Throwback Thursday: Two Boys on a Blanket

Child on left—“Look up in the sky! Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No! It’s…”

That's my caption. Finish it or create your own in the comments.

Memory Monday: A New Year's Poem

My Grandmother

A NEW YEAR’S POEM

I have used the picture of my grandmother before. The more I think about her, the more I wish that I had known her. She married in 1910, but didn’t have her first child until 1917 (my father). How she loved her son. When my dad talked about her, you could hear the love in his voice for her, even though she died when he was only nine years old. From what I know about her, she had a strong faith (as did her parents).

Recently, I came across a poem that was written before she was born. The poem is from a book titled Verses for Christmas and the New Year. And it was written in 1885, and since she was born in the early 1890s, her mother might have even read it to her.

NEW YEAR'S WISHES FOR THE CHILDREN.

Give yourself to Jesus, darling,

   While the Year is new;

Place your hand in His, and let Him

   Lead you safely through.

Then how blest the Year will be,

   Spent in Jesu's company!

I send my love to Someone,

   With wishes kind and true;

I pray to God for Someone,

   I know He hears me, too.

Now don't you guess, my darling,

   That Someone must be you?

I can imagine my grandmother holding my daddy in her lap, snuggling close to her longed-for child and reciting this to him. And that warms my heart.

Throwback Thursday: Three Women in Front of a Tree

From my "old and known" file:

Lady on the right-“Hurry up and take the picture. We want to decorate the tree for Christmas.

That's my caption. What's yours? Leave it in the comments.

Merry Christmas

Memory Monday: Another Multi-Generational Decoration

ANOTHER MULTI-GENERATIONAL DECORATION

Nearly 50 years ago (wow, that is a long time), I worked at K-Mart. At Christmas time that year, they had some music boxes that looked like angels surrounding and playing an organ. I bought one for me, then one each for my mother and mother-in-law. I loved mine and they said they loved theirs (hey, they are family, so what else could these dear ladies say?). Anyway, through the years, these two women passed away and their Christmas decorations have been passed down. I’m not sure if the one that is pictured above was mine or one of theirs. I do know that for two generations, we enjoyed them.

When my children were old enough, they like to play with the one I had. I don’t know how many times we wound it up and listened to it play “Silent Night.” This made three generations that have enjoyed this cute piece of Christmas.

Now my new granddaughter loves it. This makes four generations that have listened to it. I’m not sure if it will last to a fifth generation. If you look closely at the picture, you can see that one of the little angels at the top of the organ has lost its wings, while the other one has lost half of its. The angel “playing” the organ has not only lost its wings too but (and what you can’t see) also its right hand. The bench has been glued at least once and needs to be repaired again. The vases on the sides of the keyboard have lost their greenery and while the candleholders half way up the sides have lost their candles. Also what you can’t see if the left side where the blue plastic panel behind the filigree fell down and is lying under the music mechanism. Still, THE MUSIC FROM THIS MUSIC BOX SOUND GREAT! Most music boxes I’ve owned have become “tinny” after a while. This one is still beautiful sounding after all this time and use.

The other day, my granddaughter pulled it in front of her, placed a finger on either side of the angel on the bench, and “played” the organ as the music box slowly unwound. She loves it.

I will do my best to fix and glue together this piece of our family’s Christmas decorations so my granddaughter can play with it again next year (and several more years after that). Maybe, just maybe, with enough glue, it will last to the fifth generation of our family.

Throwback Thursday: Boy in Fancy Dress

From my "old and known" file: 

“Think I’ll be a lawyer when I grow up. I already know how to dress the part.”

Memory Monday: Yet Another Look at What My Daughter Eats

My daughter, more than 30 years ago

AND YET ANOTHER LOOK AT WHAT MY DAUGHTER EATS

I love the picture above. My mother made the red dress that my daughter is wearing. Mother sewed the dress after she saw the white pinafore that I had made and embroidered. That little covering took 30 days to complete and left me with callouses on my index finger and thumb where I held the needle, but it was so worth it. My only regret is that by the time my granddaughter came to live with my daughter and son-in-law, she had already outgrown the pinafore. Oh well, I’ll just keep it for the next generation.

Now, back to the purpose of this article. My daughter went to an Asian dessert restaurant and tried something new. She writes about it. Here’s a link to her blog:
 You Ate What? Bingsu: A Korean Dessert

I hope you’ll check it out. What do you think of this dish? Are you daring? Would you like to try it?

What is the “most interesting” dessert you have ever tried? Did you eat it more than once?

Throwback Thursday: Women in Front of a Car

From my "old and known" file

LADY IN THE MIDDLE—That’s right ladies. Just keep smiling and they’ll never know that you didn’t want to come visiting.

That's my caption. What's yours? Leave it in the comments.

Memory Monday: The Tradition of the Christmas Present Ornaments

THE TRADITION OF THE CHRISTMAS PRESENT ORNAMENTS

When my husband was five years old, he wanted a watch. His parents told him that he had to learn to tell time before they would get him one, so he went to his grandmother and she taught him. At Christmas, he had a package under the tree with a red, loopy ribbon bow on it. As you probably already guessed, the package contained a watch. But there is more to the story—something that affects what my family does today. His mother saved that red, loopy ribbon bow and put it on his “main” Christmas present the next year, and the year after, and the year after, for as long as she lived.

My husband and I dated for two years before we married. During that time, they put a blue package ornament on my present from them and continued to do so as long as my mother-in-law lived.

After her death, my father-in-law gave us their Christmas decorations and he just used the 12-inch ceramic Christmas tree that his mother had given his wife. That red, loopy ribbon bow and the blue package ornament were among the things he gave us. We kept up the tradition of using those package ornaments through the years.

We were married about ten years when our daughter was born. We bought her a Holly Hobby package decoration to keep the tradition going. When our son was born, we got a green and white stick horse for his “main” present.

My husband was five when the red, loopy ribbon bow first appeared on his present, so it has seen about 65 Christmases. We’ve been married for 44 years, so my blue ornament has been used about 45 times. Holly Hobby and the stick horse have been on presents for more than 30 years each. When our daughter married over 10 years ago, we got her husband a snowman for his package decoration. It has been on his packages ever since.

The next generation has come along with our granddaughter. Last year—her first Christmas with us, we got her a pink heart to attach to her present. We will be using it again this year.

Oh, there is one more thing about the present ornaments. We never put names on these presents. Everyone knows by the ornament who gets the present and everyone knows that the present came from us.

One of these days, we will have to pass down these package decorations to the next generation. I have every faith that our children will keep the tradition going.

Throwback Thursday: A Couple's Formal Picture

From my old pictures file:

WOMAN—If I stand taller, do you think I’ll look 5 pounds thinner?

That's my caption. What's yours? Leave it in the comments below.