Wednesday, July 8, 2009
How Did Your Mother Spend Her Time?
For this week's post, simple describe ways in which you remember your mother spending her time when you were growing up. Did she work? What were her hobbies? What did she like to do for her? What did you see her doing most often?
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Celebrating the 4th
In Honor of Independence Day, share the following:
1. A memory of celebrating the 4th as a child
2. A memory or tradition that you have in your adulthood for this holiday
3. One thing that you appreciate about our country
Meredith Bennie's Story
1.What I remember the best about the 4th of July as a child was Grandma's flag cake, those charcoal snakes that grow when you like them, a fear of sparklers that burn too low and close to skin for comfort and watching Hershey Park's Fireworks. No, we didn't pay to go see them and squeeze into a congested parking lot that took hours to empty out afterward often... We got a good view of the show sitting right in Grandma and Grandpa's driveway. We also got to watch all of the other things that were being set off by all the neighbors. I can still see it in my mind: the red fence lined with rose bushes, the fireflies out to play, the adults in lawn chairs and the kids running all over the place grateful to have access to a lighted match.
2.Jeff and I haven't established a tradition yet for this holiday in our own family. In the past few years we have gone to stadium of fire and last year we had a blast taking the scooter around to all of the fireworks. It was perfect- we could squeeze that thing in anywhere and make a quick get-a-way to avoid the traffic. This year we will have to start working on a new plan to celebrate because we can't exactly strap our baby onto the scooter!
3.It's difficult for me to express my feelings of patriotism briefly- but here goes. The older that I get, the more grateful I become for the freedoms that we enjoy here in our country. I am particularly grateful for the rights that women now enjoy in the United States. My reading of intercultural literature has truly opened my eyes to the struggles of women trapped in the confines of their own cultures. I am so glad that I have had opportunities to be educated, to embrace my identity as an individual and ultimately for my own independence. Even in more recent years in our country opportunities have become more available for women. Just three generations ago it was incredibly rare for a woman even to go to college. I won't even start on religious freedoms because I could go on all day. True, our country isn't perfect- but living here is a lot better than so many places in the world and I count my blessings!
Kathy Bennie's Story:
On July 4, 1897, my grandmom, Grazia Maida Murgia was born in Sicily. As a young single adult she traveled to the United States to meet her husband. Through mutual friends she did meet a man, Giacchino Murgia, married and had 6 children. As their children married and had children we started having what we now call family reunions every year on July 4th. What grand times those were. My mother had 3 children (Kathy, Joanne, Bobby), Aunt Fran had 4 children (Grace, Ray, Rosie, Joey), Aunt Pet (Petunia to me) had 1 child (Louie), Uncle Lou had 6 children (Grace Denise, Larry, Ralphie, Dianne, Bobby, John), Uncle Ralph had 4 children (Maria, Carol, Roxanne, Ralphie). We were all very close and enjoyed the time together to just play. Usually we would be at Aunt Fran's house and we would play ball in the field. Watermelon was the big treat of the day. We would eat watermelon for the first time that year at the party. So to all family members this holdiay weekend "Happy 4th of July" "Happy Birthday, Granny" You would've been 112 this year. You were and still are the backbone of the family. You were one great pioneer of long ago. Thank you for your stamina and your strength. We have all benefitted from your hard work and your love.
To our beloved Aunt Anna, who never married, we loved her dearly. She passed away this year but she will always be remembered this day for having served her country and for being so very proud she had. Our freedom was very important to her and she lived her life as she wanted. We love you and miss you lots. Thank you for your many memories that you left us with.
My father loved his country. He served it well. He lived an exemplary life serving others always. He never refused to help anyone in need. He even taught Aunt Fran how to drive. Love you dad and miss you.
I am proud to be an American. I am proud of my four sons and I am greatful that they have all been able to serve missions for the church. I am grateful that there has not been a need to call all our young men out to protect this great nation. I am grateful that they are able to be wonderful husbands and fathers to their wives and children.
Happy 4th of July everyone!
Friday, June 19, 2009
In Honor of Father's Day...
Post a funny story or anecdote about your father. (Feel free to substitute with a story about your grandfather or husband if you so desire.)
Kathy's Story:
I remember when I was young maybe 8 or even 10 my dad worked for Fuller Brush as a salesman. Every week they had a different sale catalogue and he had to pass it out to all of his customers in order to get sales. When school was out I convinced him to take me with him to work. I loved to read and the idea of sitting in a car all day with nothing to do but read sounded great to me at the time. But my dad had other ideas on how I was going to spend my day. He took me to a housing development and dropped me off with a bunch of these sales books and told me to go door to door passing them out. He then took off to go make some sales and left me in a strange housing development to peddle his books. I had no clue what I was up against but off I went to knock on doors and tell these women that my dad would be back the following week to get their orders. I remember knocking on one door and when the lady opened the door I saw an ironing board just inside the door. I asked her if her Mother was home and she told me that that was some line I had and that I would for sure make lots of people order from my dad. My dad loved it and thought I was great. What the heck did I know. I learned so much from my Dad especially on how to deal with people.
Can you imagine in today's world dropping off a 10 year old girl in a neighborhood and coming back for her an hour later. They probably would've put my dad in jail for that one.
We had great times together. This is my first Father's Day without my Dad. I miss him very much. He was a great example of kindness and patience for my sons. I love you Dad and miss you very much.
Happy Father's Day to all my sons. I am very proud of each of you.
MOM Bennie
Meredith's Story:
Some of the funniest stories that I heard about my dad growing up were concerning his extreme care in double checking things. Leaving on a family trip would always take a long time due to his checking and re-checking to make sure that all of the doors were locked and that everything was secure before departure. My mother used to tell some stories (which I’m sure were just a tad bit exaggerated to enhance the humor of it all: I am pretty sure that my siblings and I all tell stories this same way…) that were so silly. She would recall his checking door knobs so often that she swore they were ready to fall off and even claimed that he turned the car around once to see if he had accidently gone through a red light. (Disclaimer- this is strictly family folklore and no one can really prove if this incident occurred.)
I always thought that these little stories were funny as a child but I am really finding the humor in them now because at some point during my adulthood I realized that I was exactly the same way! I don’t laugh to make fun in any way- I laugh because I completely understand the need to check things. I may even be much worse myself and maybe these little stories would explain me to my husband. I cannot rest at night until I have double checked to make sure that the front door is locked, I can’t leave the house until I make sure that my hair styling equipment is off and unplugged, and when I put Cameron to bed I have to pull on the door knob a few times to make sure that the latch has clicked into place and the cat won’t be able to push the door open. (Yes the cat has opened doors by herself before.) Funny how you are more like your parents then you think… Laugh at us if you must- I will just worry if I don’t double check things and I must for my own peace of mind!
Kathy's Story:
I remember when I was young maybe 8 or even 10 my dad worked for Fuller Brush as a salesman. Every week they had a different sale catalogue and he had to pass it out to all of his customers in order to get sales. When school was out I convinced him to take me with him to work. I loved to read and the idea of sitting in a car all day with nothing to do but read sounded great to me at the time. But my dad had other ideas on how I was going to spend my day. He took me to a housing development and dropped me off with a bunch of these sales books and told me to go door to door passing them out. He then took off to go make some sales and left me in a strange housing development to peddle his books. I had no clue what I was up against but off I went to knock on doors and tell these women that my dad would be back the following week to get their orders. I remember knocking on one door and when the lady opened the door I saw an ironing board just inside the door. I asked her if her Mother was home and she told me that that was some line I had and that I would for sure make lots of people order from my dad. My dad loved it and thought I was great. What the heck did I know. I learned so much from my Dad especially on how to deal with people.
Can you imagine in today's world dropping off a 10 year old girl in a neighborhood and coming back for her an hour later. They probably would've put my dad in jail for that one.
We had great times together. This is my first Father's Day without my Dad. I miss him very much. He was a great example of kindness and patience for my sons. I love you Dad and miss you very much.
Happy Father's Day to all my sons. I am very proud of each of you.
MOM Bennie
Meredith's Story:
Some of the funniest stories that I heard about my dad growing up were concerning his extreme care in double checking things. Leaving on a family trip would always take a long time due to his checking and re-checking to make sure that all of the doors were locked and that everything was secure before departure. My mother used to tell some stories (which I’m sure were just a tad bit exaggerated to enhance the humor of it all: I am pretty sure that my siblings and I all tell stories this same way…) that were so silly. She would recall his checking door knobs so often that she swore they were ready to fall off and even claimed that he turned the car around once to see if he had accidently gone through a red light. (Disclaimer- this is strictly family folklore and no one can really prove if this incident occurred.)
I always thought that these little stories were funny as a child but I am really finding the humor in them now because at some point during my adulthood I realized that I was exactly the same way! I don’t laugh to make fun in any way- I laugh because I completely understand the need to check things. I may even be much worse myself and maybe these little stories would explain me to my husband. I cannot rest at night until I have double checked to make sure that the front door is locked, I can’t leave the house until I make sure that my hair styling equipment is off and unplugged, and when I put Cameron to bed I have to pull on the door knob a few times to make sure that the latch has clicked into place and the cat won’t be able to push the door open. (Yes the cat has opened doors by herself before.) Funny how you are more like your parents then you think… Laugh at us if you must- I will just worry if I don’t double check things and I must for my own peace of mind!
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
A Call for Your Family Stories.....
The Need For This Blog:
I was inspired this afternoon to collect and tell stories. While talking with a friend at work we began to talk about our work in our own family history and how the stories of the people were so much more important than mere pedigree charts. That got me thinking about the big book that I keep of family stories and pictures to pass on to my own children….and how limited my collection was. With the exception of a few, all of my stories and memories and special events are recorded in my own voice and from my own perspective. I want to hear the stories and views of EVERYONE in my family! I have tried to send out lengthy questionnaires to prompt story telling from family members in the past but who really has time to get to those? That’s when it struck me that to make this collection happen it has to be made easy. I too want a kick in the butt to sit down and write these things before I lose the memories to the whirlwind that is my life. So I thought- let’s all do it together!
What I want:
Simply your stories and memories in your own voice. And I am not just talking about those that are related to me by blood. I want to hear both my sister’s stories and her husband’s stories. I want to hear the stories of my in-laws, my parents, my siblings, my aunts and uncles. (You get the idea) You responses need not be elaborate, edited or lengthy. Feel free to share a brief memory, a lengthy story or perhaps a picture. At the end of the day we all have an excuse to write these things down and something to pass on for generations. I want my children to know stories of their grandparents and great grandparents, I want them to know all about the Bennie side of the family as well as the Bailey side. I want more memories and stories from my father. I want to hear about all the crazy things that my brother has done. I want to hear about what my husband was like as a child. I want to know what growing up with grandma and grandpa was like. I want to hear about how the world has changed from when my mother was a child. I want to remember family gatherings. Perhaps you all would like to have these things too….. thanks to the wonders of technology and the internet we can do this in the form of a blog.
How it Works:
On a regular basis, perhaps once a week, I will post a prompt such as “Tell me a memory of your grandmother” “A vacation to remember” “A funny thing that your sibling did” or perhaps “an embarrassing potty training moment.” Or maybe a question.
You will receive an e-mail when there is a new post on the blog (or you can just check the website regularly) and then you simply click to comment on the post and include your story or memory there in the comments. MAKE SURE YOU END OR BEGIN WITH YOUR NAME- if you do not have a google account it will list you as “anonymous” and that will be confusing for everyone to try to figure out who wrote what. (If posting a comment on the blog is confusing for you- feel free to e-mail me your response and I will post it. You can also e-mail pictures to be displayed on the post- it will make things more fun!) Also PLEASE don’t let me be the creativity behind this. If you have an idea for a prompt e-mail me the title and your contribution and I will post it for everyone to respond with their own story.
What you can do with it:
You can read what others have written for kicks, add your own stories, look back through the archives at any time to look for specific stories. I will also start labeling the posts so that you can find stories about a certain topic at the drop of a hat....I am thinking too far ahead...we have to get started first.
These stories can be saved to pass down through generations. I plan on including some of my memories in my journal and adding them to my book for Cameron and our future children. Let this be for you whatever you want it to be but please share!
Soooo.....
Send me any e-mail addresses of family members that I may not have had to include and let's get sharing with our stories! My first prompt will be coming shortly....
Meredith
I was inspired this afternoon to collect and tell stories. While talking with a friend at work we began to talk about our work in our own family history and how the stories of the people were so much more important than mere pedigree charts. That got me thinking about the big book that I keep of family stories and pictures to pass on to my own children….and how limited my collection was. With the exception of a few, all of my stories and memories and special events are recorded in my own voice and from my own perspective. I want to hear the stories and views of EVERYONE in my family! I have tried to send out lengthy questionnaires to prompt story telling from family members in the past but who really has time to get to those? That’s when it struck me that to make this collection happen it has to be made easy. I too want a kick in the butt to sit down and write these things before I lose the memories to the whirlwind that is my life. So I thought- let’s all do it together!
What I want:
Simply your stories and memories in your own voice. And I am not just talking about those that are related to me by blood. I want to hear both my sister’s stories and her husband’s stories. I want to hear the stories of my in-laws, my parents, my siblings, my aunts and uncles. (You get the idea) You responses need not be elaborate, edited or lengthy. Feel free to share a brief memory, a lengthy story or perhaps a picture. At the end of the day we all have an excuse to write these things down and something to pass on for generations. I want my children to know stories of their grandparents and great grandparents, I want them to know all about the Bennie side of the family as well as the Bailey side. I want more memories and stories from my father. I want to hear about all the crazy things that my brother has done. I want to hear about what my husband was like as a child. I want to know what growing up with grandma and grandpa was like. I want to hear about how the world has changed from when my mother was a child. I want to remember family gatherings. Perhaps you all would like to have these things too….. thanks to the wonders of technology and the internet we can do this in the form of a blog.
How it Works:
On a regular basis, perhaps once a week, I will post a prompt such as “Tell me a memory of your grandmother” “A vacation to remember” “A funny thing that your sibling did” or perhaps “an embarrassing potty training moment.” Or maybe a question.
You will receive an e-mail when there is a new post on the blog (or you can just check the website regularly) and then you simply click to comment on the post and include your story or memory there in the comments. MAKE SURE YOU END OR BEGIN WITH YOUR NAME- if you do not have a google account it will list you as “anonymous” and that will be confusing for everyone to try to figure out who wrote what. (If posting a comment on the blog is confusing for you- feel free to e-mail me your response and I will post it. You can also e-mail pictures to be displayed on the post- it will make things more fun!) Also PLEASE don’t let me be the creativity behind this. If you have an idea for a prompt e-mail me the title and your contribution and I will post it for everyone to respond with their own story.
What you can do with it:
You can read what others have written for kicks, add your own stories, look back through the archives at any time to look for specific stories. I will also start labeling the posts so that you can find stories about a certain topic at the drop of a hat....I am thinking too far ahead...we have to get started first.
These stories can be saved to pass down through generations. I plan on including some of my memories in my journal and adding them to my book for Cameron and our future children. Let this be for you whatever you want it to be but please share!
Soooo.....
Send me any e-mail addresses of family members that I may not have had to include and let's get sharing with our stories! My first prompt will be coming shortly....
Meredith
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