Techno Tradition

Along with many other adventures, marriage offers a new perspective on traditions from your family of origin. As a child, I was under the impression that every American family began Thanksgiving Day by gathering around the television, watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in its entirety, and eating sausage balls and orange rolls.  Only after I got married did my husband disabuse me of this notion, and in fact gently inform me that it was a little wierd.  Fortunately my kids, who adore both television and simple starches covered in sugar, sided with me, so the tradition has continued in our household.

The orange roll portion of the tradition began with my grandmother Betty, who made them from scratch.  After she passed away a few years back, both my mother and I sheepishly admitted that while OUR orange rolls didn't taste like Grandma's, Sister Schubert orange rolls in the tinfoil pans tasted almost as good as the original article.  I suppose this makes sense since Sister Schubert looks more like my grandma than either my mother or I do.  For the past several years, however, the rest of America appears to be losing interest in the orange roll industry.  I know this because each year it takes me more stops at more grocery stores to bag my Thanksgiving supply. 

This year I decided to involve Google in the search process, with disastrous results.  In the interest of admitting when we have gone a little crazy, I share the following email that my mother and sisters received today:

"Hello all. Thought you would like to know that I have reached a new Thanksgiving low...I just got off the phone with the Sister Schubert corporate office, where I paid overnight shipping to have orange rolls delivered to my house in time for the Macy's parade. Thanks to their handy online search function I know that no grocery store in Durham or Chapel Hill is carrying them, and my life is too crazy to drive to Raleigh just for orange rolls. I am too ashamed to tell you what it cost me.


Mom, I ordered extra to bring for Christmas just in case you have the same problem, as the Sister Schubert Searcher tells me there are no stores in Huntsville stocking them either. Yes, I am hoarding orange rolls."

Love, Katie"

Hoping all your Thanksgiving dreams come true!

Nine Months

Nine months old.  Rolling, sitting, EIGHT teeth but still laughing, saying "dada" and "ah-dan" (we aren't sure what that last one means). Champion raspberry blower. Sweet sweet boy. 

As usual, my attempts to talk all the children into coordinating Halloween costumes failed,

so we had a joyously mismatched Halloween. We trick-or-treat in our "adopted" neighborhood of Trinity Park, where the kids' school is located, and it's a treat just to stroll the streets and take in the decorations on Halloween night. Enjoy.