Easter Memories

Sixty-nine years of memories weigh heavy sometimes. So many where to begin.

When I was little.... It was all about the Easter Bunny, basket and eggs. I was excited to don my new clothes and endure church, but my focus was on what happened after - the hunt. Magically the bunny visited while we were at services. How did he know when that was? To a 4 year old the impossible logistics of magic surrounding Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny were not a worry. How they got to everyone in a timely fashion wasn't something I really thought about. No, I was content to buy the impossibilities and concentrate on the fun, chocolate and jelly beans.

Finding and gathering the brightly colored eggs was a joy filled activity. Okay, maybe a little competitive, we always counted our bounty, who had the most? It was amazing how many hiding places there were where the eggs could hide - inside the bend of a gutter, tucked in the tufts of tall grass, balanced in a bush, nestled in the tree roots. We had to look high and low with an occasional clue from our parents. Then there was a short period after we had found all we could the said parents tromped around looking for the one missing egg that was hidden too well. Rarely was that one found until days later when our noses followed the rotten smell to the secret place.

In my teens Easter was less about the hunt, eggs and baskets; more about the clothes. What care was taken to get the right dress, shoes, hat and gloves. We preened and critiqued what the congregation was sporting. Always certain that we were among the best-dressed. Ah, the olden days. A hat was mandatory as well as gloves. Easter bonnets had flowers, ribbons and straw. Gloves were pristine white, at least starting out. The bane of every mother and little girl was keeping track of both gloves and then keeping them white. I was never good at either of those two activities.

Sometime in my teens my mother decided that we were too old for Easter baskets. What an outcry we raised. No chocolate bunnies, no foil covered chocolate eggs, no gumdrops, no jelly beans? So a compromise was offered. She, the resident Easter bunny, would create a communal basket centerpiece for our dining room table. Not a perfect solution since there ws always a little squabbling about the center big bunny. We would break off pieces to eat, but (what follows has no logic to it but familys often operate without rational.) there were some of us who wanted to start with the tail, others who wanted the ears, and still others who wanted to keep it intact for a s long as possible. I was a tail person. I liked the illusion of an full-eared front, and I hated it when my brother would just race through lopping off the tip of an ear recklessly creating a very lop-sided rabbit. But what did work well were the jelly beans. I loved (and still do) black licorice jelly beans. And the family was happy to let me have them all. Bliss in our family of 5 children was not having to fight for your treat.

What happy memories. What are yours?

New Year's Eve

This is it, the end of 2012. What will you be doing to welcome 2013? What resolutions will you be making?

In this house, we will not be doing anything special. Husband and I are relaxing and resting as we try to recover from the crud. Slowly but surely we are improving.

I will be choosing a word to shape my new year, but more about that tomorrow.

I wish for all of you a good last day of 2012. Hoping 2013 will be a winner for everyone.

'Tis the Season

Lucky me. For the next several days I have a variety of holiday programs to see. It's always a fun part of being a grandparent to see the holiday singing, dancing and acting. Those earnest shining faces are a joy.

First, "The Messiah" performed by Providence Classical School in Spring, Texas. Quite an undertaking for grades 1 - 6, but they are awesome. Then a choral celebration and nativity in the great outdoors by Life Point Church in Magnolia, Texas. Finally a Hanekka play at the Meridien School in Round Rock, Texas. Whew!

So this proud, happy Grammy takes off a few days to get in the spirit, applaud wildly, and dispense hugs!!

See you all in a couple of days.

Holidays

Thanksgiving is finished. And it was a quiet success. My food contributions were well received. I had a few leftovers to bring home, none of them desserts which is good for my body. I don't even have to be tempted to over indulge. How was your dinner?

Now I get into Christmas. This is my all time favorite holiday especially since I have the time to plan, clean, bake, wrap and enjoy. I love being surrounded by the bedlam of kids and adults in a crowded house. Noise, laughter, secrets. Good smells from the kitchen. Evenings playing games. I look forward to it all.

For this coming month I'll be writing many posts about my Christmas wishes and dreams. Bear with me. Do you like the holidays as much as I do?

Thanksgiving!!!

Happy Thanksgiving to all.
I am thankful for those with whom I get to share my day.
I am thankful for family spread far and wide.
I am thankful for Annarella Girl.
I am thankful for being alive.

Wishing and Thanks

Thanksgiving will be quiet here; children, spouses, and grandchildren are coming for Christmas. My Georgetown son and family have invited me for their feast, so my cooking chores are at a minimum. I'll be baking some brownies and 2 sides. I must admit I am thankful for not having the messy kitchen, but I will miss the rest of my family. I can't help looking forward to Christmas.

Speaking of which, maybe it is old age, but I really am missing my siblings lately. We are not a close family in geographic distance or communication. There is no reason for the lack of talking or writing, (othing as juicy as a family feud) just a habit. We grew up in a family that moved and was not often around extended family. I guess we got used to being insular. But I love, admire and respect my brothers and sisters. I find them to be interesting, thoughtful, humourous, and full of knowledge. I wish we interacted more often. When I'm with them or talking to them, I'm always left wanting more contact. I guess I'm very lucky to have such a great family.

I wish all of you a good Thanksgiving. Skip black Friday and shop small business Saturday.

NO.......

In my travels today, I saw a sight I don't believe. More than one house in my area is busy putting up their outside decorations. Forgive me for saying, but isn't Thanksgiving still to come? It is not time yet for Christmas! We are not retailers who must put out holiday merchandise, so please wait until after the turkey and stuffing to decorate.

Are we following the suit of Target et al who are starting Black Friday on Thursday? Are we teaching the youngsters by example that good things aren't worth waiting for. Gotta have it now!! Bigger and better!! It is enough to make the Grinch want to steal Christmas all over again.

In my old grump way I think these jumpers are sucking out the fun and joy of the season. Maybe I'm painting the hyperbole with neon colors, but I'm distressed.

I love the Christmas holidays. Eagerly I await the blossoming of the outside fairy lights which start appearing the Saturday after Thanksgiving on a few houses and continue to grow until almost all yards wear their sparkly finery by 2 weekends before  Christmas Eve. After dark the various homes light my way home from grocery and gift shopping. They make me smile. They fill me with anticipation for family coming together, holiday baking, and tree trimming.

BUT I want my holidays one at a time. First comes Thanksgiving, then comes Christmas. To witness the pushing of them together saddens me. Are they trying to take away the specialness of each? What does Christmas mean to them? I think these people who are rushing forward need to pause, take some deep breaths and slow down. How can you enjoy the scenery along the way when you are moving at the speed of light?

Come on, people, don't race through your year. Meander and smell the pines.

A Little Holiday Spirit

The morning talk shows are talking about the new Neiman Marcus Christmas wish catelogue which is as always filled with over the top gift ideas. They feature some outlandish fantasy gifts. My wishes are not so exotic, nor are the gifts that I will be giving.

This year I'm trying to give as many handmade gifts as possible. I think of this as a "feed an artist" venture. So , family, don't give me your gift list as I'm going off the grid to get things you didn't know you wanted until now. I'm hoping you will be pleased with them and not hide them in a closet only to be brought out when I come to visit. Each item has been chosen with care and reflects my image of you. (I hope this is complementary. Does anyone remember the "Brady Bunch" episode when the crazy aunt visits and brings Jan a special present? Jan doesn't want to be like her crazy aunt and hates her gift. Am I the crazy relative?)

What I want - time spent with me. Morning conversation over cups of coffee. Hugs, warm strong hugs from my children and grandchildren. Cookies baked with love. Love all around. Now, these are my fantasy gifts!

Speaking of gifts. Here's my latest suggestion for a baby gift.

Easter Candy, Yummy

Do you like licorice? I love it even if it does make my teeth black. Not so crazy about the heavy, imported stuff but love licorice jelly bellies, licorice Brach jelly eggs, black Twizzlers and hard to find Black Crows. These are my all time Easter favorites.

Next come the chocolates. I realize that people sing the praises of dark imported chocolates, but I was raised not too far from Hersey, PA and milk chocolate kisses are the best!!!! or as they do for Easter, the milk chocolate eggs. Second favorite are the Lindor milk choclate balls, the ones wrapped in red. When we first moved to Geneva, CH, we lived in a hotel. Every night there was one of these on each pillow. What a treat!!! Third, a marshmallow bunny covered in dark chocolate. My excveption to the milk vs dark. Here the sweet of the marshmallow is offset by the more bitter chocolate.

The last to go from my basket are the peeps. Does anyone eat those? Cute pic on facebook last night of a yard that had been peeped. Front lawn strewn with different colored peeps. Now that is a cute use of peeps! The other left-over is gum drops. In fact, now that I think about it, I hardly see them anymore. Are they extinct?

What is in your Easter basket? What do you eat first? What ends up being thrown out?

Easter Eggs Traditions

Talking to my youngest son yesterday and reminescing about coloring Easter eggs. He said that in conversations around the water cooler at his work, many mentioned finding eggs with money in them. Poor boy, a tradition he never got to experience. Told him how lucky he was that his parents were purists - boil the eggs, color the eggs, hide the eggs - no plastic, fill them up eggs at his house. How lucky was he to be  spared from the corruption of crass commercialization of cash eggs. (Gotta love such a blatant use of alliteration!) lol.

Don't feel to sorry for him. Baskets were over the top filled with toys, chocolates, jelly beans and peeps. Put on foot of bed until he graduated from high school. Always with the piece de resistance of a big bunny. Hmm, shall I start nibbling at the feet or ears?

Happy Easter!!!

Wearing the Green

Happy Saint Patrick's Day everyone. Today, isn't everyone a little Irish? It is such a happy holiday!! And an excuse to wear some of the worst green colors in your closet. I live with a guy who is red/green color blind, so as a family we don't own much green whether it is clothes, furniture or even walls. Apparently to him it is a very muddy, dull color. Consequently I enjoy nature's greens rather than dyed greens.

Loving this time of the year with lawns, bushes and trees shing in new green. So fresh and lively. Tender, yet energetic at the same time. It just defuses the light when the sun is shining in such a special way. I stare out in awe at nature's subtle show. Isn't nature grand from its smallest displays to its grandest. Spring green is just so special. Mother Nature wear it proudly.

Of note, yesterday on a drive to and from Waco we saw a few roadside displays of bluebonnets. Most of them were not out at their fullest, but enough to ooh and ah. Thanks to the rain fo a better year this spring.

Spring Break

Pastel jumper, shown in size 2

You all take your break at the beach. You all take your break at one of the mega amusement parks. Me, I look forward to a break right here. My  daughter along with her 3 kids will visit me for a few days, and I love this break. They get along famously with my Georgetown grandkids so it will be a full house.

It will be short, much too short, but for a couple of days we'll be able to share slow cups of coffee, lumber jack breakfasts, short day trips and pizza. For me this is a bit of bliss. I love hearing the laughter of my grandchildren. What a pleasure to carry on conversations with them. There is such joy in watching them interact and play.

And my adult kids. Lots of laughter, good talks and catching up on dreams, events, exasperations and triumphs. Now this is my idea of a perfect spring break!

Last day for one of a kind onesie over on facebook. www.facebook.com/annarellagirl  Just comment on post or message me over there.

Holidays Over?

How do you know when the holidays are over?

When the last Chrismas cookie is eaten.

Here is one of my baking helpers. She did a great job! The cookies were as pretty as they were delicious. Long gone.

When all the bed linens are changed, towels are washed and guest rooms are back to normal - empty. (A little sad.)

When outside lights are off and inflatables are deflated puddles, awaiting the helpers to come and put back in the attic for another year.

When the last gift card is spent. I went to DSW yesterday to get a new pair of New Balance shoes. Hooray!

When I'm back to work. My sewing room is awash in new, bright fabrics. The sewing machine is humming. I'm all smiles as the rack of new dresses, rompers and skirts grows.

(pink, blue romper size 12-18 mos)

You can find me on Tuesday and Thursday at Mama Ds, 407 University Ave, Georgetown Texas.

When the inside decorations are down and packed into their bins. Holiday linen and rugs laundered.

Only one step left before the festivities are behind me. Finding the one elusive item which has escaped all notice until every box and bin is in the attic. Where does it hide? How does it know it is time to appear, that I thought I had found everything?

Good bye to one of the best holiday season ever!!!!!

Happy B'day, America

Getting ready for the 4th of July? What a lovely girl in her flag dress! If you look real close you can glimpse her sister with brown boots. They were so cute in these dresses.

Usually we celebrate with family coming for the weekend, but this year hubs and I will be on our own. Hope he will make his fabulous ribs anyway. I would love to have them as leftovers all week long. What foods do you have for the 4th? Any favorites?

And fireworks. Is anybody out there as crazy about fireworks as I am? Our community here always puts on a good show. (Weatherpeople are predicting rain for the 4th. Hope they are wrong.) And I've been lucky enough to see some spectacular shows all over the place. Special memories about fireworks over Lake Geneva in Switzerland. Double the color and sparkle when they are reflected by water. And the same reflections in shiny buildings like in Buckhead, Georgia where they fired into the sky and were reflected on 3 sides in the mirrored office buildings. Both places were real "ooh, ahh" displays.

Hope all of you have wondeful weekends filled with family and fun.

PS. My apologies for a post I made on the ecourse which was missing words here and there. I guess my computer was sleepy. Hope it made some sort of sense anyway.

Memorial Day - building memories

Memorial Day is a time to remember - especially all who serve or served in the military. For me it's a time to remember my father, Jack Knowlton, Uncle Dave Knowlton and Uncle Martin Knowlton, who all served in World War II. Daddy was 4F for several years of the war until 1944 when apparently the draft pool was running out of eligible men so drafted him to serve stateside only, thereby releasing somebody else who was physically able to go to the war front. I don't know the details of Uncle Dave's service except he was in for a longer time. Uncle Martin was a pacifist who first drove an ambulance for the Free French in the Middle East and then after the US joined the war served as a medic in the Pacific. They all believed in the freedoms of the US and the equality of man (and woman). Serving in the military was only one way in which they lived out their beliefs. They were very special young men, yet very typical of their generation. I'm proud to be of their gene pool.

On a lighter note we, along with millions of Americans, celebrated the day, not in sorrow but in joy, with a cookout and family. (These soldiers did what they felt they had to do for the sake of their families. So in a way every time we enjoy our families we celebrate what they did.) So we had fun doing some ordinary things which I hope my grandchildren will remember in yars to come.

Water balloons and a battle lead to some hot weather fun.

Then hours on a slip and slide. (What a great invention - easy to set up, inexpensive, hours of fun.)

Then the master of the grill. On the menu ribs, ratatouille, cole slaw and watermelon!

And for the finale, sparklers.

A fine Memorial Day. I hope you had a great day building some family memories of your own.