Michele ....With One L.

Like many a little girl, I grew up singing a lot of little jump rope and patty-cake songs:

… My Boyfriend’s name is Sambo, he comes from Alabambo (which we would oh so cleverly swap with the local Lac du Flambeau)  …with a pickle on his nose and a cherry on his toes. E-I-E-I-O, SAMBO!

    …the one about Miss Mary Mack Mack Mack all Dressed in Black Black Black with Silver Buttons Buttons Buttons all down her Back Back Back…

But the one that comes to my mind most--even to this very day--is the name song.  Over and over and over we would sing it – and in my mind, my beloved Aunt Michele’s name is always the name of choice.  Shella Shella bo Bella, Banana Fanna fo Fella, Fe Fi Fo Fella, SHELLA!   

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Shella, Shell, S, Michele with one L. Kate’s Great-Granddaughter.  Gus?   She goes by a lot of names.  She is a very hard worker, a beautiful, strong woman.  Determined, creative, innovative, forgiving, accepting, loving.  Stylish, loving.  Aunt Extraordinaire.  And… Cinco de Mayo Birthday girl.

Happy Birthday, Aunt S. ... I spent the week in a hotel for work, spending my evenings thinking about our shared adventures over the years, trying to figure out what was **just right** to blog about for your birthday.  The shopping trips, bagel retrieval missions, whoopee cushions and plastic spiders? Laughing fits where our faces were beyond red?  Laughing fits where me and my sister ended up under the table in embarrassment?!  Nah, none of it was quite right.  But, wow - was I flooded with memories of shared moments!  How many girls get to spend so much time with their aunt as I was blessed to be able to have while growing up?  Not only am I blessed to have you as an Aunt, I have been blessed with so much time with you over the years...

When you were 16 I was born.  I recall you telling me how cool that was for you to have a niece when still in high school.  I may not remember that time myself, but I'm sure we spent many a minute together.  As I grew, I remember visiting you at college and thinking "HOW COOL IS MY AUNT? She lives on her own, far away...So. Flipping. Neat!"  I remember you moving back, I remember meeting your boyfriend, I remember your a.d.o.r.a.b.l.e. wedding dress (SO beautiful and classic, just like you) and was inspired by your small wedding - so intimate and special. (Your wedding is what inspired mine!)

I remember your gift basket business and shrink wrapping basket's in grandma and grandpa's living room.   I remember you opening the coffee shop, and then is when our many hours together began.   I was in 3rd grade when it opened. I was a senior in college when you sold it.  I grew up there, I grew up in your shadow - learning from you (and mom and grandma) ... getting to know you, sharing loving and living life together.  

The shop sold and you opened another business with B, I moved to Minnesota and life changed for a while.  The next time I saw you is when the girls all packed up to come rescue me from Minnesota.  That was a hard time for me, BUTT you ladies made that ride home unforgettable.
Shella, I can't pinpoint one moment we've shared to write about... but I find it comforting that I'm flooded with memories.  That means we've spent a ton of quality time together... time I cherish.

Happy birthday, my dear Shell.  I love you.

-t.

^ Don't ask me, I found it on Google :)

<3 u, S.

Happy Birthday, SHELLA

Springtime, for me always includes thoughts of you, Shell, for this is the time of year when you arrived on this earth. Along with the promise of fresh air, lovely flowers and sweet, warm days, your smile and sweetness have always been easy to love.
Like a rainbow, you brought color to our family as you grew from that tiny baby into the beautiful woman you are today.

Uniquely Shell:
Instead of a blanket, you preferred to pinch my elbow as you nursed.

You could say your ABC's as easily backwards as forward. This, before you were three years old.

You frightened me and always got my attention when, as a baby,you seemed to pass out by crying and holding your breath.

You were eager to go to school before you were four, willing to take your brother's place in kindergarten (even as he was determined to drop out).

You visited each family on the block, giving them updates on neighborhood news (mostly stuff about us, since, at age 4, that's really all you knew about).

You eagerly played the part of student while your older sister conducted her version of school..all in her pretend classroom.

Always curious, your school years resulted in consistently high marks.

On your 8th birthday we awoke to 8 inches of fresh snow...the bicycle you got as a birthday gift had to be set aside for a while.

You were always the peacemaker, smoothing out disputes between your sister and brother.

You blew up our water bed...Ooohhh that's a story for another post!

As a co-owner in our restaurant, I discovered what a fantastic manager and communicator you are and how much the younger employees looked to you as a role model.

You have become such a beautiful, gracious, loving adult....someone I am proud to know.


There's so much more to say.....but really, mostly, I want to say happy, happy birthday, SHELLA!

A biscuit to love

It is not hard for me to love a biscuit, but seems that I am eternally searching for that lovely, soft-inside, crunchy-outside delicious morsel of quick bread. In my quest for this ultimate taste adventure! I admit that I have tasted (and baked) some miserable specimens! But I have also prepared some very tasty little breads, and have come up with the recipe that works best for me. My recipe is simple, and quite easy. It's a compilation of all those that have gone before.
So, today I have decided to make some delicious warm biscuits...I want mine drowned in warm honey and butter, and made with some whole wheat flour (recipe to follow).



I start with some flour, (i use unbleached, all- purpose and whole wheat); some baking powder and a bit of salt. I mix all that together and add some fresh, fragrant butter, work it in with my fingers and into that goes some rich buttermilk ( the secret ingredient).
I know that I must work the dough very little if tender crumb is my goal. I pat the dough out onto a floured surface...transfer to a parchment covered baking sheet. Then I cut it into squares or rectangles and brush with a bit more butter .....bake in a very hot oven for about 15 minutes. Sucess! Steamy, buttery biscuits

New Template, New Feature!

Ooh la la !  A new bright cheerful template just in time for Spring!  Check out the new feature (over there -----> ) to "Follow Us"Happy St. Patty's Day!

~Kate's Granddaughters

That Ba**ard Skunk

Greetings from NYC - La Guardia Airport to be specific.  Today I'm (Ter) off to Ohio for a long work weekend and have found my first down time in months thanks to a 4 hour delay.  It's been a long while since I last wrote and a lot has happened.  Doctor visits, travel for work, working on buying a new car, laundry, laundry and more laundry.  Then there's the story I'm about to share with you-- the story of That Bastard Skunk.  (Pardon the language, but it is definitely appropriate in defining this situation.)  Also, I'm not sure this is a story, or more of a venting place for me.  After reading it, you'll understand why I need to VENT, literally.

Disclaimer, if this story makes you want to contact PETA, you've obviously never dealt with this personally.  I don't care who you are -- there is no living above a skunk. 

About ten days ago, husband and I woke to a putrid, unfortunately familiar, smell.  We looked at each other and he simply exclaimed "NOOOOOOO!!!".  We'd been skunked.   And we weren't even playing cribbage.  We knew the smell because it'd happened to us before.  In WI, one of these little striped beasts chewed his way beneath our house and "let 'er rip".  If you've never experienced this up close and personal, it smells like burnt plastic and rubber at the same time.  It assaults your nose, makes your eyes tear up, and gives you a sore throat and cough almost immediately.  It took us 6 months *LITERALLY* to get the funk out of our clothes, mattresses, towels, hair, pets, pillows.. You name it.  He said that he first time he smoked his pipe after the skunkage, he about lost his lunch.  It permiates e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g. and I do not wish this experience upon anyone.   We must owe karma something becuase it's happened again, folks.

We owned our home in WI and could take care of this how we wished - so the little buddy met a trap.  Case closed.  But now we rent, and the landlord isn't interested in trapping (and also apparently not interested in closing off the porch which is fully attached to the house -- giving any and all creatures an invitation to nest)...so this has required us to get a little creative. 

Here's a play-by-play of our stink-venture thus far:

• We're awoken to the undeniable presence of Pepe Le Pew and immediately open all windows in the house for the night.  Brrr.....
• Spray a mixture of apple cider vinegar and bleach under the house in all of the openings. 
• mop the floors with vinegar (believe it or not, it helps neutralize the smell-- or so your barely-working smell buds think at that juncture)
• Pepe fights back by lifting tail
• I went to work, stinking.  Rubbed a box of dryer sheets all over myself.  Hardly helped. Created "Sorry I stink" post-its with a skunk cartoon on them. Distribute to co-workers while frowning.
• Began leaving porch light on at night, hoping that will aid in stinky's exodus
• launched moth balls in every opening under house.  Drown them with bleach to get fumes going.
• Note: house now smells like skunk, bleach, and moth balls. Yet again, woken at night to sniffs of him "returning fire".  Officially ready to put up our colonial wall tent and live in the yard.  He can have the house.
• Spray under house with barrage of peppermint oil (from my soap-making supply--frown), dish soap, Vicks Vapor-rub, bleach, vinegar.  Husband says "Ha! That'll teach him!"
• DO we have success?!?  Nothing happened this night!!
• Just to keep scent there, we spray that mixture again.  I also sprinkle cayenne pepper around the house, like I'm seasoning a spicy soup.
• Wake up: **sniff sniff** Eau de Pepe. Frown like Grumpy Cat. He's not getting the message.
• Husband says "Get ammonia".  I bring home.  Fill sprayer.  We lay on the wet, snowy ground at his level, heads almost under the house (dangerous as it's after dark), flashlight illuminating our view.  Husband says "I SEE THE BASTARD'S EYES".  We launch ammonia bombs (full strength ammonia on rags) toward his hole. 
• He scurries out.  We claim victory, yet keep spraying ammonia 2x daily.
• This morning: I wake at 3 a.m. to catch my flight.  Smell hasn't degraded.  I leave the house happy until I land in NYC to a text:  "skunk is back with a vengeance"

The saga continues....

Saturday Musings

It's a cold Saturday morning, and I've just finished a delicious cup of coffee and fresh biscuits right out of the oven.  A great way to begin the weekend.   Over the past weeks, so many topics have come to mind for this post, which I eagerly think about, take pictures for and then move on quickly to another topic!  Time to re-group. Here is the short list:

My early winter visit with Halle and Elle resulted in batches of melted snowman cookies and a spirited couple of hours playing in the snow with visits to the faire habitats.


A week or so later, a delivery to our home of some pallets of pellets resulted in a short visit with the truck driver: a young woman, so sweet, strong and efficient that I took pictures and wanted to tell the world.

Next I began working on a project to make a cupcake stand and to create a wonderful baby shower cake for my nephew, Mark and his wife, Ali, who are expecting a baby girl this spring.

Then a trip to Florida for two weeks to visit my brother,Duf,  his wife, Mysha and their beautiful (almost 2 years old) little girl, Madaline.  My sister Cher stayed with us in a rented vacation home that was not as advertised in cleanliness and comfort.  But the beach always impresses and is beautiful and great for long sunrise and sunset walks. And visiting with Duf and his family is always a wonderful treat.  All in all a restful and good get-away.

Back home, it has been cold and snowy.  But comfortable, and clean. And the biscuits are very, very good!

We're Still Here, World...

Helllllllo World!  Just a quick note to say hi - we're extra busy traveling, working, living this thing called life! 

 

 We're going to try to each start blogging once a week (or more) -- please bear with us as we find time to do so!

Love

Kate's Granddaughters