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A Mom's Year

Creating a comfortable life one moment at a time

September 17, 2012

Grandma Charlotte’s Pork Chops with Dressing

When the temperature starts to drop and the leaves begin to change, I start craving Grandma Charlotte’s pork chops with dressing.

I grew up eating those pork chops, but the time I remember most is the night soon after our wedding when Grandpa Ed and Grandma Charlotte invited Tim and me for dinner. It was mid-October and we had just returned from our honeymoon. This was our first dinner at someone else’s home as a married couple and we felt strangely grown-up. Grandma made pork chops with dressing, roasted butternut squash, and popovers with cinnamon and honey butter.

We reminisced about the wedding and told them about our adventures in Vancouver and Victoria. Without even being aware we were doing so, Tim and I watched how they interacted, how Grandma made sure Grandpa had enough to eat, how Grandpa thanked her afterward. How Grandma looked on, smiling, while Grandpa told his stories and jokes.

I think about that night as I bundle up in a sweater and take “Mom’s Blue Book” off the shelf. Aunt Cheryl helped Grandma put together this collection of her favorite recipes, and the cover features a photo of Grandma happily baking away.

It’s bittersweet, this photo. In it, Grandma has taken a break from putting cinnamon candy noses on the reindeer cookies to pose, smiling, for the camera. But when you look closer, you see that some of the noses have ended up on the antlers. Which was something my precise, organized, mother-of-eight grandmother would never normally do.

The dementia crept in like that. Little things like getting birthdays wrong that led to big things like showing up for Easter dinner at four in the morning. And all the while all of us dreading the day we knew was coming, the day when she’d look at us and have no idea who we were.

You can’t imagine how you’ll cope with that. But somehow you do. And you start taking your moments where you can find them. Like the time we visited Grandma and got out a box full of doll clothes she had made. She didn’t remember making the dresses, but she knew they were exquisite. “I made this?” she said, fingering the cloth gently. “Yes, Grandma. Isn’t it beautiful?” She nodded, trying to conjure up a memory.

Seventeen years have passed since that autumn evening with my new husband and my grandparents. Last week, our extended family gathered for the wedding of one of the cousins. We sat under the outstretched branches of a beautiful white oak in the fading light of a blessedly warm evening.

When the minister asked us to remember the ones we love who are no longer with us, I pictured our thoughts dancing gently heavenward, full of thankfulness for all they taught us about life and love and commitment and faith.

Here we are, getting married, raising our children, never forgetting.

Grandma Charlotte’s Pork Chops with Dressing

Brown 8 pork chops and place in baking pan.

Mix together:
6 cups bread cubes
4 TBSP. chopped onion
1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning or sage
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup water

Mound the dressing onto the chops.

Mix together:
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/3 cup water

Pour soup mixture over dressing and bake at 350 degrees for one hour.

Filed Under: Cooking, Inspiration, Traditions Shannon 4 Comments

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Comments

  1. Cheryl O'Donnell says

    September 17, 2012 at 1:43 pm

    Oh dear Shannon. You have a wonderful way to make great memories return with a tear to the eye. Gramma O is missed every day.

    Reply
  2. Joan says

    September 17, 2012 at 7:10 pm

    Lovely posting, Shannon. We love Grandma O’s pork chops so much we don’t even wait for fall or winter any more – I made them a couple of times this summer. Mmm, mmm.

    Reply
  3. Jane O says

    September 18, 2012 at 5:53 am

    How wonderful of you to remember and share those memories! Thank you!

    Reply
  4. Diane says

    September 18, 2012 at 10:23 am

    How wonderful to have a daughter who is not only a wonderful writer but a memory keeper. And that we were sharing the same thoughts as the minister paused.

    Thank you yet again.

    Reply

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Welcome

Hello! My name is Shannon Taylor and I’m a mom of four, originally from Minnesota and now living in Maryland. I "published" my first newsletter when I was nine, and since then, I’ve written and edited for magazines, websites, and textbooks. I started this blog when my kids were small to reflect on life, share ideas, and preserve memories. Now that my children are grown, I continue to use this space to document meaningful moments and practical ideas.

If you're in the mood for a bit of Christmas cheer, you might enjoy THE ADVENT BOX, available wherever books are sold. You can click on the cover below to learn more.

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Pandas are back at the National Zoo! We were there within days of hearing the news. 😂 Bao Li and Qing Bao are enjoying the spruced-up panda home on the zoo`s Asian Trail.

We last saw the pandas during a trip to D.C. in May 2011. I`m not sure if it was Mei Xiang or Tian Tian who firmly kept their back to us, but it was pretty hilarious. (photo #7) Not only did we get to see those wonderful pandas, but we got to spend time with Alexandra`s godmother, Amy, who was on home leave from her job with the State Department. Amy`s a fellow Midwesterner I met when we were interns waaay back in the day. (We connected watching "Northern Exposure" at Thompson-Markward Hall, affectionately known as the Home for Wayward Women.)

Be sure to put "Visit the Pandas" on your itinerary when you come stay with us in Baltimore. ❤️

10 0
Open post by shannontaylorwrites with ID 18295977556171943
Pandas are back at the National Zoo! We were there within days of hearing the news. 😂 Bao Li and Qing Bao are enjoying the spruced-up panda home on the zoo's Asian Trail. 

We last saw the pandas during a trip to D.C. in May 2011. I'm not sure if it was Mei Xiang or Tian Tian who firmly kept their back to us, but it was pretty hilarious. (photo #7) Not only did we get to see those wonderful pandas, but we got to spend time with Alexandra's godmother, Amy, who was on home leave from her job with the State Department. Amy's a fellow Midwesterner I met when we were interns waaay back in the day. (We connected watching "Northern Exposure" at Thompson-Markward Hall, affectionately known as the Home for Wayward Women.)

Be sure to put "Visit the Pandas" on your itinerary when you come stay with us in Baltimore. ❤️

My mom practiced, practiced, practiced and got to sing at Carnegie Hall for the premiere of "A Vision Unfolding" by Minnesota composer Kyle Pederson. A truly beautiful, uplifting work. I hadn`t been to Carnegie Hall before, so to visit for the first time to watch my mom perform was really wonderful.

Before the concert, we met Mom and her fellow choir member, Kathy, at Patsy`s, just down the block. The traditional Italian food was perfect on a chilly, rainy day—and it was fun to see photos of the celebrities who`ve dined there over the years, from Rihanna to Frank Sinatra (the restaurant`s claim to fame is that it was his favorite).

Mom, Tim, and Will hadn`t been to the 9/11 Memorial and Museum yet, so we headed to lower Manhattan after the concert. As we walked silently through the exhibits, trying to take it all in, I was struck by the distance between the concert, "A Vision of Light," and the grief and darkness around us. I thought of the words Mr. Pederson shared in the playbill, "It is my hope that we lean into the invitation that the choir offers—that each of us might reach out beyond our comfort zone and seek to build bridges of care and connection, finding a better way of being in community." And that’s what art does—it offers light when and where we need it most.

📷: Distinguished Concerts International New York

34 9
Open post by shannontaylorwrites with ID 18047049827096632
My mom practiced, practiced, practiced and got to sing at Carnegie Hall for the premiere of "A Vision Unfolding" by Minnesota composer Kyle Pederson. A truly beautiful, uplifting work. I hadn't been to Carnegie Hall before, so to visit for the first time to watch my mom perform was really wonderful.

Before the concert, we met Mom and her fellow choir member, Kathy, at Patsy's, just down the block. The traditional Italian food was perfect on a chilly, rainy day—and it was fun to see photos of the celebrities who've dined there over the years, from Rihanna to Frank Sinatra (the restaurant's claim to fame is that it was his favorite). 

Mom, Tim, and Will hadn't been to the 9/11 Memorial and Museum yet, so we headed to lower Manhattan after the concert. As we walked silently through the exhibits, trying to take it all in, I was struck by the distance between the concert, "A Vision of Light," and the grief and darkness around us. I thought of the words Mr. Pederson shared in the playbill, "It is my hope that we lean into the invitation that the choir offers—that each of us might reach out beyond our comfort zone and seek to build bridges of care and connection, finding a better way of being in community." And that’s what art does—it offers light when and where we need it most.

📷: Distinguished Concerts International New York

Is there a more endorphin-pumping experience than working out to `80s music? I don`t think so! Thank you to @natalie_dancebody and @mindi_dancebody for a truly joyful workout this morning. So much fun to dance along with two songs the Dancing Mamas tapped to back in the day at our kids` recitals: "Footloose" and "Beat It"! I hope you do this again, @dancebody ❤️🔥🎉

30 2
Open post by shannontaylorwrites with ID 18107239066486783
Is there a more endorphin-pumping experience than working out to '80s music? I don't think so! Thank you to @natalie_dancebody and @mindi_dancebody for a truly joyful workout this morning. So much fun to dance along with two songs the Dancing Mamas tapped to back in the day at our kids' recitals: "Footloose" and "Beat It"! I hope you do this again, @dancebody ❤️🔥🎉

Happy Valentine’s Day! I approach holiday greetings with more caution than I used to because I know these occasions can be painful for people who’ve lost someone. Which is pretty much everyone, especially when you get to be my age.

This day might not be the same as it was, but I hope you still have a valentine, whether it’s a romantic partner or a friend or a much-loved pet. Or yourself. We make good valentines because we know our favorite chocolate and what books we want.

I’ll always hang the Hearts on a String for any kid who’s home on Valentine’s Day, except not this year because the puppy would tear them to bits.

What a great Valentine’s message. 😅 Well. I do hope you have some treats today and you know I’m thinking of you fondly. ❤️

14 1
Open post by shannontaylorwrites with ID 18049981502173328
Happy Valentine’s Day! I approach holiday greetings with more caution than I used to because I know these occasions can be painful for people who’ve lost someone. Which is pretty much everyone, especially when you get to be my age. 

This day might not be the same as it was, but I hope you still have a valentine, whether it’s a romantic partner or a friend or a much-loved pet. Or yourself. We make good valentines because we know our favorite chocolate and what books we want.

I’ll always hang the Hearts on a String for any kid who’s home on Valentine’s Day, except not this year because the puppy would tear them to bits. 

What a great Valentine’s message. 😅 Well. I do hope you have some treats today and you know I’m thinking of you fondly. ❤️
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