To celebrate our brand new cookbook, Sunday Dinner at Grandma's (due out in stores January 22nd!) we're sharing warm memories of Grandma all over.
In the January edition of Feather Your Nest, Vickie & Jo Ann remembered their grandmas. Today on our blog, we've gathered a few more memories from our Gooseberry Patch family.
Join in the fun! Leave us a comment or click over to our Page on Facebook and tell us about your grandma...post your photos as well! We'd love to hear all about her.
I have lots of memories of my mom's mother, Phalla McKinley. Grandma lived in the tiny town of Jeromesville, Ohio in a big old creaky house that had begun as a log cabin. When my whole family visited her, Grandma served us delicious dinners in her big dining room. Most of all I remember her tender baked pork chops, tuna noodle casserole (with crushed potato chips on top, of course) and especially the wonderful country sausages that I don't think you can even buy anymore. There was always cake or pie for dessert too, of course.
Most summers one of my sisters and I got to visit her for a week, and we had such fun. Being a schoolteacher, she had books and craft supplies she let us play with. In her garden she showed us old-fashioned flowers like harebells, Chinese lanterns, monk's money and hollyhocks...she even knew how to make little dolls with the hollyhocks! - Jennie at Gooseberry Patch
Each year, my Grandma Puskac took the grandchildren on a special day of shopping! We looked forward to the cab ride (Grandma didn't drive) to downtown Mansfield, Ohio.
She spoiled us by letting us pick out an outfit at Reed's department store and, my favorite part, a new book at Readmore Bookstore! She was greeted warmly by name at every stop.
At lunchtime, we'd find a table at The Yellow Deli and pass around our purchases. Any time spent with our loving Grandma was wonderful, but having her all to ourselves, without any other adults, made us feel even more special!
In this photo, I'm the one with the pigtails. - Tara at Gooseberry Patch
When I was in elementary school, my grandparents went on vacation with us to Florida. During the long drive down to Florida, my grandma helped keep me entertained. One of the things I still remember is an easy way she taught me to do addition problems when adding a number to nine. I have used this trick ever since whenever I need to add nine! - Dawn at Gooseberry Patch
When I was growing up, my favorite part of grandma Esther's apartment was the big box of toys in the corner of the bedroom. There were wind-up cars, metal chicks, a hobby horse and so many other treasures.One of the very best was a pink Spalding ball that my brothers and I would play with outside.
When we'd get a little too rowdy, she'd send us outside to play and that Spalding ball was the center of many stick ball, hand ball and even dodge ball games!
She was a firecracker though - she'd send us out to play, but then yell at us for bouncing the ball against the building! In this photo, we're celebrating her 90th birthday...she was still as fun as ever! - Liz at Gooseberry Patch
As soon as my sister and I arrived at our Grandma's house in Pennsylvania, we'd rush to her special 3-tier candy dish. She'd always keep it filled with three different kinds of candy and it was a race between my sister and I...who would uncover the best candy first?
Even better than the treats in the candy dish was her apple pie. While we waited patiently for this homebaked treat to come out of the oven, she'd give us little snacks of her unbaked sweet pie crust. It was made from scratch and it's still the best I've ever tasted. - Karie at Gooseberry Patch
When I was growing up, my great grandmother would come and spend weekends with us and we all loved those special times. She was a precious little lady who loved to cook and play games.
My would pick her up on Friday night and she'd set Grandma's hair with Dippity-Do (remember that stuff?) We'd all play games like Kings in the Corners and Crazy 8's and last, we'd play Canasta. We played with many decks of card and I remember how hard it was for my little hands to hold so many...I'd try though!
Every now and then, Grandma would watch us while Mom & Dad went somewhere. Mom would always warn us not to ask Grandma to cook much for us.
Well, you know the minute the door closed we'd ask for our 3 favorite things: homemade chocolate pudding, soupy potatoes and mush...yes, all at once! She was a dear and made it for us too!
I'd always feel horrible afterwards and Mom would say "Why do you do that?" As any kid would, I'd answer, "Because it's great! We still talk about those weekends anytime we see mush on a menu or think about our sweet Grandma Florence, pictured above in one of her best Sunday dresses. - Cindy at Gooseberry Patch
When I was a little girl, my grandma's sewing rooms were pretty much the best places on earth. She worked as a professional seamstress and sewed for all of her grandchildren in her spare time.
She was always in the middle of a half-dozen projects and the basement rooms were filled with bolts of material, new patterns, industrial-sized spools of thread plus notions and buttons on every surface. I was a kid in a candy store!
In the middle of one room, she had an old enamel-top table for cutting and some of my earliest memories are of sitting under that red & white table with her box of buttons in my lap or a little stitching project, listening to her shears snipping away above me.
Later on, she'd teach me how to sew at a machine and how to embroider and quilt, but best of all, she taught me how important it is to take time for myself and about the satisfaction you get from creating something!
In this photo, my grandma is posing in downtown Lowmansville, Kentucky...look at that sassy purse! - Jen at Gooseberry Patch
Don't forget to join in the fun with your stories and photos! Leave us a comment or join us on our Page on Facebook and introduce us to YOUR grandma...we'd love to hear all about her!
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