Brrr....

It's been extremely cold in Salem the past week. And when I say cold - I mean FREEZING cold! We're talking 10 degrees in the morning. That's frigid!!

The fountains around town have frozen solid. Here a couple of pictures "for your enjoyment"!

No, your eyes are not deceiving you. Those are NOT suds in the fountain... that is ice - SOLID ICE!

Oh Christmas Tree - Sentimental Sunday No. 37

As I write this, I’ve just finished decorating our Christmas Tree. It’s quite a process that I usually spread out over a couple of days. When each ornament is unwrapped I am flooded with memories of Christmas’ past. There are ornaments from my childhood – and one that belonged to my Dad when he was a boy. There are ornaments collected since Richard and I married, and some that belong specifically to J.J. Each one has a story and most are quite unique.

I remember tree decorating with my parents. Dad strung the lights and Mom and I decorated. I even recall the year that Mom “redecorated the tree” after I had already decorated it! Wow - way to bruise a girls self confidence! Ha Ha...

Today I do most of the decorating alone. Richard and JJ help a little and love looking at the tree – but they aren’t very enthusiastic about the work involved in decorating it. But, that’s OK. I’m pretty persnickety about the ornaments and their placement. I would probably take a page out of my Moms book and be rearranging the ornaments when they weren’t looking.

Another YaYa Christmas

Fun was had by all the Ya Ya sister's tonight.
We celebrated Brenda's birthday

as you can see from her cake - she's only 29!

We exchanged our homemade Christmas presents.

We ate great food, had lots of laughs and ended the evening with delicious cake.

Another perfect evening for the YaYa Sister's!

I'm Very Excited...

...to share the news that I was quoted in an article for our local "Salem Monthly" magazine. Click here to read the article "Eating with the Eyes First". The photo featured in the article is mine, from my recipe blog "Gumbo Ya Ya". It is of my Grandma Julia's Pumpkin Pie. I think she would be pretty darned proud of her granddaughter today!

Auntie Mae Mae - Sentimental Sunday No. 36

(L to R) Cousin Nona, Cindy's Mom - Sylvia, and Auntie Mae Mae

Eleanor Mae was my grandma Maurine’s sister. Her daughter Nona and my Mom were first cousins. She was born in Tucson Arizona in 1907; and although they were 12 years apart, she and my grandma were extremely close. During the depression they lived together off and on for several years with their girls – my mom and Nona.

Auntie Mae Mae and Uncle Bruce owned property in 29 Palms, California. They lived in a trailer while they built their home, brick by brick – with their own hands. Amazing! I was fortunate enough to spend a week or two with them during the summer for several years. Sometimes my Grandma came too – but sometimes I was there alone with them. Those were fabulous summer visits. We had our main meal at mid-day and then just a light supper. Right as the sun set we would take short walks through the desert; looking for glass or rocks or any other treasures we could find. Auntie Mae Mae had a glass garden in front of their home. When you put old fashioned glass in the sun it changes colors. I still have a little wine glass that belonged to her. It’s a beautiful shade of amethyst.

Uncle Bruce put up a portable pool for me one summer and I had great fun splashing and cooling off during the horrendously hot days. But other summers he took me to the pool in town; not that there was A LOT of town in 29 Palms in the late 60’s. My favorite memory of Uncle Bruce was that he never wrote “just a letter”. All of his letters were written in poem. I still have a few of them. I wish I had saved more – they are priceless to me.

Auntie Mae Mae taught me to embroider and crochet. Well, actually she got really frustrated teaching me to crochet –although I can’t remember why. I think I wanted to hold the needle differently than she did and that caused me to crochet differently which gave her difficulty in teaching me. BUT, with what she showed me I’ve been crocheting for years. I love it – and I think of her often as I am making something for myself or friends.

I remember the dramatic storms we would have in the desert; lots of thunder and lightning. Auntie was petrified of thunder. I recall one storm where I asked Uncle Bruce, “What happened to Auntie Mae Mae?” He replied, “Oh, she’s probably in the closet.” That was her safe haven in a storm.

After Uncle Bruce passed away Auntie Mae Mae moved from the desert to live closer to Nona. It was always so nice to see her and spend time with her – especially on holidays. I’ve been thinking of her a lot this past week because she and I were always in charge of mashing the potatoes for Thanksgiving and Christmas. We would mash and whip and laugh and season. That memory of that laughter usually crosses my mind when I’m mashing potatoes today.

She and Uncle Bruce had such a special way of taking care of me and making me feel important. I knew I was loved when I was with them and those fun summer days are some of my most favorite childhood memories. I miss them both and those happy days we shared. But, I can close my eyes and picture their little house and see them both sitting in their chairs or at the table. Auntie has General Hospital on the television – but it’s blurry because it uses rabbit ears. We’re getting ready to sit down for our mid-day meal – and there is love… lots and lots of love. Oh, and don’t forget the laughter!

Counting Our Blessings

Thanksgiving is a time to take notice of all we are thankful for. There are so many blessings our family has to be thankful for. We are truly fortunate and blessed, although I think that sometimes I may not always be aware of just how fortunate I am.

These are the things we are thankful for - to name just a few:

Our family and friends

Our faith in God

The freedom we are afforded by living in the United States

Our health and that of our family and friends

Clean water, medical care, electricity and clean food

Animals - especially our kitty cats

Nature and the beautiful seasons we are fortunate enough to enjoy

A roof over our head, a bed to rest in and food on our table

Adoption - without it we wouldn't be a family

And on a personal note; I am thankful for ALL of my life experiences - both good and bad. Without each and every one of them I wouldn't be the woman I am today.

From our home to yours we wish you a blessed Thanksgiving.

Grandma Julia - Sentimental Sunday No. 35

I didn’t know my Grandma Julia very well. I don’t really know what she liked or much of what her life was like. Here’s what I do know –

She was my father’s mother. I’ve written about her before; she worked for years at See’s Candy. Julia was only four when her mother passed away. She was raised by her grandmother Mary; she called her Ma. Mary Miner worked as a cook at the Harvey Houses along the train line. I have a huge cast iron skillet that belonged to her. And, although I never got to meet her, she died in 1939, I think of her any time I use that skillet.

Grandma Julia married John Porter when she was barely 16. I wish I knew how they met. It was 1918; my dad was born about 10 months later. She and Pop didn’t get along very well and they divorced after my Dad was grown. They both remarried – which made me a pretty lucky little girl when I was growing up. I had FOUR sets of grandparents (because my Mom’s parents divorced too) that all wanted to “out do” each other when it came to gift giving. Yes, I was a trifle spoiled.

Grandpa Carl & Grandma Julia - my favorite picture of them.

I didn’t get to spend a lot of time with Grandma Julia when I was growing up. She and Grandpa Carl didn’t live extremely close, but we always spent the holidays together. Thanksgiving was a time that we would go to their house; I got to ride my horse when we were there. She had a huge love for all types of animals, including two large funny parrots that talked and sang. I was always entertained by them.

Grandma Julia baked delicious pies – custard and pumpkin. My dad LOVED them, and he always got his own smaller individual pie that she would bake especially for her son. She also made amazing potato salad, which we all loved. Fortunately for me, I have her pie recipes and potato salad recipe. She shared them with my Mom (who probably “tweaked” them slightly) and my Mom passed them on to me.

Unfortunately Grandma Julia didn't seem like a very happy lady. I don’t recall her really showing me much affection or saying "I Love You"- except towards the end. She let me know, in her own way, that she was proud of me and that she loved and appreciated me. And those few minutes, when I was alone with her in that hospital room, are the happiest and most cherished memory I have of her. Just a few days later, she was gone. I was 14.

I wish that she could have had a happier life and could have shared more joy and love with us. I don’t know exactly what happened to her that made her so unhappy, but I think it’s safe to assume that she had a lot of hardships and that was reflective in her behavior. I know that she was affectionate to my Dad when he was growing up. He loved his mother – but he readily admitted that he didn’t REALLY know what love was until he met my Mom and her Mom, my Grandma Maurine. Grandma Maurine was the embodiment of love, kindness and giving. She was an amazing lady. And, while Julia didn’t often display any of those characteristics, I’m thankful that she was here on this earth. I'm thankful that she was my Grandmother, and that I had an opportunity to know her – however briefly. She was my father’s mother – and I’ll always be grateful to her for that!

John James - Sentimental Sunday No. 34

This is one of my favorite pictures of J.J. He was about four years old and the photo was taken at the Oregon Zoo. He has always been a very happy child. We are so blessed that God brought this amazing boy to us; that his mother chose us to be his parents through adoption. He brings us so much joy and happiness – even as a teenager! I would be lost without him.

John James is named for both of his grandfathers. John was Cindy’s dad and James was Richard’s dad. James is also Richard’s middle name. Both of our dad’s were already deceased by the time we got J.J., but he has always had a strong connection with his Papa John. When he was small he used to talk about things that Papa had told him and he would have dreams about Papa. When I was small I had a similar connection with Sharon Lee, my sister who died before I was born. So, I thoroughly believe that my dad is with J.J.; a guardian angel if you will.

My favorite story about this connection was right about the time this photo was taken. J.J. asked me to make him a sandwich. I asked him what kind. He replied, “Peanut Butter, Butter and Mayonnaise”. Well, my first response was EWWW… and then I asked him why he wanted that kind of sandwich. He said that Papa had told him it was good and that he should ask me to make it for him. I said OK, but thought to myself – NO WAY would my dad have EVER eaten anything like that. J.J. loved the sandwich and continued asking for it practically every day over the course of the next few months. I tried one – it was pretty good! But, I still thought it was funny that he said my dad had told him to ask for one.

A few months later we were visiting with my cousin Nona who lived with my Mom and Dad for several years. She was actually my Mom’s First Cousin. I told her the story about the sandwich and she said, “Oh Yeah! Don’t you remember?” I said NO. He didn’t eat peanut butter and mayonnaise. She said yes, he did. He ate them with the Best Foods Sandwich spread. Then the light bulb went on for me. I DID remember those sandwiches. That spread is mayo with pickles and spices in it. I didn’t particularly like them, but dad LOVED them. I used to make them for him for his lunches.

I do believe that we have angels guiding us during our life. I’ve always believed that my sister Sherry was my angel and I believe that my dad is J.J. angel. I think that children are more open to hearing what our angels tell us – and I think my dad told J.J. about that sandwich, not just because he loved them and thought that J.J. would too – but because he wanted ME to know that he was still with us and would be there as J.J. guardian angel throughout his life.

I have two fabulous men in my life named John; my father and my son. I’m one lucky lady!

Amelia Earhart

photo from empire pictures

I saw the movie "Amelia" this week. What a fascinating lady she was. I learned things about her from the movie that I had not known before. And, although I certainly knew her fate going into the film, I found myself hoping for a happy ending, complete with a rescue or safe landing on Howland Island.

photo from wikipedia

This was quite a good film and I think that Hilary Swank did an impeccable job in her portrayal of this famous aviatrix. I am not sure why the critics have not given the movie good reviews. I really liked it and recommend it as a movie to see.

Veteran's Day

Today is set aside to honor our nation's Veteran's. We are so lucky that so many have answered the need and served our country during war - and in times of peace.

Our fathers both served in World War II. Cindy's dad served in the Navy and Richard's in the Army. Cindy's grandfathers were both in World War I in the Army. We love and remember all of them today.

Thank you to all who have sacrificed to serve our nation. We appreciate and respect what you have done.