Do you have “small treasures” made by children and grandchildren that you’ve saved over the years?  Do these take on special significance for you?
 I’ve saved a number of these and find the memories joyful.  ONe is a pincushion my daughter made by herself and gave me as a surprise Christmas gift when she was about eight years old. Even though she’s grown with a daughter in college, I still use this and treasure it.
My daughter has Christmas ornaments her son and daughter made in art class in elementary school.  Each year she puts them out for display.
There are other items …read more

When your kids crave the comfort of home, what food do they ask for? Maybe it’s a steaming bowl of your hot chicken macaroni soup. Maybe it’s Dad’s grilled steak and corn. Or it could be Grandma’s chocolate chip cookies. We all crave certain dishes when we’re yearning to be comforted. More often than not, they’re food straight from home.
strong>Memories are associated with comfort food. A bowl of hot and sour soup can conjure images of the times spent at the family home in the province. A basket of blueberry muffins could remind one of the times she and her …read more

This is Family Reunion Theme week at my Blisstree Parenting posts.  We just came from an annual reunion in my husband’s family, and I’m pondering new ways to incorporate some of the memorabilia into arts and crafts…that other family members can copy, that will add to the family history album I’ve compiled, that will be something unique.
Some ideas:

Make shadowboxes with memorabilia from past and present family members
Create a CD or slide show of family pictures and documents.  Several family members said they’d like the photos I have in the family history album on a CD.
Make a quilt hanging using some family …read more

In keeping with my Travel Theme this week, in my posts at Blisstree’s Parenting section, let’s consider some travel memory crafts.  How can we create memories and save them through crafting?

Keep a journal of your travels.
Make a scrapbook with photos and words
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Collect postcards and assemble them in albums
Make a memory shadow box of memorabilia collected
Write down memories of past trips
Look at the challenges and disasters with the humor the years bring.
Write a blog about your trip, complete with pictures, to share with others in the family.
Design a quilt or wall hanging with travel memories or of a special place you’ve …read more

As I wrote about our Travel Theme this week, I recalled some of the memorable trips my husband and I made with our daughter.  Some were enjoyable and others weren’t so much fun.  But they all made memories.
When Beth was 10 months old, we traveled by Model A Ford  from Sacramento, CA to Denver, CO.  Jim had taken a new job and parted with our modern car because he couldn’t leave behind the Model A Ford he’d restored.  Even though it was a challenge to travel this way, we look through the photos and recall the lovely countryside in early October and …read more

For many years, the old rocking chair, minus upholstery, scratched and scarred has resided in our storage area.  Occasionally we’d pull it out for a yard sale, but no one wanted it, or at least at the price I placed on it.
It contained too many memories for me to give it away, but I didn’t have time to refinish and uphoster it.  Actually I didn’t know how. 
Today at a yard sale, a lady remarked on its nice lines and sturdiness.  It would be great if finished, she informed me.  But she didn’t know how either.  As my daughter and I …read more

As we celebrate the Fourth of July, I think of other years…of my childhood and with my daughter and grandchildren.  Although most of us in this multi-generational household have work schedules (four of us work at a supermarket), we still have time to engage in patriotic activities.
There are fireworks in a neighboring town on Friday night.
A parade also is held there on Saturday morning.
We prepare special foods that have become a family tradition, including a barbeque. 
If the weather is good, we also may hold a yard sale this weekend.  Yard sales have become traditional over summer holiday weekends in our …read more

July 4th memories often entertain the Alzheimer’s parent and help you preserve your family heritage…for yourself, your children and future generations.  Since Alzheimer’s patients like to reminisce, you may be able to do this with them about memories of this holiday.

Record the memories
Jot them down
Pull out pictures and have the patient tell you about them (if they’re able)
Make some scrapbook pages with these memories
Involve the whole family so they can have memories of doing this with  the Alzheimer’s family member
Take the patient to July 4th events if they’re capable
Prepare foods the family member did or enjoyed on these occasions in …read more

Since my father was a farmer, he couldn’t take Father’s day off.  However, he enjoyed taking a picnic lunch, after the milking was done and we were home from church, and going for a Sunday drive with Mother and us  four children.  He had some of his favorite back roads to explore and often would stop where we children could run and play after we ate.
 One of Father’s favorite picnic spots was found at the top of a cliff overlooking the Hudson River and the mid-Hudson bridge across the river from Poughkeepsie.  (We lived in a farming town 15 miles …read more

Why not make a scrapbook dedicated to Dad for Father’s Day?  You may not have it made for a gift today, but why not start one?  It can take many forms.

For the dad of young children in the family.
For grandfather…his life, achievements, and hobbies
For uncles who play a special role in your children’s lives.
For someone who has like a dad or grandfather in your family’s life.

What do you include?

Photos of special events
Photos, journal entries and memories
Photos of an unfolding life
Contributions from various family members

This can be a fun family project that recalls fond times and hard times and draws families …read more