Ding Ding Ding Went the Bell...

I sing... the way most people would whistle or possibly hum... I sing... not very loudly... usually... I mean I don't suddenly burst into song and start belting out Broadway show tunes... but loud enough, occasionally, to be heard... which is not always a good thing... (at the office, in July, part way through a mindless Christmas carol). I have early recollections of my Grandmother singing while meandering around her house... nowhere else... not even the garden... not that I was there the majority of the time...but still, it would be hard to forget... Clang, Clang, Clang went the trolley... (which seems to be so completely out of character for her) but, obviously, was not... So, it must be genetic... this singing...

5th Floor Housewares...

My earliest shopping forays were at our downtown department stores, accompanied by my Grandmother, who always ended our day by taking me out to lunch... Today, I skipped lunch and headed out to Macy's on my lunch hour instead... they're having a one-day sale... this is the preview day... Being a seasoned shopper, I ended up doing a respectable amount of damage in just under an hour and left with some gorgeous bed linens for a mere fraction of their original prices... If you're lucky enough to have a Macy's near you, I highly recommend you check it out... while you're at it...grab your daughter or your granddaughter and make some memories along the way.

A Chicken in Every Pot...

I've gotten sidetracked on a couple of projects today, so dinner tonight is going to be a very simple affair... a few pantry staples... minimal prepping and voila! dinner is served... an oven-roasted chicken accompanied by my Grandmother's thickened tomatoes...

Thickened Tomatoes

28 oz. can diced tomatoes

3 to 4 slices French bread (torn into large pieces)

3 T. butter

2 T. flour

1/2 c. water

salt and pepper, to taste

Combine tomatoes and butter in saucepan; cook over medium heat for 8 minutes. In a small bowl, combine flour, water, salt and pepper; gradually add to tomato mixture. Cook an additional 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add bread, folding in gently. Remove from heat. Serve.

Where's Waldo...Kitchen Edition...

This is merely a taste...
of the sophisticated entertainment one should expect
when invited to dine en famille

a bit stuffy and rather highbrow... I know.
...just wait for the fruit juggling competition.

Sisters...

I'm the one in the cute dress...

you're the one with the bad perm... ha ha...

don't tell Mom... okay? okay?

hey... I'm too old to ground right? ...right?

On the First Day of Christmas...

Each year, I marvel at how quickly Christmas comes and goes... in the past, Christmas Eve was spent with my father's side of the family... Christmas morning always found us at home opening our gifts from Santa...
then onto brunch at my maternal grandmother's house... and back home again for Christmas Day dinner with my mother's side of the family...

It wasn't the twelve days of Christmas by any means, but it gave the holiday legs...a little longevity... Today, my comparatively small family has become even tinier... and this present day Christmas has dwindled down to a few hours on Christmas Day... I might have to start instituting a few new traditions... after all, I have a whole Christmas Eve to fill...

Merry Christmas...

to my sweet and silly family...

Happy, happy Christmas, that can win us back to the delusions of our childhood days, recall to the old man the pleasures of his youth and transport the traveler back to his own fireside and quiet home. ~ Charles Dickens

It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown...

Happy Halloween dearest Linus...

A favorite ghoul...or two...

Trick or Treat...then...

Waiting impatiently for darkness... running across lawns... through (almost always wet) leaves...

holding bags or pillowcases filled with candy... big candy bars... homemade popcorn balls...

even pennies and nickels... they were worth their weight at the little neighborhood corner store... icy cold bottles of soda from the pop machine... canisters of pretzel rods... oodles of penny candy... how to choose?

They did the Monster Mash...

My little brother's love for Halloween is steadfast, (fanatical) and longstanding... think Linus in the Great Pumpkin patch...

so, in his honor, I've decided to wind down October with a post or two celebrating the creeping, crawling, costumed, decorated and orangey bits of life...

all you have to do is find a comfy seat on the broom... hold tight... and come along for the ride...