Let’s Go Back. And For Some Of Us, It’s Going To Be Waaaaaaay Back.

A memoir by a 6-year-old still has me stumped. And it got me thinking about what my own memoir would say, if I were still 6. Some of you, in your comments to my previous post, mentioned a bit of what your memoir would contain. (Thanks for the inspiration Dawn and Tori!)

I’d love to hear more!

Let’s all think back. Waaaaaaay back. And post the memoir you would have had as a six-year-old. It can be a poem. It can be prose. It can be long. It can be short. But all of them will be sweet, I’m sure.

We’ll meet back here on Friday and share!

Sound like fun?

Then get those fingers tapping!

Won’t You Be My Neighbor – Part II

Remember about a month back when I posted about the wonderful blog neighborhood I’ve created for myself ? Well, I meant to get to this sooner but the hustle and bustle of the holidays got the better of me. I was strolling in my neighborhood the other night, enjoying the lights and decorations you’ve all put up and I wanted to share with you a few more of my wonderful neighbors.

I’ve noticed, while commenting on other blogs, that we DO seem to run in the same circles, in the same neighborhood, if you will. And I just want to say, especially at this time of year, how grateful I am to have you all as neighbors and friends. Thanks for sharing your ideas, opinions and thoughtful posts. Thanks for your interesting, funny and kind comments. Thanks for visiting me, for welcoming me to the neighborhood – I still feel a bit of a newbie. I enjoy our time together and look forward to seeing you whenever we all sign on!

Maureen at Island Roar is the big sister I never had. She’s warm. She’s funny. She has kids just a bit older than mine so I can learn from all of her mis-steps and successes. Her youngest daughter and my oldest would be more than cousins – they’d be great friends and mischief makers. And the fact that they live just around the block from each other would make for some sleepless nights on my part. But Maureen would calm me down, just after gently chewing them out, of course – as only a favorite aunt can do. Holidays would always be brighter with Maureen around!

Faemom lives just down the street. Our boys are around the same age and we have great fun during the playdates. And then she blogs about the same playdate and I crack up because she’s noticed something and re-told it in a way that makes it seem fresh all over again. She’s insightful and wise. She finds humor in the simple, beautiful moments of our lives. Her life is about to get that much richer because she’s expecting and I’m just so excited and happy for her. We’re going to have to have a bloggy baby shower for her!

My dear friend at Burp and Slurp is a young student at the local university. She is a beautiful spirit. I love the stories she tells before sharing her food adventures. She is wise beyond her years. With a love of photography and good food, she shares wonderful recipes using ingredients that help me to stretch my culinary talents. My taste buds love to hear when she’s in town!

Country-Fried Mama is who I visit when I need a dose of reality. And although I’ve been in the south more than half my life now she’s who I turn to when I’m perplexed my some of the eccentricities of this beautiful place I call home. She makes me laugh. She makes me pause. But her love of her family is what I like most about her.

There you have it. Four more neighbors in my favorite neighborhood. I hope you enjoy visiting them as much as I do!

There’s Plenty of Love to Go Around

A dear blogger over at Classroom Confessions was sweet enough to send some love my way. Cammy thinks I have “fantastic” blog. She awarded me “Kreativ Blogger.” Thanks, Cammy! And Maureen, of IslandRoar, sent me some “Lovely Blog Award” love. Thanks, Maureen! I’m going to share the love with the following…but first…..

Part of the Kreativ Blogger Award I need to share seven random facts about myself.
1. I was a competitive swimmer for 12 years.
2. I am addicted to Coke (a-Cola, that is.)
3. Twenty years ago I had a small part in a major motion picture. I won’t say which one but Kiefer Sutherland is an absolute angel and so was the director. The other main star and a sleazy producer? Not so much. It completely turned me off of show biz and I took another direction with my life and I’m glad I did.
4. My first words were sung to the tune of a Herman’s Hermits song.
5. The first time I sang the Hallelujah Chorus in rehearsal with the Symphony Chorale I was a part of, I cried and couldn’t stop.
6. I visited Disney World the first year it opened and it continues to be my favorite place to vacation, much to my husband’s chagrin.
7. When I was younger I wanted to be the next Judy Blume.

I’d like to share the Kreative Blog Award with…
Robin at Passions and Soapboxes – She give great post and has such a grounded, loving relationship with her family. I’m hoping she’ll adopt me!

The Absence of Alternatives – Is it weird I’m honoring her twice? No! She makes me think and thinking is good. Love her writing style. If you dare….check her out!

Maureen at IslandRoar – No, she’s not getting this because she just gave me one. I already had her in mind when Cammy sent me her award. Maureen just tagged me before I could tag her. I enjoy checking in with her every day! Wonderful writing. She tells a great story.

And now the Lovely Blog Award. It feels a bit odd giving this award out again since I just gave this award to 5 Lovely Bloggers a week ago. But since the purpose of this is to recognize bloggers and send new readers their way I’m going award it again. And I’m choosing some “new” blogs (new to me) that I have stumbled upon and recently bookmarked. So…..

Warm Chocolate Milk – Beautiful writing and beautiful pictures. Need I say more?

If Evolution Really Works – Another excellent writer. Are you seeing a trend here?

Is it 5 o’clock Yet? – Her writing cracks me up. She’s so popular I’m sure she’s rolling her eyes at yet another fan giving her an award but if you need a little pick me up, she’s your gal!

There you have it – some of my old favorites, some of my new. Enjoy! And thanks again to all of you who stop by to see what I have to say. I’m truly honored.

The Not-So-Secret Ingredient

One of my hobbies is cooking. I wish it were something I appreciated and enjoyed when my grandmothers were alive because they each had some amazing recipes, techniques and food stories I would so enjoy learning about today. I watch cooking shows. I sit down and just read cookbooks. Friends and family seem to enjoy what I prepare. And I receive requests for certain specialties.

One of my specialties is my cranberry relish. My family requests it at every holiday. My sister and I love it when there are leftovers. We sit together at the kitchen table, each with a spoon, and share the bowl, all on its own.

My mother doesn’t enjoy cooking. She’s not a bad cook – it just isn’t her thing. Every time she asks me to share the recipe (which I know she’ll never make)  I say, “No. It’s a family secret.” Of course, I’m teasing. She argues that she IS family. She tries to get it from other family members. And she spends time guessing what is in it. She gets all of the ingredients right, except for one. Now I’ve shared this recipe with other members of the family; all people I know will make it themselves. I’ve even given it to fundraiser cookbooks for our school and church. It’s not a very complicated recipe. Just very, very yummy. My mother has watched me make it before. She’s even seen the “secret” ingredient as I’ve chopped it up and put it in the bowl. But, still, she pretends to forget what it is and we do the dance all over again when we’re eating our turkey or ham and the bowl gets passed around and is practically licked clean.

The funny thing about this recipe is it used to be much more complicated. But one particular holiday I was visiting my sister and things were crazy. Between the two of us we had 4 children running around under the age of 5. Our husbands were out doing guy things. We had so many people coming over and I decided to take a major short cut. I would use canned whole cranberry sauce (horrors!) instead of starting from scratch. That particular year there were no leftovers. Everyone claimed it was the best batch ever. I’ve never gone back.

 

1. Open up a can of whole cranberry sauce. Pour into bowl.

2. Add to the bowl: 1 finely chopped thin skinned orange (the whole orange, including the skin. If your skin is a little thick just add less skin), 1 cup golden raisins…..and for the not-so-secret-ingredient….2-3 T. finely chopped crystallized ginger (to taste — I like more rather than less).

3. Mix well and refrigerate for 24 hours. This step is very important as it allows all the flavors to meld.

4. Enjoy! We serve this all year round with turkey, ham, roast chicken and pork.

(The inspiration for this post came from this wonderful blog: http://countryfriedmama.com/)