Category Archives: Grandma

Patty’s 16th Birthday

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Patty’s 16th birthday went well. The weather permitted a fine cookout. Cake and ice cream were served. All of the family that could be there were. She even got the only thing she asked for, which was an iPhone.

The cookout included chicken that had been marinating overnight. Plain chicken seemed awful boring and mesquite seemed to be a flavor that everyone would enjoy. With Kristy’s help bacon was added to the cheddar cheeseburgers, after cooking bacon on the grill did not turn out so well and it had to be completed inside. Everyone really enjoyed the food.

The cake and ice cream was served after the dinner and Patty finally got her gift. She already knew what it was, because she only asked for one thing. Everyone really pitched in for this gift and it was worth it, because she really loves it. As usual you can find all the pictures on the pictures page.

Honors Night

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Patty made honor roll for the majority of her Sophomore year at Archbishop High School, so she was invited to and received an award at Honors Night. Honors Night is a night of recognizing all the achievements of students at Archbishop Hoban and especially the seniors who are receiving grants and awards on their way to college. If Patty continues to do well this will be something to attend for the next few years. Her mother and I were in attendance, along with her sister and Grandmother. It was great seeing her win an award.

Michelle’s 18th

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Originally the plan for this birthday was a cookout, which has become a bit of a tradition, but the weather was not cooperating this week with temperatures in the 40’s and quite a bit of rain. It certainly looked as though the cookout could happen and the preparations were made to have one, but in the end the plans had to be changed. It was decided that the meal should be a favorite of Michelle’s choosing and what she wanted was potato gnocchi with vodka sauce. This dish is usually served with a vegetable, so yellow squash, zucchini, onions, and mushrooms were sauteed. This was served with a parmesan crusted chicken. It was a very elaborate meal.

Dinner was served and it came out extremely well and there was plenty for everyone to eat. Next was the singing of “Happy Birthday” and ice cream cake. Finally, the presents were given to Michelle. The original gifts were things that she needed, but were sort of gag gifts in order to throw her off from the main gift, which was a new laptop. The complete set of pictures can be found on the pictures page.

Christmas 2012

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Christmas this year was truly a fantastic holiday event. Michelle was able to join us all on Sunday and stay until Christmas evening, so all three of the children were here for Christmas morning to unwrap their presents. The holiday kicked off with attending midnight mass at St. Bernards on Christmas Eve. Cookies were baked and breaking from some holiday traditions the children were actually not allowed to open a single present upon returning home from midnight mass.

One of the great things about having children that have grown up is that they are prepared for Christmas morning. They get dressed appropriately for pictures to be taken while they open their gifts and almost as importantly they start the coffee. Christmas morning was fantastic with a lit tree and snow outside. They awoke to more candy than they could readily consume in a day in their stockings and plenty of presents under the tree for all of them.

They all got what they wanted and then some and spent Christmas day playing card games, watching Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, and playing Connect 4. Grandma made a fantastic ham for dinner. It really was one of the best Christmas days ever. As always all the pictures can be found on the pictures page.

James’ Birthday 2012

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James’ 14th birthday cookout was held at Becky and Andrew’s this year. They offered to host it, because they had a scheduling conflict and could not make it on Saturday, and so they did a huge favor to us all by hosting it at their house and buying the food. The birthday was held on Monday, which was Labor Day, and it was great. Grandma, Becky and Andrew, Zach, Abby, Patty, James, and I were all there.

Dinner was hamburgers, but they were not just normal hamburgers. These were specialty hamburgers that they prepare at Giant Eagle. The burgers included blue cheese, bacon and cheddar, jalapenos, and a turkey burger for Becky. Andrew did the grilling for the hamburgers and hotdogs. It all turned out great. Chips and watermelon slices made it all even more enjoyable and we all ate to our fill.

Becky and Andrew bought a very decorative chocolate cake and we finished the evening by having cake, ice cream, and James opened his cards and birthday presents. He actually received quite a few more presents than there are pictures of, because there were items that he wanted that had to be ordered from the internet. It was an awesome birthday. As always all the pictures are on the pictures page.

Bike Ride and a Cookout

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We took a nearly 25 mile bike ride going south from our house on the Towpath. That is us at nearly the bottom of the map. Patty and Eddy are pointing to the “You Are Here”. We have never traveled that south on the Towpath before and if we were to continue we would probably see a new map. Seeing a new map is definitely a new goal for us. It will have to be some time when we get a better meal before our trip though, since we were all getting rather hungry and had to turn around and go back home.

I called my Grandmother before we got home and asked her to put the potatoes in the sink so start soaking. Patty is still going faster than Eddy and I, so I asked her if she beat us home, which she did, to take the grill out and start it if she could. It all came together perfectly. There were hamburgers, steak, baked potatoes, and a salad. It was all very good and we ate to our fill. We ended the night by watching a few movies. Here are all the pictures from the trip.

Patty’s Birthday 2012

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Patty’s birthday was delayed this year, so that everyone could show up and the 26th this year was bad for several reasons. We had a cookout this year, which is something of an on again/off again tradition that was started several years ago. This birthday was attended by myself, Patty, Eddy, her Mom, her Great Grandma, Aunt Becky, Uncle Andrew, and their children Abby and Zach. It was fantastic that they could all make it out.

The cookout, which is done on a coal burning grill featured chicken, hotdogs, and hamburgers. The sides were potato salad and pork and beans. Something for everyone. It all came out good this year. The weather was perfect for a cookout reaching the mid to low 80’s and not a drop of rain all day. It has been something of a drought this year, so it did not seem likely that rain would be ruining this cookout. Everyone ate to their fill and Patty opened her gifts.

The only gift Patty really wanted this year was a cell phone. This has been a request for the last couple years. That wish has finally became a reality on her 15th birthday. Now she can stop borrowing Grandma’s phone and use her own for all of her Facebook and texting needs, which will inevitably consume a great amount of her time from now on. Just not at school where they are likely to confiscate the phone. As always all the pictures can be found on the pictures page.

Christmas 2011

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The children and I set up the tree. The presents started accumulating under the tree. The kids received gifts from Holy Family, which is the Catholic church in Stow. The children got gifts from our family friend, Mary. Grandma and Grandpa Rollins in Maryland sent gifts. There were, of course, gifts from me. Great Grandma even had some gifts for the kids.

When Christmas finally came and Santa had finished putting gifts under the tree there were plenty of gifts to go around. The kids woke up and they knew what to do. They had to make coffee. It was a tradition when I was growing up in my parents house that nobody gets to open gifts until the parents are awake and have had their coffee, and so it is a tradition in my house as well. Coffee and camera in hand they went about dividing the gits into piles.

The first thing they opened was their stocking. The unwrapping of the gifts came next and they were pleasantly surprised with what they had gotten. They both wrote letters to Santa and most everything on their list was to be found in their pile. They both received money and gifts cards this year, and that helps them pick up the odds and ends that they wanted, but did not get. As always all the pictures from Christmas are on the pictures page.

Eddy’s Confirmation

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To nobody’s surprise the actual preparation for Eddy’s Confirmation was extremely easy. All that was required was pressing some shirts, so that he would have a choice in what shirt he wanted to wear, and that was all there was to it. He wore one of my ties. He originally wanted to wear khaki pants, but I was fairly quick to dismiss that, and we were all prepared. Eddy looked pretty sharp. Eddy’s Confirmation was held at St. Paul’s Parish and Eddy’s Uncle Andrew was his sponsor.

Becky had to miss Eddy’s Confirmation, because she was running a marathon in Philadelphia. There is actually a fairly amusing story about car keys and Andrew leaving Pittsburgh, but I am not going to tell that story here. Eddy took the name “Anthony” who is the patron saint of, among other things, lost articles, which is sort of ironic considering the story I am not going to relate here.

Just as we did for Patty’s Confirmation we all went to another room, but instead of having cake and fruit punch they had cookies and cheese cubes. We were all very hungry, so instead of staying for that we just made sure to take a picture of Eddy with the bishop. The bishop of course is the same one who proceeded over Patty’s Confirmation. We all went out to eat and that was a very welcomed end to Eddy’s Confirmation.

Patty’s Confirmation

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I really do not know what happened here. This event actually occurred earlier this year. I honestly thought that the pictures and the event were already recorded on this website, and it became painfully obvious of my oversight when Eddy’s confirmation was taking place and I could not find anything. There was quite a bit of panic at first, because the pictures could not be found. The pictures have been found and I will do my best to recollect Patty’s Confirmation at St. Paul’s Parish.

It took weeks to find a dress and shoes for Patty’s Confirmation. It was very trying, as Patty had very high standards for what she would accept. Her Aunt Becky, and her sponsor, was a life saver in this respect as she took her out and found her the dress and the shoes for the Confirmation. She looked very pretty in her dress and shoes with heels. Patty took the confirmation name “Felicity” after Saint Felicity who is the patron saint of Mother’s. She took that name, because it is the same as her Grandmother’s.

When the Confirmation had concluded we had fruit punch and cake in the basement of St. Paul’s. That was good and then Becky insisted we all go out to dinner together. It was a very good end to a day of celebrating Patty’s Confirmation.