Grandma Ada (Life History Stories, #2)

Grandma Ada
(Life History Stories)

My maternal grandmother, Ada Thomas, was a great lady.  She was a wife, mother of ten children, grandmother to 60-something grandchildren and 70-something great-grandchildren, pianist, organist, swimmer, runner, tap dancer, music teacher, frequent bread baker (to feed those kids!), and life of the party!  She loved to have fun, and though she was married to a "health nut" she loved sweets, and always had cookies and other treats for us whenever we came to visit.  We sometimes referred to her as our "Cookie Grandma" when I was little, but we always called her "Grandma Ada."

I loved spending one-on-one time with Grandma Ada.  She was so much fun.  I have fond memories of spending the night at their house; grandma took me to the mall in Scottsdale near their home and we had lunch (and dessert!) at Duck and Decanter.  I don't remember how old I was (maybe 12?) but I will always remember that; just hanging out with my Grandma (who I thought was beautiful and "cool"), window shopping and talking.  I loved every minute of it.

I also remember playing the organ at their house (mostly just playing WITH the organ, rather than actually "playing it").  Grandma would sometimes ask me to play something for her on the piano, which was intimidating, since she played so well, but I did it anyway.  Once after I stumbled through a hymn or something, Grandma taught me an important lesson I will never forget, and for which I'm continually grateful.  She said, "You don't need to look at your hands when you play... just look at the music, and feel the notes with your fingers.  You know where they are.  Keep your eyes up.  You waste too much time looking back and forth between your hands and the notes on the page."  I was surprised!  I don't think anyone had ever taught me that before.  My piano teacher must have mentioned it sometime, though I don't remember if she did, but some reason when Grandma Ada said to do it, it made an impression.  I was certain I would not be able to do it, but Grandma firmly insisted that I try.  I really struggled, but I kept working at it.  I forced myself not to look down at my hands.

I think I learned more from that one "lesson" with Grandma Ada than in all the years I had taken formal piano lessons.  Over time I was able to get better at keeping my eyes on the music, and my piano playing improved vastly because of it.  To this day I avoid looking at my hands when I play.  I think it's one of the reasons I enjoy playing the piano, and I always think of Grandma Ada when I do. 

Jay's Birthday

Yesterday was Jay's birthday.  We celebrated on Saturday by going to dinner and then to see I Am Number Four.  (Jay's choice..... go here to read what I thought of it.)  This is what he wanted me to make for his birthday cake.... a recipe from an advertisement in a magazine!  Oh brother. 

Actually, it turned out pretty good.

That was Saturday.

Yesterday (Sunday, his actual birthday) I made him his favorite breakfast, Eggs Benedict.  And for dinner, his favorite meal....
- Rib Eye steak, rubbed with butter and seasonings
- Red potatoes, boiled and buttered, with garlic salt and parlsey
- Salad of red leaf lettuce, spinach, cucumbers, tomatoes, croutons and Creamy Garlic Vinaigrette

I made him another cake, which we took to his parents' house to share with the rest of his family.  I made this Strawberry Cake (adapted from Paula Deen)....

• 1 box white cake mix
• 1 (3 oz.) box strawberry instant jello
• 1 (16 oz.) package frozen strawberries in syrup, thawed and pureed
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup water

Combine cake mix and gelatin. Add pureed strawberries, eggs, oil, and water; beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Pour into 2 round cake pans (prepared), and bake for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees, or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks.

I layered the cake with this filling:

8 oz. cream cheese, softened at room temperature
1 large box banana cream pudding
2 c. milk

Beat cream cheese; add pudding and milk and beat until smooth and thick.  Spread half of mixture on top of first layer of cake.  Add second cake layer and top with remaining pudding mixture.  Frost the whole thing with 8 oz. Cool Whip, and top with fresh strawberries.

It was yummy!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAY!

Want to see what I gave him?  Go here and here.  He loves them both.  I think I did pretty good this year.

A Bike Ride, a Picnic, a Kite and a Camera

Last Saturday was a beautiful day, and the wind was perfect for flying a kite.  We rode our bikes to Freestone Park where we ate our picnic lunch and Jay and the kids flew our kite. 

I followed everyone around experimenting with my new camera lens.  So fun!

I caught a few candids of Jack, but Mary was my only willing model.  Too bad she looks a mess... grubby Saturday clothes and windy-day hair-do.  Oh well.  She's still cute.  :)

The Perfect Ending to a Nice Mother's Day

Mother's Day was very nice. Jay made me a delicious breakfast, the kids sang a beautiful Mother's Day song at church, Jay cleaned my messy kitchen and gave me tulips and Godiva chocolates (heaven!), and my parents came to our house for dinner and we had a lovely time visiting.

[And then the Suns eliminated the Spurs in a 4 game sweep! Sweet! What more could I ask for? :) ]

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

I love being a mother. Best job EVER! I also happen to have the best kids, and the best husband ever, so... yeah... I'm pretty lucky. :)

Crazy Day

Yeah, yeah. I know. I've been terrible at keeping up with what is going on lately. But this is definitely a "journal" kind of day.

I worked out with Dixie (personal trainer) this morning at 5:45. (Killer workout, had a break down.... again!.... and bawled like a baby.) I got home at 7:15, rushed to make breakfast, pack lunches, gobble down some breakfast, fix Mary's hair, nag the boys to brush their teeth, and get everyone out the door and in the car to go to school.

So at 8:00 on the dot I was pulling out of my driveway to make it to school in plenty of time. I looked in my rear view mirror and saw a SWAT team in full get-up running toward the house directly across the street from mine. I was obviously a little concerned, but then immediately an SUV pulled up in front of my driveway, blocking my way out. Then 2 large armored trucks pulled up, along with a number of other vehicles (I counted at least 20) from several law enforcement agencies (DPS, state police, ICE, DEA, local police and fire, etc.)

I immediately pulled back into my garage and opened the car door and looked out. Two guys in armor with sniper rifles jumped out of the SUV in front of my house and waved me back, saying, "Get inside!" My kids were panicked, of course, but we all went back in and shut the garage door. We could hear over the loudspeaker they were calling things like, "This is the state police. You are surrounded. Come out with your hands up or we will shoot," etc.

Mary was on the verge of tears, and Collin was kneeling in the corner praying. :) We spent the next hour holed up in our house, since the street and the neighborhood was blocked off and we couldn't leave. (Nor would we have wanted to, as that would have put us in the line of fire.) We couldn't see much out our window (mostly just the snipers in front of our house) because of the (very large) armored trucks blocking the house, but we eventually saw several men brought out in handcuffs. The snipers in our driveway finally stood up with their guns pointing upward, so we breathed a sigh of relief.

After awhile, I got brave and went outside. A DPS officer came over and spoke to me. He said everyone was out of the house and they were going to investigate further, but that the trucks would be leaving shortly, allowing us to get out. I asked if it was a drop house for illegals, and he said, "Well, it's a lot more complicated than that." I didn't ask anymore questions, because I'm assuming he wouldn't have been able to tell me anyway.

The investigation has been going on all day, with mostly ICE and DEA officers still hanging around. There are still plenty of official people and vehicles coming and going though. Two women were being questioned in the front yard, and 2 very small children are with them. Sad.

I saw on the news that there are several other "busts" like this going on around the valley. Thankfully there were no shots fired, and everyone is safe. And the kids made it to school in time for recess. :)

I was bombarded with phone calls from my neighbors all morning.... of course they wanted to know what was going on.

What a crazy day.

Here is an illustration Jack made of the "incident."

Celebrating Jay's Birthday

Yesterday was Jay's birthday. I made his favorite breakfast, Eggs Benedict. Personally, I don't like it, because I don't like Hollandaise sauce, but I make it for Jay on special occasions.

[By the way, here is the easy way I make "fake" Hollandaise sauce: Combine 1/4 c. sour cream, 1/4 c. mayo, 1 tsp. lemon juice, and 1 tsp. mustard in a small sauce pan and heat. This is enough to cover 2 eggs. Jay says it's great.]

Jay spent most of the day helping Collin make his car for the upcoming Cub Scout Pinewood Derby. That was how he wanted to spend the day, so he was happy.... especially since he likes how it's turning out.

I spent most of the day (after my 10 mile bike ride....aaahhhh) making a birthday cake for Jay. He usually wants "Hula Hula Dream Cake," but this year he wanted something like it, but strawberry. So I had to get creative.

I found a fantastic recipe* for strawberry cake on allrecipes.com (How do I know it is fantastic since I'm not eating sugar? Well, I accidentally licked my fingers when I was making it.... ooooooops. And besides, Jay said it was. I put a piece in the freezer for me.). I modified the recipe a little bit.

To make it like "Hula Hula Dream Cake," I mixed a large box of instant banana pudding with 2 cups milk and 8 oz. cream cheese and spread that on top of each layer, then covered the whole thing with 8 oz. Cool Whip.

Then Jay and I went to District for dinner. It has become one of our favorite restaurants; we have been at least a half a dozen times and have never been disappointed in the least. The food is delicious, the service is excellent, the atmosphere is nice, and the prices are very reasonable (dinner entrees are $15-$23). (Plus it's in a great location if you are headed to an event downtown afterward.) The menu is changed a bit every season, but there are a few items that always seem to be there, and they are definitely worth trying; the Baked Tomato Soup, the salmon with shrimp risotto, and the short ribs. (The breakfast buffet is delicious too.)

Last night we tried the Shrimp Po' Boy Sliders as a starter. We were kind of sad to not have the tomato soup (we have had it every other time we've been because we love it, but we decided to try something different) but the sliders were excellent! Then Jay had the filet mignon, which absolutely melted in your mouth; it came with potatoes and mushrooms which were also very good. I had the halibut, which was slightly spicy and very delicious, and came with jalapeno cheddar hush-puppies and a crab fondue that was HEAVENLY! I couldn't stop gushing about it every time I took a bite.

Then we walked a block to symphony hall and enjoyed the Phoenix Symphony concert featuring Mozart's "Requiem." It was excellent, as usual. It was a very nice evening, and a great way to celebrate the birth of the man of my dreams. :) (He is going to hate that I put that in.....)



* STRAWBERRY CAKE
(from allrecipes.com with a few modifications)

1 c. butter, softened
2 c. sugar
1 (3 oz.) pkg. strawberry jello
4 room temp. eggs, separated (the recipe didn't separate them, I did)
2 3/4 c. pre-sifted cake flour (I used all-purpose, but I did pre-sift before measuring)
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 c. milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 c. strawberry puree (I just threw some frozen strawberries in the food processor and chopped them up fine, then measured out 1/2 cup. I put the left overs on top of the filling.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare two 9" round cake pans. Cream together butter, sugar and gelatin until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolks one at a time; mix well after each. Combine flour and baking powder and stir into batter, alternating with the milk. Blend in vanilla and strawberry puree. Beat eggs whites until soft peaks form; fold into batter. Divide the batter between pans. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Allow to cool on rack at least 10 minutes before carefully removing from pans.

NOTE: The batter was really thick, making a very dense and moist cake, but that's not necessarily bad. If you want it lighter/fluffier, I would probably add a little more milk and a little less flour.

Jack turns 6

Jack decided to have a "Carnival" birthday party this year. It turned out really fun. I borrowed some "real" carnival games and used older siblings/cousins to run them.
Jay did face-painting, which was a huge hit! There were lots of fun prizes, and corn dogs for lunch.
Another one down... and only 2 more to go. We only do birthday parties until the kids turn 8. I think I will be sort of disappointed though when we are done. Jay and I both like throwing parties.

Jay's cousin passed away recently. He was only my age, with a wife and young children, and it was very sudden. It is quite sad.

Jay and I went to the funeral, in another city a few hours away. We spent one night in Bisbee, a nearby town and sort of tourist destination. We stayed at the Copper Queen Hotel, which opened in 1902 and is the oldest continually running hotel in the state.
The funeral was very nice. He was a Gulf War veteran so he was buried with full military honors. I had never seen one before.... it was very impressive and touching.

Guitar and Basketball

Jay is learning to play the guitar I gave him for Christmas, and doing very well. He takes lessons (with Collin) from a neighbor. I love hearing them practice, and I'm kind of jealous that I'm not learning myself. Jay is a natural!
Jack is loving being able to play with Oliver and Nicholas just about every day. I'm dreading the day they go back to Utah.

Jack has been playing basketball with two of his friends. He does quite well, considering he is pretty new at it. It's so fun to watch these little boys take it so seriously. They have a good coach.

1940

My Dad turned 70, so my Mom threw a party with a "1940" theme (the year Dad was born). We were supposed to dress up, so I "rolled" my hair (didn't get a photo of myself, but got my sister with "victory rolls" and my mom as "Rosie the Riveter").
The boys all wore their scout uniforms (Collin is still a cub scout, but wore Jay's old uniform, and vintage hat from Jay's grandpa, and Jack wore Collin's cub uniform).

Mary wore her "Dorothy" costume from Halloween... and so did her cousin.
It was a very fun party.

Carcassonne

My parents gave Collin this game for Christmas. Very fun! A great game to play together as a family... it's not complicated, moves quickly, and doesn't take too long to play.

Sledding

Last night we got back (and I was worried for a while there that we wouldn't.... ran into a snow storm, icy roads, several car accidents/road closures) from spending a few days in Pinetop for some adventures in the snow.

I'm not sure why we wanted to leave our gorgeous desert winter and go freeze, but it was fun.

The kids (and Jay) had a great time sledding (I decided to forgo the sledding and just take photos).

I crack up at these photos because of our mismatched, ill-fitting, "vintage" show gear. Since we are desert dwellers we don't own any, so we have to make due with whatever we can find. Beggars can't be choosers. Jack's coat had a ski lift ticket attached to it.... from 1984.

Zoppé

Last night we went to the Zoppé Family Circus! It was so much fun! This is what you think of when you hear the phrase "The circus is in town," and what you see in old movies. It is a traditional Italian family circus, started in 1842. It's just a single big-top tent, intimate seating where you can see everything, lots of audience participation, hilarious clown antics, great talent, and tons of fun. I was very impressed.

If you have an opportunity to go, you really should! They are in town until January 4th (Chandler) and there are still tickets available ($15 for kids 12 and under, and $20 for adults). I think this is an experience my kids will not forget.

I had fun playing with my camera.... took a bunch of cool photos without a flash, lots of experimenting.