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Archive for the ‘Family’ Category

Westward Ho!

Posted in Family, Musings, tagged , , , on September 19, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Last Friday, when we were in Pendleton, we watched the Westward Ho Parade.  It was awesome!

No motorized entries are allowed in this parade, so it is all horses and humans and a variety of animals.

This is the mounted band and they are amazing. Not only are they good riders, but great musicians and so fun to watch and listen to. They also stopped by Hamley’s Saturday morning when I was there signing books.

This team of oxen were getting a little stubborn by the end of the parade, but they really were something to see.

There were too many rodeo queens and courts to count. The Happy Canyon royalty were really impressive. I loved the intricate detail and the beautiful colors of their ensembles. Absolutely gorgeous.

This is my great-nephew Will.  Once he finished eating Twinkies for breakfast, he turned his attention to the parade. Particularly to the rodeo queens and their courts. When they rode by I thought his little arm would fall off from his wild waving. The only other thing that got him as excited as all the pretty girls were the copious amounts of candy thrown his direction. I can see we are going to have a problem with this one when he grows up. Only seven and already trying to charm the girls.

I think my favorite thing about the parade, besides watching Will wave at the rodeo courts, was the mounted flags. There were 102 of them – one for every year of the Round-Up.

It was a fabulous display that made me quite proud to be American.

She Who Loves A Good Parade

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The Sisterhood

Posted in Entertaining at Home, Family, Musings, tagged , , , , on August 23, 2012| Leave a Comment »

A couple of weeks ago, I drove five hours to arrive at this awesome cabin owned by my lovely cousin Julie and her husband.

During the next few days, I spent time in the company of Julie along with my cousins Nancy and Twylia and our beloved Aunt Robbie.

Every year, we make a point to get together for a couple of days, connect, shop, eat, laugh, cry and connect. It is something I look forward to all year.

We started this tradition a few years back at as a one-time get together. But we enjoyed it so much, it has become something we all look forward to each year. Here us a highlight of our past excursions as Gallivanting Goddesses.

Aunt Robbie calls our trips the gathering of the Sisterhood. It’s a fitting name, since these warm, loving ladies are so close and dear to my heart.

The first morning, Aunt Robbie and I sat out on the deck and watched the sun come up.

It was glorious.

Having not seen Julie’s cabin before, I had not envisioned the posh accommodations right on the edge of the golf course that we were treated to.

The air was crisp, clean and scented with pine. The skies were blue and the temperature, while hot, was pleasant for the most part.

I felt spoiled and pampered as the youngest member of the group (as I always do when I’m with them.)

We ate a leisurely breakfast at the cabin then ventured into town for a day of shopping, eating and gabbing.

Dinner on the lake was fantastic and, of course, yours truly didn’t take her camera with her so no photos to share. But believe me, it was something to see!

I love these four marvelous women so, so much. They have helped me grow more than they can ever know. They listen to my fears, encourage my dreams, share my tears.

And they make me laugh. A lot.

Love you, ladies of the Sisterhood!

She Who is Blessed to Know These Women

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The Quilt that Love Made

Posted in Entertaining Ideas, Family, Musings, tagged , , , on August 15, 2012| Leave a Comment »

My niece posted this photo on facebook yesterday. It shows not only her super-cool bed, but a bright colorful quilt.

A quilt my mother made for her birthday.

Nothing out of the ordinary there. A gift from a grandmother to a grandchild.

Except my mother is nearly blind.

Mom asked Amanda a year ago what fabric she’d like for a quilt and Amanda went to a fabric store where she lived and had them call the store where my Mom lives to make sure she got the right fabric. Then Mom set out on a year-long adventure of making this quilt.

It would be a daunting task for a lot of people, especially for one who is 80-years-young who can barely see. Mom had to give up driving about 20 years ago. She stopped being able to do a lot of handiwork about ten years ago and these days her vision is very limited.

But it didn’t stop her from tackling this quilt project. My other niece helped her cut out the quilt pieces, but Mom sewed them together, going more by feel than by sight. I happened to be there the day she pinned the top to the batting and bottom lining, reminded again of my inability to learn the art of quilting. Mom sat for months with a large hoop in her lap, quilting by hand the entire thing, one stitch at a time.

Is the quilt perfect? No. I think my dad was even recruited to help with it a bit to get it done in time for Amanda’s birthday.

But that’s okay. Amanda loves the quilt and knows, faults and all, that it was made by her grandma just for her.

A promise fulfilled.

Every stitch made with love.

And that is what really counts.

She Who Cherishes Her Own Quilts Made by Mom

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Family Reunion

Posted in Family, Musings, tagged , , , on July 25, 2012| 4 Comments »

This past weekend we attended a family reunion hosted by some wonderful people on my mom’s side of the family.

It was a blast.

We had the opportunity to connect with family we don’t see as often as I’d like, to meet extended family we’ve never seen before and enjoy some really, really good food.

Rather than ramble on and on about it, I’ll just share some photos…

Let’s start with the food. There was a lot of it and it was fantastic.

Especially the pit barbecue.

They dug a big pit, built a big fire, let it burn down to coals, wrapped the meat in foil then in burlap then laid it over the coals. They also wrapped up potatoes in foil and hung them in wire baskets from metal fence posts across the pit. The whole thing is then covered with tin then dirt and left to roast for about 12 hours. There was beef roast, beef ribs and lamb. So tender, so flavorful and so, so good.

First, they shoveled off the dirt covering the beef pit.

Then they removed the tin.

Then you could see meat and potatoes waiting to be taken to the hungry masses.

They grabbed the wire baskets of potatoes and removed them first.

Which, by the way, were so yummy!

Then they fished out the meat.

They took it to a table and unwrapped the meat.

And after letting it rest a few minutes, they started carving.

While the meat and potatoes were coming out of the pit, dad decided to set up another tent. That’s him giving directions.

Young and old alike gathered for a fun time of visiting…

catching up…

and eating.

After everyone was stuffed, photos of family groups were taken.

Which resulted in only a few moments of random chaos.

and a lot of fun.

Thanks to all who worked so hard to make the family reunion a great time for the rest of us!

She Who Has a Great Family

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