Thoughts of a Friend

It may be cold and dreary and gray outside today, after all, it's February in Chicago.  However, there is a ray of light today that comes from within.  A light, tempered with sadness, but a light that cannot be extinguished.  You see, I had a friend.  Today is his birthday.  he would have turned 21 today.  he would've been a man.  Unfortunately, he was taken before he had the chance.  Or was he?

You see, Brian was no ordinary friend.  You couldn't get him down.  You could never wash the smile from his face or the light in his eyes.  He beamed so brightly, that everyone was caught in his spotlight at some point.  Once he shone on you, his light was in you.  It made you see things from a different perspective.  You looked for the simple joy in the smallest of places.  You felt the laughter from deep inside.  You questioned,... nope, that was him.  Sometimes the questions felt as if they'd never end, and yet, you didn't mind.  How could you?  They were always asked with such an infectious smile and jovial attitude, you didn't care how many times you answered them.

I received an email from Brian's family yesterday asking to think of him or share a story.  Ididn't really need to be asked.  I think of him often.  I think of his family often too.  I wonder how you deal with losing a child or a sibling.  How you fill that void and find the strength it takes to keep moving.  I think of Brian and how, some days, I could really use one of his smiles or a few of his questions.
 
A good snowfall makes me remember how he marveled in it's wonder and burst at the seems to rev up that snow blower.  This would have been a long winter for him, waiting for snow that never came.  Yet when it does snow, thinking of his delight makes me hate it's mess a little bit less.  Soon we'll be hearing the constant rev of the lawnmower (his other favorite machine) and holding our breath for a Cubs win  on a sunny day.  Somehow that sunshine will be brighter with a little of his light smiling down on us.

There was not a right of passage into manhood for Brian here in our world, but that's okay with me.  His simple love of the little things and his ability to share a joy that knew no bounds with everyone he met was monumental.  It is a rare man who can touch so many in such a short time.

I miss you my friend, but I don't envy those you laugh with now because you will always laugh in me  and I will always smile at your memory.  I will NEVER forget you.

10 Lesson Grandma Taught Me

1. Women can be strong, independent and self reliant

2. Presentation is everything

3. There's a way to save almost any recipe gone wrong

4. A pint's a pound, the world around

5. Faith = Strength

6. Hug each other. A lot

7. Rolling dough is an art

8. Pennies make dimes and dimes make dollars

9. Everyone's a little Irish

10. Nothing beats a good Manhattan

A Vacation from my Vacation

One week sure can make a difference. I put my shop on hold and took the family to Washington, DC for a week. No blog posts, no new listings, not checking in and boy, I seem to have just disappeared.
Truth be told, now is when I would like to disappear. I would like to run and hide from the pile of laundry that will make up my next few days. I would like to hide from the pile of work that has accumlated with looming deadlines. Most of all, I would like to hide from the reality of my age. The sore feet, the blisters, the shin splints and aching hips. You see, walking on a beautiful, sunny, crisp spring day surrounded by blooming Magnolias and towering remebrances is joyous but after 6 days of sleeping in the hotel double bed with a squirming 10 yr old, a tiny shower and miles and miles of blooming magnolias, I have begun to feel my age.
I feel the tight Achilles tendon up my right calf, the blister at the botom of my small toe on the left foot, the shooting pain in my hip, the headache of a 12 hour drive home and that big pain in my ass? Yep, huge bruise from sitting on the arm of the chair accidently. Damn! I knew that was gona smart when I did it.

All in all, it was worth it. We really do have a beautiful Capital! Monuments, memorials, traditions and history that can overwhelm at times. It was a fantastic trip, full of adventure and brimming with memories. I think I will spend the day in my comfy chair, editing photos and drinking decent coffee.
It's good to be home. Stay tuned

The Follow Up that wasn't

At the end of my last post (if you canremember that far back) I mentioned a host of future posts. My head was spinning with ideas and not enough time for my fingers to express them all. Good thing this is a written and not oral venue or my fingers expressions could take a whole new meaning, eh?


The snow is piled high and I have no (urgent) need to leave the house today. I perused that list of ideas and though it brought a smile, no real story began to flow. Time must have rested my creative juices on those. I did crack a little gigggle at the Grandma kicks butt story though. How can you not love an 82 year old family matriarch that responds to questions with a sarcastic wit you thought had been stolen by her years and struggles. Ordinary conversastion can be difficult at best thanks to the devil that took her word retrieval, but ask her to comment on Christmas dinner or her desire for a cocktail and you might want to put on some body armour. I can only imagine the zingers that would have flown if we had had that bottle of bitters needed to make her a Manhattan.
She is one fantastic lady. The mark she has left on my life is deep and passionate. How lucky I am to have her. If I ever figure out how to extract some photos from the slideshow dvd of her 90th, I wills hare them here. It is chocked full of great ones.
So, I must move on with my day. The usual litany of bitchwork that with any glimmer of hope will be peppered with some jewelry creating. We will live with what we have in house becasue I am just not trekking to the grocery in this weather. Sledding hill maybe, grocery on a Saturday in a snowstorm, I think not. If push comes to shove maybe those meanagers of mine will hike to the Polish store for milk or bread.
If you too are looking for a diversion, you can always stop by etsy for the SNSs sale tonight too. I will have a few secrets to give away for the cost of shipping only as well as a great discount on my entire shop. There will be a multitude of other shops doing the same, so stop on bye and say hi! Mention you read about it here and get free shipping on your order.

A Few Favorites

for a few of my favorites!
It's the time of year for yummies and these are some tried and true favorites fro over the years.

Bacon Wrapped Waterchestnuts
1 lb Bacon
2 cans whole waterchestnuts drained
1 cup catsup
1 cup sugar
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
wooden toothpics

Cut bacon strips into thirds. Wrap each chestnut in bacon piece and secure with toothpick. Place in flat pan and bake 30 minutes at 350○. Drain fat. ( can be refrigerated at this point and finished on day of use). Mix catsup, sugar and wrocestershire sauce. Pour over Bacon and let sit for 20 minutes. Bake 25 mins at 350○. Serve hot.

These are a sure hit so be sure to make more than you think you'll need!



Spinach Squares
4 Tbsp butter
3 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
1 tsp seasoned salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 (10oz) packages chopped spinach (thawed and drained well)
1 lb Monterey Jack cheese, grated (I use cojack or cheddar)
1/4 cup chopped onion

Preheat oven to 350○. Melt butter in 9x13 pan. Beat eggs and add flour, milk, salt and baking powder. Mix well. Stir in spinachm cheese and onions. Spoon into buttered baking pan. Bake 35 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes and cut into small squares.


For a great hot spinach side dish try this family favorite. Even those that don't like spinach like this one.

Spinach Souffle

2 cups cottage cheese
3 eggs, beaten
3 packages (10 oz each) frozen shinach, thawed and well drained
1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese
salt

Mix cottage cheese and eggs. Add remaining ingredients and pour into greased pan. Bake uncover at 350○ for 30-45 minutes.
( I save a small amount of cheddar to sprinkle on top)


and no Christmas is complete without the Rum Pudding with Raspberry Melba Sauce. I don't remember ever there being a Christmas Eve dinner without this dessert. For those that don't like eggnog, vanilla icec cream or a decadent cheesecake makes a great host to the thick and sweet raspberry sauce.
However, that one I will scan and add in. just click and enlarge.

It's Never to Late

I had the pleasure and shame of writing a most overdue note today. This past summer, I received a request to send a congratulatory greeting to a most special person. I don;t know if I misinterpreted the request or felt the need to say more than a quick, "way to go!" but the bottom line is, I never did it. I didn't ignore it, I just set it aside. The time passed and the event took place without my sentiments, still, I left that request in my "to do" pile. It was too important to ignore but needed the time to be done just right. Well, the year is closing and as I wrote my holiday cards I decided this was the time. I had been too long overdue and needed to be said. I would have to bite the bullet and say what needed saying. As a lesson learned from this lovely person, take time for the small stuff. Slow down and appreciate the world that surrounds you every day. And so I did. It ended up being almost a two page letter and I'm still not sure that my heart was reflected. Here's why.

There are two very special people in my life. Not my parents or my children, but two very special nuns. Now, you know if you read this blog with any regularity that I could use a little help in the spiritual department. Then again, maybe that;s what has kept me out of major trouble considering some of my antics. I do believe that despite my life as a punk and my ability to be a royal bitch at times, these two loveliest of souls have also shared in my ability to be patient and understanding and charitable, not to mention an advocate for all children.

Sister Miguel and sister Louis have been a major influence in our family since before I was born. Having taught my mother, aunt and uncle in Kindergarten and 1st grade, sister Miguel has shared her life with us. She became fast friends with my Grandmother as a young parent and has stayed close to all of us her entire life. All 93 years of it. She has just celebrated her 75th year in the order and her 93rd birthday. What an accomplishment.

Now, it must be said that these sisters are not your typical Catholic nuns. They may have worn a habit and wielded a ruler back in the day but I find the ruler part hard to believe. Sister Miguel spent many, many years as a primary grade teacher and not always in the best of neighborhoods. Her gentle spirit and genuine kindness touch more souls than can be counted. If that wasn't enough, she went on to profess early childhood to another generation (or three) at what is now Concordia college outside of Chicago. Sister Louis earned her law degree and passed the Bar in her fifties, going on to represent many a wayward youth in the family court system and beyond. Working for gift of doing for others rather than a paycheck, she has touched just as many lives in her lifetime.

These ladies have had a significant influence in my life. They can throw back a Manhattan over a poker table with the best of them. They will indulge in the sweet richness of a good fried walleye cheek and dance the hula at a luau. Someday, when old enough to actually get the joke, my son will smile at the comment, "I've been waiting for that my whole life, now I can die happy" when he said, I have a lei for you at the last Luau for my grandmother's 90th birthday. You see, that is the humor and life they have taught us to so enjoy. I know many a teenager that would love to be able to hit a wiffle ball the way Miguel did at seventy five, sleeves rolled up in the backyard with a couple five year olds. I do believe that if she had her eye sight today, she'd be out there with my kids, giggling at her curve ball.

So, in addition to watching 3 generations receive sacraments and comforting us through some tough losses over the years, the woman have been great friends. Actually, they have been family. There for the good and the bad. They have comforted, guided, consoled, celebrated and rejoiced with us. Holidays, birthdays or just a good old family meal.
Today, I took a lesson they taught me. I slowed down to appreciate life. The everyday life we seem to not have time for. I reflected on some of these thoughts and stopped my busy life to share them. I had the privilege of expressing what they've meant to me. How they have influenced me and my gratitude. They are the embodiment of friendship in every sense of the word. Wise, gentle, caring souls that have blessed my life in an indescribable way.
Thank you Louie and Miguel! You will never know what you mean to me.

Gobble til you Wobble

Thanksgiving is here and the holiday season is offically upon us. Lucky for the angry pilgrim (DS#2), we haven't come across too much inthe way of Christmas yet. He earned that nickname after getting overly upset and considering knocking on the doors of the overzealous Christmas decorators for completely ignoring Thanksgiving. He was barely over Halloween and bam! red and green, snowglobes and santas, wreaths and reindeer had started taking over the neighborhood. Between you and me, I think he was worried about missing a day completely devoted to food.

That's the nice thing about Thanksgiving. No pressure, no gifts, no rushing or worrying. All you have to do is eat. You eat and eat and eat and eat. then you have dessert. Yet another reason the angry pilgrim was worried. He does believe pumpkin pie to be the perfect dessert. No utensils or plates needed (in his opinion), and no gunking that baby up with whipped cream either. He's a minimalist when it comes to food.

I am thankful for my angry pilgrim and his brother (despite the teenage angst). I could not imagine my life without them. Okay, maybe sometimes I long to travel to Italy with girlfriends or pub crawl through county Cork with an old friend and his guitar, but most days I wouldn't trade them for the moon. I am also thankful for my husband, Mark. Yes, he is cheap and stubborn and ADD, but he is also generous and kind and talented in ways I cannot explain. Now that family of mine that puts the fun in dysfunction, they too make me grateful and blessed. I count my blessings every day that I have with my grandmother.

Today may not be a most traditional of Thanksgivings. It seems many of us are fighting colds and working on projects and feeling like staying home. It just might happen too. Time will tell. So, while we are thankful for our health, today, we could stand it to be slightly improved.
I'm not sure if you have an angry pilgrim in your house or just a grumpy snot fountain, whatever you have, give it a hig, say a prayer and be glad for what you have.
Now GO EAT!

Crimson Soles and Crimson Linings

There's only one thing that brings to mind. I believe it to be the greatest story ever read (to me, that is). I remember that little Golden Book, cracked at the spine, pages loosening from the binding, corners tattered. It didn't matter, that just showed how loved that book was.
The memory of crawling up in my Grandmother's lap and listening to the story of tigers, tail to mouth, holding crimson umbrellas and wearing pants, filled with greed and jealousy until the run themselves int o melted butter will stay with me long after the pancakes are gone. She never tired of reading that one and I never tired of hearing it.
I think it's a shame that the story of Little Black Sambo has been banned or at least the name has been changed and the wording made more politically correct. The same with the stories of Unclie Remus. Every child should hear the story of Brer rabbit and the Tar Baby. they should have the joy of seeing Johnny smile as he laughs through the lafin' Place in Song of the South.
I don;t believe banning these things will change history or a single persons mind. These stories are not what fuel racism and predjudice. To act as if they never existed will never make it so.
Instead, share them, celebrate them and learn from them. they are stories of friendship, love, problem solving and courage. they are stories of wisdom, acceptance and childhood innocence. What's so wrong with that? And what;s so wrong with the title? At the time that story was written, people were referred to as black. To change the name, again, does not change the fact of the time. We should not forget our past, or rewrite it. We should learn from it. History forgotten is bound to be repeated.

What brings me to this soap box, you may ask? Well, memories of my grandmother are always welcomed and enjoyed. As she approaches her 92nd year in frail condition, I find myself thinking of her and our time together more and more often. I know it is borrowed time and I cherish it. I don;t see her enough and I talk to her less. It seems the phone calls make matters worse by confusing her, and so I try to be kind and not exasperate the situation. It doesn't mean I don;t think of her every day. I thank God that I am blessed with memories and lessons and the love only she can give. I am thankful that my boys know that love and joy also. How lucky they are to havve had so many years with a great grandmother to love them.
so, truth be told, there was no soap box. tangent thinking, definitely, but not really a soap box.
You see, I made these today.


They seem to have opened the flood gate of tigers and pancakes and grandmothers and censorship and life. Wow, that's some pair of earrings!

Oh Sew Happy

You may be family, you may be a close friend, you may be an acquaintance. Heck, you may be seven degrees of Kevin Bacon from me, but no matter what, chances are you know that I do NOT sew! It's so obvious and out there, complete strangers can probably guess it just by looking at me. I don't do it, I don't pretend to do it, I don't even like to think about sewing. For God's sake, I don;t even like saying the word. It's a mental block the size of the Chinese wall. It could cause an allergic reaction of utmost proportions. Now, I have tackled the ocassional repair or mending if it is a life or death matter, but you'd be hard pressed to catch me at it.

That being said, I have a great appreciation for those that do. The ones that do it well, are truly talented, IMO. Hell, most days I could be impressed with a nice button reattachment. I know several of these people, or goddesses as they may be considered when it comes to sewing. It's a good thing too because everyone can use a good seamstress now and again.

Soooo, what brings me to a subject of such distress? Especially with a happy title. A title that even states the activity that shall not be named? Well, It's this. Ohsewhannah happens to be a great SIL and a wonderful gal. If that's not enough, she sews. She likes to sew. She LOVES to sew, and I still like her. that should give you some idea of just how much I like her. I'm willing to be compadres with someone that sews FOR FUN! Okay, so maybe she's a little unstable mentally but she enjoys it. She actually finds comfort and joy in something that conjures images of the depths of hell for me.

Well, in awe of her talent, creativity and overall "niceness" I introduced her to etsy. Her shop is full of goodies and trinkets for just about everyone. I have fallen in love with these little coin purse/keychains.




I had to have one.


Worried that my hearts desire was already snatched up or spoken for, I had to hurry to stake my claim. Little did I know there were more yet to be unveiled.
I suggest you take a peak and rummage through her shop. You might just get a good portion of your holiday shopping done from the conveniece of that chair your sitting in.