Grandma Nonny’s Gift Grew into A Home

Submitted by Gordon:

My grandma, who is no longer with us today, really taught me how to be patient and save my money. I really wish I could call her on the phone today to tell her this awesome news,That my new wife Hayley and I have purchased a home and how she made it all possible.

Upon graduating high school, my grandma, who we all called “Nonny” in my family, gifted me $3800 from a CD that had been maturing since the 1980’s. She did this for all of us grandkids. The idea was to get us all to go to college and spend the money on books and whatnot. I soon spent $1000 of it on a rebuilt transmission for my Camaro I’d just gotten at the time. After realizing this was not what she had intended the funds for, I went to her and confessed, and she said something to the tune of “No problem. Just pay yourself back.” So I did. In about 6 months, with the meager income I earned from an elementary school that employed me at the time, I paid my saving back. I realized how easy it was to put away $1000, so I just kept doing it. Thirteen years later, and with a little help from Hayley, I saved enough money for a down payment on a house. Nonny gave me money for college, and I spent it on a house 13 years later. I think (hope) she would be proud of that. 

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Grandma Cuddles

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Health Benefits of a cuddle

According to family therapist Virginia Satir, cuddling is essential to health, even to survival.

Cuddles have been linked to a variety of health benefits including lowered blood pressure, better overall mood, even to higher IQ in children who recieve sufficient hugs.

Physical benefits are not the only things passed on in a hug. Hugs also help people to bond on an emotional level. Hugs increase feelings of safety, security, trust, strength, healing, self worth, belonging, happiness, and appreciation.

So remember to cuddle and hug your Grandkids, It’s good for you and them

Everyday is So Much Better !

Everyday is So Much Better !

Grandma Susette says when her children left her nest empty she was sad but the next chapter brought her a Grandson .She says seeing your child have a child is an un-explainable experience.She stays connected with her baby Grandson Luis with Face Time. Like she says everyday is so much better with a Grandchild.

Who is Grandma ?

I recently sat down with my Mom and Dad and asked a series of questions. My goal was to document their early lives and loves. During the course of the evening I discovered some unknown things about my Mom. I have put together her answers so her grandchildren can know more about her early years.  I learned she was named after her Mother’s best friend. One of her fondest memories of her childhood was her time spent with her Father at the firehouse where  he was a Volunteer Fireman.Her favorite books were the Anne of Green Gables series by L.M.Montgomery, and her love of poodle skirts as fashion .I would love to get my hands on a photo of her in a poodle skirt to show the grand kids.My favorite discovery was learning she wanted to be an Artist and live in Greenwich Village, New York when she grew up.  She did not follow her dream to Greenwich Village but she did meet her other goal of being a Mom to a lot of children.

To gain this insight into her early years is a wonderful gift to give to her grandchildren.

 

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Who is Grandma ? This  question coming from your Grandchild is the perfect opportunity to teach your grandchild about your heritage, your likes , your family and your life. Here is a list of questions you can complete as a gift to your grandchildren

The following list is borrowed from this link:

http://www.scrapbookscrapbook.com/familytreequestions.html

1. What is your full name including any nicknames you have or may have had in the past.

2. Were you named after somebody else?

3. What is your birth date, marriage date and locations of each.

4. What are your parents’ names and their grandparents’ names,
and any nicknames they may have had in the past?

5. What are their birth dates, marriage date and locations of each.

6. What was it like for you growing up in the time period you did?

7. Where did you grow up?

8. Did your family move often and if so where and what time periods?

9. What kind of house did you live in when you were a child?

10. What is your fondest memory (of whom ever you are wanting to know about)?

11. Did your parents or grandparents come to this state from another state? When?

12. What was the city, county, and state?

13. Do you remember your great-grandparents? What do you know about them?

14. Who was the oldest person you can remember in your family as a child?
What do you remember about them?

15. Was there a chore you really hated doing as a child?

16. What would you consider to be the most important inventions
that have been made during your lifetime?

17.How is the world now different from what it was like when you were a child?

18. What kinds of books did you like to read?

19. Do you ever remember not having enough food to eat because times were hard for your family?

20. What were your favorite toys and what were they like?

21.What were your schools like? How did you get there?

22 .Did you and your friends have a special hang-out where you liked to spend time?

23. Were you ever given any special awards for your studies or school activities?

24. How many years of education have you completed? Do you have a college degree?
If so, what was your field of study?

25. Were there any fads during your youth that you remember vividly?

26. How old were you when you started dating?

27. Do you remember your first date? Describe the circumstances.

28. How did you meet the person that you would later marry? Describe them?

29. Describe your wedding ceremony. Who was there?

30. Did you have a honeymoon? If so, where did you go?

31. What wise advice would you give to a grandchild on their wedding day?

32. How many children did you have all together?
What were their names, birthdates and birthplaces?

33. If you had it to do all over again, would you change the way you raised your family? How?

34. What did you find most difficult about raising children?

35. What did you find most rewarding about being a parent?

36. As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

37. What was your first job?

38. How did you decide on your career?

39. How old were you when you retired?

40. What were the hardest choices that you ever had to make?
Do you feel like you made the right choices?

41. Who was the person that had the most positive influence on your life?
Who were they and what did they do?

42. What wars have been fought during your lifetime? How did you feel about them?

43. If you served in the military, when and where did you serve and what were your duties?

44. What major illnesses or health problems do you remember having?

45. Do you have any health problems that are considered hereditary in nature?
If so, what are they?

46. Have you ever been the victim of a crime? What happened?

47. What are your religious beliefs?

48. What activities have you especially enjoyed as an adult?

49. What pets have you had?

50. Is there anything you have always wanted to do, but haven’t?

Love Them to the Moon and Back 🌛

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A Legacy of Love

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My husband is one of 10 siblings from  a large Italian family. His mother Rosina was an exceptional mother. She baked, taught , disciplined and loved her children deeply. My husband lost his Mother Rosina over 30 years ago to cancer.The lose is still very much felt by all the family members.Only a few of her grand children were alive during her lifetime and were able to spend time with her. My sister in law Nancy has taken on the role of Grandmother with  our nieces and nephews. She keeps her Mother’s memories a part of the family traditions. She passes her mother’s  recipes down to the grand children as well as stories and memories. One of the ways Nancy has kept her mother a part of her grand children’s lives is she has made  wedding garters from her mother’s wedding dress for our nieces and our  nephew’s brides.

Nancy explains, “We just packed it  ( the wedding dress) up and left it in the attic.When my first nephew  got engaged I ask  my Dad how would he feel if I cut it up and made garters for all the grand kids, he loved this idea so much he asked to be  the one that gave it to my nephew’s bride.  So far I have made one for all the grand kids that have gotten married, I also made a ring bearer pillow out of the satin and lace of the top of Mom’s dress. I  thought I would only make them for the granddaughters, but heard some gripes from the boys so it looks like I have 20 more to make.  Hope I have enough fabric!”

We had a family wedding this part weekend. Our nephew Justin married beautiful Erika. Nancy made the garter and Erika proudly wore a piece of Grandma Rosina’s wedding dress as part of her something old,But what she really wore was a garter belt with a piece of this large Italian family’s legacy of love.

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A Grandmother’s love is felt for generations after they have left us.How has your grandmother’s love been passed down to your grandchildren?

What are Family Treasures Worth?

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I have been lovingly given my Grandmother’s necklace shown in this photo. I have always admired the piece when my mother would wear it and my mom Fifi has decided I can now own and enjoy the treasured necklace. I understand the value of this necklace.But how can you tell the actual worth of a piece of jewelry, china or any family heirloom? The first thing to do is collect known information about the item’s history. Ask  family members about the piece.. For example, did Grandma buy her beautiful ring or receive it as a wedding gift? What is the estimated date of its creation or purchase? Who in the family has owned the item? Where was it stored?  What is the  value? In other words, what do family members believe it to be worth, or what was told of it from one generation to another? Make note of any stories about the item to pass down with the item to your grandchild. The monetary value may be one thing to determine but the true value is the sentimental value. Who in our family has owned and loved this piece and how can the next generation learn the value of treasures from Grandma. My mom Fifi remembers going to the jewelry store as a young adult with her parents and seeing her beloved father Rocco purchase this necklace for her mother Angela.I cherish the fact this valuable heirloom has been in our family for over 65 years and will be handed down to my grandchild. The value of this necklace is priceless.
What family heirlooms do you own and what will you tell your Grandchild about the treasures ?
Here is a way to be involved with passing treasures to family members: This is from the current Oprah O Magazine

My grandmother’s Project 296 is named for her Ohio address. She invites one of her children per weekend to help tackle a closet or a section of the basement. (Only one—any more, she says, and they’ll stay up late talking and lose focus.) With their help, she’s digitized her photos and recipes and made books that tell family stories, like the reason we eat oysters on Thanksgiving. And she’s assigned colored Post-it notes to each kid’s family, which we can use to claim furniture we’d like to inherit. I’ve got my eye on the four-poster bed my mom slept in as a girl.
—Abbe Wright

 

God Made Them Each Uniquely Different

I would like all my grandchildren and children to know that Jesus loves them. I would like them to know that there is no one who is exactly like them because God made them each uniquely different with them having their own unique gifts.  I would like them to feel loved and be able to face the challenges of this world.  I want them to know the love of family and friends and to be able to love us in return.
Love them all, Grama Sandy
 
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 This is a photo of Sal and His new baby sister Carla.

These are two of Grama Sandy’s Grandchildren.

 

My Very “Special ” Needs Grandchild’s World

Submitted by Fifi Harris:

My very “Special ” needs Grandchild .Our Grandson Banjo is in the special needs category. I have learned so much from Banjo. He has shown me how to have a better world. Greed, Hate, Jealousy, Racism…. these are only some of the negative feelings in this world but not in Banjo’s world ! I often hug him and say “Banjo can I be in your world please?”. He just smiles with his beautiful smile and looks as if he is saying… someday Fifi, someday.

“No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.”
― Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom

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The pure heart of a special needs Grandchild can teach all of us

Special Needs Resources:

http://www.autismspeaks.org/family-services/community-connections/celebrating-grandparents

http://www.grandparents.com/archive/special-needs-grandchildren-tips-for-parents

http://www.pacer.org/grandparent/

How Do You Want to be Remembered ?

Earlier this week I asked How to be a Grandma’s Facebook Friends, What single thing reminds you of your Grandma ?  A scent, item or place ? The answers I received were telling of how the smallest detail can leave a lasting impression on a child. The items most listed  were foods: Spaghetti, Meatballs,Candies, and Sweets to name a few. We had a friend list Virginia Slim cigarettes and another tell me a Martini was a reminder of Grandma. Places and Holidays ranked high on the list too.How a certain anthem played caused a Grandchild,who is now a Grandma, to  remember her Grandma’s loyalty to the crown. The lasting impressions a Grandma’s choices make can leave a Grandchild with fond memories.

Today I ask all of you How do you want to be remembered .For your love of life ? Your joy in the kitchen. How you rescued stray animals and nursed them back to health? Maybe your spirituality or your ability to sing a song that brings a tear to an eye. I for one will most likely be remembered for my love for the ocean and family.

Today  think back on memories of your beloved Grandma and take a look at how you will be remembered. 

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