Mama's Canning Strainer ~ A Favorite Thing

I remember my mother using this canning strainer when she made turnips or rutabagas -- she would take the pestle and squash the cooked vegetables against the sides and out they would come through the little holes (this fascinated me as a child)!  I'm sure she used it for canning since she canned and preserved a lot, but I only remember those rutabagas and turnips!

 Speaking of rutabagas and turnips, I couldn't stand the turnips (but duly ate them as a good little girl should) -- besides tasting yucky, they were WHITE for crying out loud. Who wants white food except for ice cream or milk? OK, sour cream and angel food cake -- but that's it!!!  Rutabagas, on the other hand, were a nice orange color and tasted good with some pepper and butter mixed in.

Anyway, I used the strainer now and then but have not used it in years -- poor thing was relegated to the back of the kitchen cabinet, never to see the light of day.

So, when my daughter was here weekend before last, she tackled the closet in my office. (An awesome undertaking!) And a strainer just like my mother's was back in the corner of the closet.

Can I have this, Mom?

Well, I say, I did buy it at an estate sale to sell in my vintage shop.....

But when I juice veggies in the blender, there are still lumps and this would reeealy help.

Puh-leese, Mom?

(like a little kid -- she knows that gets to me every time)

and then....

LIGHT BULB MOMENT!

I go to the kitchen, rummage around in the cabinets, 

and find my mother's strainer

I have my mother's strainer, I tell her.

I remember when she used it, I say.

You can have it if you want. The legs and handle are rusty and the strainer is a little dented....

The estate sale one is in better condition.... but you choose which one you want....

and she said, 

my grandmother's, of course.

The grandmother she never knew.

Makes my heart swell.

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♥♥♥   Linking my mother's strainer over at Claudia's for A Favorite Thing

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A Special Dress for Noli!

We had a sleepover this past weekend! Noli had an "event" at school -- a sock hop! Since it was over at 8:30 and going home would put them there pretty late, they slept over at my house (I'm conveniently about middle ways between Noli's two houses) and then they stayed over on Saturday too! It was a pretty fun time!!

Noli is still pretty sleepy on Saturday morning!

(Sorry about the yellow cast -- didn't do the proper settings!)

Wild woman!

I wish I had curls like that!

Stephanie got an attack of "clean-out-itis" and cleaned up the very cluttered closet in my office.... yay! I'd been fixin' to do it for a long time, but procrastination reared its ugly head and I put it off, and off, and off. So this was a HUGE help to me!

Anyway, in that closet were hanging the three dresses I had made for Stephanie's first day of school in Kindergarten and first and second grades. Naturally, Noli had to try them on! Kindergarten was way too short but the other two were a good fit.

The first grade dress is a red jumper with a white blouse and hearts and bows all over! And heart buttons. And ruffles! Oh my, I can't believe I did all those ruffles! 

Noli loved it and wanted to wear it to school on Valentine's Day! 

I just couldn't get the color right, but the red is like that first pic above.

But doesn't she look cute in her mama's dress!

Still showing off that lost tooth!

When Stephanie was in first grade, they celebrated Johnny Appleseed Day -- wore red, bobbed for apples, played apple games. 

The newspaper took photos and the kids were in the paper! 

You can see Stephanie in her red dress!

I did a blog post about it a year or so ago --

  click here if you'd like to read it!

Ha! If Noli were bobbing for apples, she'd have a hard time with only one front tooth!!

And, it's loose!!

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♥♥  Linking Noli's dress over at Claudia's for A Favorite Thing. Because the dress is definitely a favorite thing.... and so is Noli!

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Letters to Santa and the BIG QUESTION ~ A Favorite Thing

I was going through a box of old school stuff of my kids..... 

and came across their letters to Santa back in 1989! 

Adam was in 3rd grade, and Stephanie was in Kindergarten. I'm not sure if they did these in school or if I had a sneaky plan in mind, but if you promise not to tell them..... shhh.... I was Santa!!  I apparently tried to write with flourishes and make my letters nothing like I really wrote them. I can tell it was me, but I think they were fooled!

 I was able to darken them somewhat to be readable
but you might click on the pics to make them larger and easier to read

We always left milk and cookies for Santa (do you think he ever got tired of milk and cookies and just wanted a beer and peanuts instead?!!) Of course, Santa had to eat it all and leave crumbs and traces of milk behind!

I love it that they each drew a picture of Santa -- 

Adam's is so skinny (he always drew skinny people for some reason) 

and notice the RED mustache and NO BEARD!

and Stephanie's is just a big head....

and hmmm, no beard either!

I really cherish these Santa letters because the next year was the year of the

BIG QUESTION!

Adam told me he wanted to ask me something ..... and led me into the garage.....

He leaned against the car, me against the washing machine.  I knew this would be a BIG QUESTION.
Big intake of breath. Serious looks.

So, Mom, tell me the truth   (uh-oh)
Is Santa real??

OK, quick thinking here -- but I knew the only thing to do was to come clean. This kid was SERIOUS.
So I launched into the "Santa isn't a real person, but is the spirit of giving" talk. That he's fun for everyone to be excited about.  etc, etc.

Adam seemed to take all this in pretty well -- and agreed that he wouldn't let on to Stephanie.

And then he said.....

So I guess it's the same for the TOOTH FAIRY and the EASTER BUNNY too.....

All gone, in one fell swoop......

♥♥♥  Linking my Letters to Santa over at Mockingbird Hill for A Favorite Thing

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