A Fruitcake

For Aunt Thelma

While going through all of Thelma's things....I ran across several bags ( at least 10... maybe more) that had little containers of candid fruit. Still in the grocery bags they came home from the store in. They had been placed in a room right off of the kitchen. Maybe she was buying ahead so she could make her annual fruitcakes without having to buy so many containers at once. I really have no way of knowing. I do know...that it caught my attention and I know she MUST have had big plans for that fruit.

About a week or so ago my mom and I went to visit with Thelma. On our way, my mom stopped by the store to get her some snacks, drinks and special little things she likes to keep stashed in her room. Among the things my mom bought that day was a little fruitcake....and I immediately thought back to all of those little grocery bags that contained the candied fruit that we had to pitch out.

During our visit I asked Thelma about fruitcake. If she liked it, who all she made it for, how she made it. Just typical fruitcake chat. :) She said she had made it many for people in her community...and for many years. She said she just found a recipe a long time ago but couldn't recall how to make it. So a mission was born... I asked around for a tried and true recipe. Someone I work with had a recipe that her husband's grandmother was famous for...so I chose to make that one.

Mix, stir, coat the fruit w/ flour, squeeze juice from oranges and a lemon, several flavorings, pecans, white raisens, flour, etc.......I ended up w/ a tube pan...filled to the rim....and weighing nearly 20lbs (or so it seemed). Curiosity got the best of me and i tried the candied mix fruit as I was putting it in the bowl to coat with flour... GAG... it was bitter. Maybe something magical happens when it cooks FOR 3 HOURS...low and slow. I took the cake to my moms at Thanksgiving. Unbeknown to me...my oldest brother (Big M) loves fruitcake. Since I had sliced it and put it in Ziploc bags for Thelma....Big M snatched a few pieces. He called me that night saying he was finished with buying fruitcake...this would be a holiday tradition for him as well. Like Thelma...I went straight out to get my fruit so I would have it available to fix and take to my parents house on Christmas Eve. Although Big Daddy assures me that the stores would never sell out..but I wanted to be prepared...just like Thelma.

I did not take ONE PICTURE...and I am truly mad at myself for that....but the next one...I shall post just a picture of the fruitcake.

I hope Thelma liked it....I realize how hard it is to try to imitate something that she probably perfected. But surely it was at least equal to Claxton's! :)

Yes folks....some people really DO like fruitcake and I must admit that I enjoyed the experience.

Since Wednesday

3 Thanksgiving meals

1 All night shopping excursion

1 Day picking out the perfect Christmas Tree

8 hours sleep

Up at the 'butt crack of dawn" to pull a shift in the Ed *to quote Wormie.

:blink:blink:

:yawn:

:surreal feeling:

:blink:blink:

:YAWN:

{red swollen eyes}

Rescue me Einstein Brothers....

Wormie joins the blog world!

http://ashleysroundabouts.blogspot.com/

YAY for us! Wormie is on board!

Twice New - Shabby Chic bedroom for Wormie

Wormie needed a bedroom suite when she changed apartments in July. I had just redone her bedroom at our house (the fall before...I think I blogged it but never published pictures as promised...maybe I will when my new camera cable comes in) with the bedroom suite Big Daddy made for her. (It's a Japanese platform bed that I dearly love!) Her room at our home is so cute she decided not to take it away from me..quite yet. Even though she knows I wouldn't have minded.

The focus the new room??? It would be Shabby Chic.

We took an old bed, dresser and nightstand. (Mine and Big Daddy's)
Sanded.
1st coat of paint was periwinkle blue.
2nd/3rd coat was eggshell white antique.
Sanded corners to antique enough to make shabby.
Sealed with lacquer.
Changed out hardware to make it chic.

Added iKea bedding. Love, love LOVE it! She did a great job picking that out! :)

Accessories from Garden Ridge.

It was a long, long project in a very hot garage....does anyone remember the heat index in July? I sure do! But it was worth it after it was all signed, sealed and delivered.

Pictures doesnt really do it justice.

If we could talk Wormie into blogging with us..she could have put this one on her blog. Blog wormie...Please blog with us.

2Shaye will be moving into an apartment in the fall....she has already decided that we will find her an old, well loved suit...and rock it out in her own specific style. We love projects that challenge us. Also remember...we love Twice New...especially 2Shaye.

The man on the right.....

...has been mine for over 30 years.

...has been a father for almost 23 years.

...loves his kids more than even he can explain.

...loves sports...especially when his kids are playing.

...is the original laundry nazi.

...loves Reese (one of our 3 dogs) even though he probably would not admit it.

...loves a good meal and a nice glass of wine.

...is a pyromaniac.

...loves it when his girls share his recliner with him.

...ultimate fights with the xbox junkie way too much...and never taps out soon enough.

...still misses softball.

...is a huge WFU fan.

...is now shorter than the xbox junkie.

...loves being at home.

...can't hear a dang thing...period.

...always says 'Hey baby!' when the girls call.

...knows that the simplest things in life are best.

...never forgets to tell me 'thanks' for cooking dinner.

...always washes the dishes when I cook.

...hates the grocery store.

...asks EVERY night.."have you heard from the girls today?"

...has a work ethnic that is unmatched.

...pouts when he's mad.

...rubs his feet together...constantly.

...never leaves home in the morning without saying to me 'Be smart, be careful and I love you"

...would stroke if he saw this blog....doesnt like getting kudos for just being him.

...never met a stranger.

...has a kind soul.

...is a wonderful husband and I probably take that for granted way too much.

...lives by the early to bed, early to rise rule.

...drinks grape juice with meals.

...loves to watch the horses run.

...prefers going without so he can give to his children...it's not a sacrifice to him.

...loves music...if we're home the outdoor speakers are constantly pouring out music.

...hates ... i mean HATES to paint.

...loves the hammock.

...is loved completely.

...is what a true soul mate looks like.

Struggle

I struggle with cameras.
I struggle MOSTLY with keeping up w/ the cables that upload pictures to the computer.
I struggle blogging because I want to use MY own pictures.
I struggle because I go so long between blogging moments I misplace things.

Boo on camera cable struggles!

Basketball

Tis the season for Basketball.

Went to the Wake Forest game last night w/ Big Daddy.

Going to Wilkes Central tonight to watch the Xbox Junkie play in his first varsity basketball game!

Attack the courts Big Boy

Twice New

Wormie needs a dining room table. We've looked since August.... and cant find one anywhere that has the 'right' look.

My mom found this sitting in Rerun's Consignment store and bartered. She got it for $25.00.

That same night...I see this in the Pier1 catalog.




We have challenged her....to make it. She is half way there.



I think I have found 4 chairs on Craig's List for 40.00 for her to paint. Hopefully in a few days...I'll be able to post the final project.

We have started loving the idea of Twice New. Challenges can be so rewarding!

Aunt Thelma

Thelma and Wilbur Meet the Roby and Agnes Wall family. My mom is the cute little girl in the front. Thelma is standing behind her left shoulder.

Forewarning: This will be a long post.

Most of you know that I have tried to help my Mom and Dad clean out my Aunt Thelma's house. Thelma is my Mom's oldest sibling. It had to be sold so that Thelma could continue to enjoy her own, private room at the nice nursing facility where she is living out her life along with one of her sisters. My parents have worked non-stop for months trying to get it to the point of putting on the market. I have been with them several times just to lend a hand at this arduous task.

I wouldn't exactly call Aunt Thelma a hoarder although her house tells a different story. I personally think it's where she lived through the Great Depression, many wars, and many uncertain times. She is the first born child of my maternal grandparents. She is 89 now. 1 of 9 children. She lost her husband Wilbur many, many years ago. She never remarried (although she had a suitor named Pearlie that meant a great deal to her but he too has passed). She never had children. She is a modest woman....and worked and retired from Lorillard along beside of Wilbur.

It is never easy to go through someone's things. I can remember being with my parents as they sorted through their parent's personal belongings. I personally think you must begin the task with the utmost respect for the things they have collected. These things were important enough for them hold on to them......for whatever reason. It has been a sobering task to watch my mom relive some really good and some not so good family memories. There have been several bittersweet moments for us all.

Aunt Thelma's house has been shut up for many years. You might can imagine the musty smell that comes from lack of air circulation. We have sat there and gone through every little book, boxes of pictures, vintage clothing, you name it. Piece by piece. The things my mom felt most important have been boxed up and taken to Thelma's for her to sort through. Thelma kept EVERYTHING... Her house was a maze of newspapers, magazines, receipts, mail....and everything else. She is of the generation of waste not, want not. Again..I do not think she is a hoarder....I am sure she had reasons for all of the things she kept.

I had to post some of the things that caught my attention. Trust me when I say that I am not dishonoring my aunt. I am not...I would never do that. Each time my mom came across something that we were unsure as to which pile it should go....She would always say... What do you think Thelma would want me to do with this. Please know...we entered the house each time with respect and love for Thelma because this was her home...her safe haven. I am sure it's hard to let go of so many of her things.....but mostly her home. The things that couldn't be sold we donated to help people in need.

Some of the things that brought a smile to us:

*Herbal healing books - Yelp she was a believer in natural health. So far it's worked for her.

*Egg cartons....hundreds of them neatly stacked.

*Pantyhose....millions!

*Greeting cards to send out...100s of them.

*An unabridged dictionary. Who has that? It's a big as a bushel basket.

*Dozens of baby blankets for shower gifts. I'm sure she really missed not having children.

*Decades of Blums Almanac books - She was an avid gardener.

*3 huge freezers filled to the brim. One was dedicated only to garden seeds that she had saved.

*Cases and cases of home canned food. I can not imagine the work she put into that.

*A loaded .38 in a shoebox. Ry found...when he opened the box..it was pointing at him. Wow!

*Sear and Roebuck catalogs. I was so thrilled to see those....I used to love them as a kid.

*Bibles, hymnals galore

*An interesting book about 'relations'. Go Thelma! :)

*Hundreds of letters and cards that her friends and family had sent to her.

*Letters from my grandmother....it was so heartwarming to see her handwriting again!

*Every piece of clothing she ever bought or sewed. Even Wilbur's...she couldn't part with.

*Thelma-made Quilts - used so much they were falling all apart.

*Canned ham containers...even the lids!
*Books and novels of all kinds. My mom said a lot of folks gave her things to read.

*A vegamatic! :)

*Flour - many, many bags of flour with vanilla flavoring and coconut. She must have made a great coconut cake. My grandpa's favorite....and mine too. I believe she was baking him a coconut cake the day he died expectantly.

*Shoes....many, many shoes.

*MANY Purses...all empty except for 3 common items - Bandaids, tissue and Dentyne gum.

*Christmas ornaments make from fabric softener lids.

*A rustic stool... we think that might have been used as an outhouse item????

*Monthly calendars that went back many years. She had handwritten on the date the bills were paid. Guess that was her record keeping or the equivalent of Quicken.

*Money order receipts. Seems she paid her bills only w/ money orders.

*And lastly....the white bedspread that my grandmother had on one of her beds for as long as I can remember. It has the knots all over it to create a design. I loved that old bedspread. I slowly ran my hand across it as I had done for so many years....and it still made my palms feel numb....just the same as it did when I was a kid. It's worn and tattered now...but I recognized it the moment I saw it.

Thank you Thelma for trusting my parents enough to take care of your things. We handled it all with the love and care we think you would have wanted. Thanks for a chance to relive some memories. It's almost done now...about the only thing left....is for Thelma to meet the gentleman that purchased her home that is located on Hwy 62 in Julian. May he love it as much as you do.

Video seen in Raleigh...Hits home.

Toyota Ideas For Good - Football {click link}

Today I get an email from 2Shaye with this link..stating she had just seen this on TV. I am sure the meaning of her email was multifaceted. Let me see if I can get them all in the right order.

1 - Xbox Junkie is an AWESOME defensive back. He hits as hard as any player out on the field. It took half of the season for the coaches to even take notice. He plays with all his heart and soul (both of his sisters taught him well). During the game Big Daddy and I witnessed 2 extremely hard tackles...helmet to helmet on the last one. You know the kind. Big Daddy and I just exchanged glances but didn't say a word. Thankfully it was at the end of the game. After was all said and done...the trainer calls us to tell us that he is still shaky from the hits and didn't want him to drive.

Verdict....concussion, no practice, and not playing in the first round of state playoffs this Friday. After he's put his heart out there....he's benched.....and I couldn't be happier. And when Big Daddy responds as 'I know it' when I said 'I'm so glad he's not playing Friday night'....you know it is more than obvious that he doesn't need to be playing. I know the Xbox Junkie is not happy but he's got this awesome brain.....and we'd like to keep it that way! Wormie and 2Shaye have called him everyday checking in...we all spoil him rotten. He's our little guy...even at 6'2" ...and still growing. :)

2 - Medical profession - It's where 2Shaye is headed in some form or fashion.....and I wouldn't be surprised if sports somehow entered the career path along the way.

3 - Wake Forest University School of Medicine - she's always been the BIGGEST fan ever. AND just to think they're researching something that hit so close at home....made it an undeniable 'meant to be seen' video for all of us! And who couldn't appreciate the research efforts going on at WFUSM...my home away from home.

All of these were rolled up into one video that she found on TV...5 days after his concussion.

We love you #11!

We love football!

We LOVE to watch you play!

We just don't ever want to see you standing on the field...between plays....holding your own fingers up in front of your eyes to check your own vision....EVER. EVER. AGAIN! !

Starting anew!

Raleigh Perk and I have agreed to blog again..... tomorrow I will begin!