Sunday Scribblings - Cheese

Today's Sunday Scribblings Prompt is Cheese. Below is a little story I wrote for this prompt. If you'd like to read some of the other stories, poems, and thoughts on this prompt go Here. Following this post is last week's Prompt on Hunger.

No More Cheese

I guess I was about 11 years old. I was standing in the kitchen of my mom's little house. She had just carried in a box. She placed it on the counter beside a sack of things from the grocery. Something was bothering her. "Wow, that's a lot of cheese" I commented. There was a huge block of yellow cheese and some other food items in the box. No response. I looked at mom and saw the tears in her eyes. This was something I rarely ever saw. Mom just didn't cry, at least not in front of me.

"What's wrong, Mama?" Quiet. Then she took a deep ragged breath. "I will never take public assistance again! I don't care if we starve." she said, her teeth tightly clenched. I imagined it was to keep her from falling apart. Voice cracking, she said almost in a whisper, "People look at me like I'm trash. I will never put myself in that place again!"

It cut deep into my heart. My mom worked noon shifts and night shifts waiting tables. I also knew that sometimes her paychecks were zero, or near zero, because the restaurant subtracted any tips she received as part of her wage. If she got a lot of tips, she got no check. It never seemed right to me. I also didn't understand how people could judge a single mom for needing food for her family.

Nearly everything mom owned had come from yard sales, second hand stores, or from friends, who passed along things they no longer used. She worked hard to pay the rent, heat, utilities, and that left very little. Would those people, with their judgmental eyes and comments, have preferred to see her go without? All I knew is that my mother was hurt and hurt deeply, to have dropped her guard and let me see her tears and her pain.

After that if there wasn't enough change for a quart of milk, we drank water. She served a lot more macaroni, soup, and rice. And, there was never another big block of "free" cheese in her home.


copyright 09/27/09 ajj


Before I forget, there are more of my Sunday Scribblings on this blog. To see just the entries I've written for Sunday Schribblings, go Here. Also, if you click on a word under "Labels", just below, it will bring up stories or posts that have been written on the same subject. Hope this helps those of you who are newer to "blogland".

Sunday Scribblings - Hungry

Last week's Sunday Scribblings prompt was Hungry. Below is my piece. To read the others, go Here.

Hungry

It's near the end of the month. Mama looks so sad as she counts the small change in her handbag. Not even enough for a quart of milk. But she smiles at me, and drops the change back into her coin purse.


She opens the refrigerator. We have two hot dogs and a jar of pickles. She heats some water in the little pan, and tosses the dogs in. There are 5 slices of bread left and there is ketchup in the bottle . The three of us kids gather round the table. I'm the biggest, so I take the butter knife and spread a thick layer of ketchup on four of the pieces. Mama slices the dogs into long halves, and rolls each one up in a ketchupy slice of the soft white bread. She places them on a large plate, along with a few pickles, grabs a big blanket, and marches us all out into the common area.


We sit in the shade of a little apple tree. After handing each of us our hotdog sandwich, she pops the cap of one bottle of Coca Cola. We all get a sip. We eat the gooey dogs with big smiles and pass the Cola round again. Mama always knew how to make the simplest fare feel like a feast, and she made sure we never went without. We weren't hungry for food or for love. That hot dog sandwich picnic was one of the best we ever had.



copyright 09/27/09 ajj

Reflections on Trials and Faith

Well, it's been a long, long week. I am still dealing with MS issues, even with the three day course of steroid infusion. My youngest son has now missed 6 days of school... not a great way to start his Senior year. This is likely a continuation of the Epstein Barr Virus he got in the spring. He had to have further bloodwork done yesterday and has at least one upcoming medical test.

The mind hears littles whispers... why would God??? where are the miracles??? what have I done wrong???

My spirit just keeps reaching out to God believing, and knowing, all is not lost. We are not forgotten. Life sometimes just is what it is, and we are expected to make the best of what we are given. Like the story of three who were given talents from the Master, if we are given only one, we are still expected to make the most of it.

If my eyesight fails further, I have my boys who would proof-read my writing for me; I have a husband who will make sure I get where I need to go, and keep me safe; I have friends and family to talk to; I have ears to hear books on tape and beautiful music. I have a voice to encourage my boys when their lives seem to be unbearable. To say to them, "Faith will see you through even this... and one day you will look back on all the challenges and adventures of your lives and thank your Heavenly Father for all He has done for you! In the mean time, do not be discouraged. Make the most of what you have been given."



Copyright 09-25-09 ajj

BSU & The Brenda Photo Challenge

My photo entries are up for the Brenda Photo Challenge. Go to

Nita Jo's Photos to see mine. Then visit the

Brenda Photo Challenge Blog to see all the other entries!

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Oh, and I must say "Yay for BSU!" We won against Fresno tonight. It was a fun game to watch! I just recently got interested in watching football again. BSU is our local university team. Our favorite professional team is the Green Bay Packers.

Some of my favorite memories involve a baseball or football game on the television. Usually, my sis and I were either dusting, ironing, folding laundry, reading, or playing a board game. Grandpa would end up napping, but if you dared to turn the set off, he was immediately awake! "I'm watching that!" he'd say! Grandma would watch the baseball, but was not much of a football fan.

You may think dusting and ironing are odd "good" memories, but there was something very satisfying in working together. I still love the smell of a hot iron against a cotton pillowcase or a hanky.

Have a wonderful weekend!

The Brenda Photo Challenge - FOOD

Brenda Photo Challenge - "Julia, Julia" - Food!

Due Date: Saturday, September 19th

Theme: "Julia, Julia"...FOOD

Any kind of shot concerning food...Your favorite maybe? Vegetables...Desserts...Complete Meals...Making dinner with the kids....Grilling...Baking...Get it? But it HAS to be edible...Hahahaa....well...you get the point!

(Rules and photo were copied from Brenda Photo Challenge)

To participate in the challenge, or to just enjoy visiting other blog photographers, click on this link:

The Brenda Photo Challenge Blog

My entries are posted on my photo blog. You can visit it by clicking on this link:

Nita Jo's Photos

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Give Aways and Happy Sunday!

Here are two more wonderful Give Aways! The first is from Carol Anne's Boutique.

Click this image to go directly to the Give Away.

Here are some of Carol Anne's Give Away Items! Lovely!



The second Give Away is at Miss Molly's Cottage.

Click the image below to go directly to the Give Away post and sign up.



Miss Molly will be adding a picture of her Give Aways.

It is a lot of fun entering, and I have actually won a couple in the past. There are so many generous, sweet ladies in "blogland" and it's been a pleasure getting to know so many. When you visit these blogs to enter, try to take a minute or more to browse through their posts. I know you will enjoy it!

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It's a happy Sunday for me! I do my final Solumedral (steroid) infusion, and get to remove the catheter. Yay! Some of the side affects are not so great... more facial hair (ewwww!), achy bones (and it thins the bones and can cause dental problems...boo!), puffy face, weight gain, metallic taste in the mouth, on and on...

I know which ones I will most likely get as I have had to have the 6 hours of infusions three other time. It really puts a stop to the attack I am having, and usually gives me more energy for quite some time. I decided not to have it when I had my last checkup 6 months ago. This time my neurologist and I went through the pros and cons. The worst was that over those 6 months, I had continued to go downhill. My left eye started losing vision just last week. It was definitely time to have this done again!

I believe in the gifts of healing that God has placed in the hands of doctors. This hasn't stopped me from praying and hoping for a complete miracle of healing, but I am so thankful that these treatments are available for me. I continue to support and pray for more revelation in the field of medicine... Cures for MS, Parkinson's, Cancers of all kinds, Lou Gehrig's Disease... and so many others. Pray and Believe with me!

Blessings!

Nita Jo

Sunday Scribblings - Tattoo

The Sunday Scribblings prompt is Tattoo. I don't have any tattoos, unless you count the many physical markings that have been added by age and nature. It's not that I haven't thought about it, but I have so many "needle pokes" for medical reasons that I have lost the desire for any extras.

Some favorite tattoos I have seen...

My cousin Laurie had her name tattooed in shorthand on her ankle. Very small, understated and pretty. Someone will always know who she is... well, if they read shorthand!

My Lil Sis, Lana, has several... Orion's Belt on her shoulder, her name in Elvish (I think) on her lower leg or foot, a Native American symbol with feathers on her abdomen... I think that's all. Each tattoo carries a special meaning for her. Her Native American heritage, her Scottish and Irish roots, and other very personal meanings.

A friend has a Chinese symbol meaning faith. Very pretty and inspiring.

I've thought a lot about what I would have done if I ever change my mind. My choices have changed dramatically since I was a young teen. Then it was a heart or a butterfly. Later on a Native American symbol... something from the Cherokee Nation. A Celtic knot or a four leaf clover. These days I am uncertain. Maybe it's because I am in a transition place in my Spirit. I am changing... hopefully growing in a positive direction. So for now, the tattoo is not on my life list. If that changes, I'll be sure and let you know.

Be sure to click on: Sunday Scribblings to see what other writers have shared. If you want to read my older posts for Sunday Scribblings click on: My Sunday Scribblings

I haven't participated much recently, but the link will show you all the posts I did complete.

Happy Birthday Dear Son...

It's hard to believe my firstborn is now 23 years old. Here are a couple of my favorite pictures of MJ when he was very young...

How he loved to sing!

Isn't he the cutest thing! He had a train conductor hat that matched his OshKosh overalls!

I know it's an overused cliche, but time really does fly by. It seems to go faster the older I get. We had a nice family dinner, just the four of us. PJ brought home "the works" from one of our favorites, the Hong Kong Restaurant. It was just as wonderful as I remembered. Grandpa and Grandma took our little family there many times after a Sunday morning service. We had the Spanish Chow Mien along with our meal, in their honor. It was delicious! Later, we'll have one of MJ's favorite cakes... Lemon Poppy Seed Bunt Cake with Lemon Frosting. Since my hand has a wrap on till tomorrow night, PJ made the cake and I made the frosting. We got done with presents in time for MJ to turn on the BSU football game. I hope it's a win tonight! That would be the topping on the birthday celebration! Go BSU!

I love you son! May this be the start of another wonderful year for you...

"and many moooore..."

Something To Smile About...& Remembering 9-11

Catch of the Day

Patsy (my aunt) and Leah (my mom)

• I was looking through a box of my old photos when I spotted this one. I wish I knew the story behind that fish. All I know is it's huge! I can see from mom's smile that they were having a great time. I hope the picture made you smile!

• I also hope that you are able to look back on this day, with less pain than on previous "September 11" anniversaries. Pam Warden posted a beautiful tribute. It's very uplifting, and you can see it by clicking on this link: Pam Warden Art

• There's something to be said for looking back on the good old days. I hope each of you is making an effort to create happy memories for the next generation. With faith, we can not only heal from life's hardships... we can overcome and find our joy again!

Happy Labor Day!

I hope everyone is having a great holiday. It was a long weekend for PJ and Lucky 13. My family is going to barbecue steaks later. I have to come up with a couple of sides to go along with. Probably make it something simple... baked beans, salad, some sauteed onions. Yum!

I've watched a lot of DVD's the past couple of weeks. They finally got the first season of Thirty Something at Netflix. It's very nostalgic for me. It came out when I was in my thirties, and that was when my boys were little. I love looking back at the hairstyles and clothes.

I've also been watching The French Chef with Julia Child, informative and very funny! I haven't been to Julie and Julia yet, but I'm planning to see it. Other DVD's I've seen recently are a Watercolor Painting Series (yes, I'm going to try my hand at watercolor painting... haven't done that since I was in High School!), How to Marry a Millionaire (Lauren Bacall, Marilyn Monroe, Betty Grable - love that movie), Grey Gardens (the movie and the documentary... that's where my blog name comes from), The Jane Austen Book Club, French Kiss, The Reading Room, Daddy Long Legs, and the Midsomer Murders series. There were more... too many to list. When I can't read, I watch... makes the bad days go by easier.

Today is a great day for me. Feeling better, getting some "online" stuff done, some "at home" projects and cleaning done, and spending time with my husband and boys later. *Sigh*... these are the good things in life. Hope all of you are having a blessed, peaceful day.

Spend the afternoon. You can't take it with you."

~ Annie Dillard

Brenda Photo Challenge - Purple

To see my "Purple" entries for the Brenda Photo Challenge, go here:

Nitajos Photos

To see the other participants photos, Be sure to click on:

Brenda Photo Challenge

Go to the comment section and click on the names.

This will take you to each blog to see all the entries.

Have a blessed day!