* NOSTALGIC SUNDAY *

It's time for another Nostalgic Sunday!

I did a little much-needed shopping for myself yesterday and had partial good luck. Bought a pair of shoes I'm going to return. (I just knew they weren't right for me!) I just want casual and comfy. All I could find in 2 large shoe chains were winter boots, high heels and athletic shoes. Grrr...

But I did have good luck in finding...uh...women's undergarments! 😀 If you're like me, you just hate to spend money on that kind of thing and keep wearing old ones until they're thread-bare!

So, what does this have to do with a Nostalgic Sunday post? I missed not having my wonderful friend, Sherry, with me. We always have a great time usually shopping and eating out. We see each other about once a month because she and her husband moved quite a few miles away a couple of years ago, but she has some family here still, and of course ME! 

I also thought about my sister, Marian, who is the sweetest, nicest person I know and it's wonderful being her little sister. But just like Sherry, she doesn't live here either, and we're lucky if we see each other every couple of years. (She and her husband and two little daughters moved to Atlanta way too long ago.) Years ago, when we were younger, Ron and Mark and I would drive to their home, or to the Florida gulf to meet them and other favorite relatives there and visit for a week. Marian and I would always go to at least one mall to do some shopping and although she is 14 years older than I am....she could out-shop me any day! She's always been blessed with lots of energy, and I have just about none. As soon as we'd get to our next destination, I'd say, "Marian, can we stop and get a soda and sit down for a while?" That would just crack her up. (I'm glad I can always offer comic relief!)

And, in addition to missing Sherry and Marian, I ran into an old friend who I hadn't seen in years. She and Sherry and I all worked at the same company in the 80's. We talked and laughed for quite a while, and then it was time for me to start heading home. 

I also had some fun and interesting encounters with strangers that I'll write about some other time.

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.

I know I did, and I'm so grateful for all the good in my life.

“Some people have a wonderful capacity to appreciate again and again, freshly and naively, the basic goods of life, with awe, pleasure, wonder, and even ecstasy.” -- Abraham H. Maslow

* Nostalgic Sundays *

It's time for another Nostalgic Sunday.

As I said in last week's Nostalgic Sunday, I'm highlighting Christmases past during December.

On Thursday of this week I actually made some homemade Christmas cookies. (Well, if truth be told, they were from a package mix, but at least they weren't purchased at the bakery.) My motivation was because of an invitation to a Cookie Exchange/Chili Luncheon. I love cookie exchanges and I haven't been to one in years, therefore I was excited about doing some baking.

I made 2 dozen Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies. I'm dangerous around these cookies...or is it they are dangerous around me?!

Then, I made something I haven't made since my youngest son (age 24) was a little boy. Christmas Cut-Out Sugar Cookies! I used a mixture of old and new tools. My handy-dandy Pampered Chef pizza and dough roller, and three of my mom's cookie cutters! I can't tell you how happy I am to have them.

I've never had cookies turn out so well. Not too brown on the edges or bottoms....

This is the bottom of a star cookie. All I can say is....it must be the parchment paper!

I've never used it before! (I'm sure there are some voices saying, "You haven't?!")

I'm a true believer and will always use it from now on.

Some of the finished product!

I SO thought of my mom while I made these. When I was a little girl she always let me help: Rolling out the dough, pushing a cookie cutter into the dough, learning to put it on the cookie sheet without it tearing, and of course, the sprinkling of colored sugars on top!

I was home alone when I made these, except for Vern snoozing in the family room. I also had some Christmas music playing and I truly had fun. I was surprised at my feelings because I thought I'd be sad making these by myself. I did feel a bit melancholy but I also had fond, happy memories mixed in. I had a major "Aha moment," too, which was quite powerful and I hope it will help with my writing. (You just never know when those epiphanies will occur.)

I was either six or seven here. (1959 or 1960) I'm modeling the new robe I got for Christmas. Behind me is my sister Marian who I thought was so pretty and looked just like Betty Anderson, on "Father Knows Best." I was the flower girl in her wedding around this same time, too.

Here's another picture from the same evening. We always opened our presents on Christmas Eve, after Midnight Mass. Notice my brother, Mike, also received a new robe. I can't tell what he's holding, but it looks kind of like a pocket-watch. I don't remember anything about that. I do remember the chess/checkers game he got and the "Learn to Draw with Jon Gnagy" book. We both got one of those and I loved mine. I vividly remember drawing a dog; a boxer. I also see a couple of books there, which does not surprise me one bit. We grew up with books!

Once again as in olden days
Happy golden days of yore
Faithful friends who are dear to us
Will be near to us once more
Someday soon, we all will be together
If the Fates allow
Until then, we'll have to muddle through somehow
So have yourself a merry little Christmas now. (lyrics from Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas by Martin/Bane)

 

This Christmas song has begun to mean more to me over the past few years....must be that aging thing.

* Nostalgic Sundays *

Happy Nostalgic Sunday, Everyone!

After looking at some charming "way back when" photos on Kathy's blog yesterday, I decided to attempt to post some of my own here. The problem is....trying to take a picture of a picture, and with MY camera, the results aren't very good. I couldn't get half the ones I wanted because it just wouldn't focus. But...for Nostalgic Sunday.......

This is my mom. Isn't she adorable??
She has on a tiny necklace and what looks like a mesh shawl.
This would've been taken in early 1916.
(Yes, she was almost 40 years old when I was born.)

These are my two (older!) sisters and me. I'm in the middle.
[I think it's obvious we hadn't fixed our hair yet!]
To my left (purple shirt) is my deceased sister Jo Ann.
To my right (navy shirt) is my sister Marian, who lives in Atlanta.
This was taken in March of 1983 when we were in Iowa.
A little over a year later, Jo Ann died from a brain tumor.
(She didn't even know about it at this time.)

Remember my Illinois neighbors I wrote about on October 9th?

¸ ¸ ¸¸¸

Well, here they are at my 3rd Birthday Party!!

The little boy in the striped shirt and the girl in the checkered dress next to him.
I don't know if that's me in the back right corner, or not.
But the little boy in the back, by the door, is my brother, Mike.

 
"Oh, for the good old days when people would stop Christmas shopping when they ran out of money." ~ Author Unknown

* Nostalgic Sundays *

Time for another Nostalgic Sunday

Even though I'm away on vacation, I just couldn't let Nostalgic Sundays roll by without writing something. Especially since blog friend Patti, of Fill My Cup with Beauty, also posted about feeling nostalgic today. Thanks, Patti!

(Since I'm not on my own computer, I don't have my usual photo to post today, but I'm pretty sure y'all won't mind!)

Visiting my sister and brother-in-law, two grown nieces, a great niece, two great nephews, etc. tends to make a gal feel nostalgic! We've looked at OLD photos and reminisced about all kinds of things.

How have so many years gone by in such a hurry? Slow down, World! I want to savor all my memories and all my current adventures!

"I long, as does every human being, to be at home wherever I find myself." -- Maya Angelou

** Tuesday's Tidbits **

An extra special Thank You goes to Sue at Sue's News, Views 'n Muse! After reading yesterday's post, Sue realized I was most likely referring to a memoir she glowingly reviewed recently. She even listed the link in her comment: http://grannysuesnews.blogspot.com/2010/09/lets-take-long-way-home.html. The name of the memoir is "Let's Take the Long Way Home," by Gail Caldwell. I was practically jumping for joy when I realized Sue did have the information! But, now, I have a quandry. Should I still read "The Condition" first, before mailing it to Bookie/Claudia? It's a BIG book.....Hmmm...I think I'll go ahead and mail it to Clauida with her other winnings. I hope my library has Gail Caldwell's book, since I already own a gazillion books, and haven't even read a large number of them, yet! Ahhhh...So Many Books. So Little Time! ☺
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I don't know if I've mentioned a newsletter I receive about once a month that is full of literary magazines and contests and calls for submissions, etc. I've posted some of the information about them, but not the newsletter itself. The website is: Poets & Writers. It's full of wonderful information. Sign up for the newsletter and you'll be kept in the loop!
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You know all that irritating junk (snail) mail that fills your mail box practically daily? For years, I opened everything, realized it was junk and threw it away. Then someone mentioned to me about the great Buy One Get One Free restaurant coupons they received, or the Save So-Much when you spend So-Much kind of coupons. So, I started opened up junk mail again. Good thing I did, because recently I received a nice little rebate check in a blank-looking envelope, that almost got tossed before I opened it. And the coupons are worth going through, even if you only find one that you would use. Okay....I told you all that, so I can tell you this: I wanted to send something special to my sister now that she's home from the hospital, but I couldn't think of anything other than a cute homemade card. WELL, yesterday while going through stacks of junk mail that I'd let pile up in my office, I came across one for $4.00 off an Edible Arrangement! Voile! The perfect special gift! They're rather pricey, but I got a small one, since it's just Marian and her husband. She called me today to thank me and was so pleased and surprised and feeling quite "special"!

"When you urgently serve others, attack problems, enact solutions, and express your sense of family and friendship, the rewards will come back to you with equal speed." -- Pat Croce

** Memoirs, I Love Memoirs **

First of all, I called my sister this evening and we talked for quite a while. She sounded really good, even though she said she was obviously very tired. Hopefully, she can finally get lots of sleep and rest, being at home and in her own bed! All is well in the world!
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I finished reading The Midwife; A Memoir of Birth, Joy & Hard Times, by Jennifer Worth. I REALLY enjoyed it! It was such a different book from what I normally read and at first I didn't think I'd like it, but I really did. I read every night until my eyes were too blurry to see! I will now mail it to a blog friend who asked to read it when I was finished.
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Now, I've begun The Condition, by Jennifer Haigh. It's the one Bookie-Claudia chose as her extra prize in my 100 Word Contest. I demanded asked politely if I could read it before I sent it, and she graciously agreed!
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Speaking of books, I've been racking my brain trying to remember what blog I was at, not too terribly long ago, where the Blogger was raving about a memoir she had just read. I think we commented back and forth a bit and she said she was sure I would like it. Now, of course, I don't remember where it was!! I've gone through my blog roll of my favorites, and nothing looked familiar. HELP! If anyone reading this knows what blog or book I'm thinking of.....please leave a comment or e-mail me! All I remember is that it was a woman's memoir. That ought to do the trick, don't ya think? DUH! Aaacckkkk!!


Martha's Way: Place a slice of apple in hardened brown sugar to soften it.

Maxine's Way: Brown sugar is supposed to be soft?

** A September Sunday Night **

I experienced some Big Things today.

                                      I enjoyed autumn-like weather! Yay!      

My St. Louis Rams WON a football game!! Woo-Hoo! 

I told my publisher I wouldn't have my book completed before the end of this year and she was perfectly okay with that! Whew!

My sister was released from the hospital and sent home! Yippee!   

Notice I posted these in the opposite order of importance....although my sister and my publisher were hard to choose between...Just Kidding!!   BUT, I've been struggling, AGAIN, with staying focused, slipping in and out of The Zone, feeling inadequate....all those writer issues. I know it happens to ALL writers, famous and/or totally unknown, but it hadn't happened to me in quite a while. So, I finally "gave myself permission" to take a break from writing. I haven't spent more than a fleeting second or two even thinking about my book. I've turned to other interests that I hadn't been paying any attention to...making some greeting cards AND reading more! I also want to enter some writing contests (look out Sioux here I come!) and submit to all kinds of other publications. THAT should really help get my creative juices flowing again.

I still haven't talked to my sister, but have been kept up to date talking with my two adult nieces. I'll definitely call Marian tomorrow! If she says she wants me to come and stay awhile, you can bet I'll be hopping on a plane to Atlanta! Look out all my Atlanta-area blog friends!! I may be giving you a call, too!

Have a fabulously, blissful week y'all!

"Happiness often sneaks in through a door you didn't know you left open." ~ John Barrymore

** It's Friday...Again, Already? **

** Comment Like Crazy (Wednesday) went fairly well....although I only made it to about 1/5 of the blogs I follow! I visited quite a few more yesterday and hope to finish up today. I think my next Comment Like Crazy Day will be a week from Sunday, the 3rd of October. That should work out just about right! It was great fun catching up on so many fabulous blogs! Gee, that must be why I follow them! (Oh, BTW, I'm going through them alphabetically, so I don't lose track as to where I've been yet...so I'm sorry if you're at the end of the alphabet.

** My sister, Marian, who lives in the Atlanta area had surgery this past Tuesday. It was supposed to be one of those "routine" surgeries, but there were some frightening complications. She's still in the hospital and I'm not sure when she'll be released. I've talked to my brother-in-law and both (grown) nieces, so they are keeping me up to date. I just wish I didn't live so far away. She hasn't been able to, or in the mood to talk on the phone to anyone yet, but she knows her long-distance family members have made multiple calls to find out how she's doing, etc. I'm hoping she'll be much better by later today.

That's it for now. It's way past midnight and I still have some reading to do. Until later........♥

“The house does not rest upon the ground, but upon a woman” -- Mexican Proverb Quote