Family | Peaches Prattlings

{October 1, 2016} It’s too salty! Tee hee hee

We cooked all day…all day.

Tomorrow is erev Rosh Hashanah, which translates to eve of, the night before. My sister always hosts friends and family, and you know there’s no small happenings here, so there will be about 35-40 people, the usual…

So, there is cooking to be done. People are bringing food, but there is still a lot to be done. We made chicken soup, lots of chicken soup, batches of matzo balls, dessert and a dairy filled kugel, which is like noodle pudding, it’s fabulous and a dry kugel, no dairy.

The dairy kugel has milk, cottage cheese, sour cream, brown and white sugar, cinnamon. I used to love this kind when I could eat dairy.

It smelled great while it was cooking and when it came out,time for the taste test! Not me, not a good idea, all that dairy. As soon as GES put the bite in her mouth, the look on her face said it all! Too salty!

How is that possible? We used all sweet things, I put salt in the water to cook the noodles, but that doesn’t make a difference. We used sweet salted butter, but that doesn’t have that much salt. We couldn’t figure it out. We made everyone try it, just to be sure, including me, nope, too salty.

So…we decided to move on and try the other, “dry” kugel. It came out of the oven and we had to taste test of course. I tasted and as I walked away said “it’s too salty”….and I started laughing.

The look on my sister’s face was priceless! The worry, it lasted all of 3 seconds because she saw me laughing, it was worth it!

It reminded me of when I was a kid and my grandmother made applesauce and I would tell her it needed sugar, never did, but I would tease her.

That memory was a nice feeling and we needed the laugh! And by the way…the kugel was perfect, can’t wait to eat it tomorrow!

{September 30, 2016} I’m how old?

45! Yup…I said it! Loud and proud! I’m 45 years old today!

I got a pre-happy birthday birthday call from my dad, then PSM last night and wake up text from SDL and Miss A, a good start to the day!

Then, birthday wishes and hugs from MGS and GES and my birthday cat! Then breakfast with my sister at the Station Diner, a yummy egg, soysage and “cheese” sandwich for me, fully loaded for GES and a banana pancake to share.

Back to the house to get some work done, prep for the cleaners, then I went to get a much needed haircut.
In the middle of all of this, a very sweet delivery from my beau, PSM, roses and a “bear” hug.

Eventually, GES and I went to pick up MGS and EJS from their after school program, home and when ACS got home, because it’s my birthday, I got to choose the restaurant.

Unfortunately for the family, ha ha, I got to choose vegetarian/vegan. We went to a local place that PSM and I have been a few times and we really like it. The service is passable, but the food is good. Tonight, the service was terrible, one server for the entire restaurant, really?

The kids didn’t like the food, our food was pretty good. The desserts were alright, vegan desserts aren’t for everyone, but they were good sports.

We went home, I got my presents, a great literary scarf, one I had seen and wanted with a quote from The Wizard of Oz! A box of “Novel” Teas, literary tea bags and a house warming/birthday present, a ’45 clock, how perfect is that for my 45th?!

After the kids went to bed, some of the girls came over for an impromptu girls night, RS, TS and LR, we talked and laughed, lit a fire and enjoyed our time together until it was time for bed, talk to you and then pass out.
Tomorrow, dad and LaLa are coming for the weekend and to celebrate the Jewish New Year together, can’t wait!

I am 45! One day older than Magic Kingdom, I think I’m in good company!

Thank you to everyone who reached out to wish me a happy birthday, I’m a very lucky girl!

{September 29, 2016} Surreal and sad

I should be used to this already…but every time it takes getting used to.

This won’t be the most uplifting post, I appreciate your understanding.

I want to say that “home is where the heart is” and you know how much I love my friends and family and when I am with them, I feel at home, but I’m just visiting.

I am going to start with quasi-adulthood, instead of the just after college youth, if that’s alright with you.
I left Georgia after almost twenty years and now, when I go back, I’m renting a car and staying with friends, who are my family, or in hotels, I’m not “home”.

I left Colorado after a year and a half and now, when I go back, I’m renting a car, staying with friends or in hotels, I’m not “home”.

I left Boston three weeks ago, I had been moving my stuff over the past few months, including my car! and now, when I go back, I’m renting a car, staying with family, I’m not “home”.

When I left Colorado, I packed up some stuff, don’t forget, I have two storage units that I visit every time I go back, took the fur babies and moved in with my sister and family, it was great, I’d been spending so many weekends and weeks there, it was natural.

Then I got an apartment for me and the fur babies and coming “home” meant coming in from whatever project I was on, getting a rental car and going to my apartment to snuggle with them, seeing my family at least once or twice during the weekend.

Now, it’s a whole new experience. This is my first time coming to Boston and going straight to my sister’s, no apartment, no further babies. It’s surreal and it’s sad.

I’m going to be surrounded by family, friends and more love than I can imagine and it’s just what I need. Each trip will get a little easier, I know, but the first one is not going to be easy.

I’ll take your good vibes and positive thoughts my friends for this weekend. Let the healing begin.

{September 26, 2016} My sister…my hero

Today my sister was a true hero, or heroine, whichever way to put it.

Today she was literally a hero, a Jimmy Fund Hero, she was Mile Marker 17! Placard with her name, photo and quote.

I’ve told you about my sister, she is a breast cancer survivor and the Jimmy Fund raises awareness and funds for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. Last year, GES raised over $1500 that she became a Jimmy Fund Hero.

There are different events that you are invited to as a Jimmy Fund Hero, I don’t remember if you reveal when I talked about going to the summit at Fenway with her. There were other things as well and today, she walked the 5k, she was paired with a corporate team and she was represented along the route.

I don’t know how much she raised just for this event, it had to be at least $1500, but I know she surpassed that, she is a star, after all!

She walked for herself, our mom, grandmother and so many others in her life that have been touched by cancer. If dad and I are proud, I know those people are too. Words really can’t express how proud of her I am, I think you might have an idea.

Congrats to my sister for being a hero, she’s always been mine, I guess I can share her for a day!

{September 11, 2016} Leaving home…

It’s been a while since i didn’t really want to leave home.

And it’s been a while since i felt that way, it’s nice and sad all at the same time. I had a great week, actually it’s been eleven days that I was in Hawaii with PSM and its been terrific. And now that we have a home together and I don’t have a place anywhere else, this is home.

And now, when i leave, I’m not sure when I’ll get back, due to schedule and finances, but we’re doing everything we can to see each other and be together. Definitely more often than the last few months, that’s been a challenge, let’s just say.

Does this mean that every time I come home it’s like a mini vaca? Sounds good to me!

Now, I say aloha and mahalo and head on to the plane. See you soon PSM.

Aloha.

{September 10, 2016} The family is back together…ahh

PSM got home tonight, yeah!

The tables were turned this week, I was at home and PSM was traveling. I picked him up at the airport and we went off in search of adventure.

First stop? Furniture shopping, you’re jealous, I know! But we bought a bedroom suite, we really needed it, poor PSM has been sleeping on a futon mattress on the floor since we moved, that will not do! It’s being delivered tomorrow morning, the guy really wanted me to be able to sleep on it at least one night before i head back on the road.

Then it was a drive and a very nice long walk down the beach. Walking and talking, catching up, talking about everything and nothing, watching the sun go down with everyone else.

There actually aren’t a lot of places to eat in the beach so we went to a place we’d been before. The server was very nice, and funny, always a plus.

Then a nice walk back to the car, getting caught in a rain storm… with the you down on the car! Home to spend quality time with the puppy and lights out! He couldn’t tell you if her was coming or going!

It’s going to be tough to leave on Sunday, but it will be nice to come home again.

{September 6, 2016} A good caregiver

PSM always wants to make sure I’m ok, take care of me. This morning, he got it ten fold!

I don’t know if I’ve told you, but I suffer frm migraines. I used to get them a lot more often, but now when i get them, they happen fast, I mean fast. I had just gotten up to say good morning and it hit. I had a shooting pain in my head and i couldn’t see or stand up straight. Ouch!

PSM knew exactly what to do and ran to the bathroom to get some Excedrin Migraine and water. Then he led me back to bed, cold compress and pressure where I needed it. I drifted back to sleep for a bit, then when he checked on me asked if I was hungry, amazingly i was.

I was in luck, omelets are a specialty, so an asparagus and cheese omelette with toast and hot tea were on the menu. Let’s just say yum! I was feeling on the mend.

The rest of the day was spent relaxing together on the couch before he headed to the airport. It’s not easy dealing with someone who is out of sorts, thank you.

{August 28, 2016} A nice memory was triggered

Tonight I played gin.

I know, you’re wondering how I played a drink, ha ha. No, silly, I played a card game, some of you might know it as gin -rummy.

Rummy is a, card game played with seven cards, gin -rumy or just gin, is played with ten. http://rummy.com/ginrummy.html. It’s a great game, it takes skill, planning and a lot of luck, you don’t know what hand you’re going to be dealt to begin with and you have to build off of that, then you don’t know what cards are coming next in the deck or what your opposition is going to play.

Last night I had the pleasure of playing again after a long time. My opponent was an 11 year old, PN. She was good, her mom DTN, taught her recently. She was the champ the games to my two wins.

The nice memory for me was being taught by my grandma M, my mom’s mom, and we would play for hours. There were weekends I stayed with her, we would play until 2am!

She was amazing, she knew cards played, what I had put down, She would look at me and say “are you sure you want to play that?” She amazed me!!

I’ve played over the years with different people and I’ve enjoyed it and last night it brought back good memories of my grandma. Sigh…

{August 23, 2016} Happy birthday

Today is a very special day.

Today was my mom’s birthday and her first cousin, JFS, who always said my mom was her 20th birthday present, I was always tickled by that.

I’ve told you stuff here and there about my mom, now I’ll tell you some more, and if I repeat myself, sorry. I guess that would be a compliment, telling you the same great stuff about her!

There was no one like her, that’s for sure. One of the smartest people I knew, could do almost anything, and knew everything, her flaw… She couldn’t add any variation of 8+5, that always baffled me, and her, as you can imagine.

She had a love of art, she could Spend hours in a museum looking at every painting and reading every single placard. It was great and exhausting! We loved a lot of the same artists,admired the same techniques, the brushstrokes and it was fun and interesting to hear her take on certain pieces.

She was great at playing trivial pursuit, especially geography, literature and science, she couldn’t be beat. She loved playing thinking games like Otello and Scrabble and we would play Boggle for days.

She was a foodie, loved to experiment with meals, : what’s for dinner mommy?” “Poison”. Oh, ok. and what she came up with was usually fabulous. There were times she could be down to earth with her pallet, pb&j, pizza, breakfast for dinner.

Travelling with her was both fun and frustrating, there were planned walks, most things were educational, a good thing, but boring to a 13 year old! She made sure we got something out of every experience.

One of the funny things… we would drive through the tunnels heading into NYC and she would comment on how dirty the walls/tiles were and would we, GES and I love to clean it and we would roll our eyes at her and as we got older, tease her about it. When GES and would ride through the tunnels in Boston, she started doing the same thing with her girls and now, when we’re all together, the girls say something about cleaning the tunnel, the tradition lives on.

I could go on for days about my mom, but what will I talk about next year?

My mom as gear, she taught us what it means to be a mom, the good and the bad and we learned. I saw her in me with my kids, my sister does with her kids, especially those things we never thought we’d say! My daughter told me ib taught her how to be a step mom, which meant the world to me and i see how my sister is raising her kids, can’t deny it, don’t want to!

She is never far from our thoughts. GES… let’s get those decorations from the barrel up!

Happy birthday mommy. I love you.

{August 20, 2016} Bad Moms

I’m a bad mom, my sister’s a bad mom, are you a bad mom?

If you have the opportunity, go see this movie! GES and I both wanted to see Bad Moms and today was a good day for it.

We met at a theater in between us a while before the movie, walked around and talked, it was nice.

Then it was time for the movie, we got some popcorn, candy and drinks, exact movie watching food. We settled into our seats, reclined and settled in for 20 or 25 minutes of previews, I’m not sure if I could tell you what they were!

Mila Kunis is the lead, she’s the perfect mom, or so she thinks, two kids, husband, job, gets the kids where they need to go, everything is perfect…sure…now she’s the feed up mom

Christina Applegate is the stay at home perfect mom PTA president for the past six years and a tyrant. Jada Pinkett Smith is the judgy mom, Annie Mumolo is the very clueless mom, Kathryn Hahn is the single, and let’s face it, slutty mom, and Kristen Bell is the frazzled stay at home mom.

They want it all, but they are just human and can they really do it all? Ever worried that you’re a bad parent? Screwing up your kids lives? Been told, by your kids, that you suck, you don’t know what you’re talking about? Normal, yes, I said you’re normal.

I love my kids, but I remember days looking at them like they were aliens. I remember the day I got my first eye roll, the sigh, the I’m never going to be like you. I freaked out here and there, but no need, normal.

And that’s what this movie is about, women finally remembering that they’re people, human and allowed to cut loose, have a moment, let the kids go without brushing their teeth once, doing their homework on the bus, being, well…a bad mom. That makes you human.

So…are you a bad mom?

Go see this movie and find out!

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