Happy 85th, Shirshee!

This is my grandma:

She's pretty great! Today is her 85th birthday. Holy cow! 85. The things this woman has seen in her lifetime are momentous. She's one of those Greatest Generation people. She was born into a seemingly different world. It was gentler, harder, simpler. You know what I mean?
She remembers the years of the Depression when homeless people stayed in an empty lot across the street from her house. These people were making soup out of dandelions. Weeds for dinner? That's gonna impact you in some way.
She remembers meeting the love of her life during a dancing school lesson when she was in junior high. They were paired together because they were the tallest in their respective classes. She ended up being 5'2" and he was 6'2". Go figure.
This woman in incredible! After raising four children, she went to work full time. After becoming a widow, she has supported herself for 28 years. She still is a substitute teacher in special ed classes, as well as working for a homeless shelter, making countless pies for church functions, and blessing her family members with quilts, jammies and slippers.
Such a godly, blessed woman! She has been an example of godly love and womanhood. I'm doing my best to emulate her in so many ways.
She's the one who taught me how to make jam, sew a button, and wash dishes properly.
She has celebrated the birth of each new great-grandchild with joy and love.
She has encouraged, supported and loved me every day of my life.
Thanks, Grandma! I love you so much!
Happy Birthday! May the Lord bless you through out this next year in countless ways.

PS We are celebrating Ju-Ju's 6-month birthday, as well as Shirshee's 85th today! I can't resist bragging just a little more. He's now decided he can crawl, much to every one's delight - except mine. Things just got a little harder around here. ~sigh~ But ~ I am still the beneficiary of the majority of his snuggles. I guess I can handle the crawling if he's still snuggly.

Apples and Shirshee

My grandma, aka Shirshee, is known for her apple pies. Well, any kind of pie, really. Growing up, I always knew that I wanted to make pies like her in that great someday of being grown up.

So, now I'm grown up. At least, that's what my children (and responsibilites) tell me. Time to make pies!


Shirshee has a friend who has apples trees. Yes, there are apple trees in Arizona. Every year, this friend gives Shirshee bags and bags of apples and then Shirshee uses them to make apple pie fillings or homemade applesauce and then freezes them. Smart lady, huh?


Last week, Shirshee came over to help me (okay, I helped her) make my own pie fillings and apple sauce. We had children running in between our legs, trying to help us at every turn. What wonderful memories my kids are making, I hope! Best of all, Shirshee made special "pink" applesauce, which practically sent Ya-Ya into rapturous delight!



After a day in the kitchen, we ended up with four pie fillings and seven applesauces. It may not seem like a lot, but believe me, that's nothing to sneeze at! Oh, and we had two tuckered out ladies.


What do you like to make from scratch? Is there something that you, as a child, really wanted to learn to make?