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Tag Archives: “family celebrations”

happy fourth…

7 / 4 / 15

fourth of july flagHappy Birthday, America – 239 years old today! The Fourth of July. A celebration of our red, white and blue. Flags flying high and proud. Displays of patriotism around every corner. Amidst the BBQ and fireworks, the tri-color jello molds and the stars and stripes fingernail art – I think we sometimes get too busy, so wrapped up in all of the preparation and planning (myself included) that we forget.  We forget to stop…              and say “thank you”.

As they say, “there is no land of the free, without home of the brave“. To our men and women , past and present, who have served this great country of ours… we are forever in your debt.  Thank you,  thank you;  a million times…  thank you.

That being said, I also 100% LOVE all of the wonderful family and friends traditions that we celebrate this glorious day. So many memories, going all the way back to my grandparents’ boathouse on the river when I was a little girl. Spending the day on the little “beach” with a picnic lunch, catching tadpoles and shooting the rapids. Returning, exhausted,  to our tiny little river house to enjoy smokebombs, “snakes” and sparklers, before we crashed, 2-3 people per bed, underneath a bizillion stars, in the middle of nowhere – the chirping of the crickets almost deafening…   Flash forward – Another vivid Fourth of July memory – exactly 25 years ago today. Pregnant with twins and confined to bedrest, I was feeling overwhelmingly a little “stir crazy” and decided to “sneak out” and watch the fireworks that night. Ha!! Let me tell you, there is absolutely NO WAY to “sneak” ANYWHERE when you are 36 weeks pregnant with twins.  Never-the-less; we did it anyway. I went into labor exactly 10 days later…

fourth of july kyle & lauren

fourth of july bike parade

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

fourth of july ornduffs

fourth of july with dave ornduff & kids

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I woke up this morning remembering the past 25 years with our kids… like a filmstrip of memories all jumbled up into a big ball of happy. Parades and popsicles, family and friends, petting zoos and jump houses, tattoos and water balloons, pony rides and decorating the bikes, neighborhood pool parties and family BBQ’s… I’m not gonna lie; I have felt a bit melancholy all day.               Sigh…

 

fourth of july lauren horse

fourth of july kyle

 

 

 

 

 

 

So I chose this beautiful pic and quote (at top) this morning as my inspiration for this year – July 4, 2015. Not a focus on our “rights”, as such… but, rather, our privileges. As Americans, we are so mightily blessed.  As a nation we must reject prejudice and embrace honesty. We are called to do the right thing.   Just because.  As (a very wise woman) Ellen says everyday at the end of her show… “Be kind to one another”.  

 

OK.  I’m done. Tri-color jello, anyone…?  Happy Fourth, friends xo

 

 

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the bunny corsage

3 / 27 / 13

Easter-birds-nest-GraphicsFairyI LOVE Easter.  It is a springtime holiday, and just for that reason alone it is a favorite of mine.  Spring is cheerful and happy and hopeful… The flowers peeking up from the soil (sometimes right through the snow… like now!),  there are little baby animals everywhere, warm rain and sunshine replace the sleet and freezing rain, we trade in the winter parkas for light jackets and pastel sweaters… I could go on and on and on. Suffice it to say that I simply adore spring.  As a little girl in a big (Catholic) family, we had huge family gatherings for Easter. It would start with church and my first warm, fuzzy memory… a “bunny corsage“.

Easter bunny corsage

A carnation with googly eyes, pipe cleaner ears, little whiskers and a big bow. To this day, one sniff of a carnation and I am instantly transported back in time.  Priceless.

After church we would head to my grandma and grandpa’s house for a day of celebrating with tons of food and sweets and extended family.  There was always ham and scalloped potatoes and lots of cousins.  We used the “pretty plates” and ate in the dining room under the beautiful chandelier. My Aunt Adeline would always make the coconut coated “lamb cake” and my mom would make little chocolate nests that would sit at everyone’s place.

lamb cake mold vintageEaster_lamb_cakeeaster chocolate nestseasternests

These little nests are made by melting chocolate and mixing with torn up “Shredded Wheat” cereal to form little nests.  Fill each nest with jelly beans and little “Peeps” or fuzzy bunnies or chicks.  Funny story.  One year my mom didn’t actually have “Shredded Wheat”, but she did have some “high fiber bran cereal” on hand.  That should work.  Well it worked all right.  Really well, in fact.  Especially for a few of my brothers who liked to sneak other people’s nests when they weren’t looking… (teehee!)

So time marches on… and suddenly you are in the position of “making” those special memories for your own children.  Some childhood memories we did our best to “re-create”… others we made up as we went along. I still remember going to the florist when my daughter was maybe four years old and attempting to explain a “bunny corsage”. Ha! Aunt Adeline’s “lamb cake” became the inspiration for a happy little bunny cake that the kids used to make and decorate.  The chocolate nests were a tradition that survived the test of time –  Made with Shredded Wheat, that is. When the kids were little we had an Easter Village, Easter trees and even made an Easter gingerbread house one year.  We were big on dying Easter eggs – our “trick” was to use 2 “tablets” per color to make them extra bright – and we made the most beautiful decorated Easter sugar cookies; chicks, bunnies, crosses, flowers, ducks… beautiful AND yummy; gotta say!!  But once again, time marches on.  Now those little people of mine are college seniors.  Easter is… well; different. I still decorate, but I realize that is basically for me at this point.  But that chandelier that hung in my grandma’s dining room is now hanging in my dining room.  The “bunny village” is tucked away for safe keeping and I have saved all of the cookie cutters. Yep.  I am patient and confident. There is no doubt in my mind that there will, once again, be bunny corsages in our future.  Someday… 

scalloped-potatoes-complete
Check out this blog, Dally’s Vintage Days, for a recipe for scalloped potatoes similar to the ones “Gram” used to make.

scallopedpotatoes1 recipe card

baked-ham-ck-1011300-x
Intimidated by the “How to’s” of a baked ham for Easter? Check out this video….
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Hello, friends!!

I love mismatched chairs and organized closets; springtime thunderstorms and Sunday morning coffee; pearls and puppy breath; welcome home hugs and walking the beach; fresh flowers and flea markets; autumn leaves and afternoon tea.

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