If you know me, or have been reading this blog for a while, you know that my Mom was a remarkable woman.  We lost her four years ago and there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t miss her terribly.  In our last conversation, my Mom told me that I was “a treasure.”  We didn’t know that would be the last time we’d talk.  Those words became my treasure.

I hope you’ll get to spend time today with the people you love, and that you’ll take the time to let them know that they are your treasure.

p.s.  This may be the perfect video for Mother’s Day.  I dare you not to get a bit teary eyed.  Thanks to Jeff Herring for this Sunday Morning Inspiration and thanks to all the Moms who have given their little ones a push – even when it was hard to do.

Being raised up north, we didn’t know the hoopla surrounding Mardi Gras -  literally meaning the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday.

Being raised Catholic, I did, however, know the meaning of the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday being “the last day we can eat candy or meat before Easter.”  That, to a kid and a meat-eater, was reason enough to indulge in gluttony from sunup until late into the night.

Now, living in the south, I see that Mardi Gras means a whole lot more than just Fat Tuesday… it means an industry.  It means a HUGE industry.

As early as January the beads, masks, feathers, and assorted Mardi Gras treasures start to appear in every store.  And I mean EVERY store.  It seems no matter what the store is selling – it can be a bakery – they shove it all aside to put up their Mardi Gras display.

Have I fallen prey to this sort of extreme Fat Tuesdayism?  Sort of.  I’ve gone to my fair share of parades now and caught my fair share of beads, fully clothed mind you.  I have a collection of Mardi Gras beads and masks, and I’ve eaten one, just one, Moon Pie.  (If you’ve ever eaten a Moon Pie you’ll know why I just ate ONE.)

Yes, I must admit the whole Fat Tuesday slash Mardi Gras thing is infectious.  I am supporting our local economy by purchasing all the right stuff to make sure my Fat Tuesday is spent as gaudily as possible.

And, yes, those of you who know me also know that  I have a plastic flamingo wearing Mardi Gras beads.  I have been assimilated by the Borg… er, I mean the South.

Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday.  I will remove the beads draped around my plastic flamingo’s neck and I will make a sacrifice for Lent like a good Catholic.

Until then, laissez les bons temps rouler, ya’ll!

I go through all the same paces as everyone else.  I watch all the specials, read all the magazines, newspapers, and websites, to rehash the past year.  There are certainly a lot of momentous events to consider during the last year, and, of course, during the last decade.  So, which stories from 2009 really resonated with me personally, and why?

Two stories struck me as very powerful, but maybe not for reasons you may agree with, or feel.  I think my age may have something to do with why these stories spoke to me personally.  So, I’ll share my own Top Stories of 2009 here for you and maybe you’ll see what I mean.

The Inauguration Of President Obama

This story is obvious, right?  Our first African-American President, or in the vernacular of my generation, our first Black President,  is inaugurated.  But, Barack Obama’s story, to me, isn’t just about being Black; it’s about being raised by his grandparents and about the loss of his grandmother.

My heart just broke the day before the election when his beloved grandmother died.  I wept knowing that she would never see her grandson become President.  When the election results were announced, my first thought wasn’t “wow, we have our first Black President” it was that his grandmother wasn’t there to see it happen.  She didn’t get to celebrate that glorious moment that she had been such a crucial part of.

Do I, like so many, consider the election of a Black President to be a monumental, historical event in this country?  Yes.  Is that why this story resonates with me?  No.  It is the story of a child of mixed race, black and white, being raised by his white mother and grandparents; a child who loved his grandmother intensely; a man who had to bury his grandmother instead of celebrate his election to the highest office of our land with her.  That personal story is the one that touches me and makes it worthy of one of the top stories of 2009 for me.

The Death of Walter Cronkite

This event doesn’t even make some of the top stories lists.  Granted, when a 92 year old man dies it is not necessarily newsworthy enough to stay in the headlines for long.  What makes Walter Cronkite’s death a story that touches me and makes it one of my top stories in 2009?  Most of my readers will probably guess the reason as he probably has the same effect of them.  As a person of a certain age, my memories have a voice.  That voice is Walter Cronkite’s.

My life, like everyone’s, is divided into events.  We, our age group, remember where we were on November 22, 1963.  This moment in history is often used by us older folk to ascertain a person’s maturity, as in “they don’t even remember where they were the day Kennedy was shot.”  This moment was a tipping point in our development as a nation, and as individuals.  We saw the world through a different lens after that date.

We sat in front of the television watching the events unfold with Walter Cronkite leading us.  We heard his voice crack, he removed his glasses, then continued with his smooth countenance giving us straightforward detail of what transpired that horrible day.

We continued to sit in front of the television that day and for many days after, with the voice of Walter Cronkite assuring us with his tone, his words, that the world would go on.  We mourned the passing of our President in silence, then listened to the voice once again of Walter Cronkite bringing us the story as it continued to unfold for weeks and months.

That voice, the voice that we knew so well, is the voice I hear in my head when I think about that tragic day.  I was just a kid then, and that voice still resonates with me.  It’s attached to my own memories.  And, with the passing of that voice, goes the passing of so many other memories I can still hear.  The sound of my Mom and Dad watching the news.  The sound of my Dad’s rocking chair.  The sound of my Mom in the kitchen with the news in the background.  All those sounds that surrounded me on those days are a part of my memory.  And, in the center of all of it, the sound of Walter Cronkite’s voice.  That’s why this story is worthy to be one of the top stories of 2009 for me.

There are many noteworthy stories of 2009.  I’m not saying any of the other big stories aren’t important, I’m just saying these two events touched my heart, for personal reasons.

Now that we’re in a new year, and a new decade, I hope we can all take time to enjoy the moments we have together to make some wonderfully remarkable memories.  Happy New Year.

It is also a day for sharing a variety of cookie and candy recipes, some old, some new.  The method we use for our cookie swap has always remained the same; the elders gather at one house early in the morning to get things going, then the youngsters come a little bit later to start forming the treats and start the cooking.  Everyone brings a tin or platter, and as the cookies and candies are completed, they are sorted and sent off with each family.

This whole idea of a cookie exchange is very old fashioned.  Back in the old days when families lived close to each other, sometimes working the same farm or other industry, it just made sense to pool your resources and gather at one house for a day of baking.  Why heat up two ovens in two houses?

Besides the economy and convenience of a shared baking day, everyone wanted to make Grandma’s Snickerdoodles or Auntie’s Peanut Brittle, so why not just have them come on over with their recipes in hand?  So, the Cookie Swap was born.

As the world gets smaller, we have even more opportunities to develop cookie swaps.  Perhaps on a world wide web.  Enter the internet.

My friend Susanne at Hillbilly Housewife.com has initiated an old fashioned cookie swap with a modern twist.  Why not get together with some of our favorite cooking friends and share recipes on each other’s websites?  Great new twist on a great old idea!  Please click on the graphic here and check out the Cookie Swap that  Susanne and fellow enterprising cookie bakers are sharing with us!

With that said, I’d like to share a couple recipes that our family has made for years in our own cookie swap.  I hope you will enjoy these little treats when you get together to share your cookie baking day with your own family and friends.  Enjoy!

Aunt Babs’ Tiny Green Wreaths

These treats are special in my family for two reasons.  My older sister owns a nice wreath shop, at which, after our cookie baking day is over, we complete the day with a trip to the wreath shop where each youngster decorates their own real green wreath and takes it home.  And, my younger sister developed her own version of  the corn flake wreath, which is not only yummy, but she prides herself in having hit on the perfect project to keep lots of little hands very, very busy!

• 1 stick butter
• 1 (10.5 oz) bag of miniature marshmallows
• 1 teaspoon green food coloring (or more to achieve your desired green color)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 cups corn flakes
• 1 cup rice krispies

Melt a stick of butter in a very large pot over low heat.  Add the whole bag of miniature marshmallows and stir until marshmallows dissolve.  Then, stir in the green food coloring, adding more if you want until you get the right shade of green.  Add the vanilla extract and stir until the color is evenly distributed.

Stir in corn flakes and rice krispies until mixed thoroughly.

To form wreaths, spray everybody’s fingers with some cooking spray or rub them with butter.  Drop golf ball size portions onto parchment or waxed paper on a cookie sheet.  Form into circle then using your finger to make the wreath center.  Decorate with cinnamon candies (Red Hots) to look like holly berries.  Work quickly so the wreaths are still warm enough that the candies stick.

This is an assembly line job for little hands; one youngster makes wreaths, another quickly puts berries on.  I’ve also seen where you can use a dab of prepared vanilla frosting to hold the candies in place.

Place in a cool area to dry completely. These treats are awfully gooey and will stick to each other, so be sure to separate them with parchment paper when you store them.

Sweetie’s Turtles

I developed this simple turtle recipe when I owned a candy shop.  I tweaked the recipe quite a bit until I came up with a very simple method using quality products available to me for the perfect tasting turtle.  These turtles became quite popular and with the closing of my candy shop, many folks mourned their passing.  Whenever I go back to my hometown I am still asked when I’m going to make some more turtles!  This is the recipe that I make for our family’s cookie swap.

• 2 (16oz) bags pecan halves (you’ll have some leftover)
• popcorn or nut salt (you’ll find this with the popcorn at the grocery store)
• 24 Knudsen caramels (or other quality caramels – cut in half)
• 3 to 4 cups finely chopped Ambrosia chocolate (or other quality milk chocolate or coating chocolate you like)
• 2 baking sheets covered with parchment paper (do not use waxed paper as it will tend to stick to the caramel and chocolate)

makes 48 turtles

The secret really is the salt, as well as using better quality caramel and chocolate.  Empty each bag of pecans onto two baking sheets.  Then sprinkle your popcorn salt generously over the nuts.  Set your oven to 200 degrees.

Unwrap your caramels and lay them on a cutting board.  Cut each caramel in half.  Put each half, one at a time, in the palm of your hand and using your other palm, flatten the caramel out.  Place the flattened half on top of the pecans and continue, one at a time, until you have arranged the caramels over the pecans -  4 across, 6 down.  You’ll be making two baking sheets full.

Set the pecans covered with caramel pieces in the oven and watch closely.  When the caramel melts down take them out and let the caramel cool.  Put the second sheet of pecans and caramel in the oven and repeat.  They melt fairly quickly so check after 3 or 4 minutes.

Now, comes the chocolate.  As the caramel is cooling, start melting your chocolate.  Here’s my preferred method.  Use a double boiler.  (If you don’t have a double boiler, use two sauce pans or a sauce pan and glass or stainless bowl that will set inside.)   Fill the bottom with water, bring the water to a boil and REMOVE FROM HEAT.  Then, place insert in bottom.

Put most of your chopped chocolate in the insert and start stirring.  (Reserve a handful of the chopped chocolate for later.)  Be sure you don’t slosh any water over into the chocolate.  Keep stirring the chocolate constantly with a big rubber spatula until the chocolate has melted, then remove the insert from the bottom of the double boiler, throw in your handful of reserved chocolate,  and continue stirring until the added chocolate has melted and continue stirring until the chocolate feels just mildly warm.

Tip: Adding the reserved chocolate to the melted chocolate “tempers” the chocolate and helps it cool down to keep its shine.  If you see white spots in your chocolate it got too hot.  You can fix that by scraping the chocolate from the double boiler insert onto a piece of parchment paper and letting it cool completely.  Then chop it back up again, and repeat the process, being careful not to let it get too hot.  Be  sure to add some cool chocolate to the melted chocolate in the final step.

When your chocolate appears melted but no longer hot, you are ready to top your turtles.  Using two spoons, dip one into the chocolate, hold it over the caramel, and use the second spoon to slide it onto the top of the caramel.  Take the back of the first spoon and just press down onto the chocolate with a light touch to encourage the chocolate to puddle down over the caramel.  The object is to cover the caramel top completely.

Don’t play with the chocolate too much or it will start to set up funny.  Just plop and press, then move on to the next one.

Once all your turtles have their chocolate tops, you can cool them down quickly by setting the baking sheet in the refrigerator or freezer, but only for a minute.  Otherwise you’ll get sweaty turtles.  Even if you cool them in the freezer or fridge, you’ll still need them to continue setting up in a dry cool area for a while.  I had a pantry closet without heat that worked well, especially in the winter.

When they are completely cool and the chocolate is solid again, just remove them from the parchment paper and you’re done.  To transport, line a box or tin with parchment paper and lay a single layer of turtles on the bottom, then top with more parchment paper, lay another single layer on top, and so forth.  You don’t want the caramel on the bottom of the turtle to sit on another turtle or they’ll stick together.

For a special gift, you can find food quality plastic bags at any party store in the candy making section.  Put an  individual turtle in a bag, wrap with a pretty ribbon, and you have a much appreciated gift!

I know Remarkable Wrinklies is not, per se, a recipe or cooking website.  However, the whole concept of a cookie swap is so old fashioned that I feel my readers can relate to it very well.  Most of us probably remember participating in our Grandmother’s or Mother’s cookie baking day, and if we’re lucky, we still continue with this tradition, even if the faces have changed.  Somethings never change though, and that is the recipes and the memories.  Enjoy your cookie swap!

Because my birthday falls around Thanksgiving time, I normally have those “reflective” type days… turning older, being thankful for whatever, blah blah blah.  This year I struggled a bit trying to be thankful.

Fortunately, I had a few nice events and simple moments to help me straighten up and fly right.

You may have noticed that I haven’t been around for almost a month.  That is due in part to my being busy.  I was having the most marvelous time planning, then participating in, a wonderful mini-vacation… just me off on a little trip out west to visit my much loved family living around Puget Sound.  What a wonderful time!  My family is so generous, feeding me, making me cozy, dragging my butt all over Seattle and Olympia and points in between (Federal Way?).  I am so thankful that I found a cheap plane ticket and had the time and good health to go and spend time with my family out west.  Oh dear, here go those thankful feelings.

I also got to spend time with great friends who have just returned from traveling around the countryside in their sparkling new RV!  What a hoot!  The RV is so cool and they have such a great story to tell.  The pictures are beautiful and I envy them for all the scenery they’ve been able to enjoy, as well as all the great hiking and biking trails they’ve traveled.  I am so thankful that I got to meet them at all, let alone become their friend.  Oh my… more thankful feelings.

The weather has been cooperating here so I’ve been able to ride my bike quite often with my daughter and spend time at her house afterwards watching my goofy grandchildren act up.  Sometimes they’re good, sometimes they’re naughty, but they are always entertaining.  My daughter and I always have something to laugh about, and my son-in-law will always run out for wine if I decide to stay overnight.  Good man.  I am so thankful to have my happy, healthy family so near by.  Ooops… more thankful feelings trickling through my poopy birthday mood.

My Hubby is strong and healthy and able to work and enjoy his hobbies, like rockabilly music, which is a bit beyond my understanding, bless his heart.  (If you’re a Southerner you know what I just did there.)  He is making his best-ever turkey and stuffing tomorrow for Thanksgiving, we’ll have our traditional side dishes, and everything will be perfect thanks to him.  My Hubby is an excellent cook and gets everything on the table in an orderly fashion as we basically sit by and watch.  We learned long ago to stay out of “his” kitchen on Thanksgiving.  So, I’m really thankful that he is willing and able to do so much for us.  My my… those thankful feelings seem to be sneaking in everywhere.

Well, it would seem that being thankful and counting my blessings should be a part of my birthday every year.  At a certain age one has to adopt the old adage that any birthday is better than no birthday.  And a birthday that happens to occur around Thanksgiving is a blessing in-and-of itself.  It’s a great reminder to stop and consider saying thanks for a few things even as I get older – especially as I get older!

Which brings me to a couple of my favorite quotes.  The first one I have pinned up in my home office as a constant reminder of the good things about growing older.  This is a quote that I remember every time I hop on my bike and feel like I’m 10 years old again.  I hope you can see the beauty in it as well.  Here you go…

“The great thing about getting older is that you don’t lose all the other ages you’ve been.” Madeleine L’Engle

This next quote you have most likely seen before.  It’s an especially insightful and important quote to remember as we age.  If we spend too much time dwelling on the years ahead of us, well, you know how depressing that can be.  My Gramma always said that getting old was not for the weak, timid, or faint of heart. That’s a great quote, too, but this one sort of completes Gramma’s thought.  Here you go…

“The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time.” Abraham Lincoln

Yes, birthdays are a great time to stop and reflect on each day as a blessing.  Thanksgiving is a great time to share your blessings with the people around you.  Most older people I know have, at one time or another, told younger people that they should count their blessings, usually when a younger person was wrapped up in a torment of some sort that didn’t amount to much. (Thanks Mom and Dad.)  Our elders have taught us that the act of counting our blessings will reward us in many ways for years to come.  They knew a thing or two about torment, sacrifice, and blessings!

With that thought, I hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving filled with all the blessings your heart can hold!

p.s.  Many folks my age refer to this time of  life as their “late youth” and I tend to agree.  Check out the book entitled Late Youth: An Anthology Celebrating the Joys of Being Over Fifty by Susanna Johnston to see if you agree that there are still plenty of joys to be celebrating!

I like Halloween; it’s a “no pressure” holiday.  If you decorate your house the night before, it’s soon enough.  Halloween doesn’t take a lot of preparation and you don’t have to fight crowds in the shopping malls every weekend for months.  And if you need a costume, anything will do in a pinch.  I don’t know anyone who didn’t dress up as a hobo for Trick-or-Treat night at least once, either as a kid or adult.

Trick-or-Treat night has changed in some parts of the country, but where we live, the kids still go out the night of Halloween after it gets dark, just like in the old days.  We’re sensible about it and we just walk with the kids around the neighborhood we know.  I tag along with my grandkids, which has brought back some fond memories of my own excursions through our neighborhood on All Hallows Eve, and of the candy.

My grandkids make quite a haul each year Trick-or-Treating.  I figured out pretty quickly what my real job was while I was going along with the family.  My job is to carry extra bags along so the grandkids can dump their candy in it as they go.  They each have their own extra bag so the candy doesn’t get mixed up.  That would be a Halloween faux pas.

Back home, my little pirates dump their bags out on the floor in the living room and begin the sorting process.  This is a fascinating ritual.  Witnessing the sorting strategy and style of both my grandkids has offered me a little glimpse into their futures.

My grandson, the older of the two, begins a very complicated technique of piling candy bars together, miscellaneous chocolates together, gummies together, sweet tarts together, and so forth.  This process takes some very diligent thinking because there are always rogue candies out there that don’t fit a category.  And what in the world do you do with the non-candy items?  He ponders these treats in front of him and makes decisions regarding their value after much thought.

Meanwhile, my granddaughter is sitting in front of her mountain of candy, quickly and without forethought, picking up a piece, examining it briefly for any value it would offer  her, and exclaiming “want it” or “don’t want it”.  Her treats have been quickly deemed either acceptable and kept, or dismissed to a garbage heap and never seen again.  She has perfected the quick cull.  Done.  No turning back.

My theory is that this ritual plays out in everyday life, and I’ve seen it proven over and over again.  Their methods of problem solving are so different from one another.   They both make me laugh and, hopefully, their unique personality styles will continue to serve them well.   I hope everyone has a safe and Happy Halloween and I wish you continued success sorting your Halloween candy for many years to come.

Yes, our little family got together yesterday here in our somewhat tiny home.  In the great tradition, our cats hid for the most part, which made just enough room for us six people, our little tree, and the fancy manger scene.

We exchanged a few fun little gifts.  The Grandkids, once again, rolled their eyes at me as I bestowed the annual gift of pajamas… thus the moniker “Pajama Gramma”.  As I explained to them, this is a tradition, like it or not.  Then we gave them their fun gift; a board game called Apples to Apples.  I look forward to sitting down and losing to them in the next couple days.

We enjoyed the traditional “Papa versus Grandkids” game of Sorry.  Papa plays “No Mercy Sorry”, pitting his wit and strategy against a 7 and 11 year old.  And, once again, Papa lost.  This, again, is a tradition, albeit a tradition that Papa doesn’t necessarily enjoy; the losing.  All this went on over a backdrop of various Christmas music and the television showing a video of snow falling softly in a pine forest.  Technology takes me home, once again.

Our traditional Christmas meal is exactly like our traditional Thanksgiving meal.  First, the best spinach dip in the world made by my daughter.  Then, my husband’s best turkey and stuffing, with my daughter’s family creating their wonderful creamy potatoes, my much requested curried cauliflower, which was actually my Mom’s recipe, and, of course, the famous green bean casserole.  With a couple yummy pies for dessert, we’re all set.  The turkey filled the air with that Holiday aroma, and all the vegetable dishes were cooked in shifts, rotated in and out of the oven as room allowed.

So, all this nonsense said, my point is that the Holidays are all about the food and fun for me.  The few gifts given are always about tradition and fun, never anything anyone actually asks for or even wants.  Don’t get me wrong; I love giving gifts, but, like most grandparents or parents of adults, we either don’t know what they want, or they get what they want for themselves.  The gifts we end up giving, then, are gifts of tradition.  The majority of my shopping is done in the grocery store.  The majority of my time is spent cooking, eating, and playing games.

My Christmas memories are wrapped around the time and effort that my parents and grandparents put into getting us all together for a celebration.  That was no small feat back in those days, what with families with one car, miles traveled on snowy roads, and work schedules that weren’t always Holiday friendly.  A big meal, with a few gifts, and many, many people of all ages gathered in a relatively small area, with coats, boots, hats, and mittens taking up one whole room… these are the memories that dreams are made of.

It happens every year.  I guess that’s what New Year’s resolutions are for.  I’ll be lazy and sluggish for about 21 days, just long enough to fall out of my good habits and into my bad ones.  But, there is redemption at the 1st of the New Year. 

There is one thing I am doing right that I hope off-sets all the things I’m doing wrong.  Well, just a little.  I’m drinking a lot of green tea.  I’ve replaced Diet Coke with green tea before, but I’m really back on track again. I don’t know if green tea cancels out cookie calories, but it can’t hurt.  This is how I make my gallons of green tea:

I use a 2 or 3 quart pan to boil water, then turn it off and add 4 bags of Bigelow Organic Green Tea (I just prefer it) and 1 bag of Bigelow Plantation Mint (it perks up the flavor), and let it steep for a good 5 minutes or so.  Then I pour my tea into a gallon jug or pitcher, top it off with cold water, stick it in the refrigerator, and I have tea ready whenever I want. I do not add sugar as the mint has enough sweetness for me and I prefer a tart tea.

Having a pitcher of green tea ready in the refrigerator is what saves me from myself.  When I open the refrigerator door and start staring inside for something to eat or drink, I automatically reach for the green tea.  If it’s not there, I reach for something else… usually not good for me.

I’ll get back to my good habits soon, but until then, my gallon jug of green tea with mint will continue to save me from myself.  Good luck with your good habits, too!

Thanksgiving never changes much in my family.  Hunting season is always the center of the activity with the hunters coming and going at all hours.  Some football game is usually on a TV somewhere in the house.  Everybody starts arriving with baskets full of food early in the afternoon and dinner is sometime after dark.  There are a couple tables scattered throughout the house to fit the growing family and just about every bowl, plate, and serving platter is used for this one meal. 

I suspect that this year will be very much like the years before.  We’ll gather to hunt, gather to cook, and gather to eat.  It’s what families do all across America on Thanksgiving day.  We express our thanks for the people we have at the table, people who are living far away, and especially for the people who have gone on before us to set a table in Heaven, awaiting our arrival.  We laugh a little and we cry a little. 

Our family is big and boisterous and gentle and silly and warm and expanding and changing.  Every Thanksgiving I give thanks for my family, the old and young and near and far.  I’m sad for the people we have lost and I rejoice in the people we have gained.  Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.