Memorial Day: Remembering Mom

This last week Doug and I were able to travel to Idaho to visit my sister Judy; my 94 yr-old elderly but alert dad, Howard Hoffman; my brother Wally, who is battling skin cancer on his upper lip, and my sister Kathleen and her husband. It was a great week for family. Coming home we stopped to put some flowers on my mother's headstone, which we had not seen before. It was the first time that I have participated in that ritual, and I found it very satisfying. Walking among the headstones, reading the names of most of my uncles and aunts, my grandparents and other relatives and ancestors that I personally had met or had known during my lifetime filled me with a warm, comfortable feeling: we belong to a great group of interesting, colorful, unique and wonderful people! I could feel our family extending backward into times past and also forward with our abundant posterity. The veil between this life and what lies beyond seemed very thin. Cemeteries can be dull places when you don't know the people. But when they belong to you.... well, that is an entirely new feeling!

A snapshot of my mother Lucile, my younger sister Mary Lou, and myself. It was Mother's Day.

The Many Faces of Anna

I asked four-year-old Anna, Elizabeth's youngest child, to pose for me. With that, I just aimed the camera and waited. What followed was a spontaneous stream of expressions reflecting her own spontaneity and personality. You can see she is a little elf: silly, sweet, spontaneous and capricious.

And that's enough. She's done. We love her!!!

EASTER EGGS and COTTON SUNDRESSES

Note the child's hand sewing on this machine!

Elizabeth planned a wonderful event for the four girls: sewing their first sundresses. She had picked an elasticized cotton print that required only side seams and straps-- a great first project for these happy girls.
Liz showed them how she cut the straps.

Paige concentrated hard on sewing a straight seam.

Even Jane observed quietly from a front row seat.

"This is fun!" exclaims Megan. All the girls loved the chance to sew on an adult machine.

This is the next step.

Paige quickly learns how to hold the fabric while she sews.

Now Eliza takes a turn.

Becca is excited to have a turn soon.

Eliza and Paige take turns holding the foot pedal for each other. The pedal has to be raised on a box so their short legs can reach it, and someone must hold it so it won't slip off as they press their foot down against it.

This requires concentration, too.

These two dresses show splashes of bright flowers on lime green. Here is our finished product.

And ours is strawberries on a field of white.

All the girls are so proud of their work.

Four pretty maidens in a row!

Thanks, Liz, for such a fun and memorable project!

Easter Egg Fun

Although seven of the grandkids spent a solid hour painting and decorating eggs at Grandma's house, Grandma was too busy helping children glue lace and glitter to get any pictures. But when we went to Lizzie's, she did manage to capture the magic of decorated eggs with four of the girls.

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Grandma, I like having all my eggs in one basket! (Especially a glass one.)

Jane isn't quite sure about these eggs.

But Anna wants to handle each egg in the dish.

See how pretty this one is? This is mine!

Jane holds each one gingerly, still not sure what to do with the egg.

That's all till next year! (Anyone discover yet where I hid the eggs?)

When Peter Pan Came to Stay

Here's the next installment of Grandma's bonus week.

PETER PAN came to stay....

and he brought WENDY.....

and of course TINKERBELL, dancing around and spreading her fairy dust everywhere.

PETER also brought an INDIAN PRINCESS ...

And they were joined by a few other INDIANS who stirred up the pot a bit.

FAIRY HOUSES WERE PLENTIFUL.

WENDY was very busy drawing and coloring pictures to decorate their school.

At times PETER took a break from fighting the Pirates to play a game or two. He carefully plotted his strategy.

Ebelskievers were the order of the day, a favorite fare for PETER and the boys.

Popsicles were another favorite.

The perfect treat after fighting pirates all day.

To be continued.