In the Midst

In the midst of having a heart-heavy feeling about the loss of Mom and not feeling so well myself, there have been reasons to savor the sweetness in life as well: spending more time than usual with family, good times with good friends, the amazing resurgence of the Spring season, and appreciating the creativity of the human brain in expressions of art, architecture, literature, cuisine and thought. For being a part of the human experience, I am truly blessed.

New Life...and Love

Can I just say that I love this picture taken recently of Anne and baby Ingrid? Everything about it is so sweet, isn't it?

Casa Bonita Family Fun

TASTE THE GREATEST SHOW IN DENVER! - great Mexican food PLUS over 30 attractions - cliff divers, escaping gorillas, cowboy shootouts, lost caves and caverns, amusement arcade and more Photography © by Casa Bonita Casa Bonita has been the funnest AND tastiest place to eat in Denver for nearly thirty years. Few can resist the excitement of the live shows combined with our all you can eat dinners. Check out our menus and our entertainment and see for yourself how great Casa Bonita is! Visiting Colorado was always a treat for our young family. Seeing Grandma and Grandpa at "the big house" and going to the mountains to their place on Grand Lake with trips taken on their pontoon was a blast! We went to Elitches Amusement Park, Lakeside Park, the zoo, the Mint, the Capitol Building...you name it and we had an outing there. However, a perennial favorite was going to Casa Bonita. So many of us wanted to have our celebratory Mom "send off" at this restaurant before we all re-entered our back home lives. It was an evening I'll always remember...and, once again, you can check Linnea's blog for her take on this event, too. Vintage John (4), Linnea (9) and Anne(8) on the bridge by the waterfall/diving area.

Casa Bonita in 1990 with my parents. Please note that my perm/mullet hair years were a mistake.

Right: This year with the Mariacchi band. They, too, have updated their look!

Though we ALL had been to Casa Bonita with Mom and Dad, we had never gone as this big of a group. We had to split up seating, but by the end of the meal, we all were together...loving every minute of the memories. The cliff divers, the schmaltzy show, the mediocre morsels, the delicious sopapillas, the silly puppet show - all were new again as we watched through the eyes of Cal and Ava.

Here the group of Grands and Greats gather before heading into Black Bart's Hideout Cave. All can remember being scared witless as kids here...I remember John and Anne turning back many times before the end was reached! Now Cal and Ava have experienced the same feelings. Time can be very sweet.

Bling it On!

Oh, how my Mom loved to accessorize! She loved lapel pins, stick pins, earrings (pierced after the age of 60!!), beaded necklaces, chain necklaces, rings and (sometimes) bracelets. She wasn't really "dressed up" and presentable without an article of jewelry. Most pieces weren't very valuable, but all were treasures. At our big family dinner celebrating her life, I brought out the boxes containing these bling-bling treasures and the grand-daughters took turns picking pieces for themselves. Laughter, stories and even a song or two were sung together as they remembered Vera.

Here the girls are pictured together wearing their finery. L to R: Jennifer, Linnea, Anne

After the grand-daughters went through their Grandma's jewelry, it was time for the grandsons to get into the action. These guys sure know how to accessorize! What you might not see so well in this picture is that Andrew and John both have silver bracelets in their mouths to further bling-ize their appearance! L to R: Carl, Peter, Andrew and John.

Thanks for all the fun, guys. Grandma would love knowing you now have something she once wore close to yourselves as well.

Priceless Memories and Photos

Photographs are such a comfort to me these days as I mourn the loss of Mom. I began the project of going through some of the family albums with her over a year ago. As we were preparing for Mom's Visitation and Memorial services, it was my honor to put together a memory photo board for Mom. What was difficult about it was to only use one board when there could have been hundreds highlighting the various ages and stages of her life. Now that we are back home, I find myself with so many images of Vera, and I know I am going to miss her terribly. Our Nelson family celebrated her full, long life in Colorado this past weekend; more details are available on Linnea's and Anne's blogs to link to on the right of my blog, should you care to see more of these actual events. It was a very powerful time for all of us. Peter and John are looking through one of the realy old albums. Even though I had seen these albums before, there were many surprises to be found like seeing an article about Mom singing on a radio station, her position as a forward on the basketball team (remember she was barely 5 feet tall!), and an autographed napkin bearing my Dad's signature on it long before they were an "item." Anne is looking at a more recent album of Mom's life after she moved back to Illionis in 2004 - 2005. Here Linnea, Duane and Timi look at an old photo album that Mom had put together of Duane's family. Our family on April 12, 2008. Who knew that on March 4, 1945 when Mom and Dad were married that by this date we would number 22, with two more on the way? Their human legacy will continue to grow.

We're all back in our homes and lives now. Fresh heartaches for all. Yet, somehow, each of us has a frozen moment or two from the weekend that we will forever hold close in our hearts as we remembered a special woman and the full life she lived. And, due to the camera lens, we will be able to relive our family time together in picture format now and to pass along to the generations to come.

December 19, 1921 - April 7, 2008

Today my Mother, Vera, passed away. Peace to her memory. She is in a far better place now, freed from her earthly body and physical limitations. Her mind is surely to be clear as a bell and she and my father, her parents and other loved ones are having a reunion like no other. I love you, Mom and will miss your face lighting up when you see me, just like it's Christmas. So many words, but this is all I can muster now.

Impromptu Party Plan

Plans have a way of changing themselves. Originally, Diann and I were to be basking together in the warm sunshine of California for her birthday. I pictured the two of us walking side by side along the beach, sipping cooling beverages, wearing fancy flip-flops (I bought both of us a pair of beaded ones), leisurely shopping ventures, eating when we wanted to, laughing over silly memories, and just relaxing together away from our full schedules. But, that was not to be. What did happen though, was every bit as sweet. Even if it was on a cold, drizzly raining Sunday afternoon in Chicago...we got together in spite of plans changing. For the first time, Larry and Anne witnessed our sister ritual of themed gifts. It was a lovely, memorable time.

Nothing like an impromptu party. Nothing like Irish music. Nothing like a sister. I guess an Irish blessing might be appropriate here:

A sunbeam to warm you, Good luck to charm you,

A Sheltering angel, So nothing can harm you,

Laughter to cheer you, Faithful friends near you,

And whenever you pray, Heaven to hear you.

Happy Birthday to the best sis in the world!

Armchair (Reading) Journeys of Late

Go anywhere, learn anything, meet new people: it's all there for the taking when you open the covers of a book. With this l-o-n-g winter, books have been a great help in mental survival this 2008! Thus far, I've read many books, but these are the standouts: #1:This book, My Lobotomy - A Memoir is my latest find. It was wriiten by Howard Dully and talks about his lobotomy at age 12 at the hands of Dr. Freeman in the late 1950's and early 1960's. His story was also told on NPR, and I would love to have heard Dully interviewed to hear his voice live. I will be haunted by his story forever, but also have been inspired about the amazing strength and resiliency of the human spirit. #2:The Bookseller of Kabul is the latest selection in my Book Club group. It gives a fascinating glimpse into what it is like to be in this culture where men reign supreme and women are considered to be property. Not exactly light-hearted fare, but the reader is left with much appreciation for the freedom that we have right here right now. Read it to become more thankful. #3:Okay, so I have a weakness every now and then for a completely "fluffy" book and Eat Cake is just the ticket for me. It is the perfect beach read and what I read in Hawaii on our recent trip. A housewife has a penchant for baking exotic cakes (recipes included - I need the book back sometime, Anne!) when her world falls apart: her husband loses her job, her divorced parents end up moving in with her, and throw in a moody teenage daughter into the mix! The humor in survival is what got me hooked on this easy, breezy, foodie book. #4:My sister gave me this book The Friday Night Knitting Club for my birthday. The main character, Georgia, is a single mom with a passion for knitting. She owns and runs a knitting shop with charming - but quirky - staff and customers. There's a lot of drama in Georgia's personal life as well. The reader follows Georgia's unexpected journey with cancer near the end of the book when everything is on the upswing. I couldn't put this book down.

#5:The last book on this little list is a children's book. I am madly in love with this spunky little pig,Olivia. She's saucy, creative, inventive, imaginative - but has a bit of an attitude. This is the latest book in the four (and spin-offs) written by Ian Falconer. A dose of Olivia is wonderful for what is ailin' you. Makes me smile and laugh out loud every time I turn the pages. I personally think that the world would be a better place if everyone read more children's books no matter what chronological age the reader might be!

They Didn't Think We'd Do It This Year?

Times change. Kids grow up. Parents/Grandparents age. Traditions change. What is a celebration of Easter changes, too. I sit alone on the church pew and watch the young families sit together in their Easter finery, not long ago that was us. We won't be able to have dinner guests in our home this year; it is our turn to go out to Mom's nursing home to be with her. I am touched that John decided to come "home" to our church to play with the brass group for one last time before graduation. The atmosphere in church is one of celebration with the resurrection of Christ. However, I am getting calls from Mom via my cell phone. The emergency (for her) is the confusion of when we will be eating dinner...she is sure they are not going to be serving the meal at the noon hour and we won't be able to feast with her. I need to assure her that it will all work out. I leave church early to go out to be with her, and I am in tears...this is not how I thought Easter would be. But, this is how life can be here on earth, isn't it? I am thankful to know there is a bigger plan out there. This brings me to why joy needs to be found when you can find it. Family matters so much to me, and being together with Wes, John, Anne and Jed makes me joyful. Which is why Wes and I keep doing silly things with them, such as our annual Easter Basket hunt. Though Wes' prose is nearly illegible and rhymes are sometimes painfully penned, the "kids" seem to want to keep this tradition going. John even commented to Wes this year that it was too bad the Bunny hadn't come to our home Easter morning - little did he know the Bunny would stop by Windsor Park to find the family somehow!

Dinner was almost finished when a "distraction" happened and there was a note plopped into the floral bouquet in the center of the table. Whatever could this be?

Anne is to be commended for her determination in finding the clue hidden underneath the piano!

Whew! This is getting tricky! Fortunately, John is a strapping young buck and could lift up a plant to find a clue hiding underneath the pot. (Jed appears to be letting John do all the work!!)

Too bad the last clue was missing from the hot cocoa machine. Apparently, someone had spilled a cup of cocoa and threw away the clue that was hiding underneath the cup dispenser. Luckily the Bunny and Her Assistant could tell hunters to go to Grandma's closet to look for the final treats!

Mom was having an especially confusing day , yet she was thrilled the "Bunny" got her a garden thermometer for her room - she's thinking her wall thermostat isn't working properly nowadays.

She also loved her box of tissues, permanent markers, muffin treats and toothpaste.

Here's our goofy group posed in Mom's room. You'll note the one with the bunny ears? Guess we haven't lost our touch just yet after all! Who knows what next Easter will bring? We'll keep looking for joy where it can be found. And, maybe joy has a way of finding us even when we least expect it.

Long-Lasting Eggs (and Memories)

When it's Easter decorating time, I always take out these eggs and smile over the memories of making them with Anne and Alli. Every year until college graduation, Alli joined us here at home for Easter - along with her future husband Luke (though they weren't dating then). Dyeing these eggs is quite fun, and time-consuming to boot. Meaning you can laugh and talk and even complain while making them. What you'll need: fresh eggs, spool of thread, pot (and water), white vinegar, tongs, silk ties (Thrift Shop Queen appears again!)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Make sure you are using a tie that is 100 % silk. Check the label. Anything else just won't "take" on the egg!

2. Cut a large square out of the silk tie, large enough to wrap around the egg. Discard the lining and interfacing. Hold the tie in place over the egg shape.

3. This is the truly tedius part, and best to do when with someone else because you can chat a LOT while wrapping thread from a full spool COMPLETELY around the egg so that not even the tie is visible in the end! (Martha Stewart recommends using a piece of white fabric secured over the silk tie on the egg and securing it with a twist tie, but I think that thread wrap makes for a tighter, clearer, crisper imprint on the egg.)

4. Place the egg(s) in a pot of water and make sure the water adequately covers the egg(s).

5. Add 3 T. white vinegar to the water, and boil water (on low) for at least 20 minutes.

6. Remove egg(s) from water with a tong. Let cool.

7. The fun part comes now! Unwrap the thread from your egg. The colors are always different from the original silk tie, and that's the thrill of it!

8. Enjoy your eggs. After Easter, place them back in a cardboard egg storage container to save for next year. The eggs will last a l-o-n-g time. You will be able to feel the yolk rolling around inside for years to come. Not recommended: breaking the egg...they are a bit stinky once aged.

March Birthday Shout-Outs

My goodness but lots of family and friends have birthdays this month! So to Larry, Carol, Grace, Karl, Nicole, Maddy, Melissa, Samara and Diann, I wish you all much happiness, health, great memories and happy times as you celebrate another year added to your life! You make the world a much brighter place! (If I have missed you and you wanted to be added to the list, let me know. You can also wish a Happy Birthday to anyone here in my comments box!)

Tiara? Check. Sash? Check. Scepter? Check.

Somehow I was voted in at work as Ms. Millennium after submitting a childhood picture, writing an essay, and performing in the talent contest as Marilyn Monroe. (I blogged about that in the late fall.) What does this mean? Absolutely nothing. Just a way of welcoming in our new computer catalog system. Just thought you would like to know. No curtsies necessary. No special throne or dwelling, no increase in income. But, if I wave at you with that special wave of royalty - palm out, fingers together slightly swaying - you will understand.

Give Me an "M"!

M is for mother/mother-in-law Muriel. Anne sent up this sweater she picked out this past week for her Grandma. What is interesting about this particular sweater? I own one just like it and Anne didn't realize that. So, if you see me in it, you'll know this secret, too!

I is for incredible dessert. Does this Black Forest cake look yummy or what? We shared it with Elder and Muriel, singing quietly (of course) the HAPPY BIRTHDAY song to celebrate their increasing years on earth.

N is for our Nuvi 260 navigation system. Never will we take a road trip without our girl, "Gertie." She is amazing and remarkably dependable, but she does say the word, "Recalculating" with a bit of an edgy attitude!

N is for nice, new plasma TV. The family gave this as a gift to their parents for Christmas, but it was finally picked up and set up this weekend. We enjoyed watching their new favorite sports genre, as well as the movie QUEEN featuring Helen Mirren. Bring on the popcorn!!!

E is for Elder. Wes' father stays very active with writing pieces for the PIETISTEN and family history. Here they discuss his latest work.

S is for Starbucks with Samara. How fun it was to go to THE Starbucks where Samara met her future husband, and where Jeff would later propose to her! Following our beverage consumption, we went to the bakery her in-laws own and I was treated to a fantastic donut as well as a personal tour of the family bakery.

O is for outfits. For the day, I became Muriel's personal shopper for new outfits. We spent time in her closet and I made a list of things needed to pull her wardrobe together for Spring. Then, Elder and I went out to power shop in the shortest amount of time possible! It was pretty amazing that all the things worked out...only one item needs to be switched for a smaller size.

T is for table. We went to the Bavarian Gasthaus in Stillwater, Minnesota to celebrate Wes' parents birthdays which are about a month apart. A is for ale. Wes loved his small glass of German beer. You should have seen how large the regular stein was! Put it all together and what does it spell? Minnesota! We've just returned from a very nice weekend there visiting Wes' folks. It's a great place, but not exactly balmy. Fresh snow this morning!