104 Years Ago Today

 September 10th 1920 - My mother, Bessie Jane Boyle was born.  At her funeral her minister expressed it this way, 'She bounced into the world.'  He went on to say, "her years spanned such incredible eras in our nation's history, most that radically affected her culture here where she was born and reared and later where she came back home to live.  Somewhere along the way she resolved to live out her changing times with energy and optimism. Maybe it was born of her years as a navy wife, living in Boston or Brooklyn or Providence, Rhode Island or her time living in Sicily.  Or maybe it was something just born in her to engage her life actively one day at a time.  However she came to that way of living, it served her well throughout all her days.  Moreover, it stands as a model for our own way of doing whatever it is that gives us fulfillment in life."

I know she loved being a mother.  Moma and Daddy were married almost five years before I was born and they were thrilled to be parents.  She was 33 when I was born but it was 25 years later when I think she found her greatest joy. That's when Mary was born and she became a Grandma for the first time. 

Nothing gave her more fulfillment than these 4 children! 

Holding Mary for the 1st time

And here she is in 1980 holding newborn Matt.

And when we added Jonathan in 1984

Then in 1987 with all four of her darling grandchildren.

For her there was never a more true statement than

"Happiness is being a Grandparent"

Monica's Milanesa

 Our daughter-in-law, Monica, is a fabulous cook.  We discovered that soon after they moved to the US when she made delicious gnocchi, hand shaped pasta made from potatoes.  Now she has started her own small business making and selling Argentine food.  

Milanesa are well seasoned, breaded chicken cutlets.  They are pounded thin, lightly breaded and cooked quickly.  Monica bakes her own bread and makes a milanesa sandwich.  

For dessert she makes a very typical cookie called alfajores.  Here is a perfect description I found of them.  'Irresistible Argentinian Alfajores are a soft, sweet and crumbly shortbread sandwich cookie filled with dulce de leche', which is caramelized milk.  It tastes a bit like caramel.

So fun to see Monica using her cooking skills while John hones his small business talents to promote and expand their reach.

During the summer they have been successfully selling once a month at their apartment clubhouse.

I am proud of them.

 

Frozen - Broadway Comes to Boise

Months ago we bought tickets so that Isabella and I could go see 'Frozen' as a part of the 'Broadway Comes to Boise' series.  A couple of weeks ago, John told me that she didn't really want to go because she wasn't 'into' Frozen any more.  I reassured her that this was not like the Disney movie or like some of the plays we've seen produced by local children's theatre groups.  This was like something you would see on stage in New York or London.  That seemed to have convinced her to go. And it was 'simply magical'!

Monica and John got her a very fancy dress for the occasion.  I think she looked adorable.

I love that they gave a special welcome to those who were seeing their very first Broadway production.

The voices and choreography were outstanding!

 The set design was clever and so beautiful!

It even 'snowed' on the stage.

So many mesmerizing scenes.  Our favorite was the 'Let It Go' scene just before intermission.

My two favorite characters were Olaf, the magical snowman and Sven, the reindeer. The actor who brings Sven to life every night makes you forget that there is a person inside that costume - a very strong and very flexible person!  I still don't understand exactly how he does it.

Isabella had a great time and now thinks she would like to go and see 'Wicked' in the spring.

Another memory making 'Grandma and Isabella date'.

Notice how tall she is.  It seems possible that she will pass Grandma before she turns 10 in 2025.

The play was the Saturday after the 1st week of school so on the way to the theatre, I asked Isabella to rate her first week of school on a scale of 1-10.  Without hesitation she replied, "A 10".  After the play when I asked her the same question about Frozen her comment was, "7".  I don't think that is because the play wasn't wonderful. Just an honest assessment that she LOVES school!

Way to go Mrs. Bergman!