Quick, before I get Sidetrack'd

This week has been all about comfort foods; I’ve eaten mashed potatoes, homemade mac & cheese, and lots of M&M’s. In fact, I’ve probably ingested more carbs than a person should have in a month.

Earlier in the week I concocted a tuna-noodle casserole for my lunch. I recognize that a lot of people read that and think, “yuck!”, my husband is included in that group which is why I ate it for lunch. But for me, this is one of my favorite comfort foods, one of those foods that brings floods of childhood memories as I cook and eat it.

My Dad and brother don’t like tuna-noodle casserole either, so growing up Mom would make it sometimes when the guys were off camping or both happened to be away from home at dinner time. I always enjoyed it when we ate it at our house, but my most special memories are of eating it with my Ghina and Poppa.

Ghina knew how much I liked the casserole, so every few months when they had it for dinner the phone would ring with an invitation for me to join them. This was a special time because it was just me and my grandparents – no parents, no brother, no cousins – a table set for three.

Entering the house I was greeted by the sound of the timer on their old-fashioned toaster oven clicking away, the smell of the casserole baking, and the sight of Ghina preparing garlic bread to be toasted. I would hang out on the stool in the kitchen, or write on the chalkboard, or play with a few toys until the timer dinged and dinner was ready.

The three of us would take our seats at the table; a family table surrounded by pictures of my Mom and her siblings as children, by mementos of a life lived together for many years. Ghina dished out our dinner. Poppa opened the box of ground black pepper. Slices of garlic toast were passed. A meal was enjoyed.

After dinner was finished and the dishes washed, Ghina and I would sit at the kitchen table and play Chinese checkers. If I was lucky we could get in several games before I had to head home to get ready for bed and school the next day.

There were many, many dinners like this each consisting of a plate of tuna-noodle casserole, a slice of garlic bread, and a special time with my grandparents. Over the years the occurences have lost their individuality and melded into a composite in my mind. Such a special memory, and it all started with a pan of tuna-noodle casserole.

Mary at Owlhaven is hosting a blog carnival today challenging us to write about our childhood homes. If you are interested in playing along or if you would like to read about others’ memories of their childhood homes, click on the cute picture at the top of this post.

I lived in one house my entire childhood; I came home from the hospital to the house and, 22 years later, left when Matt and I married. My parents still live there.

Our house was a two story traditional style home. All of the living space was on the upper level (bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen, etc), but we had a finished basement that served as a den/family room. The basement is the backdrop for many of my childhood and teenage memories – dancing with my brother to “Eye of the Tiger”, playing school with my baby dolls and stuffed animals, playing “house” with my cousins, hanging out with friends watching television and playing games. That room was (and still is) the center of much of our family activity.

There was always a pool in the backyard and it saw many pool parties, water fights, and strange and dangerous feats performed by teenage boys. I learned to swim there, and my brother fell through the ice one year “ice skating”.

And the Christmas memories, these are a big part of my childhood memories. We always had two Christmas trees in our house, one on each level, and each served a different purpose. The upstairs tree was our “formal” tree and presents that went to other people (extended family, friends, etc) went under that tree. Our downstairs tree was the family tree. It was always decorated with the “ornaments” that my brother and I made, paper chain garlands, colored lights, and lots of tinsel icicles. Coming down the stairs on Christmas morning to a tree brimming with gifts from Santa and parents and stockings hung by the chimney with care is the epitomy of childhood Christmas.

One of the great things about my childhood home was the proximity to our extended family. We lived within a few miles of both sets of my grandparents, several aunts and uncles, and a bevy of cousins. This allowed for numerous family get togethers and a childhood filled with the warmth and love of family. My cousins and brother were my best friends throughout my childhood.

My childhood home is filled with memories – the bad along with the good – but most of the the ones I hang onto are good. I hope Little has memories her childhood home as good as the ones that I have.

I am a Daddy’s girl, through and through; as a child I believed I could do anything as long as Daddy was close by. I had faith that if I slipped, he would catch me; if I was hurt, he would make it better; if I needed him, he would come running. I knew that he loved me in a big way and that nothing would change that.

I believe that Little feels this way about Matt. She can’t yet verbalize it, but you can already see it in her eyes; she knows she can rely on him. She is blessed to have the best kind of Daddy – the kind that fears God and only wants the best for his baby girl.

Happy father’s day and I love you to the two most important men in my life!

Ahh! Reminiscences on childhood. I received this in an e-mail from my friend N today, and I can so relate to each one of these. Enjoy!

You know you grew up in the 80s if you:

~ ever ended a sentence with the word SIKE.
~ can sing the rap to The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and can do the Carlton.
~ know that “WOAH” comes from Joey on Blossom.
~ ever watched Fraggle Rock.
~ remember when it was actually worth getting up on Saturday to watch cartoons.
~ wore a ponytail on the side of your head.
~ got super-excited when it was Oregon Trail day in computer class at school.
~ made your mom buy one of those clips that would hold your shirt in a knot on the side.
~ played the game “MASH” (mansion, apartment, shelter, house).
~ wore stone-washed Jordache jean jackets and were proud of it.
~ know the profound meaning of “Wax on, wax off.”
~ wanted to be a Goonie.
~ ever wore fluorescent clothing.
~ remember what Michael Jackson looked like before his nose fell off and cheeks shifted.
~ have ever pondered why Smurfette was the only female Smurf.
~ took lunch boxes to school and traded Garbage Pail Kids in the schoolyard.
~ remember the craze, then banning of slap bracelets.
~ still get the urge to say “NOT” after every sentence.
~ thought your friends would never leave because you exchanged friendship bracelets.
~ ever owned a pair of “Jelly” shoes.
~ saw Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure and kept saying “I know you are, but what am I?” (or wanted to dance every time you heard the word “Tequila”)
~ remember, “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up.”
~ remember going to the skating rink before there were in-line skates.
~ have ever played with a Skip-It.
~ remember boom-boxes and walking around with one on your shoulder like you were all that.
~ remember watching both Gremlins movies.
~ thought Doogie Howser / Samantha Micelli was hot.
~ remember Alf, the little furry brown alien from Melmac.
~ remember New Kids on the Block when they were cool and don’t even flinch when someone refers to them as NKOTB
~ knew all the characters names and life stories on the original class of Saved By the Bell.
~ still sing “We are the World”.
~ tight-rolled your jeans.
~ owned a banana clip.
~ remember, “Where’s the beef?”
~ have said (or still say), “What you talkin’ ’bout Willis?”