Trick or Treat!

This will be the third year in a row that it will be raining while the kids go out and Trick or Treat. What a bummer! The rain will slow the kids down, and wreck their costumes and the candy and will actually shorten the time they stay out.

In my area, we used to get a good number of Trick or Treaters. So, we always had a lot of candy and when we ran out of it, we would use the candy that our kids brought back and discarded because they didn’t like. The weeks leading up to Trick or Treat night was exciting for our kids. They would always try to figure out what they wanted to be. With nine kids, we usually didn’t buy those costumes but made them, or pulled them together with whatever we had in the house.

When they were little and I only had a few kids…I would make their costumes…like Raggedy Andy, or a bunny or angel. Those were easy to make. Then when more of my kids started to go out…they were usually a bum! We always had old clothes around, lots of leaves to stuff under their over-sized shirts and pants, and a wine cork. The wine cork was essential because we would burn it and use the ashes to rub over their faces. It seemed like every year they would be bums. But then it changed to store bought costumes that were handed down or bought on sale, or maybe someone would use their football uniforms and go out and Trick or Treat.

When I was little, I remember always wanting a store bought costume. One year, I wanted to be a devil but my mother, who was Catholic, was against it. So instead my first store bought costume was a skeleton one. But that was the year that it snowed and my bones washed away. I looked like I just had a black outfit on. But that didn’t stop me. In those days we lived in the city. My brother and I would go out treating with a large brown grocery bag. When we had stuffed the bag to the top, we ran home, and got another bag and filled that up. Those we really the good old days!

Regardless of how Halloween is seen by adults…it is important to be part of it and those memories or similar ones like mine stay with you forever!

Happy Trick or Treating!

Sleepovers - Now

Lately, I have been trying to have my grandchildren here for a sleep over at my house. The grandkids are always asking to stay over. So I decided to have one or two or sometimes three of the grandkids stay over-night on the weekends.

One on one is better because I can zero in on that grandchild. Usually with just one grandchild, I can let them decide what they want to do or where they want to go. I usually have special snacks that they like. I also take them to Barnes and Noble, or Target, or Five Below to choose a few things that they like and want.

We play board games and card games. Maybe we rent a kids movie On Demand, or watch a special movie or program that my grandchild wants to watch. I let the grandchild or grandchildren stay up a little bit later at night. The next morning, I usually make them pancakes with sprinkles or chocolate chips, along with bacon. After breakfast, we play more games until I take them home.

Having one grandchild stay over, allows us to talk to one another. With two grandchildren, one has to give in to the other. And with three, it is just a bit more chaotic.

So far, I have had nine grandchildren over for a sleep over. I have quite a few more that haven’t had a sleep over yet, but I plan on it.

It is kind of fun being grandma and having a one-on-one sleepover with my grandkids. I really do get a kick 

out of it. And it reminds me of the old days when 

Sleepovers - Then

I remember in the good old days…that is the days when my kids were little, sleepovers were important to them. It seemed like every other weekend, they begged for sleepovers. That wasn’t bad but when you have nine kids clamoring for a sleepover, it is. Sometimes there would be nine extra kids over. Maybe some of my kids would spend the night over at someone else’s house. But then if that happened, it wasn’t uncommon to have a number of my kids having one or two of their friends staying over-night here.

The sleepovers became a ritual. Of course, their friends would come over early on Friday. That meant supper and of course that meant pizzas! Besides pizza, there had to be snacks and some sort of drink.

Sleepovers do not mean kids sleep. It means they come over and stay at your house, clean out your refrigerator and food pantry and stay awake all night long. This is where parents come in…they stock up the refrigerator and keep the food coming. They make sure that the kids keep the noise level down. This also includes hauling them back into the house late at night when you hear the basketballs bounce on the court with the outdoor light on.

The next morning after you don’t sleep…you have to get up early and get some food on the table. That means…eggs, bacon, toast, pancakes, and someone does a run to pick up doughnuts. After the kids play some more…their parents slowly drag themselves over and pick up their kids. Other parents don’t show up for hours. Sometimes someone seems to be here for the whole day.

The sleepovers continued until my kids were well into their teens. Sometimes there would be at least another eight or nine extra kids here on some weekends. But it seems that every weekend there were extra kids over at my house.

The sleepovers turned into huge parties, and after prom parties. No one else was crazy enough to have those parties. Pizzas, pop, and snacks were a must. And the next morning an assembly line would form in the kitchen making platters of eggs, pancakes, bacon, sausage, and toast. By the time everyone went home…the house needed to be cleaned up.

Oddly, afterwards the house was strangely quiet. If our kids were at home, they would collapse on their beds from their hard night of being awake all night. The only people around and awake were us, the parents…cleaning up the house and trying to stay awake.

Honestly, I don’t miss the sleepovers but I do miss the kids!

Proud Momma

My daughter, the chef, invited me along to help her set up for her food demo at the women’s guild meeting at St. John Neumann’s church.

I sat with the other 18 women who were attending the demo. My daughter mentioned to me before the meeting that she hadn’t prepared what she was going to say and she would wing it.

Wing it? Not by a long shot. When you live your job 24/7, you don’t have to wing a thing or even practice what you are going to say. You know it all by heart. My daughter demonstrated how to make two different soups, pumpkin and French onion. She talked about all the ingredients that went into the soups and how those ingredients are probably already on your pantry shelves.

Her demonstration and talk was flawless. She’s been a chef for over 15 years and it showed. Erin didn’t have to practice a thing; she has been living her craft for years in her catering kitchen and now in her own deli, Erin’s Deli, in downtown Pittsburgh.

During her demonstration the women were taking notes and writing down the recipes. They asked a number of questions. Erin had already made the soups in her kitchen. But she showed the women how to make each, step by step. Afterwards, the women lined up and sampled both, and a number of them asked for her business card.

Like the proud mother that I was, I didn’t open my mouth during the food demonstration and just sat quietly in my chair enjoying watching my daughter talk about what she loves. I just beamed with pride as I watched Erin weave her cooking magic on the audience. All I could think of is that is my daughter, Erin, the chef!

S-L-O-W!!!!

Ok – as I get older, I will reluctantly admit that I am moving slower. Let’s just say that the mind is willing but the body is in age revolt. I used to be able to take care of a family of 11, including cats. In one day I cooked, cleaned, washed, grocery shopped, and car pooled.

Now with the family grown up and living in their own houses, I don’t have to do any of my old jobs. Much of the time, I write or babysit and when I need a meal, it is just a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Right now I don’t have to do a lot of different jobs, so I can pick and choose whatever I want to. I do babysit and in between that job, I help out at my daughter’s catering kitchen. I’m not quite sure I am much help because sometimes I get my assigned jobs done on time. At other times, I move and I work like an old turtle. I amaze myself as to how slow I move and do my work.

So, I wasn’t surprised at the outcome the last time I was helping out in the kitchen. I came in and was ready to work. I finished both of my assigned jobs…cutting up red pepper, green peppers, and a purple onion to make tortellini skewers. Then I skewered the 5 dozen pieces of chicken for chicken satay.

I stopped occasionally to sample the freshly baked goods – a cupcake, a bagel, and a sweet roll. That seems to be the perks for working in the kitchen; a delicious perk, indeed!

Maybe it was all those delicious samples that I ate but my output started to slow down, as I tackled my next job – cutting ciabatta bread for small sandwiches, along with the mini buns for 65 sandwiches. I assembled four different varieties of sandwiches. After two hours, my daughter looked at me, told me that I was S-L-O-W, and that I was done and could go home.

I was a bit miffed but I left. Yeah, I was slow because I wasn’t feeling 100% like myself and I was nursing a cough due to allergies or asthma. Yeah, I was S-L-O-W because, just because all those samples of pastries and bread S-L-O-W-E-D me down. Then again maybe age has something to do with it. With age comes being wise and a little bit of being S-L-O-W.

Two Strawberry Shortcakes and a Turtle

A few years ago my one daughter in law was planning a joint birthday party for her two little girls, the theme was Strawberry Shortcake. I thought that was great and started to tell her about my high school classmate who worked at American Greetings in Cleveland. My classmate was the one who created the character, Strawberry Shortcake and her cat, Custard. My daughter in law got really excited and asked me if she could get in touch with her and ask her if she would send something for the birthday party. Sure, go ahead was my response. My daughter in law did and lo and behold she received to pictures of Strawberry Shortcake. On top of the picture one said – To Berry Sweet, Charlotte, and the other said, To Berry Sweet, Mary Grace.

I thought that was great of my classmate. She took the time to answer a letter and send out those pictures to my granddaughters, who are still really excited about it. The other day, while I was visiting my son, he pulled out the brown mailing envelope and showed me the pictures. They still weren’t framed, but my granddaughter told me she still liked Strawberry Shortcake and said that the woman, who drew the picture, was my friend.

I laughed and thought how cool that she received the present and how sweet of my classmate to do that. I promptly asked him why he didn’t frame those pictures. My son hemmed and hawed. I realized that having four kids kept them busy and so did settling into a new house and my son and his wife was extremely busy.

So, like a good grandmother – I took the pictures. A few days later, I took those pictures and  other picture that my granddaughter, Hannah had drew, painted and gave to me. It was a beautiful, colorful turtle. I love turtles. I have a black turtle tattoo on my shoulder. In a crazy moment, at the beach, I went to a tattoo parlor, and had that turtle etched on my back it was my gift to me after I graduated from Grad School.  That turtle is a reminder of the sea and the Grateful Dead!

With the three pictures, I had my friend, Mickey come along with me to Michael’s to help me buy my frames. We were successful and Mickey took the frames and then pictures home to frame for me.

Tonight, I am handing the Strawberry Shortcake framed pictures to my son. The turtle one will be hung up in my house.

Let’s just say…thank you, Muriel, for making two little girls happy. Those pictures will be hanging in their new bedroom, in their new house. As for the turtle drawing…thanks, Hannah. I love it! And thanks, Mickey for cutting the mat and framing those pictures for me!!