When our sons were little boys, we made Christmas cookies together every year…and last year I asked Nick’s girls if they would like to continue the tradition. Let’s just say they were happy to oblige. And who cares that we couldn’t find the cookie cutters in their kitchen. We simply used some jar lids and […]
Meemaw Asks…Who Invented Birthday Cake?
Thanks to ALL of you who sent birthday wishes my way as I reached my latest milestone! I was looking through old photos, and I found this gem from a party long ago. I have no idea who’s birthday we were about to celebrate, but judging from the number of candles it was nobody in […]
Oven Baked Caramel Corn…Our Holiday Tradition
My brother knows I am always looking for vintage family photos of Mom in her kitchen, and I was thrilled when he sent me this one, especially when I realized what she was proudly “showing off” in her oven. It’s Mom’s amazing and delicious Oven Baked Caramel Corn! The holidays just weren’t complete until Mom made […]
Our Farmhouse Holiday Dinner…Food For My Soul
The holidays are a VERY busy time for all of us. And sometimes it’s nice to take some time and relive special moments from the past…like this wonderful holiday dinner we enjoyed with my brother Tom and his wife Barb several years ago. Barb’s recipes were delicious…and sharing that meal around the table in the […]
Surprise Dinner with Friends…
As many of you already know, we’re “snow birds”…and we love our two separate lives! Our Midwest life allows us to spend quality time with our family and friends, and to enjoy the changing seasons. But when Winter sets in…our tropical life allows us to dodge the frigid Iowa winters and spend time in a […]
Mom’s Long Lost Ginger Crisps Cookies
Recipes are much more than a blueprint for preparing food. Recipes can be our connection to the past…and to the people we love. And that was so true yesterday when I stumbled upon my mom’s Ginger Crisps cookie recipe. I was feeling very nostalgic and a little sad in our much-too-quiet house after our amazing, […]
Meemaw’s Childhood Farm…Our GrandCamp Finale
Ever since our grandchildren were old enough to listen, I have shared stories about my life growing up on our Iowa farm. It was an idyllic childhood filled with treasured pets, tons of cousins, and wonderful neighbors. It was the stuff of dreams. So as our First Annual GrandCamp was coming to an end, it […]
University Of Iowa Museum Of Natural History
It was quite easy to plan low cost, child-friendly activities for our week long “GrandCamp” last summer. I simply thought about all of the places we used to take our sons when they were little. And the University of Iowa Museum of Natural History was the FIRST place that came to mind. We made a […]
Cousins Galore…And BINGO! (A Winning Combination)
A highlight of our Indy grandgirl’s “GrandCamp” week in Iowa had to be the overnight slumber party with their four Iowa cousins. And And that overnight stay even included some rousing games of BINGO…a treat for all of them! Another highlight of any overnight at our house is Peepaw’s popcorn. He has a real popcorn […]
Grandkids, Fossils, And Fun For All!
Peepaw and I may be old, but we took our Indy grandgirls to see some fossils much older than us! We took the girls on a short road trip to the Devonian Fossil Gorge near Iowa City. But before we trekked through that incredible glimpse of truly ANCIENT history, we started with a picnic lunch from […]