I just saw the movie Saving Mr. Banks. Really enjoyed it. I am an original Mary Poppins fan, by original, I mean I saw it in the theater when it was originally released, believed the magic, was obsessed. I was very young but I remember several things. My Aunt took me to see it. Eileen Safferstein, but to me she was MeMe, my mothers younger sister. I remember being beyond excited and the movie did not disappoint. My Aunt told me that magic was real and in fact she was magical just like Mary Poppins and I truly believed her. I lived out the rest of my childhood believing not only in the usual things like Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny, but fairies and fairy Godmothers, witches, I believed that my dolls had feelings and they talked to each other after I went to sleep at night. My Aunt created the make believe of my childhood. I loved her best. After we saw the movie I was hell bent on possessing anything that had to do with Mary Poppins. My Mom let me send away for a Mary Poppins cereal spoon. Back then kids "sent away" for things. Usually things that were advertised on the back of cereal boxes. You would have to save so many box tops and then for a small amount of money you could send for the item of your dreams. I remember eating my sugary cereal for years with that spoon. My Aunt used to take me shopping and one day we were combing the toy department at Woolworths and came across the Mary Poppins color-forms and she bought it for me on the spot. That Christmas all that I wished for was the Mary Poppins doll and when I unwrapped her on Christmas morning it was by far the best moment of my life thus far.
 It was wonderful to learn the back story of this much beloved movie, but for some reason it has left me feeling quite melancholy. I miss my Aunt. She was the fun of my youth and as I reached adolescence she understood me. Where my mother was very strict, Meme was whimsical and cool. She let me shave my legs for the first time when my Mother adamantly refused. She pleaded with my mother to buy me a mini skirt and my Mother relented. She cut my bangs straight and true, which back in the 60's was a miracle. When Meme and my Uncle Bob could not have children they adopted my cousin Lisa and I remember her including me in all the planning and excitement. I never felt left out or jealous and I was just as excited as if I was getting a little sister. A few years later she and my Uncle adopted my cousin Bobby, and when it was discovered that he had Autism, my Aunt asked me if I would spend time with him just showing him how to be a kid. I remember riding my bike to their house every day one summer and playing with my cousin. She paid me like a babysitter and I always felt guilty taking that money. I loved my cousin, he was like my little brother.
My Aunt was beautiful, spontaneous, lighthearted, and she was an alcoholic. I never knew it until after she died. Back then it was not a disease, but something to be ashamed of and hidden. And so she did. Everyone in my Irish family drank. Many to excess. If someone had a problem it pretty much went unnoticed because so many of them had this issue. When I was 14 she and my Mother had a falling out and shortly after that my Uncle packed them all up and moved them to Florida.We never even got the chance to say goodbye. One day they were just gone. I was later told he took her away to start fresh and he thought that a sunny warm climate would be the best place for her. I saw my Aunt twice more after that. Once when we took a Disney vacation and made a side trip to see them. My Aunt was a shadow of the person that she once was. She was no longer the Aunt of my childhood.  She came back to Ct. while I was dating Jim and she was unrecognizeable and drunk when I saw her. Like so many of the people that I loved as a child, she died as a result of her illness. She was 46 years old.
She was my Godmother and she made it her business to be a big part of my childhood. She showed me first hand the process of adoption and how that miracle can transform a couple into a family.  She thought that I was special and she told me so. She loved me and she showed it in so many wonderful ways.
Her husband,  Uncle Bob gave me away at my wedding when my father was unable to. Meme could not make the trip and after that she drifted out of our lives quietly. She was unreachable by phone and stayed that way. She died in 1985, two months after I had Kate. By that time she had been out of my life for so long, her passing just made it more final. My Uncle kept her ashes in a closet for many years, but finally relented to have them shipped to my Mother so that she could be buried behind my father on the Cape. She would have liked that, she loved my Dad. When I visit the cemetery, it is somehow comforting to see her name on the headstone. Just seeing her name makes me feel loved.
I am remembering her today and even after all these years I still feel her love for me. I remember her young and beautiful and always laughing. She is a the happy, magical and safe place of my childhood that I will always hold dear

 Meme and me (1961) She was 22 years old in this picture.

 Make believe at Meme's house. I was 4 years old.

 Christmas 1965. My best gift ever.

 Christmas 1968. My wonderful Aunt. I love this picture of us.

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My confirmation. 1971. I was 10.  She was my "sponsor". I remember there being some problem with the church because she was also my Godmother, but she fought it. Always in my corner, my hero.

Still At It

A little bit Spring, a little bit St. Patty's, a smidge of Easter. I got it covered.

Pinterest

It was a happy day when I found Pinterest. Imagine a place of creative ideas for gardening, baking, decorating, shopping, crafting, camping and just about anything else that you can think of. You can browse subjects and then "pin" what you like to your "boards". You can also follow what your friends find interesting. I have found gift ideas for friends and family by following them on Pinterest as well as many creative and helpful things that have made everyday life easier.
I clean my showers and bathtub with a dish sponge filled with Dawn and white vinegar. I have made coffee filter snowflakes for my kitchen window. Kate and I made our own laundry detergent. I have made appetizers and deserts. Wrapped my Christmas presents in a way that the tag just slips into a little pocket that you fold into the wrapping paper. And the things that I try just keeps on growing. Amazing!
Sometime last fall I pinned and idea for fire starters. You just take toilet paper rolls and fill them up with dryer lint. I figured that by winter I would have enough for a seasons worth of fires (little did I know that Jim and the kids found my stash in the cabinet above the washer and thinking that I had completely lost my mind  threw them away) I was able to put a few together before Christmas and when John set about making our Christmas Day fire I pulled a few out. They worked perfectly. Better and easier than than newspaper and certainly more economical than those pre made fire starters. I now use paper towel rolls and depending on the quality of the wood usually only one is needed.
Every Saturday morning I make breakfast for us and if it's chilly I will throw a duralog in the fireplace. Jim and I eat our breakfast in front of the fire, reading and catching up. This morning, it was 10 degrees outside and the house seemed chilly. Definitely a morning for a real fire.

Here is the start of my fire this morning with my trusty Pinterest fire starter.

In less than five minutes I had a roaring fire going and ready for Jim when he came down.

Stay cozy.

Back

It's funny how being sick forces you to slow down. It's just a winter cold, but it is forcing me to take it easy today.
Don't think that anyone is still checking in. No matter. I will write anyway.
So much has changed since I last posted. Jim is employed now, thank God. He was offered a job with a consulting firm back in November and has been working for The Hartford- since then. He likes it, quite alot actually. He still has some freedom to work from home if need be, but most days he goes in to the office. It's a long commute by car, nonetheless, he is thankful. This job came through right under the wire and we all are relieved and grateful to say the least.
I am still at my job in Hamden and all is the same with that. I have made some fine friends there and although the work is the work, the days pass very quickly.
Funny enough, Kate is working for and Orthopaedic office now too. My competition actually. She was hired at Christmastime and has been working since. She just started her last semester at Gateway and fingers crossed she will be starting UNH next fall for the final leg of becoming a dental hygienist. She is at home with us now. She came home last Fall and we are happy to have her back with us.
As you know Zachary made it through the grueling hiring process of the CT State Police. He has decided however that this is not the path for him. He is now working for CDW, (IT solutions for business)  and he told me last weekend that he loves it.
We have been surviving the frigid New England winter. The puppies are well, but lonely now that Jim is working in an office.
I am hoping to begin to post more frequently. We'll see.