Friday's Favorite Family Foto

Welcome to Friday's Favorite Family Foto hosted by Deborah at Pictures, Pots, and Pens. Click on the "Photos" link in the right sidebar to visit other photo contributions.

YUMMY CHOCOLATE DIRTY FACES

The first photo is of me licking the bowl after my mother mixed a chocolate cake. This photo is from the 50's and it was taken in our kitchen when I lived in Rockford, IL. I guess back then little girls wore dresses more often than they do today....looks like mine is covered with an apron to keep it clean.

This next photo is of my daughter, Karen, licking chocolate off of a plastic knife as she frosts a cupcake. This was taken when she was 4 in 1984, and she is sitting on my mom and dad's kitchen table.

This next photo is of Karen at the age of 2 after she had eaten a piece of chocolate cake. It must have been a delicious piece of cake judging from the messy face!
This final photo is of my grandson, Karen's son, as he is "helping" his mom make a birthday cake for his dad. Brandt comes from a long line of chocolate lovers and cake batter "eaters"!
I just love his face as he savors the wonderful taste of CHOCOLATE! Yummy, Yummy

Pink Saturday

Happy Pink Saturday to all of you and thank you, Beverly, for once again hosting such a wonderful celebration.

My first photo is of a plate with delicate pink flowers that I bought at a yard sale for $1.00 last Saturday. When I found this plate, it immediately reminded me of the pretty box that sits on top of it. I purchased the gold-trimmed, round treasure box at a doll show many years ago, and I have never really done anything with it. I brought the plate home and both are now on the dresser in one of my spare bedrooms.

Here is a photo of the top of the treasure box with its gorgeous pink flowers and gold trim.


Here is a photo of the detail on a cake plate that I purchased for a $1.00 at a yard sale last Saturday. It really is a pretty piece with the softest and most delicate painted flowers that I've ever seen.
Finally, I have a needle point piece with a cute saying and more pink flowers with a heart. This used to be in the kitchen at my old house, but now I have it in a spare bedroom.

Thanks for visiting and have a wonderful June weekend.

Happy First Birthday "Pink Saturday"

Congratulations to Beverly at How Sweet the Sound for hosting Pink Saturday for one year. This Saturday the participants are sharing Pink Saturday birthday photos so please join us for a wonderful party celebrating friendship and the color PINK!

My first photo only has one pink balloon in it but it begins the birthday celebration. Two vintage girls are having hot dogs, cokes, and listening to their favorite record. The princess phone is nearby so they can call their best friends and tell them about the party. These vintage cake toppers were on a cake or two of mine when I was growing up.

Happy First Birthday to all my friends at Pink Saturday.

My favorite cloth doll in an embroidered dress with a pink bow in her hair ready for the party.

A vintage birthday postcard expressing delightful wishes.

Pink roses on a religious postcard from an era gone by.

Finally, Shirley Temple wants to wish everyone at Pink Saturday a Happy First Birthday with her "Happy Birthday" crown and pink bow.

Congratulations to all and enjoy the celebration of Pink Saturday's First Birthday.

Memorial Day Tribute

On this Memorial Day, I would like to pay tribute to some members of my family who have courageously served their country during WWII.

This first photo is of my father, Frank, who served with the 5th Army in North Africa and Europe during WWII. He was a very patriotic veteran serving as Commander of his local VFW Post in Phoenix, AZ. Thank you, Dad, for defending and loving your country.

This next photo is of my Uncle Paul, my dad's brother, who served in the Navy during WWII. My father had several brothers that served in the Armed Forces during WWII, but I don't have pictures of them.


This next photo is of my Uncle Pete, my mother's brother, who served in Europe during WWII. My father and Uncle Pete actually met up with each other while serving in Europe.
This final photo is of my Uncle Pat, my mother's brother, who served in the Pacific during WWII. As a result of serving in the Pacific, he developed a horrible case of malaria which was managed with daily medication.


I don't have a photo of my husband's father, Richard, who was at Pearl Harbor the day it was attacked. He wasn't in his bunk at the time of the attack which saved his life. He took someone's duty and when he finally returned to his barracks several hours after the attack, he saw the bullet holes in and around his bunk. He doesn't talk about the attack much and he has to be prompted to relive the moments that changed our history forever.




TO ALL OF OUR MEN AND WOMEN SERVING IN THE ARMED FORCES AND TO ALL THAT HAVE SERVED THEIR COUNTRY COURAGEOUSLY~~~~~I SALUTE YOU.
A MISSION WELL-DONE.

HHOOOTTTT Button Topic

So President Obama spoke at the 2009 Notre Dame commencement today amid some controversy and a lot of support!!!! I really thought about this whole scenario and I wondered what I would have done if I was graduating today.......

I am definitely pro-life and I would have attended the ceremony wearing my mortarboard with the yellow cross and baby feet. I don't believe in abortion except in extreme and rare circumstances....rape being one of them. I was raised Catholic and I attended Catholic schools until I went to Phoenix College and then Arizona State University. My daughter attended a Catholic high school following two years of a Catholic junior high. I insisted that she go to the same college prep school that I went to because of its unequaled educational opportunities only~~~NOT for the religious training. My upbringing in the Catholic school system taught me how to fear the Lord and feel guilty about almost everything. Therapy here I come......... I finally came to the realization that mortal sins and venial sins were made up by the church so the sacrament of confession could be instituted to make me feel even more guilty. The thought of confessing to a priest my wrong-doings was not my idea of getting closer to God. I look back on all my years of indoctrination and I wonder how it could have happened. I never questioned my religion, my parents or my clergy...how sad is that? In the 50's and 60's the church was law and the priests were revered. During the Vietnam war many priests advocated burning draft cards....separation of church and state? Early charges of abuse caused church staff to relocate and sweep things under the rug so to speak. My idea of the priesthood now is that it is a fraternity of pedophiles (I know the whole guilt by association theory and not all priests fall into that category) but I can't look any priest in the eye to this day. The archaic idea that priests can't marry is stupid. They can't marry but they certainly can abuse!!! Oh, and the Popes that had children during their Papacy....let's not forget about that!

Oh, I can go on and on..... I agree with Elizabeth Hasselbeck in that if I was a graduate of Notre Dame today, I would take my seat and graduate with my classmates. My silent but overt protest would be displayed on my mortarboard...I just can't condone abortion especially when it is used as a form of birth control by some women. The video The Silent Scream will make you cry and make your heart break. For me it isn't a religious issue but a moral issue. I've fallen away from the Catholic Church and its teachings, but I feel that a baby is a baby at the time of conception. I am not a Republican or a Democrat but an Independent. I sit back and think that the Republicans are stupid sometime and then the Democrats act like idiots and everything evens out. Nancy Pelosi is an example of an idiot right now!

Rachel, if you have read this blog, I can't wait to hear from you.

Happy Mother's Day and Happy Birthday

I had a nice Mother's Day with my mother, my husband, and his family....however, my daughter and her family were in Tucson! My precious grandson had a fever and there was no way I was going to have them drive to Chandler to see me for Mother's Day. My husband and I drove to Tucson the day after Mother's Day and we celebrated with my daughter and her family at that time. My daughter gave me a Jim Shore angel "Peace in the Garden" holding a basket of roses with roses swirling down her dress. I have three rosebushes in my back yard and I want to buy more because I love roses. I also have several Jim Shore figurines because I think his work is so unique. My grandson (age 2) gave me a very pretty angel pin that I can't wait to wear. Thank you, Joe, Karen and Brandt for my lovely Mother's Day gifts.

~~~Peace in the Garden~~~

My birthday is May 12, so we celebrated my birthday on Tuesday. My daughter gave me some pretty earrings that I haven't taken off since I opened that gift. My husband had my car washed (OMG did it need a thorough cleaning) and he bought me two dark chocolate bars which are supposed to be so good for the heart. Lord knows that my heart must be perfect for the amount of dark chocolate that I eat!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He also bought me two very pretty nightgowns that I picked out and a sparkly ring just for fun. We had cake at my daughter's house and my grandson helped me blow out the candle. Yes, one candle!
Brandt wasn't feeling well the whole time we were in Tucson. He ended up with an ear infection and spots! My diagnosis is "roseola" because he had all the symptoms that were on my Google search. He was very irritable which is so unlike him and he had the ear thing and a throat thing which also fit the roseola symptoms. He also had a high fever before the spots so even without an "M.D." after my name, I'm pretty sure he had the "sixth disease" as this childhood ailment is often referred to. I spoke to Karen today and Brandt seems to be back to normal running and playing as usual~~~thank goodness!
The cards that I received for my birthday and Mother's Day were so appropriate and I could tell that Karen and my husband put a lot of thought into selecting these cards. The words were so meaningful. Thank you Karen, Joe, Brandt and John for two wonderful, memorable days of celebrating. Now I have this weekend to look forward to with my friends who have "some plans" for me. I can't even imagine what is going to happen!

Pink Saturday

Happy Pink Saturday to all of you and enjoy your tour of others who are participating by clicking on the "Pink Saturday" button in the right sidebar.

This first photo is of my mother taken when she was 92 years old in 2007. It was taken on Mother's Day and she is dressed in her favorite color~~~PINK! She will be 95 years old in September and we are looking forward to celebrating this milestone with her.

This is another photo of my mother at age 92 taken on Mother's Day, 2007. Since Mother's Day is Sunday, I thought that I would include photos of my mother who loves anything pink!

Happy Pink Saturday to all of you, and I hope all mothers have a marvelous Mother's Day.