Wednesday, November 18, 2009

~LOVE IS...and Other Things That Matter~

~LOVE IS... HELPING HER WITH
THE THANKSGIVING DINNER~

My hubby and I married in 1978 when I was not quite 20 years old. If the truth be told I was in many respects still just a girl. If not for the kindness and maturity of my Mr. AGPMan I'm not sure I'd have learned HOW to cook a Turkey (or anything else for that matter!).

Still...it isn't the Thanksgiving Bird that brings back the funniest of memories during our long, happy marriage. Oh...I have some of those stories (like when I didn't KNOW there was a neck cavity filled up with all those "things" I still think are GROSS and baked it inside, paper wrappings and all), but I'll save those thoughts for a later time...

~PIE~
A Thanksgiving MUST HAVE

What comes to my mind EVERY YEAR is ONE "pie-making" event that to a young bride of only eight weeks was devastating...

Our first Thanksgiving together was spent in my Baber's Hometown of Gothenburg, Nebraska. I had made a gorgeous looking strawberry pie from scratch and I was quite proud of it and couldn't wait to show it off to my new in-laws. A couple of hours before we left for their home I decided to "check" to see if the pie had "set-up" right...plus I wanted to add the whip cream on the top, too! I carefully pulled it out from the fridge and to my dismay it was still very runny. I began tilting the pie from side to side while LAMENTING to my hubby that SOMETHING wasn't right. I was so upset! New Bride. First Thanksgiving. You get it.

~Wishing You the Cream of Happiness
This Thanksgiving~

I continued to tilt the pie back and forth, back and forth. But, just before returning it to the refrigerator it slipped out of my hands. Being the kitchen-helper that he is, My Mr. AGPMan tried to help me catch it before it hit the floor. The pie ended up SPINNING out of control and slammed right into the wall of our very tiny apartment. Strawberry pie filling and soggy crust was slung EVERYWHERE. It was in the crevices of the vinyl chairs, all over the tile, the ceiling, the cabinets, etc. That partially jelled RED STUFF was all over everything. I was heartbroken. I promised to bring the dessert and now there wouldn't be one! Living in a SMALL TOWN in 1978 I can promise you EVERYTHING was closed!

~My FAVORITE Berry~

Anyway, we were both too shocked to say word. We just stood there staring at our scrumptious dessert in silence.

:....(

Since that day I've learned a few things about making homemade strawberry pie when TRYING to impress your hard to please MOTHER IN LAW...

1. Skip the pie!

2. Bring a tossed salad!

Blessings to you as you share a carefree, spin-less Thanksgiving Day with those you love...Rebecca

19 comments:

blushing rose said...

Chuckle! We've all walked down these paths in life when first married ... I, too, did the turkey baking w/all those horrible things inside.

Ahhhh, yes, for sweet memories to reminisce of now.

I remember how I didn't know how to cook for 2 I was so used to cooking for 4 siblings & Mother ... & wound up with massive amounts of food that 2 could never consume.

Have a beautiful day, Rebecca.
Hugs, TTFN ~ Marydon

Sandy said...

That gave me quite a chuckle. I've sure had my kitchen disasters. For example when I had the in-laws and sister-in-law and hubby(we had little ones0 over for Mother's day
and as I served the dessert I went to put the serving onto the table and missed the table completely. Everyone just stared. Too funny!!
Have a great Thanksgiving

karen said...

Great story. Even it not being set I bet it would of tasted great. A salad is a good idea. I do pasta salad or fruit salad. They are usually a safe bet.
My ex sister-in-law left the neck and everything esle in her turkey once .And she had been married for years and had cooked more than one turkey. But was having a bad day.
I grad. high school in 1978. It was a very good year.

Victorian1885 said...

Have a Happy Thanksgiving to you and your Family! Blessings from Canada.

Wanda

Rita said...

Oh, I love it! I'm one of those that made the bigggggg booboo with the turkey. We've come a long way since that time, haven't we?

Cottage Rose said...

OH lol giggle; I can just picture it in my mind.. I have been there too, I remember my First Thanksgiving I did not know you were supposed to clean the inside of the Turkey.. and cooked it that way.... My Mom just stood there,, lol oh well,,, I know better now... Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family...
Hugs;
Alaura

Dolores said...

Oh Rebecca, I'm trying not to chuckle, but I am. I can just imagine the mess, and how upset you were over the pie. Funny ...but these are the things that make for wonderful and funny memories.

Thanks for sharing.... I needed a good chuckle for today.

Hugs,
Dolores

Tara said...

Oh no. I can just see that poor strawberry pie splattered all over the wall! I'm guessing you have since turned out to be a fabulous cook. I hope your mother-in-law came to appreciate what a wonderful woman her son married!

ginger said...

I think we have all had those times early in our marriages. Loved your story, so sorry about your pie.

Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving this year.

Ginger

June said...

Yes sweet Rebecca I have a few stories like this one myself...and I can still feel the humiliation! At least now I can also see the humor in it!
I can't wait for Thanksgiving...how 'bout you?
Hugs,
June

Anonymous said...

OOH NO!!! I COULD ALMOST FEEL YOUR PAIN ON THAT ONE... ALMOST LIKE ME TRYING TO MAKE CHICKEN DINNER... IN THE MICROWAVE? AHK, YES IT WAS MORE LIKE CHICKEN JERKY, I WAS ONLY 18 YEARS OLD AND THOUGHT I WAS DOING EVERYONE A FAVOR BY MAKING DINNER... NEVER AGAIN HAVE I USED MY MICROWAVE OTHER THAN TO REHEAT MY TEA OR DEFROST SOMETHING. LESSON LEARNED!

Miss Gracie's House said...

What a great story...those early days of learning:) I do love all of the graphics, too...so beautiful and rich. Great job on WW...I'm on my own personal journey, too...
Rene'

Anonymous said...

Ha-ha! Poor Rebecca! (And poor pie!) ☺

I've missed reading all your sweet posts and I have so much catching up to do! ♥

GwendolynKay said...

That sounds like a funny scene from a movie. You probably weren't laughing at the time though. Have a blessed day!
Gwen

Mollye said...

Hi Rebecca, I just stumbled upon your blog through Sares and am so glad i did, as you have a beautiful place to visit with charming treasures and sweet words of wisdom and whimsy. What a gorgeous little granddaughter and isn't it the truth how those grands change your life. Just you wait until you have great-grands and then whoa nellie, the fun really begins. What I really wanted to comment on is your old Singer. I was thinking of mine yesterday when my thread kept breaking and wow.that never happened when you just stuck it in the needle and let her rip! We're so silly when we're young wishing for the finer things only to get to the age where we miss what the finer things really were! Hugs, Mollye

Ldy ~~ Dy said...

Oh No! I guess you can laugh now...but I know how you felt long ago back in 1978! Thank goodness we get better at it all! Thanks for sharing your memories! Hugs!

Stacey said...

Rebecca, I bet most young brides have a cooking horror story to tell. We want to do everything so perfectly but we lack the experience. I can just picture the strawberry mess!

One of our first years, I made a pecan pie and left out the eggs. It was like pecan concrete in the pan but we dug it out with spoons and ate it. :) It was yummy. Everytime I make one now my husband quizzes me about the eggs.

Rita said...

Thanks for stopping by today! You can read about my booboo of many years ago on today's post! Glad I am past that now! It wouldn't bother me today!

{Bellamere Cottage} said...

Oh my.....I'm sorry to say your story made me laugh out loud! What a crisis....but, I'm sure your mother-in-law was understanding....those kinds of things just happen sometimes. If anyone claims to never had a kitchen disaster they don't COOK! :-)

I'll hurry right on over tomorrow to check on your December giveaway. How could I have missed the last one? Whew, staying on top of this blogging business is a tough job.

Big hugs,
Spencer

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