Dear Daughter Laura,
Tonight on your birthday eve, I dusted off the counted cross stitch birth sampler and remembered the gift of your arrival in Germany.
A girl!
Maura says you’re not just an amazing aunt, but you’re an amazing mother. I agree.
Happy Birthday to you.
Love,
Ma (and Maura, who is visiting)
From a photography assignment years ago.
My now grown children’s childhood toys.
Beloved. The Weekly Photo Challenge.
Murphy. The Airedale Terrier. A member of the family. Missed by all. RIP.
The grandchildren have grown up significantly since these photos were taken in June 2012.
Murphy the Airedale Terrier Tenth Birthday Blog
Murphy the Airedale – A Family’s Best FriendRest in Peace beloved Murphy
On a different shelf.
I blogged Baby Jake. four years ago (see below)
Looks like he’s on the WWII shelf now.
—from Blog May 2014—
WHAT I SAW ON MY SON’S BOOKSHELF IN HIS OFFICE
First Communion Weekend in my son Mark’s home office I saw his old Baby Jake from 1976.
I believed little boys should have a doll to love and care for when they were growing up. Preparing for fatherhood.
Now he has his own family of four, but it touched me when I saw his old doll Jake on the bookshelf. Jake has a soft body that has been recovered and filled with fluff, his rubbery arms surgically reattached by me.
You might have seen Mark’s 38th birthday post from Monday.
There is something about a toy or a doll with a face.
One that’s been well loved.
If you want to see a doll well loved, his wife Erika’s childhood doll (now named Baby Doll) adopted by their daughter Anna- really illustrates LOVE!
old rubber doll from 1976 with home sewn clothes I made for him
Some of you’ve seen the little sock monkey I keep on my camera lens. He stretches around the cylinder, a gutted Beanie Baby. I’ve got a sweet spot for them.
Eleven years ago I made this Sock Monkey Book for granddaughter Anna(14 now). I found it on a shelf while re-shelving some children’s books at Mark and Erika’s. Finding some books to pass on to the younger grandchildren. Not sure if these blank Little Golden Books are still available but it was fun to make.
I’ve sewn a lot of sock monkeys over the years. This book tells the story of transforming a pair of Rockford Socks into a lovable toy.
The finished sock monkey joins the other toys.
My house is quiet this morning and it’s zero degrees with a windchill of plenty below.
I got back to Pittsburgh yesterday evening. I miss them all now, having spent two weeks with my families in Ohio.
This morning in my kitchen I see my 33 year old self looking at me making toast and wonder where the time flew – I took a cake decorating class in Germany with my friend J when Laura was small.
There’s the reliable top of the line toaster from my dear friend V.
Best 50th birthday present, still working wonderfully fifteen years later.
There’s the new ceramic pour over I received from James and Laura this Christmas. The family photo mug Marlene created for me last Christmas waiting for hot coffee to drip in it. The new spices and tiny lidded butter dish from J in Florida. Oh and the new spices on the rack from her,too. There are Christmas cards to read, bills to pay, Laundry, ordinary life stuff.
At my daughter’s home it’s “pour over” and mugs of places traveled. Every morning my DIL would make a fresh carafe of coffee. Both types delicious. How lovely it is to have someone serve you coffee. I made a pot in their fancy machine but I know they like it a certain way.
Five grandchildren in two homes guarantee fun, laughter and lots of activity. I like playing. Here at home, I’m thinking about finishing knitting projects, checking out a book at the library, hoping the pipes don’t freeze, going to a doctor’s appointment, meeting friends for lunch next week and continuing my efforts to reduce the accumulations in the house with multiple thrift shop trips with donations. I found I had difficulty doing this ongoing task so hired an expert to assist me, spur me on. Need to clear out my third floor.
It’s good to be home in my kitchen.
I’ll catch up on the blog and reply to comments, think about what’s next.
Schedule a battery replacement for my iPhone, (link to a Washington Post Article Below Run Don’t Walk To Replace Iphone Battery for $29). I won’t be running to the nearby Apple store as there is no availability support said to try tomorrow to schedule.
Maura has two of her parents old stuffed animals. The sock monkey, in need of repair, I sewed for Mark in 1976 and the brown teddy bear is Erika’s childhood bear. It’s hard to throw away things with a face. They are definitely loved and cared for by their daughter now.
Do you have any old stuffed animals in your house?
Do you have boxes of board games in your home? Or have electronics taken precedent?
This week I’m visiting family in Ohio and we’ve been playing board games. Some take hours and hours. The card games aren’t included in this picture but UNO is the most popular around here. Maura and I’ve played a few rounds. I heard the four grandkids were playing Life before Christmas.
Does anyone in your household seek world domination- or scarf up real estate, utilities and railroads, add houses and hotels?
On my mother’s side my Uncle John was very good at chess and my Uncle Robert was good at backgammon and Royalty. Both of their families are good game players. I think my family missed that game playing gene although we had Flinch. I looked up the vintage card game Flinch and it’s pricey on eBay.
Different ages prefer certain games and there are a few games I find difficult to stick with and finish to the win. If I were photographing games at my house you’d see Scrabble and Jenga, Boggle, Pictionary, Mille Bornes and Monopoly.
Good sportsmanship and learning to lose gracefully is an ongoing effort.
Following the rules, taking turns, paying attention are essential ingredients.
The new Risk has been trending at Mark and Erika’s house this week. I’ve been watching Ticket to Ride tutorials on YouTube to teach the grandchildren how to play.
At Laura and James’ house the selection is colorful and fun. Charlie is 2 1/2 so it’s Hi Ho Cherrio! Or these two games photographed by Laura today. The Sneaky Snacky Squirrel Game
Charlie and the squirrel grab acorns. 
Goodnight Moon Counting Game 
You may have old KODACOLOR prints in your home, fading away.
I captured this one with my iPhone. Not much color left.
I’m posting this one to say Happy Birthday to my brother David.
I’m almost two, he’s almost 5 – in this picture of the two of us sitting on our dad’s knees in Montclair NJ.
A wife, mother, grandmother, sister, daughter.
Well loved.
A teacher, a neighbor, a knitter.
A reader.
A colleague. A friend.
I took this photo of Nora in my living room at the Greenfield Holiday Party years ago.
Her radiant smile spoke of her generous heart, her loving spirit, her sense of humor, her easy laughter. She loved her family with her all.
Nora was a loyal blog follower since the beginning of the blog 7 years ago and wrote emails in response to photos she especially liked.
Alaska. Baked Orechiette. The family.
She always had a positive word and expressed gratitude for so much.
This morning. fellow Greenfielders and all those who loved her, gathered together to celebrate her life at a lovely Mass of Christian Burial.
She will be missed.
We will remember.
