Christmas 2010 At Our House2

Wendy helps opening the gifts

Wendy climbs in a box, making sure it's empty!

Wendy loves opening pressies!

We hope your holiday is as full of love and joy as ours!

Christmas Morning 2010

Brianna's Dutch Apple Pie

Our Yule Log

Cheri's Gift Bag

Brianna opening her gifts.

A Christmas Gift From Me To You-Free Crochet Pattern

Once upon a time, I was creative. I loved anything artistic. Paper, clay, photography, yarn or thread. If I could make something with my own two hands that was useful or beautiful, I was into it. I shared much of what I did freely, and the internet enabled me. As time went by, though, I got discouraged due to the fact that more and more, I found my freely shared 'artistic creations' stolen, and sold for a profit. So I took most of them down. I'm reconsidering that decision now, as I am not getting any younger, and it seems there isn't anyone around here to pass my passion on to.

To make a long story short, I've decided to start with a Christmas gift from me to you. It's a crochet pattern for what I've named a "Tea Bag Stocking". I designed this little stocking as a gift to include with my Christmas cards one year, and made with size 10 crochet thread, it's the perfect size to tuck a couple tea bags or other small notions into. It can also be made with yarn.

Tea Bag Stocking - Version One

Materials:
For Thread Stocking
two colors of size 10 thread, one for the toe, heel wedge and cuff, referred to as Color A, and one color for the main body of the stocking, referred to as Color B. You may also like to add a small amount of metallic thread as an accent for the finishing round/hanging cord.
Size 1 steel hook (2.75 mm) ~OR~ Size 2 steel hook (2.25 mm)

For Yarn Stocking
two colors of ww yarn, one for toe, heel wedge, and cuff, referred to as Color A, and one color for the main body of the stocking, referred to as Color B.
Size E (3.5 mm) crochet hook

**Do not join rounds unless directed to by pattern.**

Abbreviations used:
sc = single crochet

hdc = half double crochet

dc = double crochet

trc = triple crochet

sk = skip

st = stitch
ss = slip stitch
inc = increase (do 2 single crochets in one stitch)
dec = decrease ( insert hook into first stitch, yarn over, pull up a loop, insert hook into the next stitch, yarn over, pull up a loop, yarn over and pull through the two loops on your hook)

Rnd 1: With color A, ch 2, 8 sc in 2nd ch from hook (8 sc)
Rnd 2: 2 sc in ea st around (16 sc)
Rnd 3: *1 sc in next st, 2 sc in next*, repeat from * to * around (24 sc)
Rnd 4: *1 sc in next 2 st, 2 sc in next*, repeat from * to * around (32 sc) fasten off color A.
Rnd 5: Join color B with a slip stitch in the next stitch, chain 2 (counts as the first hdc, hdc in ea st around (32 hdc)
Rnd 6 through 13: hdc in ea st around. (32 hdc)
use a stitch marker to hold last stitch, then in next stitch, join color A (working the heel now) with a slip stitch, chain 1

Heel wedge

Row 1: Work sc, sc, hdc, hdc, dc, dc, dc, dc, hdc, hdc, sc, sc. Ch 1, turn.
Row 2: Work sc, hdc, hdc, dc, dc, trc, trc, dc, dc, hdc, hdc, sc. Ch 1, turn.
Row 3: Work sc, sc, hdc, hdc, dc, dc, dc, dc, hdc, hdc, sc, sc, fasten off color A.

Body of stocking

Rnd 14: Pick up the loop you saved with the stitch marker, and hdc around placing a hdc in each row of heel for a total of 38 hdc.
Rnd 15 through 28: hdc in each st around. (38 hdc)
Rnd 29: Sc in next st and in each st around.(38 sc) sl st in next st.
Fasten off color B.


Cuff:

Row 30: Working in the front loops only for this round only, join color A with a sl st, ch 1, sc in same st as joining and in each st around. (38 sc) Join with a sl st, ch 2. Turn. (You will be working in both loops from now on)
Row 31: Hdc in each st around (38 hdc) Join with a sl st, ch 2, turn.
Row 32: Hdc in each st around, (38 hdc) Join with a sl st, ch 1, turn
Row 33: sc in first st, *sk one hdc, work 5 dc in next hdc, sk one hdc, sc in next hdc,* repeat from * to * around.Join with a sl st in first sc. (10 sc, 50 dc) Fasten off, leaving a long end to tack cuff down if desired. Tack cuff down.

Finishing Edge with Hanging Loop

Row 34: Fold the stocking flat to locate the back of the stocking. Join color of your choice (I used a small amount of gold metallic thread or a fancy metallic yarn as an accent for this round, but you may want to use color A or even color B) in the blo of the last round of the stocking with a sl st, ch 1, sc in same st, sc in each blo st around (38 sc) Ch 15, join with a sl st to first st, ch 1, DO NOT TURN.
Row 35: sc in each st around. (38 sc) Sc 25 st in the chain, then join with a sl st in the first st. Fasten off. Weave in all ends.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Happy Holidays!

Granny Square Angels and Peppermint Bark

Life has been sweet around here today! My granddaughter and I made peppermint bark last night, and we've all been munching on it. I don't care for white chocolate, so we used dark chocolate, with just a little red and green candy melts swirled in for that "Christmas-y" appearance.





I also made three little Granny Square Angels for our Christmas Trees. I was a bit fooled by the title, 'Granny Squares'. I can crochet granny squares, they're easy and fast! But I was thrown by having to crochet around chenille stems for the wings, dress, halo and arms. The project took a while longer than I thought it would, but I'm quite pleased with the results.

Free Pattern for the Granny Square Angels can be found at Priscilla's Crochet.

Have You Ever Done Such a Thing?

My better half and I were coming home from shopping yesterday, and as usual, were listening to the radio. I love this time of year as you can find stations that play nothing but Christmas music, 24 hours a day. The DJ caught my attention when he asked "Have you ever bought Christmas presents that didn't make it to under the Christmas tree?" It was the intro for a commercial for a security system, but it reminded me of an event that happened when my children were little.

I'm not the most organised person in the world. Are you surprised? Well, this one particular year, I was determined to change, so I went out Christmas shopping in September, instead of waiting for the last minute. I didn't buy everything on my list, but filled two shopping bags with my purchases. I brought them home, wrapped them up, and then hid them.

This is the important part of the story. My son, when he was growing up, was the best gift seeker I've ever known. I had to be extremely clever in finding hiding places, or he would not only find every present, but many times, he'd share with every one else what they were getting as well.

I really outdid myself when I hid those gifts. As Christmas approached, I bought and wrapped more toys and clothes, and then did an inventory of the various piles. I couldn't understand why there weren't more gifts. Yes, I can see the light dawning, I forgot about the gifts I had bought way back in September! So I went out and bought more things to make up for my shortcoming.

It wasn't until the following June, when we were packing up the apartment preparing to move, when way back in the top of the closet, we found the bags of forgotten Christmas presents! We had an unexpected 'Christmas in June' that year, and my kids haven't let me live it down to this day.


Speaking of toys, this is my latest - a crochet snow-yo man! I found the pattern here: Gardener's Ramblings

A Christmas Wish

I wish I had been there,
that very first Christmas,
just to watch as that town
slumbered in ignorance.

What would it have been like
to see that one star,
that magnificent orb,
bathe a lowly stable
in a wonderous light?

And, what did those poor men,
those lowly shepherds, feel,
suddenly awakening,
there in the presence of
an angelic chorus?

No wonder the angel
told them - Be not afraid.

I would have been struck dumb,
hiding my face in fear,
instead of savouring
all of the majesty
of that one brief moment.

I wish I had been there
when those gates were opened,
and mortal man was awed
by the joyful anthems
of His heavenly choir.

It's Beginning To Look a Lot Like...

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas here, at least inside the house. I don't think I'll ever truely get used to a green Christmas like we have here in Florida, but I do appreciate not having to deal with shoveling snow off of the sidewalks and driveway, or having to scrape ice off the windshield of the car before driving any where.

I thought I'd share a little of what I've been up to, holiday-wise. This is our 2010 Christmas tree so far. Did I happen to mention that I love Christmas? My beloved and I have a tradition of setting up the tree on Thanksgiving Day, and we usually do each years tree in a color theme. This year, it's red, white, and green, just in case you couldn't tell.
These are two of the oldest ornaments on our tree. I don't remember where or even when we purchased them, but they are hand crocheted (I believe) and I adore them. I am big on handmade/homemade/crafty things. As we hung our ornaments this year, I was thinking, 'I wish I had more ornaments like these!' (We only have three angels and two doves like these.) Since money is very tight this year, I knew better than to try and shop online for more.

The good news is, I DO know how to crochet, and there are hundreds of free patterns for crocheted ornaments and decorations available on the internet. I turned to one of my very favorite websites, http://www.crochetpatterncentral.com/directory.php , for assistance in my search.






This is a Lacy Angel Ornament that I found at CrochetMemories
While she is not like the tinier angels we purchased, I think she has a beauty all her own.














And this is just one of several Star in a Star ornaments that I made from a pattern I found at jpfun.com . I actually made over twenty of these pretty little stars in red, white, and green, but most of them went to my granddaughter, Brianna's Girl Scout Troop for gifts at their Christmas party.

I thought you might like a close up view of the crocheted dove ornaments.
Close up of one of the purchased angel ornaments.

This is the latest ornament to hang on our tree. It's a Bell Flake, and I found the pattern at my newest favorite website, Snowcatcher. She designs the most amazing crochet patterns, and I wish I could show you more of what I've made from her work, but unfortunately, I've sent them out as Christmas gifts. The nice thing about her crocheted snowflakes are they can fit right inside a greeting card, and be mailed. If you don't put too many snowflakes in the envelope, you don't even have to pay extra postage!

Forgive my funky formating in this post, please. I'm trying Picasa to upload and blog, and it didn't load all the photo's I selected the first time. I'll try and post more of the ornaments I'm making as I complete them.

Until then, I want to wish all a very happy and healthy holiday season!

It's Shocking!

I'm almost embarrassed to admit how long it has been since I have blogged. I even wondered (for just a minute or two) why it was I stopped blogging, when I did so often four years ago. (By the way, this was not the only blog I was writing four years ago. I actually maintained 4, yes, four, blogs at one time, all for different writing styles or subjects.) But the realization that I was spending up to eighteen hours a day writing or working on writing and no one was reading or reacting to my hard earned words finally drove me to give it up. There was absolutely no reward as far as I was concerned. I mean, if I had even a little feedback on what I was putting so much effort into, I might have continued doing it. Needless to say, there wasn't.

I'm back now, and ready to give it another try. My life has changed in many ways in the four long years since I last wrote. One thing hasn't changed? Life is still a drama!

Computer Problems...

I've been having some problems with my computer. I'm not big on technical terms, but it freezes or locks up at the most inconvenient times. It's constantly telling me my network cable is unplugged when I know darn well it isn't. I can see the cable's in it's proper slot, nice and tight. It tells me I have new mail when I don't and vice versa. I've run virus ware, and spy ware, defragged it numerous times, all to no avail. Now I finally know what my problem is.

A gremlin has taken up residence in my computer. She's been here a while, I just didn't notice it. (Yes, girl gremlins exist. though they're quite rare. They prefer to be called gremmies.)This little gremmie is quite sneaky by nature. She usually appears and disappears when I least expect it. She's generally a creature of mischief. though sometimes helpful, and sometimes she can be very spiteful! I try not to make her angry (she hates bad jokes), as she tends to radiate bad luck when displeased.

She was quite satisfied with her living conditions until I had to give up eating cookies (she was happy eating the crumbs that sifted between the keys on the keyboard). It turns out she hates potato chips and pickle juice, so I'm trying to find something that she WILL like, that won't gum up my keyboard. Hopefully, she'll leave my computer alone then. Any advice on dealing with gremlins would be greatly appreciated!

An Easter Prayer

God, give us eyes to see

the beauty of the spring,

And to behold Your majesty

in every living thing.

And may we see in lacy leaves

and every budding flower

The Hand that rules the universe

with gentleness and power.

And may this Easter grandeur

that spring lavishly imparts

Awaken faded flowers of faith

lying dormant in our hearts.

Give us ears to hear, dear God,

the springtime song of birds

With messages more meaningful

than man's often empty words.

Telling harried human beings

who are lost in dark despair

'Be like us and do not worry

for God has you in His care.'

~Helen Steiner Rice~

To all my friends here, I wish you a joyous day, filled with blessings and love!

No News Is Good News?

Just when I had myself convinced that this was the case, and had started to relax, I found it just isn't true. Not in this case anyways.

I just got a call from my doctor. It wasn't good news, it was exactly what I was afraid of. But that's okay. I can handle it. I will handle it.

My first reaction was to cry. Next, I called my mom. Yes, I admit it, I'm a wimp. When trouble calls, I call my mom.

My second reaction was to get proactive. Get more information. Set up a 'battle plan', if you will. Get more information. (Yes, I know I'm repeating myself here, but I'm a firm believer in 'knowledge is power'.)

Deep inside, I still want to cry. I want to run away, pretend this isn't happening to me. But I also know that that wouldn't help anything, wouldn't change anything.

My greatest wish right now is that I lived closer to my family. I don't and that isn't likely to change any time soon. So I find myself here instead.

Moon Struck

Last night the sky was awesome. A nearly full moon glowed on a black velvet sky, inspiring me to write. My poor words can't come close to capturing the beauty of the night, but I've decided to share them anyways.


"Night Sounds"

The sounds of a quiet night
are anything but silent
there's a fountain whispering
in the pond below
the occasional truck
rumbling on the highway
a soft breeze
rustling through leaves
and the refrigerator humming.
I feel like I alone am awake
the daylight world
slumbers with the sun
as I wish upon the moon.


"Full Moon" (haiku)

oh beautiful moon
floating through a sea of night
lovely glowing pearl

Gene Pitney

I heard some sad news yesterday. One of my teen idols, Gene Pitney, died April 5 in a hotel room in Cardiff, Wales. He was on a tour of Britain, and at a concert just the night before, received a standing ovation. He was only 65.

Gene Pitney had numerous hit songs back in the '60's, including "Town Without Pity", "(The Man Who Shot) Liberty Valance", "Only Love Can Break A Heart", "Every Breath I Take", and "24 Hours From Tulsa", just to name a few. I was surprised to learn that he wrote "He's a Rebel", performed by the Crystals, and "Hello Mary Lou" that I remember best performed by Ricky Nelson.

Another one of my heroes is gone. I'll never forget you, Gene Pitney. Your music will live in my heart forever.

"Town Without Pity"

(written by D. Tiomkin and N. Washington)

When you're young and so in love as we
And bewildered by the world we see
Why do people hurt us so
Only those in love would know
What a town without pity can do

If we stop to gaze upon a star
People talk about how bad we are
Ours is not an easy age
We're like tigers in a cage
What a town without pity can do

The young have problems, many problems
We need an understanding heart
Why don't they help us, try to help us
Before this clay and granite planet falls apart

Take these eager lips and hold me fast
I'm afraid this kind of joy can't last
How can we keep love alive
How can anything survive
When these little minds tear you in two
What a town without pity can do

How can we keep love alive
How can anything survive
When these little minds tear you in two
What a town without pity can do

No, it isn't very pretty
What a town without pity can do

It's Karaoke Time!

I've had this song on my mind for two days now. I just can't get it out of my head, so I thought if I shared it, I might get a break So here goes: (picking up the mike)


I'm crazy
crazy for feeling so lonely
I'm crazy
crazy for feeling so blue
I know
you'd love me as long as you wanted
then someday
leave me for somebody new

(bridge)

worry
why do I let myself worry
wondring what in the world did I do
crazy for thinking that my love could hold you

I'm crazy for crying
I'm crazy for trying
I'm crazy for loving you


Hope y'all have a good weekend!

Woo- Woo Wednesday

It's Weird Wednesday, and I decided to do some online research on ghosts and haunting in the Bentonville, AR. area. Unfortunately, I didn't turn up very much. The Peel Museum in Bentonville is supposedly haunted by "The Lady In White". It also has light poltergeists (whatever those are!) and 'corner of the eye apparitions'.

The Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs is also reportedly haunted. The most often sighted apparition is that of an red-haired Irish stonemason, who the staff has dubbed "Michael." Allegedly, Michael was one of the original masons who worked on the building of the hotel in 1885. However, while working on the roof he lost his balance and fell to the second floor area and was killed. This area now houses Room 218 of the hotel and is said to be the most haunted guestroom. Michael is evidently a mischievous spirit who likes to play tricks with the lights, the doors, and television, as well as often being heard pounding loudly on the walls. Others have witnessed hands coming out of the bathroom mirror and heard cries of what sounded like a man falling in the ceiling. Yet other guests have been shaken during the night, and on one occasion a patron ran screaming from the room, professing to have seen blood splattered all over its walls.

Next, there is the Haunted Pizza Hut in nearby Springdale. I only found a couple of references to this spooky restaurant. Reports include glowing lights, knocking, murmuring voices from the men's room, and things flying off the walls. I'm not a big fan of Pizza Hut, but I'd love to visit this one, for the spooky chilly atmosphere, if nothing else.

Finally, the weirdest, strangest thing about my search? Everytime I entered the search terms "ghosts", "hauntings", and "Bentonville, AR" into the search engine, my computer froze up. Do you think it's trying to tell me something?

What Do Vegetarians Eat?

I thought I'd post our menu for this week. Note: We only eat one meal together a day, lucky me!

Monday:
Homemade peasant soup, biscuits.

Tuesday:
BLT's (made with Morningstar Farms veggie bacon, which is the best, better than real bacon!) Yukon Gold French Fries

Wednesday:
Mexican Succotash (a new recipe from a new cookbook), Morningstar Farms Spinach Artichoke Veggie Bites.

Thursday:
Pennsylvania Dutch Potato Salad (another new recipe from the new cookbook) GardenBurger's Barbequed Riblets (another veggie substitute that's much better than the real thing, in my opinion)

Friday:
Fresh Linguinie and fresh sauce, a mixed greens salad, and bread.

We usually eat out on the weekends, except when I make waffles, with Morningstar Farms veggie sausage links, and fresh fruit for brunch.

Eureka Springs

We went to visit Eureka Springs, Arkansas this past weekend, what a hoot! Eureka Springs is located in the Ozark Mountains, and it's very touristy, but a lot of fun as well.

The town is best known historically for it's healing springs. There are legends and lore dating from way back when. One local legend has it that a Sioux Princess suffered from an eye affliction that had robbed her of her sight. The young girl bathed her eys in the waters of Basin Spring, and within a short time, her eyesight was completely restored. Her people were overjoyed, and they told the story far and wde until it reached the ears of the first white people entering the area. We visited Basin Springs, and one other healing spring, though I can't remember the name of it. Each of the healing springs seems to be located in picturesque little parks, with bronze plaques detailing the history and lore of each spring.

Eureka Springs has lots and lots of bed and breakfasts, hotels, motels, cabins and inns. I was most enchanted by the darling cottage style bed and breakfasts, and I can never resist a log style cabin. Seeing all the different style choices to rest your head made me wish we were staying over night, rather than making just a day visit.

We had an excellent lunch in the smallest restaurant I've ever been in. Honestly, it was barely one and a half rooms, and only had ten tables. I have to reccommend, if you ever find yourself in Eureka Springs, and you're hungry for lunch, you just have to stop at the Oasis. The decor is definitely 'eclectic'. The food is nothing short of fantastic. They describe their menu as Ark Mex, and whether you're a vegetarian or not, it's as varied as it is excellent. I had the best Frito pie I've ever had, and my mate had the Mexican pizza. It seems everything on the menu comes with a salad and their own house dressing, which is fine with me. All the ingredients were fresh, and the only complaint I can think of was the service was a bit slow. The food is definitely worth the wait. You gotta try this place to believe it. Just don't go expecting fast food.

We also visited Pivot Rock and Natural Bridge, made famous by Ripley's Believe It or Not. From what I understand, Eureka Springs is also a great place to go ghost hunting at, via the Crescent Hotel. And for other top rated things to do, there's The Great Passion Play, rivers to paddle in kayaks and canoes (one of my favorite activities!), hiking and biking and horse back riding trails. There are lakes to swim, fish and ski in, gardens galore, and for the truely brave, you can climb a bluff or an observation tower.

The houses and town were all 'cute', the scenery beautiful. I want to go back and take a trail ride, which they have in plentitude, also. As you can probably guess, I'm planning on visiting Eureka Springs again. This time, I'm taking my camera with me!

A Sad Day

My heart sunk this morning when I read the news that Buck Owens died yesterday at the age of 76. My dad was a big fan of country music, and I grew up watching "Hee-Haw". Who could ever forget such hits as "Together Again", "I've Got a Tiger by the Tail," "Love's Gonna Live Here," "My Heart Skips a Beat" and "Waitin' in Your Welfare Line." I think my personal favorite of his hits was "Act Naturally". The world has lost a great entertainer, and a great man. I'll miss you, Buck.

Friday Food Review

Since arriving in Bentonville, AR., my mate and I have done a lot of dining out. I thought I'd share my impressions of some of the restaurants we've tried:

Bentonville, AR Restaurants

Pepper Jacks - Fast food Mexican - My mate and I were hungry for mexican food and happened upon Pepper Jack's. What a lucky find for us! We shared a burrito made with a basil tomato tortilla and grilled veggies, and an order of nacho's. The burrito was quite possibly the best I've ever had, the servings are huge, and the service excellent. You can't beat the prices, either. I used to think Moes was the best in franchise mexican fare, but Pepper Jack's beats them, hands down."

Simon's Pancake House - This place reminds me of the small town diners I grew up with. The decor is definitely not high-class, but who cares? The menu is simple, but the food is great, and you can't beat the prices or service. You get a real family feel here.

Dennys Restaurant - I love the decor of this classic dinner. The service left a little to be desired. I had the hash brown potato's with tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers, and over-easy eggs, which was yummy. My mate had the silver dollar pancakes, and hash brown potato's, which he said were very good, nice and crispy (the potato's, not the pancakes).

Maria's Mexican Restaurant - My mate and I have mixed opinions about this restaurant. I enjoyed it for the most part. He wasn't so impressed. I love their chips and salsa, in fact, I'd rate their salsa as the best. It wasn't spicy enough for him. I had the chile relano's, one of my favorite dishes, and wasn't disappointed with it. I didn't care for their Spanish rice, but their refried beans were the best I've had in a restaurant. My mate had the variety enchiladas, and was disappointed that the red and green sauces were mixed together. I have no complaint about the prices or the service, which was excellent, by the way.

Sonic Drive-In - My mate and I are vegetarians, so the only thing on the menu that we've tried are the banana splits. My first visit, and I have no complaints.

Jimmy John's Gourmet Subs - Jimmy John's is always good! In my experience, they use the freshest of ingredients, and their potato chips are the best. My favorite chip flavor is the salt and vinegar, my mate prefers the jalapeno flavor. We first discovered this franchise in a suburb of Minneapolis, Minn., and have found them in 5 other states since. The quality is consistent, where ever they are. Excellent subs, service and price. What more could you ask for?

Johnny Carino's Italian Restaurant - We had lunch here yesterday. At 12:05, the parking lot was packed, and we were afraid that there would be a long wait for a table. Fortunately, that wasn't the case. I ordered an Italian Creme Soda, vanilla flavor, which was excellent. My mate ordered lemonade, and wasn't impressed, it tasted very watered down. I ordered the angel hair pasta with artichokes, which proved to be a lovely, light dish. My mate had the eggplant Parmesan which he declared was equally delicious. I have to admit, my favorite part of the whole meal was the bread, hot, fresh, and oh so yummy. The service was efficient and fast. The only complaint that I have was about the tomato balsamic vinaigrette I had on my salad. I'm a balsamic vinegar addict, this dressing had no balsamic flavor that I could detect, a real disappointment. Never the less, we'll be back.

Abuelo's Mexican Food Embassy - This franchise happens to be one of my mates favorite Mexican restaurants. I love the one located in Lubbock, TX. I'm not so impressed by the food in this branch. The CHILE RELLENO was adequate, the rice was good, but the beans were too dry for my taste. The service was very good, and the prices are competitive. I can't remember what my mate has ordered, but he had no complaints.

Good Memories, and the Not-So-Good Memories

I'm sure everyone has their favorite memories from when they were a child. I was laying in bed the other night, remembering some of my own, and came up with the idea of tracking the bad (or not-so-good) memories, as well as the good memories. This is what I have so far:

Good memory:
Playing in the silky soft dirt of our yard, building roads and towns and cities for our toy cars and pretend people.

Not-so-good memory:
Not being able to sleep in my bed after watching the black and white movie "Little Shop of Horrors" on t.v. I slept in the bathroom because my dad had planted sunflowers outside our bedroom window, and they bore a unpleasant similarity to the blooms on the man-eating plant in the movie.

Good memory:
My dad waking me up while I was sleeping on the toilet, and explaining the difference between movies (not real) and (real)life.

Not-so-good memory:
Hitting a parked car while riding my brothers bike. (I didn't know he had disabled the brakes.) I flew over the handle bars, bouncing off the car, and landing in the street. I sprained my wrist very badly, and ended up with a major case of road rash all down the one side of my body.

Even-worse memory:
Getting my mouth washed out with soap a few days later when the neighborhood bully twisted the same wrist, and I screamed some swear words I didn't even know I knew from the pain.

Good memory:
Pretending to be wild ponies with my best friends, and galloping all over the neighborhood. I wonder now what the adults thought of our strange behavior. No one ever said anything to us, so maybe we weren't as weird as I think we were.

Not-so-good memory:
Having my sister stab me in the eye with a butcher knife when I was in the third grade. No, it really was an accident. Seriously.

Good memory:
The weekly parties at the local roller-skating rink. I couldn't ice skate, I couldn't do fancy foot tricks but I loved zooming around that rink on wheels. I felt almost like I could fly! And if you've never done the Hokey-Pokey on roller skates, man, you just haven't lived!

Not-so-good memory:
Waking late in the evening of December 25th, standing next to the festively decorated Christmas tree, and watching with tears in my eyes as my best friends house burned to the ground. There were no survivors, a family of five lost forever. I've never forgotten you, Cathy, you'll always live in my memories.

Good memory:
The annual family trip to Presque Isle State Park. We spent the whole day at the beach, cooking breakfast, lunch and dinner on the grill, swimming, building sand castles, and just having fun as a family.

Not-so-good memory:
Dreading the daily walk to the bus stop in elementary school. The kids would tease me, calling me "Little Orphan Annie" when my mother would set my hair in rag-curls. Or because I wore hand-me-down clothes.

Good memory:
Playing dolls with my sister. We each had our favorite baby that went everywhere we went. They were kewpie style dolls if my memory is correct. I can't remember what the name of my baby was, but I remember how dearly I loved her.

Not-so-good memory:
Getting bit by a fire ant while staying at my grandfathers house. Oh the burning pain! It bit me right in the underarm area, and it seemed like nothing my parents or grandparents did gave me any relief from the blazing agony of that bite. I couldn't put my arm down for days.

Good memory:
Visiting my grandma. Picking blueberries with her every summer. Picking wild strawberries with her every spring. Just being with her, spending time with her, it's all good with my beloved grandma.

Not-so-good memory:
Getting my head slammed in the trunk of the car by my sister. Three times, right in a row. No, she's not psychotic, really. It was an ACCIDENT. She just couldn't get the trunk to close, and 'didn't know why it wouldn't close'. Seriously.

So, what about you? What are your favorite good and not-so-good memories from your childhood? I'd love to hear them if you'd care to share.