The real reason I didn’t go up to my Dad’s on Sunday is that I didn’t have time to make his pie first.
Dad LOVES my Apple Crumb Pie. He’d be perfectly happy to get one as a gift on every holiday. And to get them at intervals spaced throughout the year. Although then he’d probably get tired of them.
I had time to go get the ingredients on Sunday evening. Then on Monday, as Hubby was making dinner, I baked Dad’s pie.
Happy Father's Day!
It’s in a box surrounded by towels because I took it out of the oven, put it in the box, and then set off.
That’s what you call fresh-baked pie. 🙂
I hope all of you fathers out there had a fabulous Father’s Day!
This post is a bit late because we had no Internet connection in WV today. So, now that we’re back in Maryland, I get to say Happy Father’s Day to my two favorite fathers.
The father I knew first is, of course, my Dad.
My Parents in August 2009 on their 50th Wedding Anniversary
My other favorite Dad is my Hubby.
My handsome Hubby a couple of weeks ago the eve before Shannon's big move.
Both are fabulous fathers. I hope they both enjoyed their special day.
Because we were in WV most of the day, I didn’t have time to go visit my Dad. That’ll be tomorrow. I’ll have to get a new picture then.
And to all you other Dads out there, Happy Father’s Day!
I have to give a shout out to all of the awesome, amazing mothers I know. Like my two Moms. Two of the best Moms ever.
One of my favorite pics from a couple of years ago.
That’s my Mom on the far left and Mike’s Mom in the white shirt in front. One gave birth to me, one gave birth to Hubby. Neither Hubby or I were particularly easy kids. We even had some challenging moments as adults. But the Moms have managed to maintain their sanity despite us.
Happy Mothers’ Day, Moms! You are both loved and appreciated more than you’ll ever know.
I don’t have any recent pictures of either of them. So that’s my mission for the day. Up-to-date shots of me and each of my Moms. So, Moms, if you are reading this, be prepared. 🙂
Here’s my other favorite Mom with her family.
My daughter Amy with her family.
To all you Moms out there, Happy Mothers Day!
Mothers Day Central
I was wondering if Mothers Day is celebrated exclusively in the US, which is how I found the Mothers Day Central Web site. It’s full of little gems like a Mothers Day Planning checklist. The checklist has some interesting bits of advice, such as:
Shop & Order Early — Gifts bought online or through a catalog take time to ship. Order 2-4 weeks ahead. (However, even last-minute shoppers might be able to get great gifts online, for the extra cost for rush delivery.)
Wrap Gifts — Wrap gifts and attach cards ahead of time. For added impact, place Mom’s gifts in the living room for Mother’s Day morning.
Surprise and Pamper Mom — Cater to Mom’s needs from morning ’till night. We’ve got all sorts of ways husbands and kids can pamper Mom.
There’s even a quotations page, with stuff like…
“A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie.”
– Tenneva Jordan
“There’s a lot more to being a woman than being a mother, but there’s a hell a lot more to being a mother than most people suspect.”
– Roseanne Barr
“The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother.”
– Theodore Hesburgh
I can’t help but wonder who created this site. I’m guessing it was a Mom. Perhaps a Mom who was forgotten on more than one Mothers Day? According to the site’s “About Us” page, “In 2005, one of our founders became frustrated at the absence of a good, centralized Web resource for Mother’s Day planning (given the considerable effort it took her to pull together a large family gathering for Mom that year).” I think it was a pissed off Mom.
Mothers Day Cuteness
Finally, I came across some interesting videos I just had to share.
We’re very lucky to have both Moms still with us. We’ll be seeing both of them later today. Hopefully. (We did not call ahead and set a time as the checklist suggested.) Have you hugged your mother today? Did you call her? If she’s no longer with us, I’m sure you thought about her.
I’m off to eat a chocolate-covered strawberry or two (my Mothers Day gift from Shannon, delivered yesterday).
Until this past weekend, not counting the couple of times I drove through, I’d never visited New York City. Either had Amy. Since Shannon will be moving to the West Coast very soon, we all agreed that a girls’ weekend would be a fabulous idea. So off to Manhattan we went.
I shot over 400 pictures. I’ll share a few here.
Flatiron Building
This very cool building was only a few blocks from the loft apartment we rented in Chelsea.
Got a Big Head?
It wasn’t far at all from the park with the giant head. Which I only posted here because I had to tell you what I heard some kid say… “Mom! Mom! I think I might know where the rest of the body is!” (I did not stick around to hear his answer.)
Delicate Mix of Old and New
One of the things I found most intriguing is how very old, historic buildings (usually short) are sandwiched in among the newer, sleeker, and much larger high-rises. I’m pretty sure that old building in the center of the frame is the New York Public Library.
St. Patrick's Cathedral
This is a great example of old sandwiched in with new. The Cathedral of St. Patrickis the largest Gothic cathedral in the US. The spires rise 330 feet from the street. But, because the city has grown around it, it looks quite small. I love stained glass, so if you’d like to see the many shots I captured inside St. Pat’s, be sure to look at one of the slide shows.
Tall Building
We saw lots and lots of tall buildings. This one was at Rockefeller Center. I should probably know the name of it, but I don’t.
Times Square by Day
We visited Times Square midday because that’s close to where we met Ralph and Robin for lunch. Shannon insisted we return at night when it was all lit up. I like colorful spectacles, so that sounded like a plan to me.
Animated M&Ms
For some reason, I really liked the giant, animated M&Ms in Times Square.
Grand Central Station
Inside St. Patrick's Cathedral
Flags and Buildings
City Street
The Most Colorful Family Ever
This family just made me smile. The Mom’s crazy-colorful boots caught my eye first. Then the husband’s sweater. The daughter in all the lime green added another dimension. And then came the son (running toward us in the middle of the frame). Not even the Dad’s backpack is a solid color. How cool is that?
Shannon, Amy, and I are going to New York City for the weekend.
Neither Amy or I have ever actually visited The Big Apple. I’ve driven through a couple of times, but that’s about it.
I’m very excited for many reasons. One, the three of us have never done an all-girl trip before. It’ll be like Thirsty Third Thursday on steroids. Two, I’ve never seen New York. Three, I’m going to meet one of my best blog buddies and their spouse. Four, it’s a weekend where I won’t be doing any laborer-stuff (drywall, tile installation, etc.). None.
I’ll try to do a post or two from my Smart phone, but no promises.
I hope you have a fabulous weekend. I’m pretty sure I’ll have lots of pics to share when I return.
This picture was taken in late 2007 at a small family gathering we had at Pennsylvania’s Gifford Pinchot State Park. It was an unusually cold day, which is why we’re all bundled up.
Family Gathering
I’d forgotten about this picture until the other day. That’s me kneeling in the front, next to my Uncle Bob.
Bob, my Dad’s oldest brother, was buried today. He was 80 years old and physically very strong. He was diagnosed about five years ago with early onset Alzheimer’s Disease. While the Alzheimer’s had started taking its toll, he wasn’t completely unaware of his surroundings. He was able to care for himself (showering, shaving, etc.), but couldn’t be left alone because of the dementia. On a recent trip to the ER, he was left unattended. He fell while getting out of bed and suffered a traumatic head injury that put him into a coma. Less than a week later, he was gone.
He is survived by his wife, their three children and their spouses, five grandchildren, three great grandchildren, six sisters, and a brother. He was preceded in death by another brother.
I didn’t have a lot of contact with my uncle as an adult. But there are many, many fond memories of him from when I was a child.
Clockwise from upper left, Bob, Phares, Bertha, and Pearl
This is another picture from that cold September day. These four were the closest of all the siblings.
