Thanksgiving Tidbits

 

My Grandma Neelly was notorious for cutting people's heads off. 

Don't get me wrong: She was the most mild-mannered, even-tempered lady. But give her a camera, and she'd chop off your head in a heartbeat.  Lisa said she must have been channeling Grandma Neelly when she took the photo of her Thanksgiving crowd. Randy was the victim in this case. (He should have moved into Lisa's chair. Oh well!)

All is forgiven. We were just thankful to be included in the Thanksgiving feast hosted in Clay Center. And it was a good laugh while we remembered. My brother was the chauffeur for my parents, and we joined the Bauer crew for a delicious traditional meal.

The next day, Randy and I had a different kind of Thanksgiving at Jill's. Daughter-in-law Susan and daughter Jill came up with the idea to do an appetizer competition for our little family's Thanksgiving. It was just as tasty. We were all supposed to add our offering to a Google Doc so we didn't end up with eight versions of the Cranberry Relish Dip over cream cheese. As it turned out, no one brought that. (I'm sure it will be on my Christmas menu.)

Most people complied with revealing their contributions, though Brent was adamant that his would remain a secret until the event. Jill developed a ballot, and everyone scored each appetizer with a 1 to 5, with 5 being the best. If someone refused to even take a taste of the appetizer, you had to give that dish a 3. (There was some controversy concerning that scoring decision among our participants).

And, drum roll please: My appetizer won. (A caveat ... None of these food photos is great. Most were taken after we'd already eaten and not taken very creatively. But maybe they are better than nothing.)

I brought homemade soft pretzel bites with a warm beer cheese dip.  (I also had a platter of fresh veggies you could dip, too.) 

My offering was one of several that came off our family's go-to recipe website, Sally's Baking Addiction. As Jill says, "Sally never lets you down." 

I've made a lot of yeast bread. In fact, I also took the yeast crescent rolls for our Thanksgiving celebration at Lisa's. But this was the first time I'd used a soda water bath. I'd always been kind of intimidated by the thought, but it turned out to be easy - though a little messy. 

Still, I'm already thinking about making them again for our family's Christmas "charcuterie" evening meal. (We'll have the traditional ham with trimmings for our noon meal and go the appetizer route for supper.)

Brooke's focaccia turkey sliders and Kinley's fruit kabobs.

Brooke also used Sally's arsenal of recipes, making homemade focaccia to make turkey sliders. We were all highly complimentary of her efforts. 

Remember Brent's huge mystery contribution? It was Candied Prosciutto Crackers. Yummy! 

Susan brought Sausage Stuffing Balls, also a contender. 

Eric used his love of Little Smokies and turned them into an appetizer version of pigs-in-a-blanket with a cranberry/mustard dipping sauce. There were only two left when I got around to taking a photo at the end, so they were popular, too.

Jill said she knew that her Harvest Salad probably wouldn't be the most popular. But it was a nice, fresh addition to our menu. And it was a winner among those of us who like a little green with our meals.  

It seemed that effort was rewarded among our voters. Kinley's fruit kabobs and Randy's shrimp cocktail platters received the lowest scores, though we enjoyed them, too. (Randy knew what he was bringing as soon as the appetizer theme was announced. And, bonus points: He shopped for his own contribution rather than just adding it to my grocery list for me to pick up.) 

We are thankful that son-in-law Eric has long arms so that we could all end up in a selfie. 

There was a bonus optional competition for desserts. (I didn't get photos of those, but they were just as delicious.) Brooke made a banana cream pie, and Eric made a coconut cream pie. Susan contributed a blueberry-pear galette, and Jill made an apple-cranberry bar, also from Sally's website. (She used the filling recipe from the Apple Cranberry Crumble Pie and the crust recipe from Salted Caramel Apple Bars. The caramel apple bars are a family favorite already.)

I brought the leftover pecan, coconut and pumpkin pies that I'd made for the Bauer Thanksgiving. We had plenty of sweet treats! (I use the same syrup for both the coconut and pecan pies.)  

I am not including the recipe for the Pretzel Bites - just giving you the link. Sally's Baking Addiction has great, detailed instructions, and you might as well get it straight from the source. She even has a video, if you're a visual learner. She had a cheese sauce linked, but I used a different one. 

I saw this recipe from a Hutchinson kitchen store, Apron Strings, and wanted to try it. It was a hit, too, and I'm sure I'll make it again.

Beer Cheese Dip

From an Apron Strings email  

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 clove garlic, minced
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup lager beer
1-1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 oz sharp cheddar cheese, grated (1-1/2 cups)
1/2 cup Gruyère cheese, grated
2 tablespoons chives, finely minced (opt)

In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Once melted, add the minced garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes. Create a roux by gradually whisking in the flour until all is incorporated.

Reduce the heat to low and add the cream, beer, and Worcestershire sauce. Continue to stir. Whisk in the spices. Slowly add the cheeses and stir until melted and the sauce becomes smooth. Taste and add additional salt or spices, if desired. Garnish with chives, if desired. Enjoy immediately.

I doubled the recipe to take to Jill's.  

***

All the girls went on a Black Friday shopping expedition to help me fulfill the wishes for two sisters from our Stafford community's Angel Tree. As we were coming back, Kinley wanted to know if they could wrap them, too. What a huge help!  

 

Then, on Saturday, Randy and I froze along with other Wildcat fans at the K-State vs. Colorado football game. The stands were definitely not packed. 

It was brisk! We had all the weather covered - rain, sleet, snow and even a little sunshine - very little sunshine. 

We sat in my folks' seats. If we'd have been in our regular seats, we would have faced that north wind the entire time, so we lucked out ... sort of. It was still cold!

But we got a victory to end the regular season and qualify for a post-season bowl game.

Through the purple smoke! 

And I left my car seat warmer on the entire way home.   

 

Memories Light the Corners of My Mind

 

Randy, Aunt Lorene and Kathy - August 2, 2025

A wedding reveals promises made while a funeral recounts promises kept. Yet, even though they're different on the surface, they both underscore the significance of commitment.

-- Anonymous 

 

A common saying is that weddings and funerals are the two occasions that bring families together, especially extended families who may not see each other often. These events, one celebrating new beginnings and the other marking the end of a life, create opportunities for family members to connect, share memories, and offer support.

 

  

Last weekend, we traveled to Houston for the memorial service of Gary Servos. Gary was married to Randy's Aunt Lorene. Lorene is Randy's mom, Marie's, younger sister. Randy's sister, Kathy, and her husband, Dave, and their two daughters - Amanda and Emily - also made the trip to Texas. We were glad to be the Kansas contingent. 

 

Weddings and funerals certainly weren't the only time we've gotten together with Randy's Texas-based family. But, there's usually a reason that familiar sayings work themselves into our collective consciousness. These life-marking events do seem to bring people together.

 

Garrick, Kathy, Gregory, Stacia and Randy

 

It gave Randy and Kathy an opportunity to reconnect with some of their first cousins. A side note: I blame my finger on the photo on my continuing less-than-perfect eyesight following cataract/glaucoma surgery. I never do that (though my Grandma Neelly was known for it, which I suppose, qualifies as another family memory).

 

As the slide show featuring highlights of Gary's life clicked by - frame after frame - I snapped photos of Gary and Lorene's wedding. Sixteen years ago, they arrived in Stafford, Kansas, for Jill's and Eric's wedding. On that hot August day, they remembered their own wedding day 50 years before at the Stafford United Methodist Church. I sent the photos to Jill and Eric, noting that the vintage photos were reminiscent of the ones taken at their own wedding.

 

Gary and Lorene's family all came to that 2009 wedding, and Gary and Lorene once again stood at the front of the church for a photo - 50 years after they'd celebrated their own union.  

So, I guess there is something to that "weddings and funerals" sentiment.

 

Jill and Eric on those same church steps as Gary and Lorene had come down.

 

Lorene remembered that their August wedding was hot - inside and out. Thankfully, the church had since been outfitted with air conditioning, though it struggled to keep the hot August weather at bay. She mentioned it again on Saturday. 

 

We didn't extend our time in Houston this time. (Back to that whole eyesight thing: It isn't conducive to sight-seeing at the moment since "seeing" is part of the root of the word.)

 

But we divided our trip both to and from into two days. On our return trip home, we finally succumbed to the billboards that dot I-135 from Oklahoma City to Dallas/Fort Worth. We've driven by those billboards for the Arbuckle Wilderness several times - whether on our way to K-State ballgames in Texas, trips to see family and vacations in Galveston at the Servos' beach house. 

 

So, yes: This time, we were the suckers who fell for the tourist trap. We pulled off the highway at Turner Falls and toured the Arbuckle Wilderness. 

 

We had a lady attempt to take our photo at the gate. But when I checked them as we left, I found that there were no photos of us at all. I hope my attempts for her family were better, but I guess we'll never know. I made Randy go back, and I snapped a few of just him. 

We did have several creatures who were glad to see us.

It took some of them awhile to realize that the open window was on Randy's side - not mine. 

We hope they'll use part of the admission price to improve the roads through the "wilderness." 

 

But I guess these are the moments in which memories are made, right?

 

 

Anniversary Accolades

 

If you research what happened in 1953, you might come up with some of these:

• The Korean War ends after three years and one month;
• The first polio vaccine was developed;
• Dwight D. Eisenhower became president;
• Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay make the first successful ascent to the summit of Mount Everest;
• Ian Fleming publishes his first James Bond novel, Casino Royale;
• The first color television sets go on sale for about $1,175 in the US;
• The average cost of a new house was  $9,550, while workers took home an average annual paycheck of $4,000. A new car would cost you in the neighborhood of $1,650, while the gasoline to make it go was 20 cents a gallon. A Kodak Brownie Flash Six-20 would set you back $13 bucks.
  

An event that happened August 12, 1953, in tiny Byers United Methodist Church didn't make the internet list. Janis Neelly and Bob Moore were married. 

We honored their 70th anniversary with a family celebration this weekend. 

It's kind of amazing to see this big group of people that are in this world because two people got married 70 years ago!

They were high school sweethearts. My Mom was 17 years old and had just earned her high school diploma from Byers High School. My Dad, at age 19, had finished his first year at Kansas State. 

I hadn't seen some of these photos before. My niece, Madison, prepared a slide show featuring the anniversary couple. We all contributed photos, but I sure appreciate all of Madi's work to put it together! I think my brother, Kent, was sneaky and raided my mom's scrapbooks when they were gone to get some of these gems. 

 

For some reason, I didn't realize until this year that they'd gotten married on a Wednesday. These days, most couples opt for the weekend and only marry after a year of planning. That wasn't the case back in 1953. Back then, school - including K-State - didn't usually start until after Labor Day.  But their August 12 date got them married before they departed for Manhattan, where my dad was to report early for the K-State football team practices. 

It also gave them time for a honeymoon in Colorado.

They also needed time to pack up the trailer where they'd live during their college years. 

As my niece, Paige, said when she saw the size of the trailer: "That's love, Grandma!"

My Dad made a few remarks on Saturday night:

"We are thankful that we have been compatible, considering we are both firstborns, which is supposed to make it more difficult. We were also very young, which is another reason it is supposed to be more difficult. ... It has been a great and wonderful 70 years. We are very thankful for the many blessings bestowed upon us. ... Of course, things are not always 100 percent rosy, but we are truly privileged to have been granted these 70 years of a remarkably successful and happy marriage." - Bob Moore

Our entire family was able to be at the celebration.

Our family - Brent, Susan, Kim, Randy, Eric, Kinley, Brooke and Jill

Lisa's and Kyle's family

Darci & Andrew

Kent's and Suzanne's family

Cousins - Bill, Landa and Marlene

Time keeps rolling along and the family keeps growing. Ten years ago, we celebrated their 60th with a similar gathering. At the time, there were five great grands. These three oldest kids had a grand time. Two of them will enter middle school this year. Time flies.

2013

Now there are 10 great-grands, plus another granddaughter-in-law and another "in training."

Jill and Eric had just celebrated their 14th wedding anniversary on August 8, so they wanted a photo with the anniversary honorees.

The 70th anniversary celebration came on the heels of a family wedding for Darci and Andrew on August 5. Andrew's oldest daughter, Julia, and her guy, Dan, were married in Chicago. The other Moore "kids" went on a trip to the "big city" for the nuptials to lend family support for Darci and Andrew.

Julia and Dan even got a rainbow over the Chicago skyline during their August 5 wedding reception! Photo by The Kovalchuks - candid wedding photography based in Chicago.

 

 

 

Darci & Andrew before the ceremony

 We Kansas people cleaned up pretty well, too.

 

The next morning on the way to breakfast

In a week's time, there was the beginning of a marriage, followed by a 70th wedding anniversary celebration. On Facebook, I saw a post from a Facebook friend who was attending her nephew's wedding on August 12, 2023. At the rehearsal dinner, the groom's parents had posted some advice that they'd framed for the young couple. It said:

 Becoming Family

Family is commitment and love. Family is showing up and supporting each other. Family is deciding to love, even on the day when you struggle to like one another. Family is making the conscious decision to serve and sacrifice. Family is making the choice to never give up on each other, no matter what. 

Those are powerful words of advice. I hope the young couples getting married in 2023 will be celebrating anniversaries many years from now and finding how true those words are. I know my parents have been a wonderful example of those words for all of us. We are blessed. 

Eventually, I'll have more on the trip to and from Chicago in upcoming blog posts.