This week I implemented a new rule: Only one project at a time. This applies to one project in a category, that is. Only one quilt at a time, one knitting project at a time, one embroidery project at a time. Yes, I am still hell-bent on busting my stashes. And yes, I still think smaller projects are better for me. And yes, one thing done is one thing less to do.
The last of my Smart Bags is almost done. I had purchased 30 of the interfacng patterns at one time. Most I gave away as gifts. I just might have to buy more in the future, since I enjoy picking out coordinating fat quarters and buttons for them. Many of the recipients of the bags have used them for church because they are the perfect size for missals.
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Vandeberg Family History
I found this on my computer this morning, and thought I would share it. I originally wrote it for my mom's birthday a couple of years ago.
Snipppets from My Childhood
February, 2011
Mother's work schedule:
Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays were wash days. Tuesdays were changing beds and washing sheets and towels days.. In the early years she changed only one sheet on each bed every week. The top sheet was thrown into the wash, the bottom sheet was moved to the top, and we got a clean bottom sheet. Wednesdays were bathroom cleaning and floor scrubbing days. Fridays must have been for ironing.
Food:
Fridays were always meatless, of course. On Friday evenings we got popcorn, served in the big dish pan. On Saturdays we had broiled hamburgers, baked beans and potato chips. We never had dip to go with the chips, but sometimes I used cottage cheese as a dip, and sometimes even the beans! I hated washing dishes on Saturday nights because I hated scrubbing the broiler pan. On Sundays after the 9:45 mass we always had bacon and eggs. I still cannot make a decent fried egg, not like Mother could make. We went to mass in shifts, with my dad taking the boys who were serving to the earlier mass. We had beef roast almost every Sunday, as well as a homemade cake. We had dessert every day after supper, ususally cake, bars, or ice cream. In the summer sometimes we had popsickles. We got a sandwhich, two cookies and an apple every day in our school lunch bags. Some meal combinations which I remember were salmon loaf, creamed peas, potatoes, and German chocolate cake ( I just about died when we had the same exact combination at St. Ben's a time or two. Coincidence, or a German tradition?); homemade baked beans and carrot/pineapple/jello salad and johnny cake; meatloaf made with oatmeal instead of bread crumbs, and baked potatoes; and toasted cheese sandwhiches, tomato soup and cocoa. I have several of Mother's cake recipies in my collection, crumb cake, starlight cake, black devil's food cake, fruit cocktail cake, spice cake, and oatmeal cake. The two recipes for which she is probably most known are chow mein hot dish, and Tollhouse oatmeal cookies. I think I was probably out of high school before I ever tasted a chocolate chip cookie made without oatmeal. We always got a layer cake for our birthday.
Nicnames:
Mother had nicnames for some of the younger kids. I was Patwissa. Robert was Bobby Boy. Ed was Eddykins, and Peter was Peterkins, or Mamma's Little Lover Boy.
Stories:
As one of the younger kids, I always heard tales from Mother about some of the older kids. Her favorites seemed to be when Tim got stuck in a snowbank when he was little, and when he threw the cat in the toilet, and how that cat became Mother's best friend when she rescued him. Then there is the story about how Gerard thought Janice was just the most wonderful baby in the world, until Mother asked him if he would go get a diaper for her. Gerard's response was, "That baby is getting to be too much work around here!" Then there was the time that Janice got sick, and Mother had to give her a bath, wash her hair, and change the bed. Then Gerard got sick, and she repeated the process. Then Gerard looked at Janice and said, "We're both sick", and they started laughing. Then there was a naughty brother who cut up some beautiful fabric which Mother had bought for Janice for an apron for 4-H. Everyone knows about the pot Bob got stuck on his head, and that Joe was always crawling on top of the table while she was trying to feed Bob, that Bob was a fussy baby, and that he kept his blanket until it disintigrated, and that he would take that blanket and go crawl behind the couch and sleep for hours. I was always reminded that I took hours to feed as a baby because I was a preemie.
Snipppets from My Childhood
February, 2011
Mother's work schedule:
Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays were wash days. Tuesdays were changing beds and washing sheets and towels days.. In the early years she changed only one sheet on each bed every week. The top sheet was thrown into the wash, the bottom sheet was moved to the top, and we got a clean bottom sheet. Wednesdays were bathroom cleaning and floor scrubbing days. Fridays must have been for ironing.
Food:
Fridays were always meatless, of course. On Friday evenings we got popcorn, served in the big dish pan. On Saturdays we had broiled hamburgers, baked beans and potato chips. We never had dip to go with the chips, but sometimes I used cottage cheese as a dip, and sometimes even the beans! I hated washing dishes on Saturday nights because I hated scrubbing the broiler pan. On Sundays after the 9:45 mass we always had bacon and eggs. I still cannot make a decent fried egg, not like Mother could make. We went to mass in shifts, with my dad taking the boys who were serving to the earlier mass. We had beef roast almost every Sunday, as well as a homemade cake. We had dessert every day after supper, ususally cake, bars, or ice cream. In the summer sometimes we had popsickles. We got a sandwhich, two cookies and an apple every day in our school lunch bags. Some meal combinations which I remember were salmon loaf, creamed peas, potatoes, and German chocolate cake ( I just about died when we had the same exact combination at St. Ben's a time or two. Coincidence, or a German tradition?); homemade baked beans and carrot/pineapple/jello salad and johnny cake; meatloaf made with oatmeal instead of bread crumbs, and baked potatoes; and toasted cheese sandwhiches, tomato soup and cocoa. I have several of Mother's cake recipies in my collection, crumb cake, starlight cake, black devil's food cake, fruit cocktail cake, spice cake, and oatmeal cake. The two recipes for which she is probably most known are chow mein hot dish, and Tollhouse oatmeal cookies. I think I was probably out of high school before I ever tasted a chocolate chip cookie made without oatmeal. We always got a layer cake for our birthday.
Nicnames:
Mother had nicnames for some of the younger kids. I was Patwissa. Robert was Bobby Boy. Ed was Eddykins, and Peter was Peterkins, or Mamma's Little Lover Boy.
Stories:
As one of the younger kids, I always heard tales from Mother about some of the older kids. Her favorites seemed to be when Tim got stuck in a snowbank when he was little, and when he threw the cat in the toilet, and how that cat became Mother's best friend when she rescued him. Then there is the story about how Gerard thought Janice was just the most wonderful baby in the world, until Mother asked him if he would go get a diaper for her. Gerard's response was, "That baby is getting to be too much work around here!" Then there was the time that Janice got sick, and Mother had to give her a bath, wash her hair, and change the bed. Then Gerard got sick, and she repeated the process. Then Gerard looked at Janice and said, "We're both sick", and they started laughing. Then there was a naughty brother who cut up some beautiful fabric which Mother had bought for Janice for an apron for 4-H. Everyone knows about the pot Bob got stuck on his head, and that Joe was always crawling on top of the table while she was trying to feed Bob, that Bob was a fussy baby, and that he kept his blanket until it disintigrated, and that he would take that blanket and go crawl behind the couch and sleep for hours. I was always reminded that I took hours to feed as a baby because I was a preemie.
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