Tuesday, December 15, 2009

CHRISTMAS MEMORIES -- by Vicky


Christmas was a happy time for our family. We always spent Christmas Eve at home. Mom would put the turkey in the oven to begin its slow cook overnight. While Dad played board games with us, Mom made the pies. Soon the smell of roasting turkey made its way throughout the house.
"Would anyone like a snack of homemade fudge and a bowl of popcorn?" Mom asked as she started handing out our treats. A little while later we went to bed with the excitement of Santa coming to our house and leaving presents for us.
"One year, after we'd all gone to bed, Gwen thought she'd get the twins to go to sleep early.
"Vic, watch this. Let's trick the twins into thinking Santa's on the roof." She had found some jingle bells and began shaking them under the blankets. After a minute or so Jenny sat up in her bed.
"What's that noice?" she asked. "Cinny, do you hear that?"
"Yes, it sounds like jingle bells." They both looked towards our bed. "Sissy, do you hear that?" The bells had stopped ringing as Gwen put her hand over her mouth so as not to laugh aloud. A few seconds later she said,
"I heard it, what do you think it is?"
"Sounds like jingle bells, huh Nin?" Cindy said.
"Who do you know that has jingle bells and would be outside?" Gwen asked the twins as she started the bells again.
"Oh, there it is again," Jen said turning towards Cindy. "Maybe it's Santa and the reindeer."
We could tell these two little six year olds were getting pretty excited about this. I leaned over and whispered into Gwen's ear,
"You'd better end this before Mom and Dad hear the bells."
"Okay," she whispered back. "Cin and Jen, you know if it's Santa, you'd better get to sleep fast because he won't come here and leave toys if you're awake."
"You mean we won't get any presents?" Jen asked.
"That's right, now go to sleep," Gwen told them. I never saw the twins move so fast. They lay down in the bed, pulled the blankets up and closed their eyes. We never heard another peep out of them. Gwen turned to me chuckling, "That was fun." I agreed. We talked quietly for awhile then fell asleep.
We woke up early and began getting dressed so we could go find our gifts. The one fast rule on Christmas morning was no opening presents in our pj's. Gwen and I would get up and dressed, then help Jen and Cin, the youngest of the bunch, get ready. Our big brother, Gabe, would get dressed then try to wake Kel. He was never an early riser and Christmas morning was a hard time for him. It took some coaxing from Gabe to get Kel ready.
"Come on, Kel, you have to get up, it's Christmas morning. Everyone's ready to go downstairs."
"Leave me alone, I'm tired," Kel said.
"Put on your jeans and shirt. Then you'll be ready, too," Gabe told him. Finally, after much encouragement Kell was dressed. We lined up by ages. Cindy went first, followed by Jen, then me and Kel, finally Gwen and Gabe.
The lights from the Christmas tree spread a warm, special glow around the living room and once we saw it, all the turmoil that had gone on upstairs was forgotten. The camera started flashing from Mom and Dad's bedroom as they caught us unaware. Our parents had been listening to the discussions upstairs and waiting for us to appear.
"Merry Christmas, kids, " they called out as the flash went off. We'd all smile for the picture then gather around the tree. Santa's gifts were sitting unwrapped, so those were discovered first. The oldest child usually handed out the gifts. It was fun to sit and watch everyone open their presents and see how they liked them. Happiness and love were felt throughout the house.
Our main meal on Christmas was at noon. After eating, everyone agreed they were all stuffed from the turkey, dressing, baked corn, cranberry sauce and pies. Then we'd spend the afternoon playing with our new toys and other gifts.
About supper time we'd go to one of Mom's sister's house for the big family gathering. Everyone would bring some of their Christmas food to share. The adults would sit around the table chatting, whilde the children would be in the living room playing. When the evening was almost over, all of us would gather in the living room. Mom and her sisters would play their musical instruments and the entire family would sing Christmas carols until we were tired and ready to go home.
The day closed with our families enjoying each other and the good feelings Christmas had brought. Those were special times and memories that still make my Christmases warm and touch my heart.

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Thanksgiving Day!


Sitting here on this Thanksgiving Day, I remember those precious days spent with my siblings and parents as a child.
The day was usually spent at home with mom making the turkey/dressing and all the trimings. Dad would usually sit with us and watch Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade while the turkey sent its smell throughout the home. The pumpkin pies would add their scent and we'd all find ourselves so hungry that it seemed like the meal took forever before it was done.
The dinner consisted of turkey and dressing, potatoes, baked corn, cranberry sauce, gravy, rolls, sweet potatoes or yams, and green beans. Normally we'd have to wait awhile after dinner before we had dessert which usually consisted of Lemon Meringue, Cherry, and Pumpkin Pie. It was a treat if we had ice cream on the pie, but either way, we enjoyed our dessert when the time was right.
Depending on the weather, we either had some time to be outside playing in the snow if there was any, or stayed inside playing board or card games with our parents. The day moved on and we had leftovers for our supper. The day ended with either television or finishing our games.
We didn't usually go anywhere on that day but occasionally some of our cousins came to visit and spend the evening. Those were nice times that we all enjoyed as it was the prelude to the Christmas season and the excitement was high in anticipation.
It's nice to remember!

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Powerful Nostalgia

"I really love the stories! They are like little vignettes that not only shine light on your childhood and that of your sisters, but create a powerful nostalgia for the reader that reminds them of their own warm memories."

Jarrett M.Love -- Musician/Composer

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Great Memories Of How It Really Was

"The clever cover and title immediately caught my attention. I enjoyed remembering various scenes of my own childhood as I looked through this kaleidoscope. My favorite story was about the fox fur stole of the 1940's. Oh, I remember the animal pelts complete with heads, feet, and tails. Who could forget saddle shoes of the 1950's? Serious moments and delightful moments are recreated in stories of school days, family pets, playtime, mealtime, church activities, childhood fears, etc. How many of today's children can imagine 6 children and two adults in a house with only one bathroom and no air-conditioning? How many of their toys run on imagination? How often does a group enjoy the action games described in this book? What did kids do before TV and computers! Mealtime was always family time. Values were taught largely by families, church, friends, and interacting with each other.

This is a great book to share with children, teens, parents, and especially grandparents. Perhaps more of us should jot down a few notes or even stories to share with our own children: the first time we saw a microwave, what we were doing when we learned about 9-11, our experiences with teachers, friends, etc. as we grew up. I'm glad these three sisters have let us look into the kaleidoscope of their memories with this collection of short stories by each of them."

Betsy B. Lee of Learning Abilities Books. http://learningbooks.net/

Monday, May 25, 2009

A Trip Back In Time - Fun Read!

"Kaleidoscope Memories is a heart-warming collection of childhood memories written by three sisters which gave me a good feeling that I found refreshing. It is uplifting, amusing and hlight-hearted. I liked peeking in on this family with six kids. Parents could certainly learn some tips from these wonderful parents who were strict, but not mean and responsible but also fun loving. I especially liked the tales about the monster dog, the blanket trap, the family pets and napping with mama. Reading this brought back similar memories but barrel racing was new to me. I recommend this to anyone who likes family stories and is looking for something wholesome and entertaining to read."
Submitted by Karen Arlettaz Zemeck, author of "My Funny Dad, Harry."

Sunday, March 8, 2009

Memories of Childhood


This picture is of the Sinnissippi Park Hopewellan Indian Mounds. We spent many hours of our childhood at the park. It was during that time that the state did the historical digs to determine that the mounds were historic. Good memories in our lives come from this park. There is a story in Kaleidoscope Memories titled, "Suppers At Sinnissippi" that I hope you'll enjoy.

When you think of your childhood I hope you have good memories of a special day or time when all seemed right with your world. We wrote the book to share with our children, however, we felt there was something special that everyone shares and decided to make our stories available to you. Our hopes are that you'll be able to share your memories with either your family or the world. We all have stories to tell and share.

Please leave a comment if you've enjoyed this site and/or remembered a special time in your life that you feel like sharing.

Monday, February 16, 2009

Book Available For Sale!


Kaleidoscope Memories: Childhood Stories That Celebrate Family Life is now available for purchase at http://www.amazon.com/ or http://www.barnesandnoble.com/, also http://www.booksamillion.com/. I'm sure you will enjoy the stories and perhaps they will help you remember some good times you've had. Please stop by the site and check it out.

You can also go to http://www.tidedancer.com/ and order it through the publisher. Thanks!

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Update!

The book has now been sent to the printer and will be available soon.

Please take some time to browse about and look at our pictures and read the story from the book. I hope you enjoy yourself here and contact us if you'd like to pre-order the book. The selling price is $14.95. I would enjoy hearing from you.