A Random Memory from My Lips to my Daughter's Ears

In 1952, singer Patti Page’s hit song…How Much is that Doggie in the Window…was one of the popular tunes on the airwaves. I lived in Cleveland during that time. The song was playing on our car radio when my Dad turned it off. We were running an errand and I got out of the car and saw a toy store with a bear in the window, and made a bee line for it. The bear had brown fur and a green ribbon with tiny white stripes on it. I gazed at that bear and begged my Dad to buy it for me. My Dad was a sucker and I was his favorite daughter (only daughter) and we walked into the toy store and he bought that bear for me.

I didn’t need it wrapped or in a bag…I hugged it all the way to our car. To my surprise, its nubby tail had a squeaker in it and hence, I called my bear, Squeaky. Funny, when we turned the radio back on, the Doggie song was playing and my Dad sang…How Much is that Bear in the Window. He changed the lyrics and sang it for days that way.

When I went off to college, I took Squeaky with me. He would be a reminder of my home and my parents and he would be my safety net. When I got married, Squeaky moved with me to St. Louis and I had him for years even after some of my kids were born. Squeaky no longer squeaked, and the bottom of its feet wore off and I sewed some brown fabric on both. I had to replace his ribbon and I put him on the dresser in my first baby’s bedroom

Along the way, Squeaky got misplaced but in fact I am sure my then husband threw him away. But I still remember how I first saw Squeaky and how my Dad bought it for me and sang his own version of Pattie Page’s hit song. I would tell this story to my kids. I never thought anyone heard my story or even cared about it until this Christmas.

I was at my youngest daughter’s house and she handed me a present. I opened it and found some vinyl records along with Pattie Page’s record…How much is that Doggie in the Window. When I saw it I was touched and amazed that my story reached one of my kids.

I guess my memory did touch someone and for that I am grateful.

Thank you Becca for making my day and my Christmas!

Congratulations OLSH Chargers on your WPIAL Win!

This past Sunday, I attended a football sports banquet for my grandson’s team. He played football at OLSH. The football program has only been around for eight years. The first couple of years they didn’t win any games or if they did it was a few. Last year, when my grandson, Matt, was a junior at OLSH, they won their division and but lost in the playoffs. This year, they won and were the Big 7 Section Champs and the Class A WPIAL Champs! They got to play at Heinz Stadium which was quite an honor and one that they will remember for the rest of their lives! In reality, not a lot of athletes ever get to play at a pro football stadium.

In the past two years, I pretty much attended and cheered on my grandson and his team with all the other families and fans. It was an awesome season. A number of Matt’s family and relatives enjoyed watching the games and cheering on the team. They came decked out in the OLSH school colors and even made signs, cheering on Matt and the team.

While attending the banquet, I was impressed with the football team especially the 15 seniors. I enjoyed watching them and listening to their speeches. I don’t remember everything that was said but I felt like I was part of their extended family. Since they were freshmen…and now seniors, they still were funny but they had matured quite a bit. They had grown into extraordinary and respectful young men.

Each senior was given an award and they were allowed to say something…share a memory or give thanks. Pretty much most of them thanked their parents. When Matthew got up, he not only thanked his Mom and Dad, he also thanked me. I was touched and moved by this. He had introduced me to a few of his teammates, one that night and others when we ran on to the field to celebrate some of the teams’ wins.

  

My praise has to go to the families who sacrificed quite a bit by sending their sons to a catholic high school. And for all their time that they extended with their driving to and from practices and attending the games…some at home and others far away.

Mostly, I was impressed by how my grandson has grown and matured. He also was a dynamo and a force to be reckoned with on the field. He was chosen to the 1^st Team All-Conference for defense. Being his grandmother…he should have been named Defensive Player of the Year…and a number of coaches would agree with me. Regardless of football…I am so proud that Matthew always asked me to come to his games and invited me to his banquet. He is not only my oldest grandson but we share something special.

Congratulations to the OLSH Chargers for a wonderful, dream year!

Thank you, Matt!

Pumpkin Scones

It took a while looking for the perfect Pumpkin Scone. I looked through a few baking books and magazines and finally found the recipe that sounded like a winner.

I made them last week using flour, sugar, eggs, butter, half and half, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, ground ginger, and pumpkin puree. I increased the recipe and quadrupled it to make more scones making sure that I was precise and correct with my measurements.

After mixing the ingredients, I made long rectangle logs on the floured surface of the prep table and cut them into triangles, weighed them, and placed them on a sprayed parchment sheet on the sheet tray. Then I put the tray in the Walk In for the scones to get firm.

When everything was ready…I put the scones in the oven and rotated the trays every five minutes until the scones were golden and baked completely. I pulled the hot trays out of the oven and placed them on the cooling rack.

While I waited for the scones to cool down I made an a spiced glaze using powdered sugar, almond extract, half and half, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger.

When it was ready, I glazed the top of the scones. Of course I baked a tiny scone and sampled it without the glaze. It was good but with the spicy glaze, it was out of this world!

The scone was heavenly! I could taste the spices and the pumpkin. What I liked was that it wasn’t too sweet. With the spicy glaze brushed on top of the scone, the pumpkin and spice flavor popped out. It was delicious and I plan on making more for Erin’s Deli. The scones will be sold at the Deli starting in October.

Pink Ribbon Cookies and Pretzel Rods

October has arrived and that means falling leaves, mums, hayrides, and pumpkins. It also means Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Starting October 1, Sugar Ribbon Cut Out Cookies with pink icing will be sold at Erin’s Deli.

Along with the cookies you will also have a chance to buy Pretzel Rods dipped in Chocolate or dipped in Pink Chocolate with white, pink, and silver sprinkles. The pretzels will be sold two to a bag.

Support Breast Cancer Awareness with a Pink Ribbon Sugar Cookie or Chocolate and Pink covered pretzels.

Better still buy both and enjoy!

Confetti Cake

Making Confetti Cookies are easy and fun. I like changing the color of the sprinkles for the different months, seasons, and holidays. I will be making these cookies for a long time. I will probably make a Vanilla Bean Scone, using the sprinkles in it as well.

Last week, I made a Confetti Loaf Cake which I doubled the recipe with unsalted butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, flour, salt, and rainbow colored sprinkles. After I baked the loaves and let them cool, I frosted the loaves with a white vanilla frosting that had rainbow colored sprinkles.

I stepped back and admired the festive look of the cakes that would go down to Erin’s Deli.

The cake was easy and delicious and would make the perfect cake for a birthday or any kind of celebration. In the meantime, the cake will be served at Erin’s. Stop in the Deli and celebrate with a slice of Confetti Cake.

Being a Browns Fan - Ain't Easy!

I am a Browns fan and it definitely has been hard.

I wasn’t born in Cleveland. I was born in New York and moved to Cleveland when I was little. I attended grade school and high school in Cleveland and went to college in Ohio. So I have been a fan for a very long time. I have seen and felt the highs and lows of being a Browns fan. In the 50s and 60s, we had THE TEAM. We were winners and champions under Paul Brown and Blanton Collier. We had some great players like Otto Graham, Lou the toe Groza, and of course Jim Brown who was in a league of his own. The Browns were winners in the 50s and 60s. They won their last the NFL Championship in 1964. If they had a Super Bowl back then…the Browns would have had rings on one hand and one for the thumb.

I cheered for the likes of  Brian Sipe and the Kardiac Kids of the 80s. I loved how they would come from behind and pull out a win in the last two minutes of a football game. Those games left me excited, ecstatic, and exhausted!

Then there was the home grown Ohio boy…Bernie Kosar. He loved Cleveland and wanted to be the quarterback for them. Cleveland fans loved him.

I booed Art Modell and Bill Belichick when they got rid of Bernie, along with all the other disappointed fans.

Then Art Modell pulled the Browns out of Cleveland and relocated them to Baltimore. That was the ultimate worst offense and the fans wouldn’t forget it.

I wore a browns sweatshirt “Countdown to 1999” until a new team was formed using the same name, uniforms, and colors.  I owned season tickets with my daughter. We sat in the stands cheering, frustrated, until the Browns team looked like a third class team from some underdeveloped country that had no idea who they were or what they were supposed to do. Winning was elusive and watching them was even harder.

The only bright shining star was their offensive tackle, Joe Thomas who always played the game and always was constantly  named to the Pro Bowl, no matter what Cleveland’s record was.

I watched QBs come and go, along with coaches, players, GMs, and Owners as if there was a revolving door in Cleveland

The Browns were the butt of every joke. All I heard from my family and friends was how the Browns Sucked! That was hard to swallow living in Pittsburgh!

Every year when football season would begin, I would believe in the Browns but then the team just couldn’t do it. But this year, 2018, with a tie and a close lost, came the unbelievable win…after 635 days of not winning a game...the Browns gave the fans something to celebrate…a Win.

I do believe…Go Browns!!!

Decomposition Notebooks

Every so often my writing takes a back seat to life. I lied, my writing takes a back seat more often then I like it too.

Right now, I have sent a few queries out for my children’s book and for a few magazine articles. While I wait to hear if my writing gets accepted, I keep working on my Blogs and my journal.

I look for something to add a difference to my writing or someone to help me jump start it. The other day while I was at the bookstore, while looking for a book, I found a few of my favorite decomposition notebooks that I like to use for my writing. The last time I was at the bookstore I came across the decomposition notebooks and bought a few for Christmas presents.

This time I found an array of the notebooks and bought three for my personal use.  Okay, you’re thinking, what’s the deal? To you, nothing. To me, those little gems are a real treasure and those decomposition notebooks help me. They are like an aid. They are my writing muse.

Here’s hoping that my writing starts to move forward.