A First Mother's Day

Rachel had her very first Mother's Day this year! She called me up at 9:30 to say that she was coming to pick me up and take me to breakfast! She did that last year, too. Rachel is a wonderful daughter, and now she is a wonderful mother to her little Dora!! We went to the Harris Bakery for breakfast. This place is a small little cafe like establishment located downtown. They have the greatest French toast and other types of baked goodies. Last year, Rachel and I walked around downtown after breakfast. This year, Sally joined us for breakfast. Sally is Rachel's mother in law. Don and Dora were there as well, so we had a great time. After breakfast, we went to Forsyth Park and took pictures. The weather was beautiful, and the park was as beautiful as ever.  Dora was a bit fussy as the day progressed, so they went on home after the picture extravanganza. I said the weather was pretty, and it was, but the atmospheric pressure was changing in preparation for some rain later in the day. Dora was born four weeks early on a day just like that. She apparently doesn't like it when the atmospheric pressure changes, and she gets fussy and upset. The nurses told Rachel that many people go into labor when this type of weather occurs. So, I have decided that Dora just does not like bad weather when it is approaching!! That is my diagnosis for the situation! haha  I put a small roast in the oven and let it cook. I should have put two in the oven, because we had company a little later!
Here are some pictures of us in Forsyth Park!! Look at that big yawn!! Ho hum, let's get this photo shoot done already!! HA!HA!

Later in the day, my sister Susan and niece Kate came into town, and my cousin Mina came over. My daddy wanted to go to the cemetery to visit my mamma's grave, so the five of us made visits to two cemeteries. We visited my mamma's grave and put some flowers there. Then, we rode around to the other side of that cemetery and visited my sister's mother in law's grave. After those two visits, we drove over to another cemtery to visit my aunt, Mina's mamma. Our own sweet and loving mammas are not here to celebrate with us, so we must always remember to go visit them and tell them how much we love them and miss them. The rain started to come, while we were on our visit, but it just sprinkled. Mina's umbrella was blown inside out as we were leaving, and that was funny! It seems that when you are in a somber place like that and remembering those you love, something fun usually happens to lighten the mood and make you laugh!! Our sweet mammas would want us to laugh. My mamma was full of jokes and laughter all the time!!
 When I was young, and up until not many years ago, cemeteries really scared me. I'm not sure why, but I was afraid to be around anything like that. Now, a visit to the cemetery is rather calming. I suppose it helps that my mamma is in Bonaventure, which is a beautiful, historic place with lots of trees and overhanging moss. It is also right on the water.
We stayed out longer than I expected, and I was very worried that my roast was going to be a peanut by the time we got home!! No worries, though. The roast was very tender, and the gravy was wonderful. When I was buying onion soup one day, the only kind they had was Beefy Onion. I had never bought that kind before, and I was worried about how it would taste. Well, that is the only kind I had left to use, so I put it in the roast pan. Yum! Yum! Good!! I will buy that flavor all the time now!!  So, the roast was great, and I made rice to go with it. You just HAVE to make rice and gravy to go along with a roast!  Daddy made some mixed FRESH vegetables the day before, so we had a nice little banquet with Dewilla, Daddy, Susan, Kate, and Mina. We had a nice time together. Rachel and Don did not get to come back over, because Dora stayed fussy all day. They got to spend most of their first Mother's Day together at home, though, so that was okay.
 I missed my Adam this year. He is living in Tampa, Florida, so I did not get to see him on Mother's Day. He called me TWICE, though, and wished me a Happy Mother's Day, once at 8:30 and again in the afternoon. That thrilled me to pieces!
My Rachel has her own daughter now, and she is a terrific mother. I love my children dearly, more thatn words can ever express!!  I thank God every day for my children and my whole family. If it were not for his loving grace, I would not even be here, so I thank him every day for keeping me here with my children and family. 
Have a great day!!

Is It Summer Yet?

I have been off work for two days, feeling kinda poorly, and being home makes me think that it is about time for summer to arrive! The end of the year testing has come and gone at school, and that always makes the students think that summer is actually already here! There will be many things going on to wind up the year, so I hope that we have an easy transition into summer. Our new school building should be ready for us around the middle of the summer, and that will be a great happening. I ride by the site often, and the workers are busy getting everything finished and ready for the new school year. They work on Saturdays, even!! Actually, they are about a month ahead of schedule!
My granddaughter is really growing! She is over 12 pounds now! She is the love of our lives! Little Dora doesn't realize yet how much joy she gives to everyone. We all just stare at her, watching her every move, and we hold her continually! So far, she doesn't really know what it is like to be out of someone's arms! When we do put her on a blanket on the floor, those little legs of hers just kick and move and kick, kick, kick!!  She is so cute!   I have a big summer planned...visiting my little Dora as much as I can!!  That might not sound like a summer plan, but it is a great one for me!!  My daughter will be so happy to be off from school. A working mom always has such a hard time being away from her little ones. I remember vividly how much it hurt to have to go to work when my children were so little. We cannot all stay at home, unfortunately, but we do what we have to do. We appreciate our time with our babies and our children all the more, because we know how precious and special that time really is.
On another note, I bought myself the pasta roller and cutter system. I am planning on making some homemade pasta today. I have been watching Fabio Vivianni make pasta, and he makes it look so easy. We had a great time at Easter making pasta, and I am going to relive that moment today. Wish me luck!  I found a great deal on the set, online at Sears, so I don't feel too extravagant for buying it. The deal was one of those where you don't know the price until you place the order, and then the price is cut way, way down - PLUS FREE shipping....couldn't pass that up...AND the entire set is made in ITALY!!  So, I think I got a good deal.
My summer will be filled with lots of summer pasta salads and sauces, I do believe!!  Check out his fun videos, and you might just want to order yourself a pasta maker, too! Check out the link below. I hope it works for you.
So, is it summer yet?? Not quite, but almost...yippee!!

http://fe8.shine.sp2.yahoo.com/channel/food/fabio-s-perfect-pasta-2594301

Spring

It has been a while since I have blogged, and there are many things to talk about. I have pictures from Easter and pictures from our Susan G. Komen walk to post. My last writing was about the car seat I bought for my new granddaughter. I haven't gotten to use it yet, though! So, I will try to fill in the blanks since the last post. Spring break has come and gone. We went to Tampa for Easter weekend to visit with Adam and Vicky. While we were there, we went to a nice park that reminds me of Daffin Park here in Savannah. We ate at the Cheese Factory the first night. I was rather disappointed with my meal. I should always get the first thing I am interested in and not count on the waitress to suggest anything!! The cheesecake that we took home was great, though! We finally attended church where my family went way back when we lived in Tampa, around 1959 - 1960. When my parents went to that church, it was in its beginning phase. The worship service was held in the social hall, and the building fund was going on. My parents supported that fund for many years after we moved away. I attended kindergarten at that church. I can still remember the playground that had little cement tunnel things that we could climb in. I also remember playing rythm instruments during class, like the tambourine, sticks, and shaking things. For Easter Sunday, we went to the Manhattan United Methodist Church. It reminded me of our Epworth, because it was a small, older congregation. The people were very welcoming. I just wish Mamma could have gone to visit that church before she died. She always wanted to visit, but we never got there. Dora and her 'stash' on Easter morning.

Rachel and Dora in front of the Tampa house. How do you like those windows?

Dewilla, Vicky, and Adam in front of the church

Dewilla in front of the church sign

Adam and Vicky looking "cool" at the diner

Rachel looking "cool", with Don doing the usual 'phone tech' thing

After church, we went out to eat at a small little cafe. I think it was actually called a diner. I think it is one where the "cool" people go, if you catch my drift. It was a bit eclectic in a certain section of Tampa where I have never been. The food was great! We went home and took a few pictures in the backyard. Daddy planted several orange trees years ago, and they make a pretty spot for pictures. Adam and Vicky have fixed up the yard very nicely. Vicky and her sister even built a little deck. Adam and Vicky found some nice marble pieces to put in the yard. They went to a little island and got some white rocks to use for a fire pit. They have Orchids growing, even! It is a nice little yard. I remember playing in that yard as a five year old, hanging clothes on our little clothesline that Daddy put up for me and Susan. I also remember playing marbles in the backyard. I wonder if any of them are still there buried in the sand?

Later in the afternoon, we went to a nice park that reminds me of Daffin Park here in Savannah. We had a nice walk. Vicky took a run around the park, while Rachel fed Dora and the rest of us took a rest in the shade! The park is right next to the Air Force Base. As we rounded the bend, we came upon the fence separating the park from the base. How wild was that!!

One of my oldest and dearest friends from Germany lives in Lakeland, Florida, which is not far from Tampa. I try to get together with her whenever I am in Tampa. This year, she came over to Tampa to see us. Since we have the carseat now, we cannot all fit in the same car. Rather than driving two cars to Lakeland to see Dawn, Dawn drove over to see us. She brought her granddaughter, Paula, with her. Dawn is in this first picture holding Dora. Paula is in the second picture. We met at the DSW store. This outing was Dora's first trip shoe shopping with her mom!

Our neighbor from fifty years ago, Chisato, still lives in the house next door. Chisato is from Japan. She was a young lady when we lived there. She married an American businessman who was working in Japan, and they moved to Tampa. She never had any children, so she is now all alone. The only family member still alive is her niece, who lives in Hong Kong. Adam and Vicky went to Miami for a wedding last weekend, and they went fishing. They caught some tuna and brought some home. Then, they called Chisato to come over for dinner. She made a Japanese dish for them, with sticky rice. She cut the tuna just so, and then they placed the tuna over the rice. I cannot remember the name of the dish. She makes sushi sometimes, too, and invites them over to her house. I am not a fish fan, and I am definitely not a raw fish fan. Chisato was very excited to come over and have dinner with them. I think it is necessary to be kind to our elderly. So many people just ignore their family and friends when they become older, and I think that is awful. The Bible tells us that we are to take care of our older parents, and if we do not, that we are worse than unbelievers. I am including the scripture reference so you will not think I am making this up. I Timothy 5:4-8 "Children and grandchildren of a widow should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God. The widow is really in need and left all alone puts her hope in God and continues night and day to pray and ask God for help. If anyone does not provide for his relatives, especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever." There are many people who profess to be Christians, but they forget that they are to take care of their aging parents!!! Many people are selfish these days, unfortunately. What would have happened to them if their parents had not taken care of them as children? People forget very easily how their parents struggled to take care of them. While we were at Adam's house, we all made fresh PASTA, using the Kitchenaid mixer and pasta attachments that I gave Vicky for Christmas. We had a grand time. Vicky's sister and her friend came over Saturday night, and they got into the fun, too! We used some Easter egg dye to color the pasta. We made Easter colors of blue, green, and yellow. We had a lot of fun. Here are some pictures of our adventure. The pasta was great, by the way~

Yesterday, we had the Susan G. Komen Walk for the Cure here in Savannah. My family participated again this year. I am not sure how many years now we have done this...either three or four. My mom had breast cancer. She underwent a masectomy and radiation, and the doctors gave her a clean bill of health. Then a year later, she was diagnosed with Stage FOUR uterine cancer. This cancer ate her to pieces and took her life. Even after a hysterectomy, lots of chemotherapy, and more chemotherapy, the disease took her life. Death from cancer is an awful thing! NO ONE should EVER have to die that way. I have pictures of our walk. Even Baby Dora took part in the walk yesterday!! The weather was terrific, and the scenery thoughout the walk was beautiful.

The school year is just about to come to a close. We go into June, but it seems like it is time for it to end already! Next year will bring all sorts of new adventures and happenings. I'm not sure what those will be, but they will be different. I am excited for the summer to come. I will be attending a high school reunion in Milwaukee during the end of July. My fellow Bitburg Barons will all be getting together, after forty years apart. We all went to high school togethe in Bitburg, Germany. Through the wonders of Facebook, we have found each other again. One of our members works at a country club in Milwaukee, and he has planned our reunion around the Germanfest that will be held in July. The entire event sounds wonderful! I will definitely write about it when I come back from the festivities. I will close for now, but I wish you all a great weekend.