the company we used came out within an hour of our call, made an adjustment, and we were showering within a half hour of the repair. (Thankful!!)

Everyone under the age of 50 (which would be all except Craig and me, haha) wanted to go see the new Trolls movie, Trolls Band Together. He and I stayed home to get some things done while everyone else headed to the cinema.

I think Pepper welcomed the chance to catch her breath, too. She's very people oriented and has loved all the petting, treats, and frisbee flings she's been getting, 

but she enjoyed just having it be the three of us for a little while. (When she wants to climb into my lap, I know she's feeling a bit overwhelmed.)

Craig did some Christmas and grocery shopping while I wrapped a few early Christmas gifts and then tackled wrapping my Dirty Santa gift. 

It's big and it's breakable, so I raided the stash of bubble wrap that I keep for sending models and packing chinas for model horse shows. 

I decimated that stash, using more than half of it, but my gift is now safe and secure. 

We currently have twenty-eight pounds of turkey temporarily stored in the spa tub. I sure hope they both fit in the oven at the same time. If not, we do have a roaster and a turkey fryer as options to ensure both turkeys are cooked.

Craig took his finally-hot shower after he got home and then we headed over to Curt and Vanessa's house for games, dinner, and more games. Cole and Emily arrived after a six hour drive from Tennessee, and while the cousins went downstairs to play in the basement, the adults chatted and introduced Cole and Emily to Bank.

On the docket for today is celebrating Mountain Mama Jessica's birthday. (She was actually born on Thanksgiving Day!) The mammoth job of preparing tomorrow's food will begin, too. I'm going downstairs to make pie dough and bake my cherry pies when I finish blogging. Oh, and I need to pull the homemade applesauce I made out of the freezer to thaw. So much to do!

Dinner is going to be over at Curt's again tonight - we are all pitching in to order pizza. You can bet that the adults are relieved that it's a "pizza and paper plates" meal the evening before Thanksgiving!

We are just about ready for people to walk through that door Thanksgiving Day!

----

Finally and just for fun, my sister Leslie sent me this photo of our family at Thanksgiving in 1966 or 1967. Just as I do, my mother had had so many guests that she turned the living room into a dining room!

My mother on the left, me in the red dress, my cousin Mary, brother Steve, cousin Bobby, Uncle Bob, the Honeywell grandparents just out of the picture bottom right, and a gentleman from France named Gerard who was having an American Thanksgiving with us.