A Tribute to Dad

A Tribute to Dad

Today is Father's Day and I am finding myself sitting here reminiscing about some wonderful times I had with my Dad and thinking about what a wonderful man he was!

Dad passed away in 2000 and I am proud to share that he is in Arlington Cemetery and not only was he a war hero, he was my hero as well!

I am the youngest of 5 and also born later in life with 12 years between me and my next sibling! So when I grew up I was more like an only child! My father was able to provide for me and afford me a lot more than my brothers and sisters.

My favorite memories are all the traveling I did. My Dad bought a travel trailer when I was young and every summer we would take of on an adventure! I got to see a great deal of the United States with many a shared moment with Dad! He spoiled me rotten to say the least!

As I got older and out on my own I struggled for quite a long time, between 2 divorces and being a mom of 2, I never seemed to be able to get ahead. Dad was right there always helping me out. I look back now and don't know how I would of gotten by without his help!

After my first husband and I separated I moved back home, pregnant and my soul broken. I had a son and he was the light of Grandad's life! He spoiled my son so much I had to talk to him about it often and we would have disagreements and I would never win. I miss those disagreements now.

I have to smile now as my lovely daughter named Elise would talk her grandad's ears off and he would sit patiently (most of the time) and listen LOL! He also always called her Lisa as for some reason he could never remember Elise! I could go on and on with memories but then this would become a novel!

As Dad aged I watched him slow down and slow down and become just about bed bound. He was found to be suffering from a blood cancer disease and eventually he decided he had had enough treatments (hospitalizations and blood transfusions) and went on hospice. At this time I went and stayed with my Mom and Dad and a sister that was also here to be with him. I watched him decline daily. The night before he passed I went in his room and shut the door and laid next to him in bed and shared some quiet moments with him and also things from my heart with him. I told him how much I loved him and what a wonderful Father he had been to me. This was a lovely moment I shall never forget. I am so glad I did this when I did as there was no indication he was going to pass the next day. I have to say that I am so grateful I had that moment with him.

My Dad passed surrounded by family and I am sure he is up in Heaven looking down on me today and watching over my husband and kids. Dad I miss you loads and I look forward to joining you and Mom again someday but in the meantime know that you are so loved and missed!

Dog Days of Summer

Family Portrait

This is a picture of myself and lovely family on the cruiseship

for Christmas 2010!

I wish you Enough

This was sent to me by my dear friend Ray!

Recently, I overheard a father and daughter in their last moments together at the airport. They had announced the departure of her plane.  Standing near the security gate, they hugged and the father said, 'I love you, and I wish you enough.'   The daughter replied, 'Dad, our life together has been more than enough. Your love is all I ever needed. I wish you enough, too, Dad.'  They kissed and the daughter left. The father walked over to the window where I was seated.  Standing there I could see he wanted and needed to cry. I tried not to intrude on his privacy, but he welcomed me in by asking, 'Did you ever say good-bye to someone knowing it would be forever?'  'Yes, I have,' I replied. 'Forgive me for asking, but why is this a forever good-bye?  'I am old, and she lives so far away. I have challenges ahead and the reality is...the next trip back will be for my funeral,' he said.  'When you were saying good-bye, I heard you say, 'I wish you enough.' May I ask what that means?' He began to smile. 'That's a wish that has been handed down from other generations. My parents used to say it to everyone.'  He paused a moment and looked up as if trying to remember it in detail, and he smiled even more. 'When we said, 'I wish you enough,' we were wanting the other person to have a life filled with just enough good things to sustain them.' Then turning toward me, he shared the following as if he were reciting it from memory.  I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright no matter how  gray the day may appear. I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun even more.   I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive and everlasting.  I wish you enough pain so that even the smallest of joys in life may appear bigger. I wish you  enough  gain to satisfy your wanting.       I  wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.   I wish you enough hellos to get you through the final good-bye.  He then began to cry and walked away.  They say it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them; an entire life to forget them.  TAKE TIME TO LIVE....  To all my friends and loved ones,   I WISH YOU ENOUGH.

Florida Nature Coast Bloggers

A few months ago I was invited by Connie Roberts to meet up with a few local women who also blog and all live in the area.  Connie is very knowledgeable and I jumped at her invite, and also because she is a very nice lady and I loved the idea of meeting face to face!  

The first meeting was in an Artsy Fartsy type restaurant run by a church and it was a really cool place.  I think there were 5 of us there and this lunch meeting turned into the Nature Coast Bloggers!  We laugh and have fun and share ideas and these women are becoming my teachers happily!  Even though we all blog, we all have different themes. Most of us have several blogs like myself, but none have giveaway blogs, although one of the gals just joined Dove Chocolatiers and she is having one on her site. 

Yesterday our group met at a local Dennys, actually 3 members missing as we are growing :)!  We discussed some of the blogging conferences coming up and which ones were thought of as good, etc.  We also talked about affiliates and making money with certain ones. I am really learning. I am so glad I was asked to join in the beginning by Connie and now we are good friends. 

If there are any of you in the Nature Coast Area, we have been meeting in New Port Richey area, let me know and I will get you information.  Warning, may be habit forming and cause rowdiness as an older man complained to our waitress in Dennys that we were too loud, and the waitress Brenda told him where the library is if he wanted quiet LOL! She fit in and we had so much fun with her we are going back there next month! So watch out Dennys, we shall return!

When I Die - Adult Joke

My wife and I were sitting around the breakfast table one morning.

I said to her, "If I were to die suddenly, I want you to immediately sell all my stuff."

"Now why would you want me to do something like that?" she asked.

"I figure that you would eventually remarry and I don't want some other asshole using my stuff." 

She looked at me and said: "What makes you think I'd marry another asshole?"

My Idol

My Ultra-Ego Wonder  Woman, Xenia Princess, Miss Piggy, "Hi-Yaaaaaa"

Photo by HC Noel

Mom's Blueberry Squares!

As I was growing up I used to love to help my mother and grandmother in the kitchen. They were awesome cooks! I would be sat on the kitchen counter with a mixing bowl and wooden spoon ready to help when summoned. Some times I would wait and wait and now thinking back my mom would give me a little flour and a bit of water to appease me, and I would sit and stir and stir. I always ended up with some sort of paste concoction that could probably be used to spackle a wall!

The older I got the more I was allowed to help and I graduated from paste to sitting and mixing all the dry ingredients needed for a recipe and then would hand it over for my mother to add her eggs, vanilla, and whatever else she had. This was a good lesson in team work! I remember it all so well.

My most favorite recipe I used to help her with was her now famous Blueberry Squares. She would always make this for me, well into my adulthood. I loved to come home and smell these baking in the oven just for me!

I would now love to share her recipe with you in her honor and memory!

Blueberry Squares

Ingredients:

4 cups Flour

1 cup Sugar

3 teaspoons Baking Powder

1 Cup Crisco

2 Beaten Eggs

½ Cup Milk

1 teaspoon Vanilla

2 Cans Comstock Blueberry pie filling (One can should be drained somewhat)

Directions:

1. Mix together the flour, sugar, and the Baking Powder.
2. Cut Flour mixture with Crisco using 2 knives or a pastry blender until pea sized
3. Mix together eggs, milk, and vanilla and then add blend well into the flour mix. Now take this mix and separate it into two piles.
4. Roll each pile between wax paper and then put one layer on a cookie sheet. After this then you will fill with blueberry filing.
5. Cover now with second layer of the rolled out dough. Sprinkle the top with both sugar and cinnamon.
6. Bake this at 350 degrees for approximately 45 minutes, until top is lightly browned. This should make about 20 – 24 servings!

Here are some serving suggestions:

Serve warm with Vanilla ice cream or blue berry ice cream. Refrigerate uneaten portions and eat as a morning danish! It is always a perfect time for Blueberry Squares.

I hope you enjoy this recipe of my mothers. You will be hooked after one bite.

I have also tried this with other pie fillings but non compare to the blueberry!