Eggnog, Little Debbie cakes, and missing my boy!

How can an image of this eggnog stir up so much emotion?  Saw this today and it instantly brought me back to my son’s childhood and the memories of how much he loved his eggnog!  I remembered the first holiday season we spent apart and how I cried at the supermarket the first time I saw the eggnog on the shelf knowing that I wouldn’t be buying any of it that year.  It’s the little things that still bring on the tears even almost 6 years after my boy moved out on his own, and 3000 miles away!   I still get nostalgic when I see Annie’s Mac ‘n Cheese at the market or when I see those Little Debbie cakes, especially the ones that make around the holiday season.  I used to buy them all the time for him. 

I still get nostalgic when I’m folding my freshly laundered towels and think about all the times I used to nag him to clean his room and get some towels laundered so I could have a clean one for my shower.  Now I still have too many to fit in my closet when they are all clean and I think about him all the time when I'm folding my towels.   I still think about him all the time when I have Shepard’s Pie or American Chop Suey.  His favorites!  Why do we wish so much sometimes for them to grow up and then when they do and move out, why do we then miss them so much?   I thought after a year or two my empty nest syndrome would go away, but it really doesn’t and I’ve come to realize that it probably never will!  I guess I just have to grin and bear it, and of course, spoil him when he comes home for Christmas this year and get him all the eggnog and Little Debbie cakes he wants!  You up for that Keith?  Love you and miss you so much every day!

 

Loving fall!

Well welcome fall!  One of my favorite times of year!  Even though we are going to have unseasonably warm weather this weekend in New Hampshire, I can't help but start looking ahead and thinking about fall and the wonderful yummy crock-pot meals and pumpkin delights that I so enjoy in the fall.  Pulled down my fall pumpkin serving dish this morning.  I was hoping to make something pumpkin-y this weekend to share with my coworkers on Monday.  But I just realized that my boss will be out on Monday and Tuesday so maybe I will wait until Tuesday night to make some goodies to share and bring to work on Wednesday when the boss returns.  He loves the goodies we bring to share with him.  I just love this serving platter below and can't wait every year to pull it out and use it during the fall season. 

I think I bought it at a CVS store at some mall years ago.  I just happened to be walking by and noticed it on a clearance display at the front of the store.  I fell in love instantly!  But when I flipped it over and noticed it was only $5 - well - just had to buy it!  Pumpkin bread, rum cake, pumpkin whoopie pies, pumpkin chocolate chip cookies all have graced this serving dish.  OH I might just try to whip up a pumpkin rum cake this year and see how well that goes over with friends and family.  I just love when I pull this dish out each year and think about the goodies I will make to display on it and the people I will share those goodies with.  Will you be one of them this year?