Archive for the ‘reflections’ Category
Summer Popsicles….
It all starts out innocent…..”Mom, can I have a popsicle?”
But it is summertime, and there is nothing innocent about popsicles…they just melt too fast…
Kids just don’t get the ratio of licks per second to counteract the melting factor! It is agonizing to watch…as a parent, you just want to take over……
You want to help your child……but you know they just have to learn…one of life’s most important lessons…..
That if they don’t figure out the licking/melting ratio factor thingie…….the inevitable is going to happen…..
the popsicle spills to the ground…..
but that’s okay….you just teach them the other rule in life…pick it up and keep on going……
In: Family Fun, River, reflections
Let the rain in…
When I was in high school, I went to a conference for the yearbook. I was the photography editor and responsible for all the photos in the yearbook. One of the points I remember them saying was, “let the rain in.” I have remembered that quote my entire life….one of those things you don’t forget……you remember like it was yesterday.
I try to remember to let the rain…..but sometimes I forget. The rain is a good thing…..something necessary for all living things…and you gotta let it in….because when you do…you realize how wonderful it is….
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It ends tonight!
In: Family Fun, River, miscellaneous, reflections
Capturing memories….
I took care of my grandmother for about three years before she died. She died when she was 99 years old. She lived in the same house for approximately 77 years. She knew every single inch of that house…inside and out. I think I knew the house pretty well…but I didn’t want to forget it. Right before my grandmother died, I saw a photography exhibit. The entire exhibit was photos of the photographer’s mother’s house…..right after she died. The little details, the small moments…that you might otherwise forget.
I knew I had to do this…..and I am so glad that I did. After my grandmother died, before I started cleaning everything out…I went through the house and took many photos of all the rooms….doorknobs, photos, wallpaper, plates, light switches…..things that I knew my grandmother treasured.
Things that seemed so small and insignificant….yet held so many memories. Lightswitches that my grandmother turned on and off thousands of times, dishes that my grandmother cleaned over and over again, railings that helped my grandmother get up and down the stairs..year after year after year…..the wood worn down to show the years….
I am so glad that I have these memories….and I look back at them often.
They are photos that I will treasure for a lifetime……
In: Family, Nana, photography, reflections
Turning Forty-Three….
I recently celebrated my forty-third birthday…..forty-three…I just had to type that again. How time flies…as they say…
Well, it was my first birthday without my mother. And I knew it would be a bit emotional to not see or hear from my her. It made me want to go and find some photos of my mom when she was my age. I didn’t find a lot…as most moms…we are usually the ones BEHIND the camera, not in front of it….after about an hour long search, I found two photos. One is of my mom, one of my brothers and me on my fourth birthday. The other one is from Easter of that same year, also with my mom and some of my brothers.
In both photos, I’m wearing dresses that my grandmother made for me. I loved that purple dress. It was one of my favorites. She also made my Barbie a matching one. My mom didn’t change much year to year….she looks almost identical in this picture as the day she died…..
In: birthdays, reflections
Nostalgia…..and brown sugar cookies
Nostalgia….longing for something past….do you ever get that feeling……longing for the past? I guess with all that snow I got that feeling…I hadn’t made my grandmother’s brown sugar cookies in a long time…and I finally made them…..after playing all day in the snow….
Growing up, my grandmother’s brown sugar cookies were my favorite. My grandmother only made three types of cookies…chocolate chip, vanilla and brown sugar. Whenever she made cookies she would put them in her cookie tins and they would be in her dining room…waiting for you….as you came into her house. Well….I actually have my grandmother’s dining room furniture and I have her cookie tins…..I love those cookie tins…my grandfather made them….they are a set of four…they are one of my most treasured items. Unfortunately, the cookie tin is already almost empty! But here is the recipe. It is a very simple recipe, but delicious…
Nana’s Brown Sugar Cookies
¾ cup brown sugar
¾ cup butter
1 egg
2 cups sifted flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
Cream together brown sugar and butter. Add beaten egg. Add rest of ingredients. Add walnuts if desired. Roll into balls and place on greased cookie sheet. Use fork to create criss cross design on each cookie.
Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 10 minutes.
Yields approximately 3 dozen cookies.
In: recipe, reflections
Haiti…
When certain things happen in the world…things seem so overwhelming….it makes me feel helpless…somehow giving a little bit of money doesn’t seem enough..it makes me grateful for all the wonderful things I have…for being able to go to my kitchen and get a glass of clean water….and being able to feed my children…..
10 years ago today…..
Ten years ago today, Quinn was born. It was a Saturday. I remember because we had gone to my parents house that Friday night and I ate way too much pizza and I had a ring ding for dessert..It was my first ring ding in years….I regretted that later.
It’s been a great ten years. He is a great child…incredibly thoughtful, creative, though incredibly sensitive. I think he has a lot of my personality. Funny, that Tuesday seems to be more like Christopher and Quinn seems to be more like me….
In: Quinn, reflections
Christmas Tree Photo….
Every year we try to take a family photo in front of the Christmas tree. And every year, they turn out pretty much like this….Probably not a great family photo..but at least great family memories…..
In: Christmas, Family, Traditions, reflections
Christmas things…..
Well….another Christmas has come and gone….As I was putting away all the holiday things….it strikes me that some of my most cherished things…are the things that didn’t cost a lot of money. For example, our Christmas tree star. It was our first Christmas together, and Christopher and I got a small tree. As we were decorating the tree, we realized we didn’t have anything to put on top of it. I remembered that once, long ago, I had seen a star made from an old tin can. We didn’t have a tin can…only an old soda can. So, I cut a star from the soda can. Every year, when we got the star out, I would say we should get a proper star…but Christopher always told me, no, this was a proper star. And I guess, after all these years, I finally realize that he is right…it is a proper star and I wouldn’t have anything else for the top of our tree!
I got many wonderful presents this year….one of my favorites is a manger that my son gave to me. He is incredibly creative. He went into the workshop and took scraps of wood and, and using the scraps just as they were, he made me a manger. I just love all the adorable people and animals!
In: Christmas, Traditions, reflections
New Year’s Eve…..
Happy New Year to all…I hope that you have had a wonderful 2009…whatever it brought or didn’t bring….I hope 2010 brings great happiness and peace to everyone…..I hope you have time to do all the things you wish to do…..
