Nostalgia and Reminisce

Christmas Nostalgia Warm Feelings

2011-12-12T00:37:00.001-08:00

Christmas nostalgia creates very warm feelings for me as I had a great childhood in a family of 7, me being the youngest. My mother was a very outgoing, family person and she went out of her way to make Christmas a very special and magical time for all of us.

By the time I was 3, my oldest sister got married and then two other sisters eventually got married, so my most vivid home memories are of my parents and two older brothers and one older sister at Christmas time. Mom had these plug-in candles that she put in every window and usually started decorating around the second week of December. We used to have a real Christmas tree, but they eventually bought an artificial one that was just as nice, because I always had itching problems from the real tree and my eczema allergy to it.

Dad played records on Saturdays and on the Saturday we put up the tree, he would play Bing Crosby Christmas music, Brenda Lee, Burl Ives, Gene Autry and several of the popular albums of that era. I have a love of all of those and collect them for my own Christmas music now.

While the music played and dad sat in his chair by the window, the rest of us would put everything on the tree. My older sister was particular about the big multi-colored lights and the last touch to the tree, icicles, so we allowed her to perfect them. We also had the snow globe lights and some twirler ornaments that needed the heat of the lights to twirl. I though they were absolutely magical. I loved each ornament as mom saved every homemade ornament us kids made and unwrapping them and hanging each one brought back the nostalgic memory of its story. Candy canes were a regular feature of the tree and all the grandkids got to pick one off on Christmas day.

It was such a festive, happy day, with dad's Christmas music playing, mom cooking something good for dinner like a chicken casserole and always some kind of yummy dessert like bread pudding. I loved my childhood and wished that everyone had a happy one like mine. I had several nieces and nephews by this point, so Christmas Day was a big dinner around 3:00 pm and everyone showing up with more goodies.

Christmas morning was so easy to wake up to, compared to a school day, lol. The aroma of coffee wafting through the air, dad in his chair with the annual Christmas Day parade on TV and the tree bulging with presents, when the night before there were none. Mom liked to keep everything secret until Christmas Eve and then fill up the bottom of the tree and fill our stockings, which she draped over the back of the couch, instead of hanging them by the fireplace. I guess they were too full. :)

We took turns and I always got to hand them out being the youngest child. We waited as each person opened their gift, so we could share in their joy and excitement of the gift. We took our time, so it was not a mad dash to ripping everything open like some families do. We always dumped out our stockings first, while mom and dad drank their morning coffee. I remember one time I got like $20 in my stocking and that was very cool!

Toward the end of opening gifts, mom would head into the kitchen and us girls would join her after the last gift was opened. Breakfast was started with bacon, eggs and sometimes pancakes. Us kids would enjoy our gifts as well and mom and dad, then we would gather at the dining room table to eat a yummy breakfast.

We would then do the clean-up, dishes and go and enjoy our gifts, maybe taking a nap before the extended family would show up for the big dinner and more gifts. Mom and Dad used to buy gifts for each grandchild and give money to each married couple. Eventually, the family grew so big, mom just bought $2-3 gifts for the grandkids and now great-grandkids. The married couples always got $100, but after dad died, that came to a halt and we totally accepted that. Mom was also big on games, so we always had two or three games and mom of course, had prizes for the winners. She was the chief of hospitality and making sure everyone had a good time. I miss that wonderful woman and cherish the day I embrace her in heaven!

For many years, the family was so big, we rented halls to gather, but the work of hauling everything there became a hassle and we moved it back to mom and dad's and after dad passed, we had a couple more with just mom, but she got tired easily and we again moved it to my sister's church gym. Many changes took place over the years and with dad gone, mom was not her chipper self anymore. She did get up and do the hokey pokey two Christmases before she died and I took pictures of that, never to forget her childlike heart and ways. The last Christmas with mom was a rough one as she had heart trouble and came to the gathering in a wheel chair. We cherished every moment with her as we knew it was probably her last one on earth, and it turned out to be true.

I will always love Christmas for the main meaning, Jesus came into the world as a light and salvation to all who would receive Him. It was a time of love, family, games, sharing memories, good food, laughter and joy. I will never forget those days and find myself doing much of the same things mom did. I always hosted the family Christmas and even though all my kids are grown, we try to have a cookie decorating party, game nights and come together on Christmas Day for our yummy food dishes and gifts I buy for the grandkids. Some years I get gifts from my kids and some homemade ones from the grandchildren, which is such a precious treat to me. I am very sentimental and
cry easily when touched by those things. Christmas is love! Merry Christmas to all and may you find Christ to be the reason for the season. :)

!

Label all Topical Steroid Cremes of Potential Severe Addiction After 5 Days Use

2011-11-19T22:27:00.000-08:00

Label all Topical Steroid Cremes of Potential Severe Addiction After 5 Days Use

2011-10-24T12:39:00.000-07:00

It's that time of the year for the little munchkins to come trick-or-treating in your neighborhood again. Do be kind and keep the bloody, gore scenes buried in the basement. Nothing ruins our Halloween more, that coming up to a house with coffins, scary music, bloody heads hanging in the tree and a vampire creeping up on little toddlers. That is not the fun of Halloween and how can you get a kick out terrifying kids? This is the part of Halloween I dislike and will not participate in it.

Halloween is a fun, dress-up day to enjoy, and all that fear stuff was never meant to be a part of the jovial time of Halloween. People take it way too far with all the gore, and don't we have enough on the news these days? Give it a break, people.

This is my idea of a fun Halloween, although, my dog does not do her little dances when I haul out her costume. Must just be a lack of understanding how cute she really is in her tutu. :) My grand-kids do enjoy the good fun of dressing up for sure!

I always loved the whole day, as I got to dress up for school, bring treats ,eat treats and then go home, eat supper and out the door to gather more goodies and see the cutest, funniest, craziest costumes anywhere. Witches, goblins, ghouls and all that dark side were never our style of dress-up because we did not see the purpose of glamorizing the dark side of life.

Now, if you want to enjoy the nostalgia of Halloween, keep it simple and fun, like it used to be. Cute or funny costumes delight the candy servers and fellow walkers on that sweet-treat night. Keep your lights on and a smile on your face, and no ice cubes in the bags! Let's keep our nostalgia full of happy memories and America the great land that She is! Happy Holidays, my friends. :)

Here are some Great discount deals on bags of candy!

Remember The Original Monthy Idea Book?

2011-09-20T14:00:00.000-07:00

I have fond memories of the Original Monthly Idea Book that was a big part of my childhood and school days. With the fall season now in bloom here in Michigan, I reminisce about the nostalgic memories embedded in my head with this great children's book. The Idea Book is still around and looks as good as ever!

Here are some great points about the Idea Book for kids, parents and teachers to enjoy together.

Great stories
Poems
Crafts
Masks
History lessons
Puzzles
Clipart
Recipes
Teaching aids
Games
Calenders
Celebrations for every day
Bulletin board suggestions
Activities

Some of the nostalgic memories include my love for the Autumn season and stories the Idea Book had in it. It always had some great pumpkin carving faces and recipes for the pumpkin that you took out of jack-o-lantern. The stories about Halloween or fall harvest captured my full attention with the pictures included with the story. Whatever a child likes, from reading age to about 6th grade, the Idea Book corrals their attention and they end up falling in love with the Idea Book. Great memories!

CLICK ON THE PICTURE TO SEE MUCH MORE ABOUT THE IDEA BOOK!

9-11 Tribute

2011-09-11T22:37:00.000-07:00

Today marks the 10th anniversary of the American 9-11 tragedy. Terrorist planes crashed into the New York World Trade Center and Pentagon. Over 3,000 perished in the terrible tragedy that still breaks our hearts this day. Many brave firefighters gave their lives in this grievous attack on our Nation and many are injured and suffer to this day. I want to give remembrance, honor and love to all touched by 9-11. May we find comfort in each other and God Almighty.

August Memories of Michigan and Music

2011-08-12T15:05:00.000-07:00

Time really seems to fly by in the summer and drag in the cold months of winter. I 'm sure it's because you stay much busier in the summer. Here it is the middle of August and my nostalgic memories are kicking in to some memories from my youthful August days. August was a month of festivity in my family, as the city I grew up in had a week-long festival with a carnival, picnics, kid's events, art fair, car shows, boat races, beach sand sculpturing and a host of other activities. Our family made it a tradition to go to my grandma or aunt and uncle's house every Saturday of the parade and then go back after the parade for a delicious picnic and fellowship. In the evening we would walk downtown to the big fireworks display and end the night back at my aunt and uncle' house, waiting for all the traffic to clear before we would head home to the neighboring city.

Buy This Allposters.com

Nostalgic memories of summer are plentiful for me as I was the youngest of seven and picnics were common and often in the summer for our large family. Most of my older siblings were married and had children, so I grew up with plenty of nieces and nephews. The older ones were quite close in age to me as my oldest sister was out of the house by the time I was three years old. I enjoyed the big family and frequent gatherings at the park, a lake, beach, cottage or my parent's home. We always found a reason to gather and that is what made summer, fall, winter and spring seasons fun and full of love for me.

Father Playing with His Child During a Picnic

Allan Grant

16 in. x 16 in.

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My dad always planned a summer vacation or two in the summer and August was one more trip before school started. We never went out of state, except one time to the Niagara Falls in Canada. We always traveled somewhere in Northern Michigan as it is so beautiful in the Spring and summer; dad felt it was the place to be. I enjoyed it too, because Michigan has such beautiful beaches and lakes. Michigan has the most fresh water lakes in the world, so it made sense to see the sights of our own state.

After the scenic drives on our summer trips, we would stop at nice hotels and I would enjoy the swimming in the pool that I dreamed of having some day. We always ate a nice restaurants and took pictures of the wonders of beautiful Michigan. We went to places of interest that mom and dad would find out about before our summer vacation. One place I remember well, was outdoor museum that had huge statues of dinosaurs and animals. I remember climbing all over them and thinking how cool this was! Lol~ As we drove home, I pondered the natural wonders of my beautiful Michigan and the fall season when we would venture out again, to see more of its beauty.

A fall color tour was always a big passion of my dad, so we headed north once again as the turning of the leaves were at their peak. Mom, my brother and I found it to be a family time that warranted high scores from us. The nostalgia and reminiscing of those days keeps fond memories accessible for a quick blast from the past and the ability to blog and share it all with you. I hope you enjoy my reminiscing and find yourself drifting back to your own nostalgic childhood memories. I am off to enjoy the rest of this warm August weather and add more memories to my huge collection already stored in the files on my heart and mind. Happy end of August, everyone!

Fourth of July Memories

2011-07-02T23:18:00.000-07:00

These are a few of my favorite things from my childhood Fourth of July. Cooking out at picnics, hamburgers on the grill with all the fixins, ketchup, mustard, relish and onions, yum! Then there was the potato salad, veggie trays, watermelon and delicious desserts like Grandma's Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake. Then the fire and s'mores and all of us kids lighting our sparklers that lasted more than a minute! Ya, can you imagine that? Those were the days my friend. Fourth of July was a time to be with family, eat good food, swim, play games, laugh, go fishing, ride in the boat and most of all, celebrate this great nation of freedom, America.

I do not see the same America as it was back then and it saddens me to see so many foreclosures, people without work, no health insurance, high taxes, greedy government and less for the people and more for the pockets of money hungry politicians. Our freedom is at stake and Independence may not be a word our children and grandchildren will know like we've known it. What can we do? Number one~pray. Two~be true to thine own self and others and follow the Golden Rule. We must not let the great spirit of America be lost in the oppression, but rise up and stand as one for this Freedom that the Fourth of July brought us. As one great man said, "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country." That means my fellow man, not Uncle Sam.

Great Nostalgic Music, Chattanooga Choo Choo

2011-05-26T17:25:00.000-07:00

I love big band music and the great feeling I get when I listen to it. Nostalgic music brings me back to a time in my life and in America when our Nation was more moral and united. Who can forget the days of 10 cent sodas and swing dancing? This music will never be forgotten and the era of a prosperous time in our country and the good old fashioned values that made us the great Nation we are.

In Memory of 9-11 and to Honor our Brave Navy Seals

2011-05-02T22:34:00.000-07:00

May 2, 2011 Osama Bin Laden is dead. I will not go into the details of his death or how I feel about it. I know that God is the judge and everyone must answer to Him. I am thankful that one major terrorist will not be killing many innocent people. We have a battle ahead of us and I pray that our nation will humble itself and keep God on our side to fight this evil.

I am very proud of our brave Navy Seals that carried out a mission that could have gone very wrong, but they did it for their nation and risked their lives for all of us. God bless every soldier that is serving this great nation and may God shed His grace on all of us.

The Beloved Easter Eggs, Cracked or Not

2011-04-15T11:12:00.000-07:00

Easter Eggs were a grand part of the excitement of the holiday. Not because of the spiritual meaning of them, which happens to be the baby chick coming out the egg just like Jesus did from the grave. That's what it meant for us, anyway. But we just loved to color those eggs and be creative and what kids don't? Crafting is just a fun family time that brings everyone together to talk and laugh.

We usually had at least two cracked eggs in the bunch out of a couple dozen and I continued that tradition until a couple of years ago when I learned how to boil the perfect egg from reading an article online. Now, my boiled eggs are perfect, most of the time if I follow this 101 egg boiling lesson. Click here to learn it yourself.

Photo credit: dieraecherin from morguefile.com

I've also become a holistic egg purchaser after reading the many horror stories of abused chickens at the big egg producing corporations and how the poor birds never see the light of day, are crammed into cages so tight they peck and mutilate each other, and are fed corn and soy along with steroids and hormones, which is very bad for a healthy chicken or egg. It's a crime how these businesses get away with it and many people are boycotting these egg producers and buying organic, free range chicken eggs which are the best and most nutritious in the world. Most eggs you buy in the store are not free range and not cage free like they claim, so don't be duped by their sneaky ways.

Photo credit: sioda from morguefile.com

If you would like to know more about healthy eggs and where to purchase them, click on my article about free range eggs. Please do support the humane treatment of egg laying birds and help us get back to the old fashioned way of getting healthy eggs from happy, healthy free range birds.

Photo credit: doctor_bob from morguefile.com

Happy Easter egg coloring and hunting! :)

Photo credit: phaewilk from morguefile.com

April Showers

2011-04-09T22:44:00.000-07:00

April showers bring May flowers is the old and familiar tune. I love April and May even more! Today was a nice 70 degree day that made me actually get my lawn chair out and just kick back in the warm vitamin D sunshine. Some nostalgic memories of April are the wonderful Michigan thundershowers that roll in off the lake and lull me to sleep at night. Love it!

Another April memory is the wonderful Easter holiday. It is a Holy holiday with a lot of meaning for all and fun attached to it for the kids. Can you believe that I just learned how to boil eggs without cracking them like two years ago? Ya! you can find out how to do that too! Right here. And do get soy-free organic eggs to eat the best kind of eggs and not those poor, abused chicken's eggs that never see daylight or free-range, very sad. We always did our Easter eggs on the Saturday before Easter and then woke up to a delightful egg hunt that sometime was like a scavenger hunt with little notes that my dear mother worked so hard to rhyme. What fond and nostalgic memories!

Do you have good April or Easter memories? Please do share with me because I love to chat with other nostalgia lovers. :) Enjoy this blessed season!

Easter Greetings, Little Girls with Eggs

Spring is Upon Us

2011-02-23T15:30:00.000-08:00

I love the signs of spring everywhere and long to come out of hibernation from a long, cold winter. My childhood memories of spring are like this picture, with trips to the country and sticking my toes in the cold, running streams still thawing from the winter season. And I love all the new buds on the trees and bushes, flowers peeking up through the ground, baby animals and one of my favorites, spring weddings! Click here to see my article on how you can plan a cheap but beautiful, spring wedding in a small amount of time. Do you have a favorite spring memory?

River in Springtime in Aomori-Ken, Shirakami Sanghi, Japan

Florence, Mason

24 in. x 18 in.

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Virtual Fireplace~Enjoy!

2010-12-17T20:10:00.003-08:00

Virtual Fireplace~Enjoy!

2010-12-17T20:10:00.001-08:00

Men who Lack Adult Supervision

2010-09-14T14:41:00.000-07:00

This is nostaglia for me cause my family is full of "men" like this and this brings back some memories. I once had a deer laying on my kitchen table while my husband cooked up the tenderloins he had just removed.~lol~enjoy!

Remember this One? ~Lost In Space~

2010-09-11T20:15:00.000-07:00

I know, call me a geek and it was a cheesy show, but~~I was young and we ONLY had three channels back then with no computers, ipods, cell phones, mp3 players, xbox, and the hundred other entertainment devices for people today. I miss these days, really~Parents and kids actually sat in the same room to watch a TV show together. The old America.

Love how Will always stayed so calm with the villain "Mr. Smith". :)

Big Valley Nostalgia

2010-07-20T20:52:00.000-07:00

I miss watching this great western with all the cute guys in it, lol! So glad that we can access these oldie but goodies. Of course, Heath was my fav, but Nick and Jarrod were not bad either. Audra was a name I loved and wanted to name one of my girls after her, but my spouse wasn't in agreement. Maybe a grandchild? Oh well~enjoy!

2010-06-28T10:13:00.000-07:00

Whenever I need to lighten up and have a good laugh, Lucy does the trick. I love this girl and always will. Probably because I am like her? My grand-kids think so. lol~ Enjoy!

Remembering

2010-05-18T19:32:00.000-07:00

This song has carried me through a lot in the past year and now it will be added to my nostalgia and reminisce collection. Hope everyone is faring well in life's bumpy journey, keep looking up!

A song of comfort

2010-05-18T19:28:00.001-07:00

Denace the Menace Original

2010-04-29T15:48:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite TV shows was Dennis the Menace when I was younger. This show never failed to amuse me, maybe because I was a female version of Dennis, at times? The first comic I read in the newspaper was Dennis the Menace and I always read the short little books. I wonder if those are around anymore?

Ah well, good things come to and end, but I'm sure glad they have all the nostalgic music and TV shows on You Tube. I really don't need a TV with access to these old shows, not a cuss word was spoken in them, wow.

Will we even recognize America in 20 years? I hope so. In the meantime, I will do my best to reminisce and keep the memories alive.

Sentimental Journey~Doris Day~A Favorite

2010-04-13T19:59:00.000-07:00

I have yet to see a movie today that impacts me like one of my favorites, Doris Day. Come along with me on a sentimental journey and reminisce about a time in America when popcorn cost 20 cents and a pop was 10 cents! Oh, just to take a sentimental journey, watch a Doris Day movie and munch on some good old movie theater popcorn with my best friend. Those were the days my friend, I thought they'd never end!

Changes at eHow Causing Big Time Nostaligia and Reminiscing

2010-04-07T11:29:00.000-07:00

The sudden announcement made by eHow to their writers on Monday, April 5, to discontinue the WCP method of payment through eHow, as of April 13, 2010, has stunned the eHow community as there were no announcements made prior to Monday. This would have given writers time to make a decision on what they would do and begin a search for another writing site if they chose not to move to Demand Studios. Many are upset and quickly backing up their articles in case of more future surprises. I'm not sure what the reason was for this sudden announcement but it has swamped the forums and personal blogs.
http://www.nojobformom.com/2010/04/06/ruffled-ehow-feathers/
All of the eHow writers that have been approved to move on to Demand Studio will have to learn AP writing style, Active Voice and pass through a copy editor to get published. This is not a bad thing considering all of the complaints from good eHow writers about anything getting published there in the past. There were some very trashy, bad grammar articles that were flagged and made the good writers cringe.

The option of pay up front is a draw for many as some articles would sit for a year and make little or nothing. But one will still have the option of revenue pay with a pre picked title or pick your own. Some Demand Writers are claiming they can make $1000 a week by the up front pay method. Others say the copy editors make it way too difficult and are opting to write for other internet sites such as, Suite 101 or Examiner, who have a good reputation with their writers.

I am going to make the transition to Demand and give it my 150 percent just like I did for eHow in the past, time will tell if I like it or not. Right now, I am back in school to learn the protocol for Demand Studio, so I can hopefully avoid rewrites or at least too many of them.

My many wonderful friends there have become very dear to my heart and I hope that we can all stay connected and I pray for the ones who have not been accepted or are leaving, to find another good site to write for. Godspeed my fellow writing friends!

You can still find me here: http://www.ehow.com/members/jseven.html?view=3rd

Recent American Government Decisons Increase Nostalgia Desires

2010-03-24T14:05:00.000-07:00

The recent violation of our constitution by the president and congress has provoked many Americans and rightly so. The nostalgia of early America is even more desired as we watch these freedoms we all hold dear, threatened by a small group of people in the White House that seem to ignore the fact that they are there to serve the people and not be a controlling socialist machine that steam rolls the cries of the public to serve their own power hungry agenda.
Every American soldier's cemetery here and in other countries tells a story of nostalgia and it causes me to reminisce of the days when America was the most desired country to live in with all of it's opportunities in the land of the brave and the free. I pray that our government will be radically returned to what Abraham Lincoln called it years ago, "Of the people, by the people and for the people."

NOSTALGIA

Nostalgia and Reminisce

Christmas Nostalgia Warm Feelings

Label all Topical Steroid Cremes of Potential Severe Addiction After 5 Days Use

Remember The Original Monthy Idea Book?

9-11 Tribute

August Memories of Michigan and Music

Fourth of July Memories

Great Nostalgic Music, Chattanooga Choo Choo

In Memory of 9-11 and to Honor our Brave Navy Seals

The Beloved Easter Eggs, Cracked or Not

April Showers

Spring is Upon Us

Virtual Fireplace~Enjoy!

Virtual Fireplace~Enjoy!

Top 5 Vintage Topics

Men who Lack Adult Supervision

Remember this One? ~Lost In Space~

Big Valley Nostalgia

Remembering

A song of comfort

Denace the Menace Original

Sentimental Journey~Doris Day~A Favorite

Changes at eHow Causing Big Time Nostaligia and Reminiscing

Recent American Government Decisons Increase Nostalgia Desires