by

To the Glory be

When I was a little girl, my Mom taught me to pray each night before bed. The very last prayer was the “Glory be” to be said as you make the sign of the cross. It goes like this; Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. 

That was a long prayer to memorize. I always got stuck on the part; ‘is now and ever shall be’.  It just wasn’t the way we spoke. Even now I pause on that part of the prayer;

Is now and ever shall be…

There was something ominous about the statement; ‘world without end’.  I asked her if the world was going to end. I overheard my older brothers talking about the end of the world in relation to a movie, “The War of the Worlds”.  She told me the world was not going to end, and we would live with God forever and ever in Heaven. So comforting.

I now feel very secure in the words; ‘World without end’. It’s a fitting end to the prayer too. Here is a picture of my family surrounding my beautiful Mama.

.17044_320808513763_3256271_n.jpeg

 

by

Turkey Spats

Every Thanksgiving morning, my husband and I prepare the turkey for the oven. This year he asked for a 20+ pounder for plenty of leftovers.

Steve does all the heavy work with cleaning out the cavity, seasoning, stuffing and massaging it with oil.  I provide him all the supplies necessary and I don’t know why, but I always find it necessary to tell him not to stuff the poor thing too tightly!

Once it’s cleaned and stuffed, then comes the trussing with the pins. My hubby is an expert at this, which is why I allow him to do it. Ha! Of course, I find something wrong with his precise process of fastening this bird up like Fort Knox. I mean, WHY does it need to be so tight? 

The oil and seasoning is a step not to miss either. I supply the paper towels to dry the bird, and handfuls of oil to Steve to massage all over the body. Poultry seasoning must be overly sprinkled on the skin also.  Why so MUCH?

The next step is the tent of foil.  This bad boy is cleaned, stuffed, massaged, trussed & tented  TIGHTLY.  Steve clamps down the edges of the foil around the roasting pan like a pro.

Today, we discussed all the criticism coming out of my mouth. We had to agree we don’t fight, we just discuss how tight everything is.  Even with all the discussions, we’ve got it down to a 30 minute well-oiled system. I told him; “if there comes a time when we can’t do this together, know I am with you anyway.” He agreed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

by

The Teen Brain

Someone please explain to me what happens to teenagers that allows them to all of a sudden not have any regard for the cleanliness of their rooms?  No rhyme or reason to the organization of the large desk provided for getting all that important school work done. At least one load of towels scattered all over the floor, various articles of clothing strewn, empty water bottles, cheese stick wrappers and yogurt cups lying about.  Old binders, papers, books piled upon the once polished table.

In order to clean, one must bulldoze the crap to one corner of the room.  If you happen to have a VERY good friend who is a heavy equipment operator, you may enlist the services of that kind person to come and remove the junk via the 2nd floor window.  Another option is to shovel the pile of crap into black garbage bags and heave them out the window (hoping they land on the grass and not the deck).  You must then use the bulldozer to move them to the curb for pick-up.

For now I will simply close the door to this messy room. Someday this person will care more about his room and keep it tidy.

 

 

by

Someone’s missing!

At this special time of Graduation parties and Father’s Day celebrations, I still feel I’m missing out on some big time family bonding with my siblings and their families. Even though we cannot be together, I still feel their best wishes. This can’t be explained to my teens. They are missing out on the physical presence of their cousins, aunts and uncles.

Who I am missing most are my parents. What I wouldn’t give to have one more conversation with each of them! There are many times I wish I could pick up a direct line to them and ask their advice. As a 55 year-old parent of three teens, I am faced with many challenges. Even with all my experience babysitting my younger siblings and other children, I do not have all the answers!

The truth is I feel the presence of my parents almost daily. My deep faith and friendship with Jesus Christ allows me this blessing.  Being still during prayers, I can hear the voice of God guiding me through the day. My parents gave me a deep Catholic upbringing to help me along the way, and for this I am so grateful. I draw upon this now and every day.

by

Fritatta Sunday

I made a nice frittata today with bacon bits, chopped onion, steamed broccoli, sliced mushroom, and 4 oz. shredded monterey jack.  And of course the main ingredient-eggs!  Here’s how I did it.  In my large fry pan I put approx. 1 cup of bacon bits to sizzle on a low flame, added a small chopped onion to soften a little.  In the meantime, I cracked 9 eggs, peppered them and beat them with a fork. (Poor eggs!!)  The bacon and onion needed a little more liquid, so rather than add more fat, I tipped in a little of the steaming water from the broccoli.  Once the onion got a little translucent, I added the eggs, scattered the broccoli and mushroom over the egg and kind of tucked them into the eggy pool to distribute evenly.   Still on a LOW flame, I sprinkled the whole top with the shredded cheese, put on the cover and let it cook, slowly!  Resist the urge to rush cooking this thick pizza-like dish!  When the eggs are almost set, still a little runny on the top only, I put the pan under the broiler on low for a few minutes to finish the cooking process, and to brown the top slightly.    Slice into wedges and serve with toast or muffins & fruit salad.  Very nice with champagne or mimosa’s for a grown-up celebration brunch too!

Gallery by

The Depository

In my house there is a place where things are stashed for safekeeping. Depository sounds like an old fashioned word for a bank fixture.  In this case, it is the dining room with the 9 foot oak table, upholstered chairs and wood floors being ‘deposited’ on.   Backpacks, gym bags, books, flip flops, shoes, various papers […]

by

Family Connections

Growing up with eight brothers and four sisters,  I never dreamed how large and widespread our family would become over time.   Differences in age and large geographical distances between us have been the barrier to maintaining relationships with some of my siblings.   Staying connected to loved family members and dear friends has become a little easier with Facebook and Skype.  Facebook has helped to renew old relationships and keep up with new family members as time marches on.

My many nieces and nephews are now having their own families, being notified via Facebook with real-time pictures and announcements makes all the difference.  It was often several months or years between a birth announcement and pictures-sent to grandma to be shared with the many aunts, uncles & cousins.  I was not able to attend the wedding of one of my nephews in Chicago, but was able to see pictures within a few weeks of the event.  When we do get the opportunity to visit them, we will feel more connected than if we’d never seen the wedding pictures of their most special day.

Having the picture and name on Facebook has helped my children not only recognize their many cousins, but to form stronger bonds through writing and face to face Skyping.  One night, my husband and I came home from a dinner date out to find our children (ages 15, 12 & 12) Skyping with their California cousins.  When they see these cousins again, or finally meet them in person, they will know who they are, and who their parents are.

On a summer visit to my brother in New Hampshire and his family a few years ago, we stopped in to visit my best childhood friend.   We ended up feasting on Maine lobster, and so now my dear friend and her family are known as the “lobster family”.  These meals and activities shared with friends and family tighten the connection and make great memories.

My siblings and I got reacquainted with our female first cousins through Facebook.  My sisters and the cousins (there are eight of us) all met up for a girls weekend in the Bay Area last July.  We had such a great time catching up and sharing stories of our parents and grandparents.  I joined the cousins twenty-six years ago for a family wedding in Colorado.   The rest of my siblings had not seen them since our Grandma’s funeral thirty-seven years prior in Maine.  Even the many decades between visits did not sever the deep-rooted family connections.

Over the last several years my niece and her children have stopped in on their way down to visit the Carolina Cousins.  Last year we traveled to her home near Plymouth Rock to have Thanksgiving dinner.   My children always look forward to these visits from their little second cousins.  How exciting to have so many relatives in so many places!    Nice to know it is easier to stay in contact with my family & friends wherever they are and no matter how many miles separate us.   I know a chat with them on Facebook, looking at current pictures and Skyping face to face, are just a few moments away.