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Grandpa, my favorite antagonist
This weekend we will lay to rest my grandfather. James Marion Kissinger, 88, of Lake Placid, Florida, died on January 31, 2013, and is now present with the Lord.Jim was born in Culver, Indiana to James and Cynthia Jane (Anderson) Kissinger on March 15, 1924. He was one of nine children including: Irene (Don) Weimer, Wilbur (Helen) Kissinger, Clifford (Virginia ) Kissinger, Dannie Kissinger, Lloyd (Nancy) Kissinger, Marjorie (Russ) Underwood, Janey (Dean) Cernek, and Karl (Julie) Kissinger. He graduated from Liberty Twp. High School in 1942. He served honorably in the US Army during World War II where he spent a considerable time in England with 685th Engineer Base Equipment…
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Life is an adventure not a race
How often do you take the road less travelled? Driving home from a weekend with college friends. A trip across state lines, many state lines. Time with just hubs as my boys were at home with Grandpa and Grandma. Ahead of us was Breezewood, PA and hubs was already grumbling about that “gosh awful” interchange. (I just might have edited that grumbling to make it more family friendly.) A last minute decision between the two of us and we found ourselves driving the passes of the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains instead. It was white, pristine, beautiful, a lovely change of pace. The Cumberland valley was wind swept, quiet, peaceful. The countryside…
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Raising a Generation that Loves
Today Newtown, Conneticut will bury the first of their children. Noah Pozner, age 6, will be laid to rest at 1:00pm. (Newtown shooting victims: First funerals to be held) Then there will be 19 more funerals for children and 7 for adults. Oh deep sorrow runs through my blood. My husband, the level headed soldier who has seen more then I would like to imagine, came home on Friday and immediately turned on the news. He watched for a quite a while, standing there stunned. Then the man who is never sick complained of a headache the rest of the night. I don’t know if it was a headache as much…
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Self Esteem vs Self Respect
Last weekend was cold. Cold and rainy. The kind of weather that makes you want to curl up in front of a fire with a cup of hot chocolate and a good book. Instead I was at a soccer tournament for my ten-year old. Three games over Saturday and Sunday 90 minutes from home. Three games of pure determination on our boys’ parts. Three games of ‘Go, Avon, Go!’ … Three losses. Continue Reading about how to turn the loss into a win, Self Esteem vs Self Respect But that doesn’t necessarily make this mom sad: * The relationships that those boys are making out there on the field, the friendships…
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T-Shirt to Beach Bag
Over the years I have accumulated a few t-shirts. They are an easy souvenir, a great way to remember a great time. However, over the past 20 something years I have accumulated a drawer full of shirts I never wear. I hate the thought of parting with them. I refuse to throw them away. I know if I gave them away they would /never/ be appreciated like I appreciate them ;). So my interest was piqued when I saw this simple-idea on Pinterest, where by turning t shirts into shopping bags (great for the environment!). This is not hard and it a great re-use of shirts I never wear. I was really happy with the results and…
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Stress and the Holidays
Stress and the Holidays. Somehow they go hand in hand. Overspending, too much food, lots of travel, work- and family-life balance; it is all a recipe for disaster. My own family of six knows first hand about all of these stresses. The 18 year old wants a laptop for Christmas (and other various $$$ gadgets), the 9 & 6 year old have had way too many cookies and are pinging off the wall, and the one-year old doesn’t like the car seat for more then 4 hour stretches at a time (making for a not so quiet trip to Grandma and Grandpa’s last weekend). And Mom and Dad can hardly…
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Disappointments
Disappointment… we all face them. A promised PCS to a base close to ‘home’ changed at the last minute to clear across the country. R&R or Homecoming pushed back days or even weeks. A savings account depleted to pay for unexpected household expenses. The question is how do you handle them? Yesterday, my 8 year old, *E*, was asked to go to a semi-professional baseball game with a mutual friend of my 6 year old, *C*. Talk about disappointment for *C*. There was much heartache. A few tears. A longing to be with his brother and friend and her family. How did we handle the disappointment? First we talked about the…
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A Minute Out of the Norm: Helping the Birds
I love birds. We have a couple of feeders around our house and a much used bird bath in the front garden. My favorite feeder is viewable from my kitchen window as well as the deck door. I’ll find myself sometimes just staring out the window watching the birds. Other times my boys will give a loud shout-out. “Mom, a Cardinal.” “Mom, a Blue Jay.” ” Mom, oooo come look at this one.” It is just fun to have a simple thing to enjoy with my boys. (After all I can only feign so much ‘interest’ in Pokemon, jokes involving bodily functions and games like Mario Cart). Today in my monthly-newsletter from my local metro-park…
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Tasty Tuesday Peaches and Cream Pie OH MY!
Have company….Have desserts ….Have laughter, discussions and seconds. That is just what we did this weekend. Friends over, Easter candy out in dishes, Blackberry Grunt and Peaches and Cream Pie warm from the oven….OH MY! Somehow the clock propelled around it’s face faster than a comet across the sky. Seem great friends come with military families. With friends come some great recipes that were first tasted in Kadena, or Osan; perhaps Ramstein or Queensland. This peaches and cream pie hit my taste buds in Florida. Sunshine state lit up my curiosity and the ‘chef’ handed it over!Now it is yours to share at your table. Enjoy! Peaches and Cream Pie3/4…
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Menu Monday: Italian Meatballs
Ah Family! We had a wonderful time visiting my brothers, parents, sisters-in-law, nieces and nephews this weekend. We are quite a crew. From the humble beginnings of ‘The Lt and Mrs’ to Grandma, Grandpa, three adult children & spouses, and nine-grandkids. When we get together we rock the house! This weekend’s visit was to meet my brand new nephew and niece. Twins!; born on January 3rd to my youngest brother, his wife and their two older sons. I was excited to meet them but couldn’t dream of putting work on the new family so I planned a big meal of Spaggetti and Meatballs. My brother, James, invited my folks over…
