To Carol Mae Smith: <3

For every garden that i see,
For every butterfly in sight,
For the parts of you a part of me,
for every birdie that takes flight.

For the times i sit and talk to you,
when no one else is near,
For the love that i still feel,
that lets me know you hear.

For the little things,
i'll always miss,
like the warmest hug,
and goodnight kiss.

The comfort that followed,
from just holding your hand,
even the times,
you might not understand.

Just a call and a letter,
It was a simple request,
so i want to say sorry,
for when i didn't try my best.

For the best pumpkin cookies,
that i ever did eat,
For the overabundance,
of everything sweet.

For the beautiful birthdays,
that no one will top,
For the wonderful weekdays,
I never wanted to stop.

For serene summer visits,
of bird houses and cards,
For huge turkey dinners,
when chaos took charge.

For your strength,
and your stubbornness,
For your persistence,
and your heart.

You were there when it mattered,
You listened through it all,
For the good times and hard times,
THANK YOU...thats all.

i couldn't sleep the night before school, so i talked with grandma. and i had to write this down. i'm thinking of you all on this day and missing you wishing we could spend this time together. i love you. ~carlene

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Hello how ARRRRRRRRRRRR YA?

So I am thinking we are all to busy to blog....yes?

The boys left for N.Y. yesterday right after Mike passed his driving license test...hunting and bonding...I will be here buying wine...

Dee I got your e-message and wrote you back in my head which is not at all satisfying , I know...

So I am thinking of you all as we dive, run, slop, crawl, shlep, shop, drag, skip and hop through the holidays and I am missing each and every one of you ...RIGHT NOW..

LOVE,
Marion

Remembering

HOkay...it has been a busy summer , so much so that the Giroux's have not had a vacation ( which for us is doing something together away from the home base for at least 4 days..simple criteria, unachieved this season...oh well...)

I saw Dad and Aunt Joanne yesterday at Mary and Buddy's home in Woburn , a farewell to Sam who leaves again shortly to be in harm's way in Afghanistan..Be safe, Sam! ( Good to see Joanne-ie! ....and by the by ...it was her B-Day! on Sept 1st which leads me to another B-Day! Mark's!! ( I can tell you Mark I remembered BEFORE, and AFTER , after speaking with you on the phone...reminding myself! I needed to remember next call and forgetting then, too! ~woo hoo it was a remembering disaster, I'm telling you!)SO.. Missed that, too, so Happy Birthday WHENEVER to you both!!!.Grandpa Dad was pretty appalled at all the B-Days he has forgotten.. and I, apparently without my mother's help have failed miserably also in B-Day remembering area...

...which leads me to finally finding my way here to you all...

I cooked a lot today, something I don't do often... most of it was because I had to, it's the end of the garden and time to get it in your mouth/canning jars or the freezer, and I'm getting too old for this I fear...so after the beets, and corn were boiled , cut, frozen and bagged and I made sausage and peppers ( I told Dad and Jim to come over my house since hey! they were in Massachusetts..) from our garlic, onion and long Italian red sweet peppers from the garden...Lili likes corn!, and then a peach cobbler with all of our 12 peaches this year...so I'm taking off the apron, today called for one and stopping by the blog...

This is a rough weekend for us all, only a short year ago, and it seems like no time has passed, speaking for me. I am having trouble keeping my head up these past few days....something like being "in the wash" at the ocean....and it occurred to me that maybe a joint effort would help us all through. So I started a recipe and you ( if you find your way here) should feel free to add , or whatever, as all good recipes need personal touches...


So here goes ...with LOVE...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A Recipe for Rememberence~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Time for preparations...? that's up to you.

The recipe is done when you start to feel better...




Preheat your heart to warm:


Gather about yourself:


1 cup of tea
Several well worn cook books
paper and pen
an apron, of course, but optional for the men
sweet memories


Look in your cookbooks, for at least 1/2 hour, in a comfy chair, preferrably at your kitchen table.


Discard cookbooks, who needs them?


Check cupboards and refrigerator for any likely indegrediants. Find something with chocolate, keep that with you. Cookies? even, better.


Pour yourself some tea, in a nice cup.


Resume sitting.

Write someone a letter.


Smile. And remember.


Take as much time as you like.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So....( and here's where I need your help! and input) some other things that will jog your memory..

1. Next time you make soup , only use what you have in the refrigerator, nothing is off limits as long as it's in there....call it "refrigerator soup"

2. Make brownies, or macaroni and cheese, serves 50.

3. Next time you feel alone, shout " JIM-mee!" at the dog...see what happens.

4. Make a list of all the ways you realize you are like Mom Smith ( at least 5) and try not to run screaming from the room, I dare you.

5. Look at that list again, rewrite it if you have to... and thank her.

Did I hear a smile?


Sending Love to all,

and don't forget to call the G-Pa...often.

Marion

Broadway Bootcamp!! :)

so the past week and a half have been fantastic! i have met some of the best people at my drama camp im going to with my friend michaela and it is appropriately called broadway bootcamp :) we do acting dancing and ALOT of singing! theres a performance this saturday and i cant wait! i have a solo in one of our many songs we will be singing and dancing to and am so excited :) i will be so sad when i have to leave all my new friends. i miss and love u all and am wishing you well and hopeing u are as ok as can be :) much love

~carlene~

Summer

Its been a long while since visiting here. Marion thanks for sharing the trip you took with Dad and Meaghan. Love seeing the photos of Dad dancing with Meaghan. ( I am probably still spelling your name wrong huh Meaghan?)

I have had a Birthday this summer and a visit from my friend Tracy and her family from LI.

Tick Tock I feel old...............anyway.

My friend Jen took this video on her iphone and then edited and sent to me as a gift. Jen is

very talented behind the camera and always an inspiration for me. I h ave learned much from her

creatively. She is now an Art Therapist but majored in Painting and Photography at USC.

Although I am not a big fan of the image quality on the iphone you cant beat that it is sooo damn user friendly.

So its not as fulfilling as coming home for a visit with my family; this short visit did much to

quell my desire to come home at least for a little while longer.

I am trying to get back maybe the end of August fora visit keep you posted on that.

okay video is on You Tube and it doesnt seem that I can dload to this Blog from here so if yu want to view here is the link: http://youtu.be:9CfYy-NaRNM..Sorry. Or you can see it on my Face Book wall.

i am sure there is a way but who has the time really. This video edit took 4 hours.

ROAD TRIP!

Little behind these days....ok..ok...a  LOT behind...Carlene you are really busy...isn't it swell how tests go back to back like that? Yes, NO! I think Mike is through his for the most part this year, His AP exam and SAT ended up one day after the other...he was pleased with my scheduling of that SAT! NOT.

So yeah...what a great trip Megan, Dad and I had....!!! For someone whose in the hospital at the moment, Grandpa was doing great with us on the road, I swear....Megan and G-Pa were on that dance floor a long time....yes, they were...here's proof!

Dad and I had maps and a GPS and we did very well, except for the rain , lightning , trucks, construction on the N.Jersey Turnpike , the trip ( Megan had to talk us in) through rush hour downtown traffic in Philly and the continued rain to State College PA, and the 4+ hour wait to get through to the GW bridge on the way home it was smooth sailing....

I am going to put the rest of the pics. ( taken with Dad's camera, I brought my Canon, but I didn't drag it out much .) When G-Pa is up to it ask him about the trip! The wedding required a trip from the hotel ( Thanks , Mike .. the rooms were great!) via a Trailways bus up into a mountain a bit, then a van up the driveway to the house and field, where the wedding was..

here's a list of some of our activities:

~I experienced the Cross Bronx expressway as an adult driver! It smells like I remember!

~Dad and I found our way through the rain and construction to Philly pretty well and then made a wrong turn and called Megan!

~ We saw Megan and Dan's apt. in Philly, Dan watched our car in the bus lane so we could pee and get Megan in the car and off on our way to State College.

~ We found a great diner and Dad was very happy with his turkey, mashed potatoes and stuffing special!

~ The last hour and a half to State College was in the dark and rain and thunder and the exit for the Hampton Inn was a welcome site indeed!

~ A little wine and scotch and we were off to bed, I brought Megan lovely purple earplugs but alas I was not sure she would sleep through my alleged snoring...

~ Morning and breakfast with Inge, Al, cousin Alfred and daughter Kirsty at Eat and Park!

~girls and boys divided up after breakfast , we had a few hours before we had to put on better clothes for the weddding and I took Lydia, Inge ( here's where she lost her camera,under the seat in my car) and Megan set off to find Penn State campus, to see the stadium and whatever. We found a botanical garden area that was new and got out to have a walk in the sun and Karen called Inge back becasue she was panicked about wedding stuff, we returned Lydia and Inge and Megan and I went back to the gardens and enjoyed them and I "lifted" some seeds and I have yet to plant those...

~ We didn't leave much time to get ready but we managed, I had left my wedding clothes home and had to wear some quick choices from NY , but I lived through the aggravation of that!

~ So then we got on a Trailways bus, rode for 40 minutes ( I kid you not!) and when we arrived at the base of a hill and an old farm property, we got in vans to get up the driveway, where the parents of the groom had built a "cabin" for family vacations. Suffice it to say, it was more of a giant log lodge with 5 bathrooms and ...yes, well ...

~ The wedding was in a field, rain threatened but the sky opened mid way and we all started frying in the intense sun and heat, the mud factor was a bit trying for those in heels and the chairs in the field sank in a lot when everyone sat down. As I waited for the wedding to begin, I amused myself with watching others "sit and sink" Funny ...Megan also noticed they spelled "Canon in D" on the program wrong , the word Canon was spelled like the boom boom  ~cannon.

~ I took some pics http://thegirouxsstuff.shutterfly.com/

~the heat and flies were pretty unnerving and the food was plentiful but unshielded from flies and dinner was just plain forgettable...the company was good ( Aunt Inge , Uncle Al, Karen, cousin Alfred and daughter Kirsty)...at our table but the music was so loud we all were shouting...good times...

~ We said our goodbyes on Saturday night and hit the road Sunday.

~Megan took the first leg back to Philly ( Thank You Megan!) and with her driving we got back to Megan and Dan's place a lot easier! our exit ( a different route) was also much easier, so If anyone goes to Philly by car , ask me or Dad , because there definately is a right way to approach from the east and a wrong way, we experienced both...yay!

~Megan took us to the foodchannellfamous Philly cheese steak corner for Gino's and (what the heck wa the other one called...see photos) and on her advice we ate at Gino's, FUN and Tasty! Gino's theme is patriotism. so Dad was a happy camper!

~after that a quick trip down the road to the Italian neighborhood where I insisted we had time to shop for some goodies like provolone, olives and salami...

~dropped off Megan's and headed back on the roads, which were good until we had to rudely stop in NY and fight out way through 4+ hours of trucks and stop and go traffic ( mostly stop) GOOD THING WE HAD OLIVES ,AND PROVOLONE...had I known I would have gotten some bread!

~ We made it!  ...definately a memorable trip! It was great to see all the Dingler's ~ a very special reunion for me. We should do it again sometime soon.

Go see the photos ...http://thegirouxsstuff.shutterfly.com/

LOVE BEAMS TO BECK AND DAD TODAY>>>>

 Talk to me soon, Marion