Share a memory Sunday

[Harriet]

Share a memory - "How'd they do it?"

Last evening Lynlee shared a memory of enclosed verandas, big families and sleep-outs.

We're always amazed to think that previous generations (or maybe in our childhood) managed to accomodate the bustling households and accomplish the hard chores that they did.

As we approach a season for family and appreciation, what's a memory that makes you smile now to think, "How they did it".

[Harriet]

As I remember my family's Christmases now, I realize the furnishings around us in my two grandmother's homes were "Victorian" but I had no idea of it then - that was just how grandmothers' houses looked. The most astonishing memory from my maternal celebration was the Christmas night my older dboycousin brought his new tape recorder, the first any of us had ever seen, and recorded our voices. My grandmother didn't believe it was her.

Today I went out and got two new eggs from my two new girls - they have just started to lay. How easy for me, with Purina making a feed for me to pick up at the farm store and straw set out in bales for me to buy at the home store. That same maternal grandmother used to milk 8 cows, gather eggs from a big flock of hens with no convenient store to help her provide for her animals, churn the cream into butter, and make the trip to town as the local "butter and egg lady". But no one considered her "working outside the home". And by her own account, she didn't work nearly as hard as my paternal grandmother, and so, I now realize, I am a total wuss!

Yes, cool to hear LO is approaching reading - no doubt OKay's trips to the library have encouraged this.

DangerBoy, given a small build-it toy starter-set of ten or so little interlocking parts, was considering the picture directions. The box said the set could build a "bird" but the picture didn't look like a bird, and you needed more sets to build any of the other animals. We were saying how can you be imaginative with so few pieces, anyway. The next thing we knew he was tugging his shirt sleeve down, down, while holding the pieces. He had made a curved hook like Captain Hook for his hand, and went off to threaten, um... ...show... his brother.

[Sadie]

Good Morning Ladies,

I think the weather is matching my mood, cloudy and cold.

It the first Thanksgiving-Christmas Season without my dmom. And I miss her a lot. Seem to tear up a lot.

We're having family dinner on Monday night, I'm refusing to call it Thanksgiving because it is too far away from the real day. (Rant ahead) I found Thanksgiving Day to be one very big annoyance. First of all, had to work, get ready for the Black Friday sales which actually happen on Thursday. Annoyed by people coming in to shop during this time and asking:" How was your Thankgiving?" Don't they realized we are here so they can run in and shop!

The phone was ringing with all kinds of questions about sale. Tons of people showed up,people sitting in lawn chairs down side aisles, it was hard to even walk in the store. Parking lot totally full, people parking on the grass. Crowds gathered around items, WM workers told to "guard the merchandise" until the clock strikes 10. Many of my co-workers felt intimidated and even in danger by people as they tried to tear open shrink wrap and get to items. It looked like a news film where the truck of food pulls up to starving people in some third world country and the crowd over powers it to get the food.

Scuffles in the parking lot over x-boxes.

Returned Friday and Saturday to work to-----basket after basket after basket after basket of......returns!

Just that time to the year I don't like retail.

Sorry girls, Just had to vent.

[Twins' Mom]

Yes, lots of memories of past holidays. We usually had Thanksgiving with just our family and my grandmother, who lived in a house on the back of our property. There was often a Christmas get together with dmom's large extended family. Of seven kids in dmom's generation, five were in this area, so there were a lot of first cousins of all ages. Lots of meals where everything was put out buffet style and you went and found a seat anywhere - living room, dining room, on a bed, front or back porch. Also, no A/c for those summer gatherings (I don't know how we would stand that now!) so lots of time outside on a porch or under a tree in the yard.

I am so happy that I'm not taking dd and the crew back to K-town today! Another mom is taking them and I'm getting to stay home while it's nasty out today. Dh has left to take ds to ATL - he kept asking if I didn't want to go along, and I kept laughing at him! I will probably do the pick up week after next when dd's crew comes home for winter break. (I don't feel guilty sending dh off with ds - since last Monday I've driven 11 hours of our trips - picked up ds on Monday night, then 3 hours to NC on Wed and 3 hrs back on Friday. I'm tired of driving.)

Going to have a little nap with ddogs.

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

I have wonderful memories of Christmas (my avatar is me on my toy phone, calling Santa to thank him for my gifts.)

The photos of Christmas at my maternal Grandmother's house are amazing. The house full of her 4 children and their families, plus my Dad's sister and her family, plus several of my mom's cousins and their families. I'm only in one picture because we moved to Ontario when I was 20 months old.

Now that I'm grown up and compare those pictures to the ones of my childhood Christmases, I understand how much my mother gave up and how hard she worked to make different kinds of memories for our tiny family. The dining table looks so empty with only 5 of us. And I had no idea how much those big parcels from 'home' would have meant to her or the short phone call we'd get (long distance was so expensive.)

Dd just was on Skype with me and her first comment was

Holy carp I can extrapolate that Christmas is just a crazy amount of work
I am making lemon squares, shortbread, and sugar cookies for the party today
I'm exhausted so, um, belated extra thanks for 25 spectacular, magical Christmases.

((((Sadie)))) I'd say it get's better, but I'm tearing up now, thinking of my mom, and it has been 10 years for me. So I'll just give you hugs and tell you it's normal.

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

Church went well today. The musician went nuts with decorations and 3 people went out and bought more battery candles so we have more than enough!!!!!

The service was its normal chaos (we are very chaotic little church) but went really well. There was one new person (young adult) and she hung around after for a couple of hours helping us decorate the basement for tonight. Since she seemed at loose ends and was coming tonight anyway, we'll go pick her up and she'll come early and help put out all the food. I explained that we try not to be a vampire church (fresh blood!!!!) but today we could really use the extra help if she was interested.

The basement looks very pretty now and it was fun doing the decorating with 4 kids and a couple of really fun adults to help. Everyone had bought something for decorations so we have cute little lights for the tables, Christmas napkins and pretty table cloths. I love how our church just pulls together like that.

Dh and I are not talking this afternoon in order to protect our voices so I've got skype open in order to pass along messages (i.e. Harriet's Danger Boy story.) I've had my lunch and dinner will be at 4ish so I'm off for a nap now and then maybe watch a video.

[Harriet]

Sadie I couldn't help myself and shared your post a bit with family. HRH and dsonil were disapproving to hear that your coworkers felt intimidation. They each had remedies in hindsight, but they might not pass muster with your manager. Both said they believed without an in-store receipt for the chairs, they did not have to be allowed inside the store for seating. I don't think we had many reports of scuffles, etc. here, but there was some incident in a local store in which police had to subdue a man - don't know if it was sale-related. About the buggies of returns - how in the world can people already know they want to return so much?

Well our little family of houseguests is gone, after a spirited game of multiple frisbees on the front lawn. DangerBoy's face fell when told it was time to leave - I think he'd stay here indefinitely. Our lunch was leftovers. (Finally, I had too much food in the house! LOL) Dsonil got a recipe for his next family gathering from dstepdil's family, brought to this gathering - nice that that will be shared between 2 completely different groups tied by our house. Dd33 and I compared potential Christmas card photos and I switched and think I'll enclose one that she took this year. It's remarkably similar to the one I must have gotten a second later, but expressions are a little brighter and hers has slightly less background, is more of a close-up.

Twins Mom, does this mean you have some time to yourself today to wind down? I hate to hear you talking about bad driving weather - I think it is headed our way.

My only "need to do" today is to drop by the pharmacy.

[Norma]

In the early '40's when WWII was raging my dDad had the movie theatre in our very small Eastern Oregon town. For Christmas he would order all kinds of good "kid's" movies - Roy Rogers, Gene Autrey, Hopalong Cassidy and lots of cartoons as his gift to the children of our little town. The merchants would supply goodies for Christmas stockings for each child. He would run the movies all day long and we kids had a wonderful and fun memorable Christmas Day.

Many years later when my dDad died I wrote to my best friend from those years to tell her. She came back with a wonderful letter telling me how she remembered the special Christmas days when Daddy would have his "party". She went on to tell me how she remembered what a great person he was that he would do that for the kids. My tears are flowing now remembering those times. He was so special.

[Twins' Mom]

Sadie, I think I read some info here regarding rowdy crowds breaking into Wal-mart pallets before the appointed time. I agree with Harriet's comments about the chairs; should be a fire hazard if aisle were being blocked and management should have taken care of it.

Harriet, yes, lots of rain, ending with snow flurries tomorrow night!

Wonderful nap with dMoses while the rain came down.

Must write for temple bulletin next.

[lucylee]

I guess they STILL do it, with my ddad's family. Sounds a lot like Twins' memories... all of us crowded around in dgparents' house, everybody brings something, fix you plate & find a seat wherever you can. Our family is almost too overwhelming for ddil. There are 28 of us, I think. Both dgparents are gone, but dstepgm still hosts the gathering. When I was little, of course the cousins & cousins-in-law didn't number so many, but great-grandmother was living, and we usually had an extra great-aunt or someone visiting.
I still miss my grandparents a lot... and my duncle who has been gone 5 years now. (((Sadie)))

Extra (((HUGS))) for (((Sadie))) for the retail business. * sheesh * People are just insane.

I have ordered two things online since Tgiving day. Have NOT been to ANY stores except drug stores & small grocery store.
I will have to go to Wmart today, though. Dfil's caretaker called w/list. Some things cannot wait till tomorrow.

Of course, yesterday was quite disappointing. Not too completely surprising, but still, we had that slight glimmer of hope for a miracle and our team just couldn't pull it off. We are pretty pitiful since our last year's QB moved Harriet's way. Besides the fact that I didn't want to be there ANYWAY, feeling so torn between wanting dh to be happy & wanting to be with the rest of my family at dcousin's funeral.
And then, coming home last night, my eyelids began to itch, and this morning they are sooo swollen & puffy. And still itchy.
I cannot imagine why this is -- yes, I used new eyeshadow yesterday morning, but it was the EXACT brand, EXACT color, EXACT everything of the old, which has NEVER given me the slightest problem. * sheesh *

Cold & rainy here, too... w/even a slight possibility of snow flurries by morning. I don't expect anything to stick, but still... ooohhh, it's early to hear those words.

I need to call dmom. Hate to do that b/c ddad is such a fan of the OTHER team... AND ddad probably thinks I'm awful for attending the game...
Need to change sheets.
Need to s2s, go to Wmart.
Need to find something I can put on eyelids to stop ITCHING!!!

Plus dmil called & said one of her sisters has been moved from nursing home to ICU @ hospital. Very low blood pressure. She has had stomach virus. At 93 years old, this is not good news. We may need to go by the hospital later this evening, also.