Friends - Sentimental Sunday No. 33

After living in Southern California for the first 36 years of my life, it was scary to move to a new state. What little family I have resides in So Cal – and certainly all of my friends lived there too. So, picking up stakes and moving 1000 miles away was an adventure; one that I was excited about – but one that also contained a certain number of apprehensions.

We had family living in Salem – so at least I knew a few people. And, fairly early on we met our neighbors – who have become more than friends, they’re family. But without a doubt – the best thing I ever did was join MOM’S Club. A majority of my friends today were met there. We formed lasting bonds with our babies, and now we’re all watching our “babies” turning into young men and women.
My first friend through MOM’s Club is still one of my BFF’s - and a fellow Ya Ya Sister – Adrienne. Our boys are only five weeks apart in age, and she too is married to an older man. We had an instant connection, and we’ve been friends since we met. We’re both Virgo’s and totally “get each other”. She is beautiful, funny, and smart. We always have the MOST amazing time together. She taught me to quilt and any time we’re together it’s always an adventure. We’ve travelled together, been to concerts and the theater and truly appreciate each other and all of the gifts that each of us have.

Adrienne is an incredible woman, and a true and honest friend. I am a very blessed lady… I can not only count my five amazing Ya Ya sisters among my closest and dearest friends – but I still have at least another handful of caring and special women in my life. You all know who you are! They say if you can count one handful of really true friends – you are lucky. I have at least two handfuls and among them is my partner in crime, my fellow Virgo, the Ethel to my Lucy – (or is it the other way around? I'm not sure which of us is which) my “sistah”, Adrienne.

I love ya, Girlfriend!

Turkey Time...

photo from i.ehow.com

Ah November! One of my favorite months. Thanksgiving is just a few weeks away - and you know what THAT means!! It means "The Best Meal of the Year!"

I really LOVE Thanksgiving. Yes, the holiday is about giving thanks - and I do have much to be thankful for. But, seriously... it's ALL about the meal !

We usually spend Thanksgiving with family, and I bring several of the side dishes for the meal. But, because I love the holiday (translation - the food) SO much - I always, and I do mean always, make a separate Thanksgiving meal for our little family. I usually do it the weekend after "Turkey Day". We have the wonderful meal on Saturday and then plenty of left overs. And, I go "all out". It is a full turkey dinner with all of the trimmings.

We have our favorites - and they are the things that I always make and grew up eating on this fabulous food holiday. There is my mother's (and before that my grandmothers) southern stuffing, light and fluffy mashed potatoes, homemade cranberry relish, a delicious blend of yams, squash and carrots that have been blended and whipped with butter, brown sugar and maple syrup (my mouth is watering just thinking about it) and homemade fresh and creamy corn. Sometimes there are pea's and sometimes other sides - but those are my mainstays. It wouldn't be a Thanksgiving dinner without them.

I would venture to guess that most people have one or two things that it wouldn't be Thanksgiving dinner without. What are your favorites?

Kitchen Disasters - Sentimental Sunday No. 32

photo from KingArthurFlour.com

I think people would say that I am a pretty good cook. My Mom was a really good cook too. She taught me a lot of what I know… and the rest I’ve learned from watching the Food Network! However, regardless of how well you can prepare a meal – there is still the occasional disaster.

I have already blogged about a particular birthday cake that my Mother made for me. Click here to read about it. I also remember, well I’ve been told, about my Mother being upset that I spilled spaghetti on the carpet after she had hand scrubbed the entire carpet on her hands and knees. She was so angry that she picked up the entire plate of spaghetti, threw it in the kitchen, it landed on the cabinets and we all watched as it slid down the face of the cabinets and onto the kitchen floor. OK, that might not be considered a kitchen disaster. That could be classified as an exhausted and frustrated Mom. Also, I don’t think we EVER had a family dinner where the rolls weren’t burnt – or pretty close to it. That is a tradition that I continue to this day – along with my sister in law! Every Thanksgiving and Christmas we swear this is the year we won’t have almost burnt rolls. Maybe this year!

I remember my first experience with gravy. My Mom had taught me her “secrets” and I had the whole family at my apartment for a special dinner. I was making the gravy and I looked at my Mom with tears in my eyes. It was WAY too thick… kind of like glue. My Mom sighed, looked at me and said, “Cindy Lynn. Gravy is gravy and wallpaper paste is wallpaper paste, and never the two shall meet.” She grabbed some beef broth and worked her magic. The meal was saved.

I’ve discovered that no matter how wonderful a chef I may be – baking is NOT my thing. I mean I can bake a cake, and cookies and brownies… but pie?? THAT is a different subject entirely. I’ve tried so many times to make crust. I follow my Mom’s recipe, I’ve followed Martha Stewart’s recipe, and I’ve decided that Marie Calendar’s is the only recipe that works for me! (That would be the frozen pie shells I can purchase at the grocery store.) And even though I do make a passable filing – pecan, pumpkin, lemon meringue, I still think I am missing the “pie gene”, which is why we REALLY don’t have pie very often.

But, my favorite story has to be the night I was making a meal for my friend that needed meals for her family. So, a group of us got together and picked a different night to make and bring the dinner to her. I made the MOST delicious Indian Chicken dish. It’s one that I make often, but this time was honestly the BEST I had ever made it. It was perfect. Well, I was in a hurry and I didn’t want her to have to worry about returning bowls and Tupperware, so I got the brilliant idea that I would use my food sealer (or as I call it – the “seal a meal”). I didn’t have any of the premade bags – but I have a long roll of the material that you can make your own bag out of. So, I cut off a long enough piece of the material, sealed the bottom of it, placed the food in the bag, picked it up and sealed the top. Job done, right? Well, as I picked up the bag the bottom of the bag fell out and all the food ran down the front of my kitchen cabinets, on the floor and onto my area rug. Needless to say I was a little less than enthusiastic.

Yes, kitchen disasters – they come in big and little sizes. I always feel it’s one of God’s ways of reminding us that we’re not really in charge – and that He has a really good sense of humor…. Even if WE sometimes don’t.

"This Is It"

I saw the Michael Jackson movie, "This Is It" today. I went to the movie expecting to enjoy it. I expected that his talent would shine through the film. I expected to be sad that he is no longer with us. What I didn't expect was that I would be so blown away by the film. The producers did a beautiful job of capturing Michael's brilliance and genius.

I was never really a fan of Michael Jackson "the man". I believe he was eccentric and odd. I've never really been sure if he was guilty of what he was accused of. I don't think he was - but only a very few people and God really know that for sure. However, I was always a fan of his talent. From the time he was a little boy he continued to amaze, perform and entertain. We all knew he was talented. What I don't think I really respected until today was what a perfectionist he was; a showman and so knowledgeable about his craft. He was truly unique.

I think the concerts that were set to be performed last summer would have been incredible. The concept for the concerts, the amount of work put into the production pieces, were original and brilliant. Michael surrounded himself with equally talented people. The performers, the choreographers, the musicians and the producers all shared a vision and the unique honor of working with M.J. What a shame that their vision never came to fruition. What a shame that he left us so soon. And how sad for his family and his children. For us Michael was a performer - but he was their Dad and now all they have left is memories.

Almost Halloween

I can't believe that Halloween is almost here. Didn't we just celebrate the New Year? Where has 2009 gone? Goodness.

Thinking back to all of my many Halloween's I have had a lot of fun costumes. But, two of them stand out in my mind... When I was eight years old I was the Statue of Liberty. My dad made an AWESOME crown and torch for me. It was so cool.Also, Richard and I went to a Halloween party one time as Mouseketeer's. He was "Cubby" and I was "Annette". That was a really fun party!

So, the question of the day is.... what was your favorite costume EVER? It can be from when you were a child or an adult.

Our Anniversary - Sentimental Sunday No. 31

Our lives changed twenty-five years ago today. Thanks to a forgery that Richard was investigating at Cindy’s bank – our paths crossed. It was destiny, kismet, meant to be… whatever you want to call it – we were meant to be together and the “powers that be” made it so.

Twenty-two years ago today we were married in front of family and friends in a wonderful wedding on the Queen Mary in Long Beach, CA. What a beautiful ship. We were married in the chapel and held our reception in one of the ballrooms. Our wedding day was perfect! We couldn’t have asked for a better day. A fabulous memory and one that is ideal for Sentimental Sunday – in fact it WAS a Sunday that we were married.

I wanted to be married on the anniversary of the day we met, but it was going to be a Sunday – and who gets married on Sunday? So, I was discussing it with my friend Mary, and I said I guess we would have the wedding on Saturday the 24th. Mary is Greek, and believes in omens and the supernatural. She said that her Greek omen book said it was very bad luck to be married on a Saturday. I said, “But, Mary… everyone gets married on Saturday.” She replied, “And LOOK how many divorces there are!” Well, I don’t know if it’s because we got married on a day other than Saturday – but here we are all these years later – still together; for better or worse – we’re still here!

We were married by the ship’s Captain. Cindy messed up her vows; couldn’t get the word “symbol” out when giving and accepting the wedding rings - kept coming out “signal”. Richard still doesn’t let her forget that! (You see – Cindy is SO perfect and makes SO few mistakes, he has to “hang his hat” on one that she made 22 years ago! HA!)

We are still in love, and we are glad for that forgery that occurred in Hollywood California all those years ago. It brought us together and changed our lives forever. Our fairy tale was meant to be… and they lived happily ever after.

My Good Friend

Laura has opened her own shop on Etsy. Laura is one of my Ya Ya Sisters. She is an incredibly talented photographer. (and the most incredible friend!)

Click here to view her shop. Take a look at her beautiful photography. My two favorites are "Finished" and "Empty Seat". Of course, those photos were taken in my beloved New Orleans earlier this year - on the trip that I helped her plan.

Good luck my friend. I wish you much luck on your new endeavor!

At the Movies - Sentimental Sunday No. 30

Movies have always played a large role in my life. I’ve mentioned before that my Dad worked in the industry for over forty years; he was at MGM in Culver City for eleven years and then at Walt Disney Studios in Burbank for thirty.
Even though he worked on so many films, he still enjoyed going out to the movies. Our movie nights together were very special. Culver City had two movie theaters; The Culver and The Meralta. We also had one drive in, The Studio Drive In. Both the Meralta and the drive in are long gone, but I believe The Culver is still standing.

We loved to go to the movies on Friday nights; double features. I love the memory of the old movie theaters with balconies and only one movie playing at a time. I have tried to instill the same love of movies in my son; I think I’ve been successful. Although his tastes run in a slightly different direction than mine – we do love going to the theater, or renting a movie to watch at home. In fact, last night I introduced him to the very “campy” series, “Friday the 13th”. We watched the first two, and he really did enjoy them.

I love a good movie and there are many that are my favorites that I could watch over and over again… and have in many instances. To name a few: Gone with the Wind, Giant, The Wizard of Oz, Wuthering Heights, The Birds, Vertigo, Psycho, Snow White, Dirty Dancing, Terms of Endearment, the Turning Point – and those are just the ones that came instantly to my mind.

Do you have any favorites? If you were on a deserted island and could bring ten movies with you… which ones would YOU bring?

(all photos used from google images)

When I Was Nine - Sentimental Sunday No. 29

When I was nine years old I had a horse. His name was "Sputnik"; we called him "Sput". He was named after the first Earth orbiting satellite that the Russian's launched in 1957.

"Sput" actually belonged to my sister, Sherry. He used to live in our backyard in Culver City. Sherry loved horses, and when she got cancer my Grandma Julia bought "Sputnik" for her. Unfortunately she couldn't ride him for very long and after she was bed ridden he came to live in the backyard. My dad laid down covering on the floor in the house and they used to bring "Sput" into the house so my sister could see and touch him.

After Sherry passed away "Sput" went to live with my grandma in Acton on their little ranch. When I was old enough grandma said he was mine. I loved that horse - although I didn't get to see him very often. Grandma also had two other horses, "Mollie" and her son "Stinker". I enjoyed those carefree childhood days of visiting Grandma Julia and Grandpa Carl and riding my horse, "Sput".

And Now...

A message from our sponsor...

It's been almost four weeks since Richard had his surgery. He's doing well, but his recovery has been slow going. I know he will be 100% again soon, but I'm a bit frustrated that he even had to go through this. Hindsight is, as they say, 20 - 20.

At his age he should have had a colonoscopy a long time ago. But, at 62 his Dr. only ordered a sigmoidoscopy. Now, at 66 they discovered the large polyp that couldn't be removed without major surgery. Don't get me wrong - I am so thankful that it was discovered and that it COULD be resolved with surgery. I'm thankful that it wasn't cancer. But, if the colonoscopy had been performed four years ago he may not have had to go through this surgery.

I shouldn't play the "what if" game. I should just be thankful for the blessing that we received... and as I said - I truly am. However, if ONE positive thing can come out of all of this - I want to pass along this advice to all our family and friends. If you are 50 or older, PLEASE make an appointment for your colonoscopy. If there is someone in your life is that is 50 or older, pass this information along and make sure that they get theirs done too. It not only could save your life - but it could save you a fairly major surgery and unnecessary pain and discomfort.

Now, we return you to our regularly scheduled programming....