Dad's Enchanted Cottage

"Houses are like living things. Alive with all the thoughts and memories of the people who lived in them. And those thoughts and memories go on living as long as the house stands."
From "The Enchanted Cottage"

You don't know how many times I replayed a certain scene in that movie to make sure I quoted Dorothy McGuire correctly. Our pricey cable company is featuring The Enchanted Cottage in their On Demand free movie section, so you can pause, rewind, or fast forward a program just like you would a dvd. This movie is full of wonderful quotes, but that particular one is my favorite. It really spoke to me.

It's a sweet story about a scarred war veteran and a plain young woman who marry and live in the "Enchanted Cottage". At first they believe their marriage is a farce, but once they realize they are truly in love with each other, they make a physical transformation. The man no longer has his battle scars and the wife becomes a beautiful young woman. But this transformation is only seen by them. Because they "see" each other with their hearts instead of their eyes. Others still see the plain girl and scarred veteran.

So what does all this have to do with my Dad's house? Well since my Mom passed away a little over six years ago, Dad has gradually been filling his empty home with all kinds of stuff. The last time I stopped by there, he was not at home so it gave me the opportunity to really check out his ever-growing collection.

Here's just a bit of what I saw:

A large empty doll house sitting on the floor in the upstairs bedroom, aka "the girls room". (At one time or another, all of my sisters and I had lived in this room)

A statue of a young girl picking her nose on top of the dining room table.

Lots of fishing and car stuff.

My Mother's high school graduation picture sitting atop her old dresser.
This was kind of strange to see, because she never had this picture displayed while she was alive. I think once she became a wife and mother, she no longer identified with it and put it away.

And boxes and boxes of other stuff which I was afraid to peek into.

To me almost all of it, except for Mom's picture, was just a lot of junk. And the rest of it just struck me as being kind of weird. Why was my Dad filling his home with all these strange things?

While watching "The Enchanted Cottage" it occurred to me. I began to "see" Dad's stuff through his eyes and heart. Perhaps having all this stuff around was his way of keeping all those thoughts and memories alive.

For that old picture of my Mom represented the pretty girl next door that he fell in love with and would later marry. Together they had bought this house and turned it into a home. They raised five children here.

And I noticed most of the fishing and car stuff was in my brother's old bedroom which is now the TV room. A kind of tribute to all the father-son moments spent enjoying these pastimes.

As for that dollhouse in the upstairs girls room, I believe it represents how Dad's four little girls made their own "transformations" into young women and went on to make homes of their own. For it was in this very room where we dressed as brides and bridesmaids for each other's weddings, and if I'm not mistaken, some of those gowns may still be lurking in the back of that closet.

And as much as I hate to admit it, I'm afraid that nose-picking little girl statue reminded Dad of me.

"Houses are like living things. Alive with all the thoughts and memories of the people who lived in them. And those thoughts and memories go on living as long as the house stands."

Thank you Dad, for keeping all those thoughts and memories alive.

Anyone For Some Sweet Corn Tea?

We had the best weather this weekend and spent most of it outdoors. Went to our favorite outdoor flea market and barbecued. Carlos did some fishing while Raven and I did our walking thing. Perfect weather to usher in the first weekend of Summer 2007. Well all this time spent outdoors in the heat does make one thirsty, so I thought I would try Mrs. Wilt's Southern Sweet Tea recipe that she had posted at the Sparrow's Nest.

While waiting for the water and sugar to boil, I opened the refrigerator to get a bottle of water to drink and noticed that the pitcher I use for iced tea was in there also and it was filled with what I thought was lemonade.

"How sweet of Carlos," I thought as I poured myself a glass. Then I noticed this "lemonade" had a peculiar smell, a very corny kind of smell.

"Carlos-what's in that pitcher in the refrigerator?" I asked, not so sure if I wanted to know the answer.

"It's the water from the pot that you made the corn-on-the-cob in. I'm going to drink it-it's supposed to be good for the kidneys."

And drink it he did. Gross!!!

Anyway, I made the Southern Sweet Tea using British blend tea bags so I don't know how this is going to turn out.

But I'm sure it will taste better than "sweet corn tea".

Ovarian Cancer

Six years ago today my mother died from ovarian cancer after battling it for about 2 1/2 years. She had NO symptoms before she was diagnosed except for a little bit of blood in her urine. The cancer was in an advanced stage by the time it was found so she only had a 20 to 30% chance of surviving. Recently the New York Times printed an article listing some early symptoms that may indicate ovarian cancer and other important information every woman should know. You can read that article here .

I urge every woman who reads this to check out that article. We had no family history of ovarian cancer before my mom. I will also keep you updated on any info I find on the subject as this is something very near and dear to me. Thanks for taking the time to read this and God bless.

Happy Father's Day Dad

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there in blogland. Here's a few pictures of mine. The first one was taken at Callies Pretzels in the Poconos, PA. We make frequent trips there and I hope to live there someday (the Poconos that is, although I wouldn't mind living at Callies!)

This next picture is my father and his dog "Murray". They are best friends, my father brings Murray everywhere with him.

WHAT MAKES A DAD

God took the strength of a mountain,
The majesty of a tree,
The warmth of a summer sun,
The calm of a quiet sea,
The generous soul of nature,
The comforting arm of night,
The wisdom of the ages,
The power of the eagle's flight,
The joy of a morning in spring,
The faith of a mustard seed,
The patience of eternity,
The depth of a family need,
Then God combined these qualities,
When there was nothing more to add,
He knew His masterpiece was complete,
And so, He called it ... Dad

~Author Unknown~


Also a Happy Father's Day to my hubby Carlos, "Daddy" to Raven and Jeter.

Happy Birthday in Heaven Mom

Today would have been my Mother's 73rd birthday. It will soon be six years that she went home to Jesus after battling ovarian cancer. The following was one of her favorites, it was read at her funeral. I thought it would be a nice way to honor her.


Prayer of St. Francis

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

Where there is injury, pardon;

Where there is doubt, faith;

Where there is despair, hope;

Where there is darkness, light;

Where there is sadness, joy;
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;

To be understood as to understand;

To be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.


I made this patriotic planter this morning for the cemetery.There's a bright red geranium in the back, a few dusty millers, and a wave petunia in the front. Then I put a few spinners in. I think she would have liked it. I may make another for our front porch.

My Sister's Potato Salad

My sister, Susan, often has cookouts during the summer months especially on long holiday weekends. Her former home had a big garage in the back where she kept a second refrigerator primarily for that purpose. It was always well stocked with the makings for a fine outdoor feast: assorted drinks, burgers, hot dogs, chicken, and of course homemade salads.


It was one of those homemade salads that would become a family folk tale, which I'm sure will be passed on to future generations.


It was Labor Day Weekend, sometime during the 1990's, and Sue's cookout was in full swing. The burgers, dogs, and chicken were all cooked to perfection and it was time to bring out those delicious homemade salads. One by one we carefully carried them from the refrigerator to the picnic table and uncovered them. It was then we noticed something was amiss with the potato salad. In fact, something was very wrong with that potato salad-it was green! We just kind of stared at it until my Mom finally spoke up:

"Sue, I think there's something wrong with your refrigerator, the potato salad turned!"

"Oh no Mom", my sister casually replied, "That's the potato salad from the Memorial Day cookout, the good one is on the bottom shelf in the fridge."

For those of you unfamiliar with American holidays, Memorial Day and Labor Day are three long, hot, summer months apart.

Well, all of us ladies quickly ran into the garage, not only to get the good potato salad, but mostly because we were all laughing so hard and we didn't want the other guests to know what was going on.

And we tossed that moldy green potato salad before anyone else could see or eat it.

We still tease Sue about this, and I think she cleans her refrigerator a bit more often, especially before a cookout or other party.

Here's a recipe for a sweet potato salad I like from allrecipes.com. I do alter it a little bit because that's a bit too much pepper for me and I use a little bit more potatoes. If you make it this weekend, it should be aged to perfection in time for your Labor Day cookout (just kidding!)

Interesting Things You Find Out When You Have Sons...

Another cute email from my youngest sister (and yes, she has a son).


1. A king size waterbed holds enough water to fill a 2000 sq. ft. house 4 inches deep.



2. If you spray hair spray on dust bunnies and run over them with roller blades, they can ignite.



3. A 3-year old Boy's voice is louder than 200 adults in a crowded restaurant.



4. If you hook a dog leash over a ceiling fan, the motor is not strong enough to rotate a 42 pound Boy wearing Batman underwear and a Superman cape. It is strong enough, however, if tied to a paint can, to spread paint on all four walls of a 20x20 ft. room.



5. You should not throw baseballs up when the ceiling fan is on. When using a ceiling fan as a bat, you have to throw the ball up a few times before you get a hit. A ceiling fan can hit a baseball a long way.



6. The glass in windows (even double-pane) doesn't stop a baseball hit by a ceiling fan.



7. When you hear the toilet flush and the words "uh oh", it's already too late.



8. Brake fluid mixed with Clorox makes smoke, and lots of it.



9. A six-year old Boy can start a fire with a flint rock even though a 36-year old Man says they can only do it in the movies.



10. Certain Lego's will pass through the digestive tract of a 4- year old Boy.



11. Play dough and microwave should not be used in the same sentence.



12. Super glue is forever.



13. No matter how much Jell-O you put in a swimming pool you still can't walk on water.



14. Pool filters do not like Jell-O.



15. VCR's do not eject "PB & J" sandwiches even though TV commercials show they do.



16. Garbage bags do not make good parachutes.



17. Marbles in gas tanks make lots of noise when driving.



18. You probably DO NOT want to know what that odor is.



19. Always look in the oven before you turn it on; plastic toys do not like ovens.



20. The fire department in Austin , TX has a 5-minute response time.



21. The spin cycle on the washing machine does not make earthworms dizzy.



22. It will, however, make cats dizzy.



23. Cats throw up twice their body weight when dizzy.



24. 80% of Women will pass this on to almost all of their friends, with or without kids.



25. 80% of Men who read this will try mixing the Clorox and brake fluid.

What Dogs Do For Us

What Dogs Do For Us:

Catch Frisbees.
Keep a lonely night from being truly lonely.

Keep our homes safe.
Get us outside on beautiful fall days.

Listen to our singing.
Treat us like celebrities when we come home.
Warm up our beds on cold nights.

Star in our home videos.
Make our hearts more vigorous.

Take us outdoors on snowy winter days.
Alert us to the arrival of the mail.

Help us to live longer.
Make us smile.

Agree with everything we say.
Warm our knees with their chins.

Provide us use for old tennis balls.
Signal when a thunderstorm is coming.

Pull sleds.
Help lower our blood pressure.

Test how fast we can run.
Keep the squirrels from overtaking our yards.
Teach us the meaning of unconditional love.

Take us out on rainy days.
Teach our children about responsibility.

-author unknown

Happy Mother's Day In Heaven Mom

I'm not sure if you can make out the words on this piece of cross-stitch my Mom made. Here's what it says:
A hundred years from now it will not matter
What my bank account was
The sort of house I lived in
Or the kind of car I drove
But the world may be different
Because I was important
In the life of a child

This was her mantra. It still hangs in the kitchen at my Dad's house even though she's been gone for almost six years. We had it on display at the funeral home, surrounded by pictures of her and her grandchildren when she passed away, because we all knew it was the best way to honor her.

She had copied the words from her favorite coffee mug (she LOVED coffee).Her children and especially her grandchildren were the most important things in her life.

She was the classic Italian mother-A great cook, very religious, strict, and a bit over- protective. She loved Jesus, my Dad, the New York Yankees, Frank Sinatra, Norman Rockwell, cooking, and all things Italian.

She was "Mom" to all the neighborhood kids, looking out for them like they were her own. Her kitchen door was always open; all were welcome in her home.

And if you got her mad, you'd better watch out-for she could throw a shoe at her intended target with the precision of the best New York Yankee pitcher.

And most of all she loved her beloved grandchildren, I see her reflected in all of them:

Janine loves New York City and works there like she did, before she married Dad.

Ben loves the New York Yankees and even looks like her father, aka Grandpa.

Eddie is Dad's best friend like she was.

Katie loves to cook

Nicholas loves to read and learn new things like she did.

Tori probably resembles her most of all with her olive skin and dark hair. She also has that Italian temper. She'll make a fine shoe-throwing mom someday.

And Josie, who only knew her for a year, loves Jesus and sings in church with the voice of an angel. Where that talent came from is a mystery, because no one in our family can carry a tune.

Yes Mom, you live on in all your grandchildren.

But I still miss you dearly.

Perhaps one hundred years from now that cross-stitch will be hanging in the home of a great-great-great-grandchild and those words may hold a special meaning for them, just like they did for her.

And that would be Mom's greatest legacy.

Mom and Me



My sister, Mom, and Dad at what would be our last Chrisrmas together.