Memory Monday

 

Me, 1961.  Age 4 1/2.  

Peeking behind me, my gramma. I think she may have sewn my dress. 

This week I am working with my soon-to-be ten year old granddaughter on a tea party scheduled with five friends for tommorow. We are in the home stretch. Today I frosted six mini three layer cakes (it is a baking theme) for them to decorate and take home and learned to make a ham and cheese tortillia rose sandwich. 

Spread cream cheese on a large flour tortillia.
Layer with ham and cut into 1" strips.
Use a glass to cut cheese circles and then cut those in half. 

Roll and secure with toothpick. 

Meanwhile. Someone had asked about my "little family". The domestic violence victim who relocated from out of state and was couch surfing with two little girls. Between four churches we pulled together a security deposit and first month's rent and she moved in. I couldn't get her out of my mind and went shopping one Saturday and outfitted her kitchen from pots and pans to silverware. 

I checked in with her a week ago Thursday and she still didn't have beds (she does have a toddler bed for the 2 year old).  My son and his wife got a new mattress and I was trying to pull together a crew with my husband who has pulled something in his back, my sons who all have different days off and work weird shifts, the old mattress, a metal bed frame and a possible twin bed on Facebook Marketplace. I gave up and ordered two metal bed frames and two inexpensive-ish mattresses from Walmart and had them delivered. My husband did ask how much more we are going to spend on them, but we are done now. 

I had a busy day in the office this week. I had a family of five, dad works on a dairy farm and his hours will pick up with the weather, mom had a serious back injury and had two surgeries and is off work. And they owed a big electric bill with a shut off as their furnace was out for a month and they were heating with space heaters. 

I had a man (and this situation happened with a lady last month) who turned 65 and switched from disability to a very minimal social security check. When your income is below a certain point, we have a state fund (I think it is through the state) which picks up the $202.90 for Medicare. He was charged the $202.90 for January and February which put him behind on electric and he had a shut off notice. 

I had a woman in her 50's with a $700 water bill. She has an unemployed daughter living with her and two grandchildren. No one is working. Another church offered to split it with us and there are children. . .  She also was ranting to me about a local business that employs migrant workers on H2-A visas. I bit my tongue from saying, well they are at work in the fields all day and aren't here with bills they can't pay. . . 

Well, back to the birthday preparations. I post my list so I can keep on track. 

The peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are cut into flower shapes. The egg salad will go on Hawaiian rolls and I put the cucumber slices inbetween paper towels over night with a little salt before putting them on bread and butter in the morning. 

The note in the middle says "1 cup oil" because my daughter needs a cup of cooking oil and this is not something she has in her kitchen. . . 

Sunday I am taking my two best friends from high school to the restaurant that has the monthly tea to celebrate their birthdays. I will be taking photos of our gorgeous food. It will be nice to have someone cook for me! 

Old Prairie Moonlight

Were you a follower of Oatmeal and Whimsey?  Gayla suffered a great personal tragedy and had not been blogging.  She is back at 

https://oldprairiemoonlight.blogspot.com/   

Be sure to check out her new quilting project! 

Spring Break

 Where have I been?  Spring Break.  

The grandkids all had spring break a different week. My daughter and daughter in-law, who are both teachers, had spring break a different week than their children.  

Here are some photographic memories. 

Road Trip

Engineering at a children's museum.

A candy store/ice cream parlor with toys and an incredible selection of sugary drinks. 

A candy and toy display. I have eight grandsons. This appeals to them. 

An educational field trip (along with four other cousins) to the Birthplace of Thomas Edison for his school report. 

On Good Friday we took six cousins out to breakfast at a local diner. They were having a good time I swear. They do not like it when Mimi takes a photo. 

 A visit to an Aviation Museum. 

Spellbound at the large collection of Tuskegee Airmen memorabilia and the narrated video by Harold H. Brown. 

Pearl Harbor diarama. 

Lunch in a 1952 diner overlooking the tarmac of a small airport. 

Watching planes land during lunch.

This was a milk shake. The table next to us ordered one first. 

A cold day at the Flea Market. 

A man on a mission.

Another diner, not as good. 

Early voting. They got "future voter" stickers. 

A visit to the police station to drop off items to Uncle Scott. 

Hanging out with grampa while Mimi volunteers in the church office. 

A trip to the egg barn. 

Car picnic at the local drive-in on a rainy afternoon. 

Three and a half hours at an indoor playland. 

And yes, they wore the same clothes for days on end. It was spring break and I pick my battles. . . 

Now we are tired. Very tired. Thank goodness everyone should be in school this Monday.