Many, many years ago, in a galaxy far, far away....oh, wait!! Wrong story.
Many years ago, when I was eleven, a "Surprise!!" baby was born into the Anzalone house. He was a darling thing all pinchable cheeks and chubby legs, brown sparkling eyes and wispy hair. And did I mention that he was a light sleeper? At the time, my 'older,younger brother', Joey was sharing a room with said cherub, Mikey. But every time Joey rolled over or made any noise, it would wake up the baby. Anyone want to guess what my Mom thought about these nocturnal interruptions? You guessed it. Something had to go. And in this case, it was Joey.
My mother's solution was to move Joey into the room I shared with our 5 year old sister, Marianna. After all, the basement was not finished, and Mom must have sleep, to keep her household running. So into our tiny room came this nine year old boy, and we hardly had room to walk between our bunk bed and Joey's bed to get to the closet. Needless to say, it was tight!
After several months, I was so desperate to get out of that tiny, crowded room, that I moved to the basement. My room was windowless, had no door, and cool concrete floors...and it was HEAVEN! I painted it "Road Stripe Yellow" to off-set the lack of windows (as if!), and filled it with white furniture and all things pre-teen. I still go straight back to late nights reading in my haven, every time I hear Lionel Richie croon "You are once, twice, three times a lady..." - egads!! YOU know those lyrics too?!? Wow, we are sooo old!
Anyway, that bedroom was always the BEST room to sleep in because in the hot Georgia summers, in an un-airconditioned house, it was always so cool! It was also always so very DARK, being windowless and all, and to this day, if you need to really get some zzzz's at my Mom and Dad's, that is the room to sleep in. By the way, it has a door now. And carpet. Oh, and it's not scary yellow either.
Fast forward, oh, 40 years or so and you will find me living in Georgia once again, after a long stint in Colorado. I now have an almost eleven year old of my own, along with soon to be seven and eight year olds and guess what?! I also have a basement room with NO windows!
This morning I went looking for said children. It was after 9 am and we needed to get a move on! I went down to the play room (aka the Tornado room, because the lack of windows makes it a GREAT place to hang out during storms) to waken the slumbering ones, and found them in the complete darkness of the play room, door closed, snoring away after their weekly "slumber party".
Like I said. Full circle. Only this time, there is no Lionel Richie.
Showing posts with label childhood. Show all posts
Showing posts with label childhood. Show all posts
Saturday, June 23, 2012
Sunday, July 4, 2010
A peek into the day of an (almost) five-year-old
Sleeping in…blueberry pancakes…playing war with Bubba…unloading the dishwasher…swimming in the pool…sunshine…blue skies…diving rings…face underwater…playing in the pea gravel…nachos with cheese…a nap in the playroom…clouds rolling in…rain…thunder…lightening…driving with Mommy…a rainbow in the sky…God’s promise to us…bag pipes and dancing…Amazing Grace…fried chicken and biscuits…millet & limas…five candles…yummy ice cream cake…chocolate ice cream…nuts…a new bike…toys to build with…a baseball bat and glove…an orange camping chair…a new bike…trios…special gifts from Bubba & YaYa…playing with the new toys…driving in the rain…questions…questions… watching fireworks…running in the rain…church parking lot… fireworks…fireworks…everywhere we look more fireworks…red…blue…purple…flowers…poppers…screamers…
God’s fireworks flashing in the sky…at the park…cozy with my family…five years old!
July 4th, 2010
A few days early, but what a day!
God’s fireworks flashing in the sky…at the park…cozy with my family…five years old!
July 4th, 2010
A few days early, but what a day!
Sunday, April 25, 2010
The Garden
Did you grow up with a garden in your life? I did. It was a huge rectangle, full of the food that fed us all summer, fall and winter. It was also full of itchy plants which I had to wade through ~ carefully, oh so carefully ~ so as to get them to surrender their bounty to my unwilling hands. Our whole family helped with harvesting, though planting and tending the garden was my Dad's domain. In fact, we were never allowed in the garden, unless we were there to harvest. Which is why this picture means so much to me.
A few years ago, before my Dad got the tiller out to go over the garden for the first time before spring planting, my sister and her kids were there at my parent's house. I don't know how it happened, but suddenly, my sister was racing with wild abandon through our Dad's garden - and guess what? She didn't get in trouble!
And then there was the canning. No way my mom could can all of that food for the six of us without help, and since I was the oldest, it fell to me to help. Not only did we can what my Dad grew in the garden, but whatever else my mom could get her hands on that could withstand heat and pressure. I remember stopping on the side of the road, more than once, because my mom saw berries, plums, peaches or something that she could use to feed her growing family.
I remember the hot, steamy kitchen, the ceiling fan spinning lazily overhead and the old yellow pressure cooker with the paint peeling off the outside. Never did trust that thing, but it never did blow up...my mom was a master at making it sing...and then out of the dark depths would come glistening glass jars, full of wonderful goodness, and I had helped it happen - it was an amazing feeling!
After cooling under towels on the kitchen table, we carried the jars to the basement and stacked them on the pantry shelves by the back door. There is something so satisfying and comforting to go out a door on a regular basis and as you pass by to see row upon row of glass jars, full of yellow peaches, green beans, purple jams and strawberry jelly...just to name a few!
Fast forward 25 or 30 years and now I live in the great wild west, with a yard half the size of my parent's, with three kids under eight, and find myself home for the summer for the first time since I quit my full time job! So, do you know what that means?!?! It's Garden Time!
See, when I was a kid, it was not so fun to harvest beans, tomatoes, and the like. I did it because I had to, but somehow, the beauty of the early morning rendezvous, the dew on the leaves, the bees buzzing lazily about their work...somehow, it got under my skin. I am hoping to share that with my children.
I read years ago about Square Foot Gardening, and was intrigued with the idea. Finally, finally, we are going to have our own garden! Seeds have been purchased, dirt has been dug, and tomorrow we have a trip to the lumber store planned so that we can pick up the boards for our raised beds. We are in the planning and building stages right now, so stay tuned for updates on our garden and canning experiences - it should be a blast!
I am a visual person, so I have made a grid of our garden, so I can decide where to plant what. This is not the final arrangement...just a cool tool to help me figure out what plant should go where, and whom it should live next to. This is either going to be really fun, or a total disaster! Either way, we get to play in the dirt, so it is a win-win situation!
Some of the seeds we started:
A few years ago, before my Dad got the tiller out to go over the garden for the first time before spring planting, my sister and her kids were there at my parent's house. I don't know how it happened, but suddenly, my sister was racing with wild abandon through our Dad's garden - and guess what? She didn't get in trouble!
And then there was the canning. No way my mom could can all of that food for the six of us without help, and since I was the oldest, it fell to me to help. Not only did we can what my Dad grew in the garden, but whatever else my mom could get her hands on that could withstand heat and pressure. I remember stopping on the side of the road, more than once, because my mom saw berries, plums, peaches or something that she could use to feed her growing family.
I remember the hot, steamy kitchen, the ceiling fan spinning lazily overhead and the old yellow pressure cooker with the paint peeling off the outside. Never did trust that thing, but it never did blow up...my mom was a master at making it sing...and then out of the dark depths would come glistening glass jars, full of wonderful goodness, and I had helped it happen - it was an amazing feeling!
After cooling under towels on the kitchen table, we carried the jars to the basement and stacked them on the pantry shelves by the back door. There is something so satisfying and comforting to go out a door on a regular basis and as you pass by to see row upon row of glass jars, full of yellow peaches, green beans, purple jams and strawberry jelly...just to name a few!
Fast forward 25 or 30 years and now I live in the great wild west, with a yard half the size of my parent's, with three kids under eight, and find myself home for the summer for the first time since I quit my full time job! So, do you know what that means?!?! It's Garden Time!
See, when I was a kid, it was not so fun to harvest beans, tomatoes, and the like. I did it because I had to, but somehow, the beauty of the early morning rendezvous, the dew on the leaves, the bees buzzing lazily about their work...somehow, it got under my skin. I am hoping to share that with my children.
I read years ago about Square Foot Gardening, and was intrigued with the idea. Finally, finally, we are going to have our own garden! Seeds have been purchased, dirt has been dug, and tomorrow we have a trip to the lumber store planned so that we can pick up the boards for our raised beds. We are in the planning and building stages right now, so stay tuned for updates on our garden and canning experiences - it should be a blast!
I am a visual person, so I have made a grid of our garden, so I can decide where to plant what. This is not the final arrangement...just a cool tool to help me figure out what plant should go where, and whom it should live next to. This is either going to be really fun, or a total disaster! Either way, we get to play in the dirt, so it is a win-win situation!
Some of the seeds we started:
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
A New Look
I was taking a look at my blog, and realized that it was dark! So I decided to brighten it up a little bit - what do you think?
Even though it is so busy this time of year, I am feeling really excited about this Christmas. I know that spending it with family is a big bonus, but I am also finally coming to a place where I am letting go of some things from the past.
When I was little, we moved from NY to GA, and I really think that I have spent a lot of years trying to "get back" to what I remembered about those times. There was spaghetti with all the aunts, uncles and cousins at Grandma's house every Sunday, and sledding across the street in the huge fields, playing in the 'crik' behind the house, and ice skating on our neighbors frozen swimming pool.
We moved suddenly, and I am sure that I did not have a clue about what was going on, I just knew that my ordinary, regular old life was gone, and everything I owned (that had not been left behind) was in a big U-Haul truck driven by my Dad, up in front of the car where my Mom, brother and sister rode. At one point, we had to pull over and get gas, and my Dad did not see us, and kept driving. That was a big deal for a six year old! I thought I would never see my Dad ever again.
Of course, we did find each other and finally made it to our destination. Things were not easy, being a little girl from the north who looked funny and dressed funny and talked funny. But looking back, I can really see how God was beside me every step of my walk through those sometimes very difficult years. I can see how he was molding me and shaping me, making me into the woman that he created me to be.
I am also constantly amazed at how my Mom made the most boring things fun! Other than the difficulties at school (I am still trying to figure out what x and y are...), my childhood was so much fun!! We went camping and swimming and did things with friends from church. I had so many "moms", because we all just called each others parents Mom and Dad - it was easier that way! I am really blessed!
So, back to what I wanted to say at the beginning, I am so happy this year, because I am completely content with who I am and where I am in my life. Yes, being the mom to three kids under six years old is crazy at times, but God is always faithful and He has never left me alone. There is so much comfort in that. Besides that, I have a truly amazing husband, who loves God and his family and works so hard to make sure that we have what we need and so much more. He is so self-less and I can see how the training he received as a boy has really payed off for us as his family.
I am also blessed to be surrounded by a group of women who also love God and their families and I can't tell you how much that means to me! I truly can't think of anything that could be added to my life.
So, as you journey through your life, my prayer for you is that no matter how hard things have been, or how hard they are now, or how hard they will be in the future, know that God loves you. He has His hand on you - so lean into it and receive everything that He has to offer!
Merry Christmas!!
t
Even though it is so busy this time of year, I am feeling really excited about this Christmas. I know that spending it with family is a big bonus, but I am also finally coming to a place where I am letting go of some things from the past.
When I was little, we moved from NY to GA, and I really think that I have spent a lot of years trying to "get back" to what I remembered about those times. There was spaghetti with all the aunts, uncles and cousins at Grandma's house every Sunday, and sledding across the street in the huge fields, playing in the 'crik' behind the house, and ice skating on our neighbors frozen swimming pool.
We moved suddenly, and I am sure that I did not have a clue about what was going on, I just knew that my ordinary, regular old life was gone, and everything I owned (that had not been left behind) was in a big U-Haul truck driven by my Dad, up in front of the car where my Mom, brother and sister rode. At one point, we had to pull over and get gas, and my Dad did not see us, and kept driving. That was a big deal for a six year old! I thought I would never see my Dad ever again.
Of course, we did find each other and finally made it to our destination. Things were not easy, being a little girl from the north who looked funny and dressed funny and talked funny. But looking back, I can really see how God was beside me every step of my walk through those sometimes very difficult years. I can see how he was molding me and shaping me, making me into the woman that he created me to be.
I am also constantly amazed at how my Mom made the most boring things fun! Other than the difficulties at school (I am still trying to figure out what x and y are...), my childhood was so much fun!! We went camping and swimming and did things with friends from church. I had so many "moms", because we all just called each others parents Mom and Dad - it was easier that way! I am really blessed!
So, back to what I wanted to say at the beginning, I am so happy this year, because I am completely content with who I am and where I am in my life. Yes, being the mom to three kids under six years old is crazy at times, but God is always faithful and He has never left me alone. There is so much comfort in that. Besides that, I have a truly amazing husband, who loves God and his family and works so hard to make sure that we have what we need and so much more. He is so self-less and I can see how the training he received as a boy has really payed off for us as his family.
I am also blessed to be surrounded by a group of women who also love God and their families and I can't tell you how much that means to me! I truly can't think of anything that could be added to my life.
So, as you journey through your life, my prayer for you is that no matter how hard things have been, or how hard they are now, or how hard they will be in the future, know that God loves you. He has His hand on you - so lean into it and receive everything that He has to offer!
Merry Christmas!!
t
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