Quilts

This the time of year that my grandmother would tell my grandfather to get her quilting frames in the house so she could quilt. She had already pieced together the tops that she was giving for Christmas. She usually gave solid white quilts to her children at Christmas.

She would have quilting ladies, usually her sisters to come and help quilt. I really wish I had paid more attention to the ladies and watched how they quilted. I regret we never got a picture of Mama (my grandmother) quilting. My most priced possession is my Dutch Doll quilt. My grandmother put it together and did all the quilting and gave it to me when I graduated from high school. All of my nieces really love the quilt. Fall brings lots of memories about quilting and other family events.

Lydia Grace Hughes Bake Day

Lydia Grace is 7 months old and October 7 was her first bake day. We baked chocolate chip cookies for the military, who are stationed in the Middle East and are members of Hamburg Baptist Church, Glenville, NC. Lydia, her mother, Chrissy and me enjoyed baking for them. I tried to make small cookies because I thought they would travel better. Please enjoy the pictures if Lydia stirring the batter with her Aunt May and her MiMi, great grandmother.

We arrived in NC on October 5 to see the fall season and what an amazing site. It has been many years since Marge and me have been up to view the mountains in the fall.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 1/4 cups of all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup butter ( 2 sticks)

1 tsp. vanilla extraxt

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 3/4 cups Milk chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar in a large bowl, add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each egg. Add flour mixture a small amount at a time and mix well. Add chopped pecans and mix well. Use a small cookie scoup and put on parchment paper on cookie sheet. I add a sprinkle of granulated sugar on top of each cookie. I do not always use the pecans.

Bake for 9 -11 minutes. Makes about 80 cookies.

Bake and Cooking day at Celeta's

Rebecca and Micayla May Cronk

Rebecca and Micayla May

Micayla May and MeMom's Apron

Micayla May and Aunt May

Marge Ward making spaghetti sauce

Greg Brown and grandkids

We had a bake and cooking day on September 7 at Celeta Brown's, who is my niece and we had so much fun with the girls. Micayla May and Rebecca baked a strawberry cake with me and boy did we have a good time as you can tell by the pictures. Micayla May and Rebecca had a huge success cracking the eggs because they remembered how to do it from our previous bake day. Marge Ward, my sister cooked her special Italian spaghetti and I made Greg's favorite, Macaroni and Cheese. We didn't have a menu, just favorite dishes for some of the people there.

Here are a couple of quotes from the girls: Hailey Cronk said, "Kitchen is a place where dreams are made." Rebecca Cronk said, " I guess the kitchen is the best place." Micayla May Cronk said, "Mana's kitchen has lots of roosters." Aunt May's quote is "Our family kitchens are filled with love, family, laughter and talk."

Micayla May is wearing her great great grandmother's apron, who was Leta Duncan and they called her MeMom. Micayla May never did know her but mother would have enjoyed seeing all of her great great grandchildren cooking, baking and loving it.

The kids also had rides with Papa Greg Brown, their grandfather, in the wagon. What a day!

Newspaper

When I was young, September was the month we sold subscriptions to our school newspaper. I sold more subscriptions than anyone for 4 years. I would go door to door and sell to our neighbors and all the way home from school. I also had to deliver the papers each month when it come out. I enjoyed talking to everybody and telling them about the school and different events each month. It was a fun time. My brother hated trying to sell the paper. He always said, I will leave it to Leta May. She doesn't mind asking people to buy the paper.

The local newspaper did an article on my selling of the school paper and I thought that was really an honor. I guess that was the only selling I did until I sold some of my Depression Glass at glass shows in the 80's.

Back to School

The day after Labor Day was our first day of school. I was always excited for school to start. I remember walking to school and we lived about a mile from school and we loved walking. We couldn't ride the bus because we lived to close. When I say we, it was my brother and me.

We would have had a good Labor Day because we always barbecued for the last of Summer and had home made ice cream and we would not have these items until the next Memorial Day. Now we looked forward to fall and the leaves. We loved playing in the leaves but not raking them. I can also remember coming home in late September and walking in the house and the aroma of gingerbread baking was so good. Mother would have it ready for a snack with whipped cream. I can see her standing in the kitchen. waiting for us.

Rebecca's Birthday

Rebecca's Birthday

We gave Rebecca a surprise birthday party and she was really surprised. When she entered the room, we all said Happy Birthday and since it wasn't her birthday, she thought she had missed her mom's birthday. We had a nice lunch and of course, her favorite, Strawberry Cake. She got some beautiful clothes, gift cards and a doll.

I got ready to cut the cake and her grandfather said, I will have the triple decker. I usually bake a 9 x 13 inch cake but since it was her birthday, I baked both, just in case she didn't like the layer cake. The 3 layer cake was a huge success. She is a very special great, great niece. Happy Birthday my dear one.