Feeling Kitschy

Memorial Day and nostalgia go together. I had a stack of quilt squares from Quilt Sandwich, I had pineapple rings and maraschino cherries in the pantry. And I was feeling *kitschy.

I had been wanting to try PW's recipe for Pineapple Upside Down Cake. Jerrie told me it was easy and delicious. My grandma made pineapple upside down cake except she quite often used peaches instead of pineapple. She canned peaches and was pretty frugal. She served it with whipped cream from their Jersey cows.

PW says the cherries make the cake kitschy. I think baking in a skillet and the fresh whipped cream help too.


Since I had the kitschy fabric and a use for yoyo's I got busy making them. I hadn't made yoyo's since junior high. Just need to stitch a few more and then sew everything together. Yoyo's are kitschy and good, mindless entertainment on a rainy weekend. My sewing basket and thread are from my Grandma.

*Kitschy- adj. something tacky, over done, excessive sentimentality often is associated with the term.

Uhmmm, no hon, feeling kitschy doesn't mean that.

Happy Memorial Day

Hubby and I went to visit our local cemeteries today. We visited the graves of my grandparents and his great grandparents. We spent the afternoon walking around remembering family and friends.

The Greenwood Cemetery is close my heart. I lived just down the hill until second grade. My grandparent's farm was across the road and my great uncle and aunt lived next door. The house in the picture was Grandpa and Grandma's farmhouse.

For many years the Greenwood Cemetery wasn't maintained. It was totally overgrown and the markers were knocked over by vandals. It was a movie like, scary, graveyard. Now it is beautifully maintained and fenced. Hubby wondered why my grandparents were not buried there. It simply wasn't done at that time as it was too overgrown to drive into the cemetery. Now there is Dykstra row, as we call it.

After Sunday dinner we would sometimes take a walk to the cemetery. My Aunt Clarice would take me. Now she is buried at Greenwood. We loved to find this gravestone of Vernie, the little daughter of the Brooks. Vandals had damaged the lamb on her marker. I liked to think of the baby who was born and died in 1902, and of her family. Especially after I became a reader and read stories of families in the late 1800's and early 1900's, then I could imagine.


Thank you to the men and women who paved the way for me to live in the United States of America where I enjoy so much freedom. Happy Memorial Day!

Camping @ Home

Happy Memorial Day weekend! For many years we spent this holiday weekend on Camano Island. This year Hubby is working and Tess has a ball tournament. We all have good memories of going to the cabin, but as the kids grew up it has been harder to get there for Memorial Day weekend.

So, we improvise at home. Tonight Craig and Jolene are coming over for dinner. We have a few favorite foods we still need to enjoy, even if it's at home. Teens can dine and dash.

And I felt like cooking and baking today. A lot. I made a potato casserole, baked beans, dinner rolls, cookies, s'more bars. The baked beans are the good kind, with browned hamburger and onions, crushed pineapple and brown sugar. Hubby is grilling flank steak and turkey breasts. And Jolene is bringing the Snicker's salad. No Memorial Day feast is complete without the Snicker's Salad. You'll just have to trust me on this.

Due to inclement weather baking the S'more Bars is a good alternative to huddling around a campfire. My cookie recipe is coming later this weekend.

So, even if you're stuck in the house you have something to look forward to this weekend. A new cookie recipe!

Thanks!

I got a text from Sam, "I got the dang card."

amen!

The text came at 3:36 a.m. I woke up for the day at 3:30 and started praying. At five I thought I'd check my phone and yeeehaw, there it was. Good News!

He graduates and gets on the bus by eleven today... by 8 a.m. our time.

Phew and thank you Jesus.

I'm not necessarily laying awake worrying, just taking allergy meds that keep me awake at night but functioning during the day- nice huh?

Please Pray

Pioneer Woman is hosting another photo contest. Coming Home is a series of pics of soldiers coming home to their kids and wives. If it doesn't bring a tear to your eye, I don't know what will. So many stories in those photos.

This reunion photo was taken in Oklahoma in December of Sam and I. Hubby snapped it at Fort Sill, OK.

Since then Sam has finished his medic training at Fort Sam Houston, got on a bus and moved to Fort Benning, Georgia. He has been qualifying for Airborne at Fort Benning. This is his last week, he is making lots of jumps and hopes to graduate on Thursday. From there he goes to Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

Right before Sam left Texas the ATM machine ate his debit card. We were ready to get on the ship, and there was nothing we could do. Sam was leaving, we were leaving, it was a bad deal. He cancelled his card and got on the bus. He had no address. His mates helped him out with some cash.

After we got home, the bank sent his new card (takes 7-10 days), I overnighted it to his new temporary address in Georgia. I sent it on May 18. He doesn't have it. The post office isn't open when he isn't jumping. They won't let a friend pick it up, even though I specifically said NO signature needed. We have tried everything, I won't bore you with all the details.

It seems like a little thing, but it has gotten BiG. Sam leaves tomorrow, if he has to get on the bus without a his card we have to start all over. Cancel the card, order a new one, and then send it to North Carolina. Our frustration levels are high. He needs money.

Please pray for Sam to have a window to get to the post office and the card still be there. Please pray for Sam as he makes his last jumps to qualify. He needs to focus.

I am convinced God can make this happen for Sam. Just a small window of opportunity.

Let Them Eat Cake

My weekend started Thursday night with scrapping at Holly's house. I finished a Whistler mini book. Jodi and Kathi worked on some goodies for the fundraiser for Cash, pretty soon we all helped.

I brought Holly a hostess gift, maybe the strangest hostess gift ever. I found a wooden ironing board at a garage sale and had picked it up for Holly. We tried it out and it works just fine. We did not intentionally dress alike for this impromptu photo shoot.

Friday night was the fundraiser for Cash, and it was amazing. I could feel the LoVe of HIS people for Jack and Wendy and their family.
I have done a bit of thrifting this week and found a marble vase for my peonies. Hubby and I found a set of eight glasses and 3 small tumblers on Saturday morning. Travel theme! I loved them and planned to use them on the patio this summer until I researched them a bit. They may be too valuable for casual dining, actually they may be too valuable for me. I do love them tho.

On Saturday I baked a Rhubarb Custard Cake. And an Earthquake Cake, a naughty good chocolate concoction. Since it was Hubby's and Max's birthday week, I was bringing dessert to my folks on Sunday and I thought I'd give a choice. A selection, if you will, of desserts.

On Sunday, Max's 17th birthday, Kassie baked him a birthday cake too. CRX birthday cakes! The little yellow one looks just like his CRX except Kassie put on personalized license plates. So clever! He won't let us eat them.


A nice weekend, make that a WEEK celebrating the birthdays. We went to Anthony's on Hubby's day for both of their birthdays and then just kept on celebrating.

Today was back to boot camp and eat less, move more. But oh my, it was fun! While it lasted.