Tuesday, January 2, 2018

Fruit Filled Shoes

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
Bob and I actually stayed up this year
to ring in the new year.
That is a big accomplishment for us now. LOL

Since spending time with my mom lately,
she spoke more of her Christmas in the cabin. 


She told me that grandpa B would go out in the woods,
and cut down a cedar tree..because those lasted longer 
than the spruces and pines.
There was no electricity in the cabin.


Their ornaments were those handed down 
from my gramma's family.
These were Polish glass blown very fragile ones.
{I noticed my mom still has a few that 
were gently placed on her own tree}

My mom and aunt would make paper garlands.
They also strung popcorn garland.
No lights or candles. 
Candy canes and homemade cookies were also added.
A simple but very festive tree in its own right.


Christmas presents
 were homemade clothes that gramma made. 
Since they did not have a fireplace,
they placed their shoes next to the cook stove.


My mom and aunt slept together.
They were tucked into bed underneath
a handmade goose feather ticking pillow...
the size of their bed.
{we call them feather beds}
Goose down feathers filled their pillows.

Christmas day they would find presents from 
Santa under the tree,
and fruit and nuts in their shoes.

{Decided to replicate their fruit filled treasures
using my stone fruit in some old shoes I have.} 

Christmas dinner was homemade
kielbasa and sauerkraut.
Roast duck with mashed potatoes and gravy.
Cooked vegetables from their garden.
Homemade chicken noodle soup with potato dumplings.
Dessert would have been angel wings.
{A cookie with powdered sugar on them}
[I miss these homemade sweets by gramma B]
Gramma also made bread with fresh churned butter. 

They were not wealthy...
but were rich in love and blessed with health.

W zdrowym ciele, zdrowy duch 
Healthy soul in a healthy body

[Polish Proverb]

Again I am reminded (by mom)
that sometimes we take life for granted.
I have been bad at replying to your comments.
I so appreciate that you all
 take the time to visit and comment.
This year I am going to change how I do my blog a bit.

With me working full time and also
since many that comment on my blog
come into my email as no reply bloggers...
going forward I will reply 
to your comments right on my blog.

Because I do work full time,
I will reply as soon as I am able to.
So be sure to check back and see my replies.

Until next time.

Fruit Filled Blessings To All!
Janice

21 comments:

  1. My mom had somewhat similar christmas'. I work full time also and am on my blog more than I should be. I am going to try to schedule time just for blogging so I don't take away from other things I want to do in my life.
    Cathy

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    1. I usually do all of my posts on the weekends when I have more time and leave them in draft form, then I can post on the days I want to. I probably would be so far behind in blogging if I did not have this schedule set up.

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  2. Sweet memories. I enjoyed reading.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Jackie. I am striving for a better year Great word!!!

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  3. Love hearing the story of Christmas Past at the Cabin. Love your old shoe's with the stone fruit inside and of course I love the quilts you have showing in pictures as well.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Sandra. Thanks for stopping by. Yes you did see a few of my blue quilts in these pics. Will show more of them later this month.

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  4. I love hearing about your Mom's memories of Christmas in the cabin! She did have a beautiful home full of love and memories of special times despite how hard life could be back then. There is something reassuring and important about hearing real life stories of how our parents, grandparents, and other family lived. For me, it shows how much can be lost in today's fast paced life and over commercialization of Christmas. My Mom was born in 1914, and I am blessed to have learned many of her childhood stories of life at the beginnings of the 20th Century. WWI and the Great Depression did much to shape her young life too. But like your family stories, people created memories with essentials of love and the fruits of their long hours of labor raising and canning food.

    I am looking forward to 2018 and learning more about our heritages from the antiques that you share. Antiques help keep the memories alive for everyone! Happy New Year!!

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    1. Yes I love history and tradition. Alas I have to try and remember things now as my grandparents and father are all gone now. I believe the Great Depression shaped many in our families. It was a hard time back then.

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  5. Hi Janice,
    Thanks for sharing your stories with us! I always learn something new or am reminded of something!! I started replying to the comments on my blog too, since so many are No-Reply and it has worked out much better that way! We are all so busy but it is nice to have a reason to slow down! Hope you have many blessings in 2018! Thank you for your many visits and comments to my blog this past year! I really appreciate your friendship!!
    Heart Hugs~
    Julie

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    1. I wish you also to be blessed in 2018 my friend. Even though we have never met, I also cherish our friendship. Can you send some warm weather here. Right now it is a whopping 10 degrees.

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  6. We could all use more of those "old-fashioned" times...simple and heartfelt...surrounded by loved ones. Our society is all about "bigger and faster" these days...we all need to slow down.
    Happy New Year!
    Robyn

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    1. I agree, if we could all just slow down...maybe there would be less stress in our lives.

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  7. My mom was so poor growing up in the depression she said they only got a piece of fruit for Christmas. Her father was deceased and she said that though they ate mostly soup, they never went hungry. She definitely had a hard life in more ways than one.
    Thank you for sharing so many wonderful memories. You are truly blessed.
    Happy New Year!
    Lauren

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  8. Your mom and my mom must have had the same experience during the depression. My moms family grew their own food, ate meat from their livestock and gramma B made soup and homemade bread. Food stamps had to last them. We are all truly blessed! Thanks for stopping by.

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  9. Thank you so much for sharing! Love your fruit filled shoes! I may need to do this next year...
    Blessings, Patti

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  10. Thank you for your wonderful comment Patti. Happy New Year!

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  11. That life was simple , hard.. but was really beautiful, they were real happy people as they didn't have demands... Love that generation, it is really wonderful that they had a great skill of improvisation ..XOXO

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    1. You are so correct Krishna. Sometimes I wish I had lived in that generation, but it was a hard one for sure. Happy New Yea!

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  12. Love the stories and the look back. May you have a much blessed new year.

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  13. I think that is a good idea Janice, maybe try it myself sometime. Stories like yours should be shared so we all enjoy them. Stay warm.

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