Flashback Friday

An anniversary is a time to celebrate the joys of today, the memories of yesterday, and the hopes of tomorrow. ~Author Unknown

Sister Two and Brother-in-Law One are celebrating

their fifteenth wedding anniversary today.

It doesn't hardly seem possible that they've been married for that long,

and yet I can't remember a time when they weren't side by side.

They fit together very well and make a good-looking couple.

Neither one has aged

..... much and they still look fantastic together.

I'm available for niece duty if you guys want to celebrate.

(Hint, hint, hint.) Oh, and happy anniversary.

Flashback Friday Is Back .... Sorta

It's nice to know that people actually take the time to read what we write.

I heard loud and clear last night that there is really no excuse for missing a week, so I will endeavor to do better with the Flashbacks.  

This week's Flashback takes us all the way to 7:30 p.m. last night.

Actually, it does go back a bit further.  Do you remember about a month ago when I said I was making another quilt and soon I'd have pictures of it?

Well, I was making it for my favorite godmother.  I have been so excited to do this.  Growing up, she always gave us the coolest gifts .... ice skates, fun games, roller skates.

She always knew just what a kid would want.  It was finally my chance to reciprocate.

The best part is that she had no clue.

To say she was surprised was an understatement.

It is a chenille quilt.  This is the chenille side.
  Obviously.

Here is the other side.

 

Mr. Peabody acted indifferent, but I know he will enjoy it every bit as much as Aunt Sue.

 

Thanks for all that you've done throughout the years!

Channeling Grandma Hall

 

I've been thinking about Grandma Hall and Grandad Pipe a lot lately.  I guess I always do around the holidays.  Sister's Two comment about not remembering them coming to the house really struck me.  I am so lucky --- I got the version that wasn't in a wheel chair sitting around waiting to die.  I got the vibrant one that baked three times a week and played games with you no matter what.  She even let you cheat.  Not that I ever did of course.  She made blarney stones for St. Patrick's Day, and divinity and fudge for Christmas.  She grew amazing flowers and always had a fresh boquet.  She died carnations two colors.  She made everything look effortless and she loved all of us unconditionally.

She was the epitome of domestication.  She had a regular routine.  Shopping was done on Friday, baking was done three times a week, spaghetti was made for her favorite grandkid on Wednesdays.  You get the idea.  Now me, I've already established that the only thing domestic about me is that I live in a house.  That's even debateable --- judging by the cobwebs in the guest bedroom where the mouse picture in the last post was taken!

Thinking about Grandma made me think about my childhood favorite cookie that she baked:  applesauce cookies.  I've only had them once since I graduated from high school.  When I worked at Cedar Canyon, we had a cookie exchange and Mary came home from Peru to make them for me.  Missy was six weeks old and she put her in a front-loading pouch and proceeded to make umpteen dozen cookies for me.

Mary is having her annual cookie exchange the first Saturday in December.  This is the fourth or fifth year that she has done this and we are really looking forward to it.  We missed it last year because of the weather.  Mardell always does the baking, because as I've established, I am not the least bit domestic. I decided to channel Grandmother Hall and give it a try tonight.  I stopped by Mom's this morning (I'm up six points on you Sister Two)  and picked up Grandma's original recipe.  I braved the grocery store and picked up all of the necessary ingredients.  Who knew that cloves were so danged expensive?  

I made lasagna this evening and decided to bake afterwards.  That I've done several times with huge success, so I figured adding on some cookies would be no big deal ... and to the average person it wouldn't be.  I didn't bake growing up.  Oh sure, I made a cake and brownies here and there, but I didn't bake.  That would have cut into my time spent outdoors running around like a banshee, playing kickball and generally terrorizing my sisters and the smaller neighborhood children who were their friends.  

Besides, who needed to bake when you could bike over to Grandma's and raid the cookie jar?  She was always good for an ice cold Coke as well.  Taking her recipe in hand, I cautiously began.  I am a literal cook .... I follow the recipe to a T.  Everything is measured ... I don't guess at anything.  Let's just say that Grandma's recipe leaves a lot to be desired.  It's more like an ingredient list.  I was sure that twisting her wedding ring around on my finger would channel her and I would miraculously instinctively know what to do.  

I know I've seen somebody on the Food Network cream butter and sugar before.  Um, Grandma, just when do you add the spices?  How hot should the oven be and how long should I bake them?  Frost with powder sugar frosting ... okay.  Is that the stuff I used to mix up at the donut shop?

Thank gosh Mardell was a home ec. teacher in a previous life!  I'm sure she is still snickering.  But she's doing it with a mouth full of cookie while she does it!

I don't recall Grandma's kitchen looking like a tornado had ripped through it when she baked!  I have to admit that they were easy to make and every bit as good as I remember.  I'm sure they aren't nearly as good as Grandma's and I wish I knew where my animal coffe can was to store them in!

Oh, and Mom .... Mardell is going to drop a couple off for you sometime today.  (That's worth another four or five points, Sister Two!)

Flashback Friday

 

Can you believe it is November and still this nice? 

I'm really looking forward to Thanksgiving. 

We are having our Thanksgiving dinner at school today, so that's our focus for this week's flashback.

I can remember Thanksgivings as a kid.  Mom always hosted the entire family and the grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins would all come spend the day.  For the week before, lots of scrubbing and cleaning took place.  Lots of bitching and moaning took place, too.    But we all forgave Mom for that.

The crystal would be washed and dried so that it was sparkling.  

 

The china gleamed.

You could see yourself in the polished silver. 

 

The tablecloths would be starched and pressed. 

 

Butter would be placed on the table.

  

You'll never live that one down, Mom!

 

Pies would be baked.

 

320 pounds of potatoes would be peeled.  Usually by yours truly and Sister Two.  Sister Three never had to do anything because she was the baby of the family. But at least there are pictures of me.

I hate peeling potatoes.  I could never do it right, but boy, I sure had plenty of practice!  I never even ate any mashed potatoes.  I could never figure out why everyone got so excited about mashed potatoes.  We had them all the time, but we only had sweet potatoes at Thanksgiving.  Now there's something to get excited about!  That's my favorite part of Thanksgiving.

 

Wouldn't it be great to be able to spend one more holiday with Grandma Hall and Grandad Pipe?  Grandma looks like she'd been hitting the wine bottle, but I don't recall Mom serving wine at Thanksgiving.  It was always coffee, ice tea and ice water.

As soon as the meal was over, the cousins would all pour out of the house and either go play kickball at the local elementary school playground or else ride our bikes to the cemetary.  That only happened if the older cousins could ditch the younger kids.  We usually got in trouble for it, but it was always worth it!

So what are your favorite Thanksgiving memories?

Flashback Friday

This week's Flashback Friday topic was a no-brainer.  Which is good, because my brain is fried this week.  You have no idea how happy I am that it is Friday!

November 11 holds significance for our family.  Besides being Armistice Day, a new generation decided that would be a good day for a wedding.

Grandma Hall and Grandad Pipe started the string.

I think that this is their 50th anniversary, so the date must have worked for them.

Grandma Lou and Grandad Jiggs followed suit.

And once again, the date worked for them.  Here is their 50th wedding anniversary.
I even honored the occasion with a dress.  Black, no less.

Mom and Dad chose the 11th of November to exchange their nuptials.

Dad died before they could make it to their 50th.

Jen and Mark were married on the 11th as well.
I wore a dress to that celebration too, but that horse has been beat to death.

Flashback Friday (Better Late Than Never)

Happy Birthday Grandma Martin!

I'm not sure how many birthdays you've seen come and go, but I hope that you had a wonderful day filled with lots of visitors and phone calls.

It's been a while since I've been up.

 

I'd say that was about forty pounds ago!

We always enjoyed your visits to our fair state, but there came a point where it seemed like we only saw you if someone died or was getting married.  (Kind of the same thing if you ask me.)

Uncle Fred was showing off his new suit.

I think this was the year that Uncle Hank died.

 

This was when Jen got married.  

I never realized we had the same hair-do going.

This was taken in 1986.  From left to right:  Aunt Sharon, Mom, Uncle David, Grampa Martin, Dad and Grandma Martin. 

Notice the awful silhouettes on the wall in the background.  Those are of the four of us girls and have been scaring away the mice for as long as I can remember.  Sister Three was probably all of two when Grandma Lou made those for Grandma Martin. Can you tell I have always hated them?  It probably has something to do with the lacy ruffle around my neck and the *#$&* bun on my head.

Grandma's house never changed.  Her furniture was always in the same place.  The pictures, clock, everything was always in the same place.

I look at Mom and Dad at the kitchen table and I smell coffee (usually Folger's crystals) in a green Anchor Hocking bakeware cup.  Grandma is bustling around getting food out because "yous kids must be hungry."

This was a trip that Mom and Dad actually made up alone.  Can you believe that?  I remember many a week-end when Dad would get a wild hare and just pack us up and take off to go visit.  It seemed like we would drive forever and ever and ever.

Here's to many more birthdays!

Friday Flashback

October is a month full of birthdays for my family.

Krista was born the day the first OJ verdict was delivered. 

She became a teenager the day the guilty OJ verdict was delivered.  Doesn't that make you wonder about the alignment of the stars?  What do you suppose the odds of that are?

Of course, she was a beautiful baby.  She still is but now she's incredibly bright as well.  I'm sure she takes after her aunt!

 I've been lucky enought to be close enough to help with a few of her celebrations.  Two of the more interesting ones were the year of the swimming party and the year of the tie-dye shirts party.  Let's just say that her momma has the patience of a saint!

Speaking of her momma, she has the next  birthday.  Of course she is rather like an ostrich sticking her head in the sand about the number.  Let's just say that her days as a "thirty-something" are numbered!

Of course here in the midwest, one doesn't stick their head in the sand because everything is usually frozen from mid-October to mid-May!

To her birthdays are just another day.  It's a good thing because her birthday card is still on my desk or by my computer or by ... oh, I know it's somewhere.  It's the thought that counts.  I know I couldn't find a card telling her that she was turning into her mother .... I would have been sure to send that one.  I still owe her for such a card.

A week later Sister Three shares her birthday with one of our foster kids.  Here is Laura at age six --- just days after we got her.  She had turned six while staying at the youth shelter and no one had celebrated her birthday, so we had a late celebration at the Woodshed.  The Woodshed has been the site of many, many birthday celebrations.

Here she's pictured with our deceased niece, Sarah, and another foster child, Nick.

Here she is four or five years later --- once again celebrating at the Woodshed, only this time she doesn't look like she's scared to death!

Laura enjoyed spending time with Krista and Dani.  Here she is hiking with Krista at Chadron State Park (under duress from me of course).

They only humored me because I promised them they could go swimming later.

Here's a trip to South Dakota.  it's kind of scary to think Krista will really be driving soon!  I can't believe that Frog Legs was ever that little either.

Sister Three --- I hope you had a great day.

Did you do something outrageous this year? 

You probably can't top sky-diving!

I hope your sweet hubby

took you out for dinner.

I just hope it wasn't as messy as this:

Did he make you a cake to rival the one Mom made you the year that you started piano lessons?

Who knew Mom was so artistic?  Or that she could capture Mozart or is that Liberace?

I envisioned you spending the day with America's favortie rodent

but now that you have kids, I'll bet you spent it in a more sedate manner --- like feeding ducks and geese perhaps?

No matter how you spent it, you'll always be "tops" in my book!

Then we have another double birthday.  Mary and Hansi share a day toward the end of the month.  It's hard to believe that Hansi is already seven.  Mardell tried to call him but they were evidently out of town.  Or else our international calling plan doesn't work like it is supposed to!

Mary really knows how to celebrate.  She cooked supper for her son and herself and then cleaned up.  I wish we were closer so that we could have gone out and celebrated.  Any reason to go to Johnny Carino's!

Finally, Marissa is a Halloween baby. 

We took her and her room mate out to supper last night to celebrate.  Of course, this will probably be the last time we take them out to supper.  We had taken them out about a month ago and had a delightful supper.  We were taking them back to their dorm when I got pulled over for turning right on a red light.  I didn't pay any attention to the sign that stated there was no right turn on red.  Then last night I got stopped because we had a headlight out.  I think our suppers with Missy and Gabe are jinxed, so they're out of luck now.

A most happy birthday to all of you .... and many more in the years to come!

Flashback Friday

It's hard to write a Flashback Friday when one is out 

of bandwidth for the month and cannot upload any photos. 
I went back through my pictures

that I have stored on Picasa and tried to come

up with something witty, or at the very least, amusing. 

Unfortunately I'm not nearly as witty as Sister Two and Sister Three.

Or amusing, for the matter.

We went up and saw Sister Two and the family last Friday night.

We had missed all of the October birthdays (next Friday's Flashback subject) and besides, I wanted to take pictures along the way.

Who knows when I might need a picture of a piece of farm machinery ...

 

... or more wild life ...

 

such as these antelope that were 6.6 miles away.

Don't I have a magnificent zoom?!!!

Okay, okay, so maybe it was only .6 miles away,
but my camera still rocks!

The deer were especially cooperative ....

 

 

... as was this ham!