rss search


next page next page close

An Evening with the Cousins

My brother and his family came over last night to visit and watch the Jazz game of course. We had a good time playing with the cousins. The boys were fascinated with Ellie and she was equally fascinated and entertained by them. It was a wild night for her she watched them with big eyes and tried to join in with the play and noise. Needless to say Ellie was wiped out she slept better than she has in a long time we didn’t wake up to nurse until 4:30 am. She is even seems a little tired this morning too.

 


next page next page close

Childhood Memories

My grandmother hasn’t been feeling well lately. She has been in and out of the hospital this week. My mom phoned me this morning to give me an update. It reminded me that I haven’t gotten around to writing down my childhood memories of Grandma and Grandpa Jackson. We were asked to do this last fall when Grandma celebrated her 80th birthday. My aunts put together a memory book for her. I’m pretty embarrassed that I haven’t contributed to this book until now. So this morning as I was playing with Ellen I wrote down some memories that stand out in my mind and that I hold dear to my heart. Some of these memories helped shape me into who I am today. It has been a good exercise for me to look back and realize what a wonderful childhood I had and how special my family is…

I remember picking lilacs from Grandma and Grandpa’s lawn for her. She always had a wee jelly jar full of these sweet smelling purple flowers in the house. I was always amazed that you could find these little treasures in the lawn of all places and you didn’t have to plant them they would just show up in the spring. We would also search the grass for four leaf clovers.

I remember playing in the leaves in Grandma and Grandpa’s front yard. The piles were so big we would bury ourselves so deep and jump into them with a big “poof”. I also remember building little rooms with the leaves by sorting them into squares that would connect and designating them as the kitchen, bedroom, family room and so on. This is a game my mom taught me as she used to play with the leaves like this when she was a little one.

I remember rolling down the little hill in the backyard with Leslie and Jon and my cousins we could do this for hours and laugh and giggle the whole time. Now the great grandkids take pleasure in rolling down that little hill. It was so big way back then it’s so fun how the size of things change with time and age.

I remember Grandma hanging the laundry on the clothes line and watching the breeze gently blow through all the linens and shirts and such.

I remember taking breaks in the shade of the back porch and settling down after playing with my cousins. This little porch was always the best spot to go to for cooling off on a hot summer day.

I remember walking down the street to the playground behind the church with the cousins and Aunt Laurie and Gay. Laurie and Gay also walked us to the penny candy store down the road for a special treat once in a while.

There was always a constant supply of ice cream in Grandma and Grandpa’s freezer and they were always willing to share. I was introduced to Tin Roof Sunday at Grandma and Grandpa Jackson’s. It is still one of my favorite flavors.

I love that at Grandma and Grandpa’s washing dishes was never a chore. We all pitched in and helped by either washing, rinsing, drying, or putting them away. It seems everyone would gather in the kitchen and talk and in the mean time the dishes would get done.

One of my favorite memories and one that I know the whole family cherishes is the Christmas Eve tradition of making Aebleskivers at Grandma and Grandpa’s. They were always such a treat and I thought it was so special to eat something sweet for dinner. My favorite goody to dip them in is cinnamon and sugar of coarse. Grandma and Grandpa always had the most beautiful Christmas tree and they would dim the lights in the room so we could fully enjoy the Christmas atmosphere/spirit.

I love hearing Grandma and Grandpa talk about our family heritage like my Great Grandma coming here from Ireland. It is also very special when they share their story about how they met and began dating. Apparently it all began with the flip of a coin. Grandma and Grandpa love each other very much, they have a strong and special marriage that has been a wonderful example for their children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and those beyond. Thank you Grandma and Grandpa Jackson for that beautiful legacy.

I LOVE YOU


next page next page close

Saturday Morning

An array of Saturday morning entertainment…

After a long week of dealing with a nasty cold that has victimized all three of us I decided we could use a treat. I didn’t have the time or energy to make Grandma McKenney’s cinnamon rolls so I improvised and made cinnamon biscuits instead. They turned out quite good actually, but you really can’t go wrong with anything that contains butter and sugar, right? They brought up a flood of memories for me. Whenever I had the opportunity to stay with my aunt Laurel as a youngster she would make a stop almost every morning at the Hardee’s down the road for their yummy cinnamon biscuits and coffee before we headed up the canyon to Alta. I’m so excited because I nailed it. They taste exactly like what I remember.

Cinnamon Biscuits

2 cups flour

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

6 tbsp unsalted butter (cut into pieces)

3/4 cup milk

Set your oven temp at 425. Combine flour, salt, sugar, and cinnamon in a bowl. Cut butter into dry ingredients. Stir in milk. Don’t over mix or you will end up with a tough dough instead of a nice flaky dough. Bake for about 8 to 10 minutes. Also, you can get ahead of the game by mixing everything but the milk the night before and just add the milk the next morning. If your like me this helps prevent mistakes due to the pre-coffee “morning fog”. Finally mix up a bit of powdered sugar with some milk for a tasty frosting. Wala!

On another topic but relevant to our Saturday morning: Gary informed me that he added the Neil Young “Living With War Today” link to the site. I was going to try to avoid political commentary on this blog but Gary is so passionate about wanting a change I guess we should share what we are doing and talking about. Besides I am a big Neil Young fan, and Harvest Moon is my all time favorite song.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQXnvNwGTAY[/youtube]

We just got done watching all the video of his recording sessions. In case you haven’t heard about Living With War (LWW), this is Neil Young’s documentary recording series focused on the part of the war you WILL NOT see on the main stream news, and protesting the war in Iraq. Neil is still at it. Bless this man! If you’re interested, here are some links:

  • Living With War Today Videos (All videos are included in the “Living With War: In The Beginning” CD/DVD set.)
  • This video is particularly touching. Neil talks about how when he finished and was reciting the lyrics to his wife, he broke down crying: Flags of Freedom

Finally something so wonderful to post about. Ellen is starting to sit up on her own! She is also starting to say mama in her babble mostly when she is complaining or on the verge of crying (not sure how I should feel about this). She doesn’t associate mama with me yet but its exciting none the less. Needless to say our hearts are soaring.


next page next page close

A Special Day for a Special Girl

Today is our niece Bailey’s 9th Birthday! Bailey is a very special girl she has a very kind heart and radiates love. She is a very talented girl who loves to be creative and fun. She is also very smart and likes to read, I hear she even has written some of her own stories. Bailey is also a very beautiful girl and has a smile that lights up the whole room. To learn more about Bailey and what a great kid she is go here.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BAILEY

WE LOVE YOU AND MISS YOU

DANETTE, GARY, and ELLIE


next page next page close

Gary V. Hanna

The Marcoccia’s front pond is primed and ready for skating. Gary shoveled it off after a snow storm so it would be smooth and glassy. Everything came together for the right conditions so he found his old hockey skates and got after it. All the dogs wanted a part of the fun as well. Especially the St. Bernard Hanna. So Gary slapped the puck around with her the other morning. Gary said she made a good goalie. I think he won because she eventually just laid down on the ice and took a break.


next pagenext page

An Evening with the Cousins

My brother and his family came over last night to visit and watch the Jazz game of...
article post

Childhood Memories

My grandmother hasn’t been feeling well lately. She has been in and out of the...
article post

Saturday Morning

An array of Saturday morning entertainment… After a long week of dealing with a...
article post

A Special Day for a Special Girl

Today is our niece Bailey’s 9th Birthday! Bailey is a very special girl she has a...
article post

Gary V. Hanna

The Marcoccia’s front pond is primed and ready for skating. Gary shoveled it off...
article post