Happy Faces!

It was Spirit Day at the girls Elementary School today. My daughter and I volunteered to help paint the faces of the school children with team logos, etc.

I think we must have painted a couple hundred faces today. The children were all so well behaved and excited. It was great fun. There were children of every age from 5 to 11 or so, and some had an exact idea of what they wanted. Others had to have a little guidance in choosing a team or a color, but one thing for sure, they all enjoyed this special day. We made sure each kid felt "special", no matter what they chose.

By the way, if you ever want to "paint" faces, use the actual face painting paint, not the crayons. The crayons seem to "melt" after put on the face, and smear terribly. The paint works much better. We found that there are "stencils" out there now that you can use with the paint. We used small foam brushes and paint with the stencils and had great success. Hobby Lobby carries all of these supplies.

As we go into this Labor Day Weekend, I hope that you all have some kind of plans with your family/friends. It doesn't have to be something over the top. We are just having a family cookout. My hubby loves "brats" and "kraut"....and I will be happy with just a regular grilled hot dog with all the fixings!

Whether you are traveling for a special Summer "Grand Finale" or just cooking out at home, take time to tell those you love how special they are to you.

I found out today that "Grandparents Day" is taking place at both of the schools my younger grandchildren attend on the same day. Thank goodness, at one school it is from 9:30 to 11:30 AM and the other is at 1:00 PM. Gonna be a busy day for this Grandma visiting all three of the elementary aged children. They grow up so fast. I can remember so many times going to GP Day with Eric, who is 15 now...and will soon be driving. Where did the time go?

Well, just in case you haven't come up with a special recipe for the Holiday this Weekend, here's one for you that won't pack on the pounds!

LIGHT STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE

2 Full Graham Cracker sheets, crushed into crumbs
1 Package (8 ounces) light cream cheese
1 Package (8 ounces) light firm silken tofu (YES I SAID TOFU!)
1/2 cup sugar substitute blend
2 egg whites
1 cup sliced strawberries

Preheat oven to 350. Place graham cracker crumbs in a 9" pie plate. In large bowl or food processor, blend together the cream cheese, tofu, sugar substitute blend, and egg whites for about 1 minute or until smooth.

Pour the mixture into the graham cracker crust. Bake for 20-35 minutes, or until set. Let the cheesecake cool. Garnish it with slices of fresh strawberries.

Calories per serving 119

Enjoy! and Happy Labor Day!

Happy Faces!

It was Spirit Day at the girls Elementary School today. My daughter and I volunteered to help paint the faces of the school children with team logos, etc.

I think we must have painted a couple hundred faces today. The children were all so well behaved and excited. It was great fun. There were children of every age from 5 to 11 or so, and some had an exact idea of what they wanted. Others had to have a little guidance in choosing a team or a color, but one thing for sure, they all enjoyed this special day. We made sure each kid felt "special", no matter what they chose.

By the way, if you ever want to "paint" faces, use the actual face painting paint, not the crayons. The crayons seem to "melt" after put on the face, and smear terribly. The paint works much better. We found that there are "stencils" out there now that you can use with the paint. We used small foam brushes and paint with the stencils and had great success. Hobby Lobby carries all of these supplies.

As we go into this Labor Day Weekend, I hope that you all have some kind of plans with your family/friends. It doesn't have to be something over the top. We are just having a family cookout. My hubby loves "brats" and "kraut"....and I will be happy with just a regular grilled hot dog with all the fixings!

Whether you are traveling for a special Summer "Grand Finale" or just cooking out at home, take time to tell those you love how special they are to you.

I found out today that "Grandparents Day" is taking place at both of the schools my younger grandchildren attend on the same day. Thank goodness, at one school it is from 9:30 to 11:30 AM and the other is at 1:00 PM. Gonna be a busy day for this Grandma visiting all three of the elementary aged children. They grow up so fast. I can remember so many times going to GP Day with Eric, who is 15 now...and will soon be driving. Where did the time go?

Well, just in case you haven't come up with a special recipe for the Holiday this Weekend, here's one for you that won't pack on the pounds!

LIGHT STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE

2 Full Graham Cracker sheets, crushed into crumbs
1 Package (8 ounces) light cream cheese
1 Package (8 ounces) light firm silken tofu (YES I SAID TOFU!)
1/2 cup sugar substitute blend
2 egg whites
1 cup sliced strawberries

Preheat oven to 350. Place graham cracker crumbs in a 9" pie plate. In large bowl or food processor, blend together the cream cheese, tofu, sugar substitute blend, and egg whites for about 1 minute or until smooth.

Pour the mixture into the graham cracker crust. Bake for 20-35 minutes, or until set. Let the cheesecake cool. Garnish it with slices of fresh strawberries.

Calories per serving 119

Enjoy! and Happy Labor Day!

My Sunday Morning!

Good Sunday Morning. I am awakened this morning by a message from my nine-year-old granddaughter on my cell phone. It is a picture message of her little sister in her "dinosaur wings". We purchased these wings while visiting the Orlando Science Center last year. The child saw the wings and wouldn't even look at anything else after that. It is a year later and here she is...still running around in those crazy green wings.

Then, I get up and head for the kitchen to get my FAGE Greek Yogurt for breakfast. I open the lid only to find it is FROZEN solid! What the?? Further investigation shows everything in the refrigerator is frozen. You see, I have one of those refrigerators with the water/ice on the door. It also has buttons for setting the temperature in the freezer and refrigerator. I am confused. How did the button get pushed? Uh Oh...now it comes to me. You see, I have a new 95-year-old roommate who doesn't do very well with these new fangled things. Apparently she has just pushed the wrong buttons and set the fridge to FREEZE~oh my. So it will just be coffee for me this morning until after church!

Well, I am off now to Church and another good message from Father Kavanaugh. Hope my stomach doesn't growl so loud it drowns him out!

Craving Blue Crabs!

I grew up in Southern Maryland right up the hill from the Potomac River, backwater creeks and estuaries. When the weather got hot the craving for Steamed Crabs was strong. It was part of a family tradition to get a line, some chicken necks or smoked eel, cut them up small and attach them to a trout line. The trout line had bouys attached to each end...and an anchor to hold it in place. We would get in the boat with our line, bait, dip nets and a bushel basket.

We would usually head out early in the morning and place the line to attract the crabs. Then we would go ashore to come back a little later to fish the line.
It was an exciting time as you crept back up to the line and began to pull it bait piece by bait piece. If you were lucky, the entire string would have a crab on each little piece of bait. We used to fill a bushel basket in one morning.

Then, we would hurry home with our "catch", place them in a large stainless steel drum with just the right amount of water in the bottom to cover the rack and lots and lots of cayenne, Old Bay and Salt! About 30 minutes later out came the most beautiful, tasty creatures you ever ate. Believe me, by the time we were four, we knew how to pick out our own crabs. This is an art that people in Southern Maryland learn at a very young age, and never, never forget.

You don't have to have a boat to catch crabs however, or even a trout line with smoked eel. This Summer, while we were at Okaloosa Island, I took my granddaughters crabbing for the first time. We went to the bait store and picked up some collapsible basket traps ( about $3.00 each ) and then to Publix for a package of about a dozen chicken necks ( about another $3.00 ). As you can see, crabbing isn't expensive. It does however, require GREAT patience.

After purchasing our supplies, we headed for a local public dock to hunt the watery treasure. The girls were beside themselves with excitement about the possibility of catching crabs. After tying the chicken necks to the bottom of the traps, we placed our little baskets into the shallow water off the end of the dock and waited.

It wasn't too long before we pulled up our first tiny (just a little over 3" point to point) crab! You would have thought it was a 200 pound Marlin for all the excitement it generated. The girls were ecstatic, and I was thrilled at the memories we would share about this day. We only caught eight crabs that afternoon, but taking them home and preparing them for the girls was part of a tradition I wished to pass to yet another generation of our family.

I spent a little time showing them how to pick out their own meat, also part of the tradition, and they thoroughly enjoyed it.

We shared lots of time, talk and just plain fun that day on the dock. We even had a large Blue Heron who sat at the end of the dock and kept company with us ALL day! We knew what he was waiting for, and when we got ready to leave, he got his reward.
What a happy bird he was. Didn't know Herons ate chicken necks, sounded kinda cannibalistic to me, but he gobbled it right down.

Making memories and carrying on traditions with your children and grandchildren is such an important part of life. These special little moments are the ones they will remember more than the trips to expensive amusement parks. Hopefully they will carry these joyful moments with them and share them with their own children someday.

Oh, by the way, here is a family recipe for the best Crab Cakes you will ever eat.
Just in case you are like my hubby, who was born in Pennsylvania, and refuses to learn to pick out crabs!

MARYLAND STYLE CRAB CAKES

Ingredients

1 Pound Crabmeat...you can use your favorite...I prefer lump, but claw is
equally tasty
1/2 cup melted butter..yes BUTTER
1/2 cup fine bread crumbs
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup finely chopped, sauteed onions
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning (there is NO substitute for this)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste

combine above ingredients until well mixed, adding crabmeat LAST...gently fold crabmeat into the mixture. Scoop (I use and ice cream scoop) mixture and place gently in lightly oiled frying pan and flatten slightly. Brown lightly on both sides.

Serve immediately....these can be made ahead and warmed in the oven before serving if you can keep your family from gobbling them up as they come out of the pan!
I make "mini" crabcakes as an appetizer during the holidays. The kids just love 'em!

Surviving Preschool

Liv started "big school" Preschool at the school her older sister attends this week. There are twenty-two four-year-old children in her class. Kudos to a teacher, and one para-pro who are willing to take on this monumental task.

The reason I say it is a monumental task is because I have taught 2-4 year old children before. My group was much smaller, only 13 most of the time, and I only had them for two hours one day a week. I can't even begin to imagine five days a week for eight hours. I was exhausted every time I left there.

The first day at Liv's preschool was quite an adventure. One child began screaming as soon as her parents left the room. She was inconsolable. They tried sending her to one of the office for comfort, but there was not comforting this child. Finally, the parents were called back and sat with her in the classroom until she calmed down. After a period of time, the parents slipped out the door and out of the building. For a few moments everything was fine. But, suddenly the child realized the parents were gone. She jumped up and ran from the classroom screaming all the way. One of the parents, who was assisting that day, stayed in the classroom while the teacher and para-pro went running after the child. Fortunately, they caught up with her before she could get out of the building. They returned to the classroom with the screaming child. There was no consoling her, so they contacted one of the special teachers and had her take the child out of the room to try and calm her. She did eventually calm down, but I haven't heard how she has made out yet.

Another little boy, was so nervous and quiet that the teacher and others were worried about whether he was okay. In a little while the poor little one threw up! No one was sure whether he was sick or just nervous at first. But, later after eating some lunch, he threw up again, and was sent to the nurse, and then home. Poor baby, and poor teacher...two down, twenty still hanging in there.

One little fellow had been sent to school with pants which were too large in the waist. He didn't have a belt and kept having to hold them up when he walked around. The really big problem occurred when he had to go to lunch. He had to carry his own tray to the table, and that meant he couldn't hold up his pants. Well, you guessed it, as he walked along with his tray his pants fell to his ankles. There he stood, mortified, in his little boy superman underwear...poor baby. The para-pro and teacher were so tickled that they nearly dropped their own trays trying not to laugh. Finally, they walked over and pulled up his pants and took his tray as he held them up.

What a first day! I know they will have many an adventure and laugh over the school year, and those little people will learn so much. Their experienced and gentle teacher will guide them along, and they will start Kindergarden next year much more prepared and ready to face each day.

Love Is In The Air

It is a fact. Every, and I do mean every, married couple need to get away
ALONE at times for a weekend. Oh, date nights are fine and necessary too, but there is nothing like getting away to a peaceful place to just spend time together.

My hubby and I were part of a Marriage Encounter Weekend many years ago. We learned quite a lot that weekend. Like how writing love letters is important. But, most of all we learned about "strawberries". No, not the kind you eat. Strawberries were things we were not allowed to talk about that weekend, like kids, jobs, in-laws, bills, etc. If one partner slipped the other was to say "strawberries" to change the subject. We were to focus only on our love relationship. I think one of the biggest problems in many families today is that the parents have "child centered" relationships. They get so involved in making everything perfect for the children that they forget about growing their own relationship.

You don't have to leave the Country or go somewhere exotic. You could just go to the next town, or a day trip to a place the two of you have never been but would like to share. The lake, the City, wherever. But it must be just the two of you and you must NOT call home! Leave someone responsible for the children and you are only to be contacted in case of an emergency.

Someday those children will find love relationships of their own, and be off, leaving the parents to continue on their own. Have you ever noticed how many people get divorced AFTER their children are grown and have left the nest? Many times it is because they no longer have anything in "common."

Take a serious look at your love relationship today, and make time for you and your partner. You need some alone time..time just for the two of you. This is not selfish, it is what leads to a long and loving relationship that will survive the bumps in the road that are sure to come in everyone's life. Re-kindle that love that brought the two of you together in the first place. Remember it was a "lifelong" commitment to love one another "for better or for worse." You won't be sorry you did.

Relfections on Birthdays Past

My oldest Son will be 44 years old tomorrow! Now if you don't think this blog applies to you, listen up. Before you know it that little baby you are holding in your arms will be 40 in the blink of an eye. It seems like only yesterday that Cliff was riding on that old red tractor with Harold (who passed away some years back after battling Parkinsons) and his sister Wendy. I don't know where all those years went, but now Cliff has two boys of his own (one of whom is already 15, the other is 8) and I am a great grandmother of two!

I am saying all of this to remind you to take each day as it comes, and enjoy every minute of it. Not all of the days will be easy, but some of them will be spectacular. Like the time when Cliff was just a little guy playing Little League in Berlin, Maryland. He wanted a pair of cleats (they were expensive) and I told him on the way to his game that day that I would buy him a pair of cleats when he hit his first home run. Well, I didn't get to wait long, as that day at the end of the game the kid not only hit a home run, but hit the winning home run. I laughed, cried and sighed and was so proud all at the same time. That was nearly forty years ago, and I still remember it so clearly.

Now, we go to the boys soccer games and root them on and cheer when they are successful and comfort them when the game goes the other way. I am so proud of them. They are growing up to be great kids who will soon be great adults, and I enjoy the time I have to spend with them. I have four children and seven grandchildren and two great grandchildren. I can remember when someone used to say something happened twenty years ago, and how long a time that seemed. Now I realize how easily that time slips away.

Don't rush it. Enjoy each and every day and whatever it brings. Tell your family how much you love them every chance you get. Be generous with hugs (in spite of the fact that the boys sometimes seem a little embarrassed by them)and with praise. Share joy, recipes, memories and just plain old fashioned fun. Time is short!