Wow! Thanks, Penny!

I've taught my children that it's not nice to pick favorites when it comes to people - whether friends or family.

So, I won't call Penny my favorite bloggie buddy; but she definitely has what it takes to be anyone's favorite!

Today she solved a dilemma for me.

Before we moved from Moçambique last year, I learned that my beloved Grandma Betty had passed away.

When we moved back to the States, my mom & aunts had decided that I should inherit Grandma's needlecraft supplies, which included some crocheted squares that never made their way into afghans.

Not having learned to crochet, I really didn't know where to begin to use these squares, but Penny has offered the perfect idea!

I hope to soon turn these:

Into something akin to these.

Thanks for the fabulous idea, Penny!

Kitchen Memories

I recently posted photos on Facebook of our Family Movie Night with the cousins, and I included photos of Craig's homemade caramel popcorn.

Naturally, there were a couple of requests for the recipe. As I rummaged through my trusty recipe basket - a vestige of the bygone era of Longaberger in my life - I was warmed by the memories of friends and family represented by some of the cards in the file.

Such as:

Frozen Strawberry Dessert

from Denise

Caelyn, as a toddler, used to terrorize her cat. Denise is also the source of the caramel popcorn recipe.

Cheesy Apples

from Michele

She was my Longaberger consultant in Pennsylvania.

(Confession: I've never actually made this recipe, but the memory of knowing Michele is a pleasant one.)

"Older Than Dirt" Sandwiches

from Gena

These made many a happy tummy as we spent lazy days at her family's lake house.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

from Renate, my spiritual mother

These are no ordinary cookies, & the recipe is huge! I have many fond memories of spending timing "sitting at the feet of" Renate in California, & gleaning her wisdom.

Sweet Potato Casserole Topping

from Cornelia

Affectionately known to us as "Sugar", Cornelia has been one who encourages me to diligently study the Word of God.

Granola Oatmeal Bars

from Jenan

Several of us ladies were privileged to visit Jenan's kitchen in Alabama and learn about Lebanese cuisine.

Pumpkin Cake Roll

from Grandma Betty

Countless memories flood my mind when I think of my wonderful grandmother who passed away in May '10. How thankful I am to have this family favorite in her very own handwriting!

Pap's Chocolate Chip Cookies

from Daddy

I'm pretty sure that this is worth money!

Crab & Cheddar Clam Chowder

from Erica

Erica was our neighbor in California. We only knew each other briefly, but she was very kind to share her family's recipe for clam chowder. It's definitely a favorite.

I've enjoyed reflecting on kitchen memories. It's such a blessing to share food & fellowship with special people.

I'll leave you with a recipe:

Lemon Velvet

from Mom

(This gets annihilated every time!)

Layer 1:

1/2 C chopped walnuts (I use pecans)

1 stick butter (Mom's recipe reads "oleo" - which certainly dates it. I don't touch the stuff.)

1 C flour

Blend & press into a 13x9-inch pan. Bake @ 350˚ for 15 minutes. Cool completely.

Layer 2:

1 C Cool Whip

1 C powdered sugar

16 oz. cream cheese

Blend & spread over 1st (cooled!) layer.

Layer 3:

2 pkgs. instant lemon pudding

3 C milk

Blend & spread over 2nd layer

Layer 4:

Cool Whip

Optional: sprinkle with chopped nuts. I don't.

Enjoy! 

Then run a few miles.

*Many thanks to Cristie, who pointed out that I had originally typed "1/2 stick chopped walnuts"! Duh! It's 1/2 C.

Moving: Part 2, Saying Goodbye

On Memorial Day, we went for a walk by one of the rivers, enjoying the sunshine (that arrives so late in Pittsburgh each year).

On one afternoon, the girls & I visited Aunt Marion, who was temporarily staying in a nursing home for rehabilitation on a hip injury. Aunt Marion is the only sister of my late Grandma Betty.

One of the children's special requests was to have one last visit to Kennywood Park before moving. This ended up being Gabriela's birthday treat, since her birthday was spent packing our house a week later. Jon, Kaitlyn and Zach went with us.

Mom and Daddy met us at Kennywood, as well as our "nephew", EJ. It was so fun having them with us, and Daddy LOVES rollercoasters!

Zach & Jon had a moment of silliness with the prizes won by Craig & EJ at the basketball toss.

Several people stopped by our house on our last day in Pittsburgh, including "Aunt" Paulette, who was smitten by our cute little Penelope.

We were especially excited to see our great-niece, Ava (who apparently wasn't as enthusiastic as the rest of us). We don't see much of her, now that she lives in NC.

Kaitlyn has been such a blessing to us. She's a wonderful friend to Caelyn, and our entire family has come to love her and Zach as our own. The two of them, as well as Jon, spent an entire week coming to our house in the evening to help us pack.

To loosen things up a bit, the guys had a wrestling session in the living room. 

It's not all fun and games with these guys. They carved out intentional time to get into the Word of God together, even in the midst of moving.

We were so grateful for the meal that Kaitlyn fixed for our family. She's a very thoughtful and generous friend.

Gabriela worked so hard on packing her own room and helping in other areas. Kaitlyn & Zach thought it would be fun to give her a manicure and pedicure.

Our time in Pittsburgh was rich with fellowship and fun experiences. We thoroughly enjoyed our neighborhood in Mt. Lebanon, and it was wonderful to spend time with family, even for a brief season.

It was really hard to say goodbye to everyone, but we are thankful for this new chapter in our family.

Houses

Since I was young, I've always loved houses. I loved playing "house" as a little girl. As a lover of all things "Barbie" growing up, I was ecstatic when I got the Dream Cottage for Christmas one year.

I used to pretend that our big old farm-style house had secret passages -- and even had dreams about it!

Having inherited from my mom a love of miniatures, I was delighted to be given a wooden dollhouse handcrafted by one of Daddy's friends. Countless hours were spent in my little make-believe world of high-class living (or as high-class as I could imagine in my small-town world). 

Having had much exposure to 1980s day and nighttime soap operas, most of my dolls had names like "Sue Ellen", "Pam", "John Ross", "Alexis", and "Sammy Jo". I imagined that my doll houses were grand estates filled with elegance and plenty of drama.

For my entire marriage, I've moved my old dollhouse from place to place and stored it in attics and garages from California to Georgia, all along intending to eventually restore it.

Although I've meant for it to go to Caelyn for her future daughter(s), it was Gabriela who recently convinced my dad to begin work to refinish my dollhouse. 

Sadly, he's had great difficulty locating supplies. Apparently, building and playing with doll houses has gone the way of many other "old-fashioned" practices. I guess there just aren't enough little girls being taught to appreciate domestic pursuits, so hobby shops focus more on RC planes and comic books than on classic toys and supplies.

On Saturday, we spent the day with my parents, and Daddy invited me out to his workshop to show me his progress. 

He's been stripping the dollhouse in preparation for the wonderful plans he has in store for renewing it.

I can't wait to see how it looks when he's all finished with it. 

In the meantime, my mom has promised to give this to Gabriela,

which Daddy bought for Mom several years ago, just for fun. Our girls have loved playing with it in the past when we would visit from out-of-state. Now Gabriela will have the privilege of keeping it.

"Blue" is normally rather anti-social, but was kind enough to give me a little attention, and even posed for a few photos.