memories are made of this

It started with a text from our neighbor.

He is in Boston, waiting out the virus situation here, and he remembered   that last year at Easter, he spent the day with us.        ( I had forgotten.. I was too absorbed in the now...not able to be with family)
The thing is,  he is not a Christian, but he wrote...Have a blessed Easter.

I was touched.
  I thought it was worth writing about. I was busy in the kitchen and as I headed to the computer I remembered something...my grandpa would say  " you can't cook dinner in the living room"  That was his way of saying that the stove was on and I should be heading back where I was needed.

You know how it is with memory..... sometimes you have it, sometimes not

Hard to forget Easter 2018 .  It started out in a normal sort of way.  We always celebrate here,  and the usual menu.   I was bending down to lift out the clay pot for the ham.   I could not get back up.   The pain was bad.   Very bad. With the help of hubby, we got the ham into the oven.  I stayed home from church. The girls always come early and help.  But, Anita called..".sorry,Christian is sick, I am so sorry, we can't come.  Tiffany is going to bring the salad for me." 
I could not let her know my concerns....
Then,  the doorbell rang  and it was Anita and family   " April Fools".
The rest of the day went well.  With the help of the girls our other guests had no idea what the morning had looked like, or notice my unusual walk.  

here is that pot...

Now you see it...now you don't... gone !




Another Easter memory...  forgetting where I hid the eggs... So Damon took over on the 100 + outside eggs, and I now take pictures of where the inside eggs are  ( they have $$ )

This is always on the menu
Jeanette's recipe.... Carrot cake 

Always on the table...no new ones this year  ( date on his bottom 2013 )   He is a keeper, that Old Bunny   

And there is more to decor than food

Gifted to our kids about 35 years ago
Full of Sees Candy !
Now it houses those yellow Peeps.  The same ones for a few years. No one eats them anymore.  Hmm.  Maybe I should introduce them to the grandkids   

These are also very old.... Solid sugar, me thinks.
No one dares to eat them either 

And pretty much always something "musical"  


One year we invited our neighbor across the street to come for Easter dinner.  He declined,saying he needed to pack, he was moving the next day.  So, our boys ( all the family here that year) headed across the street.  Sure enough, he had not packed yet.  Apparently he could not come to grips with the fact that his house did not sell and he could not make the payments and he needed to be out ! We all lent a hand.  

Then there was the day after Easter..because am sure hubby would not cut wood on Sunday.    Just down the trail, he had been cutting and stacking and on Monday...

But this year, well it will always be remembered.   No egg hunt.  No family gathering. But, wait... 

I put on a spring Sunday dress.... had prepared an almost typical Easter dinner with what I had on hand ... The new family next door have two little girls.  They are 2 and 5 years old.   About 9:00 we got the word that they were heading out to gather eggs.  So, while standing on a step ladder, I peeked over the fence.    It did not take them long to find 17 ( one is still hiding ) colored eggs.  We waved goodbye and headed inside. 

We had our own corned beef dinner and then met with most of the family on Zoom


The boys across the street came to our door with a basket of treats "Pick out something you like"

So this year will indeed be an Easter to remember. And every day we are thankful for the morning, long ago,  when Jesus arose from the grave !   Simply believe and receive the greatest gift of all... Salvation !
Read more in the Bible.  
Need one?    just ask me


I live an exciting life

and thankful

Father's Day

Holidays seem to take on a new meaning,
          now that I am a little older .
              so I am thinking about Father's Day a little differently
                  my father chose not to be  a part of my life but
                          I am so grateful for my grandpa. 
                                                   

                                               

    Though there were 17 of us cousins,
                I am still pretty sure I was his favorite. 
                                        He called me Kassy. 
   A nickname always adds  an endearing quality  to a relationship.
     

  We lived with our grandparents, so that helped to draw us closer.      

He taught me the value of saving money. 

  He was a very hard worker. 

 As the only driver in the family, he took us to Sunday School during the winter months. In summer he was in Alaska. 

     He took me to a movie. Actually it was a double feature. An army movie. Stalage  17. Something like that anyway. 

 And the story of John the Baptist and Salome

He didn’t ever go to movies, and we didn’t even have a TV until I was in my early teens.  I can almost bet he never took any of  my 16 other cousins to a movie .   

 ( I think he might have bought us popcorn, too, but I don't really remember  :) )
Other memories,  but that is enough for today. 

I was almost 16 when he died and that was a very long time ago. 

But I will always have good memories of my Grandpa.

 Lots of good memories of my Grandpa. 

 I  have 4 grandchildren 

         and I want them to know that they are special.  

            The way Grandpa made me feel.

It does not compare to the love of my Saviour.  But Jesus designed the family, and He provided my Grandpa to take the place in my life that I needed.

A night out

 after spending the whole day inside  and not feeling hungry until about 5:00 
                it was time to go out to eat.  
   I thought  I would just do the drive up window since
          I had been coughing and blowing my nose and could hardly talk.  So I did not bother to change from my mismatched sweats. 
That was the first mistake.

I remembered that I needed to keep track of my blood pressure once a week. 
So that meant going to Bartell's.   Wouldn't you know, two of my favorite cashiers were on duty.
Oh well.  
BP was out of the normal range, so off to the DQ.
That was the second mistake.
Decided it is more interesting to go inside and watch people than to go through the drive up window.
Did not see anyone I knew
but
several groups - families, together, and some of them taking off for home on their bikes.
Yes, it was 77 degrees and a perfect night for being out together.

Back to Bartell's to check BP- normal !  

 Driving home, I passed a father and his daughter I had seen at the DQ.  The little girl was struggling a bit on her bike, but Dad was there for her. In no hurry.



More times together with family. 
More times without being in a hurry.  
That is what I call time well spent.

( though i am alone tonight, I just spent 4 days with family in Minneapolis - good times, good memories )