What was your favourite thing about visiting GRANDMA's house?

[yvr girl]

1. She had a huge wrap-around porch with a swing - I loved sitting out there and visiting.
2. She had this lamp that looked like a Greek statue in a garden. There was oil in it, and when you turned it on, it looked like it was raining.
3. She had an organ that I loved to play with.

[Shell Beau]

1. The food she cooked of course!!

:9

[ceile]

2. A couple....

1. homemade ice cream made with Big Red
2. swimming and fishing in the lake
3. knowing that I'd get to eat anything and everyhting I wanted

:)

[eeyore]

3. The smell of her Terryton cigarettes and Scotch whiskey.

No, seriously. She was a lovely woman who always had cocktail hour and crosswords before dinner.

I believe she drank Cutty Sark. :toast:

[Oeditpus Rex]

4. Great dope, great porn

I dunno if that can match playing with your grandma's organ, though.

[RandomKoolzip]

25. Tee hee!

[livetohike]

5. My favorite thing was just to visit with my Grandma

:-). Then in no particular order:

1) She always had some homemade Slovak pastries, nut roll or poppy seed roll and any number of different "kolaches" (little cakes - like a small danish sort of).

2) She had four stained glass windows in the house that I loved to watch the sun stream through.

3) She had a big glider on her front porch and a swing on her back porch

4) She had a number of fruit trees in her yard and a big garden.

My maternal Grandma died 14 years ago when I was 40 years old. I miss her :cry:. The same goes for my paternal Grandma, but she didn't have any stained glass windows.

[DS1]

6. Coal fireplace

[GalleryGod]

7. Nada.

They're all goneO8)

[GalleryGod]

9. Ohhhhhh,WAS !? O.K.

Hand made raviolis....for every holiday.
Easter Bread in the Spring.
Dinner of the 7 Fishes on Christmas Eve.

[djeseru]

8. Which one to choose?

Both were unique in their own ways and I lived with one for several years. Let's go with my dad's mom:

1. The wind-up clock that chimed every 15 minutes.
2. Her cats.
3. Her acerbic wit.

Thumbs up on the lamp with the oil - I always thought those were the height of class and glamour when I was a kid. My aunt had one as well. :)

[GalleryGod]

11. OOOOoooo! Good use of the word acerbic!

:bounce:

[maveric]

10. My Sicilian "Nanna". The best cook EVER.

Once a week she would take my brothers and me to her place for dinner. She would cook veal cutlets, homemade sauce, fried chicken ala Siciliana, lasagna, stuffed shells, meatballs, sausage, dandelion salad, garlic broccoli, pasta fazouli with strawberry rhubarb pie. She would also pick the yellow flowers from zuccini plants, dip them in egg and fry them in olive oil. MMMMMMMM!
In ONE MEAL for 3 boys between the ages of 4-9.
You could smell your way to her apartment.
Damn, I miss that crazy little Lady!
Nunziana Castriconi - 1913-1993.

[GalleryGod]

13. Nothin' Better than an Italian/Sicilian Woman Cookin-Up-A-Storm!

:bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

[Dukkha]

51. yup that was me

off the boat Italians made great food all the time and loved to spoil me. I was the middle child so I was naturally the favorite. She always had pizzelle cookies made for me. Visiting was my favorite summertime activity.

[DanCa]

12. Hmm Homemade Dumplings pork chops, saurkraut, broccoli

with a shot of beer and plumb cake that I can't pronunce let alone spell. Life was good in the 80s.

[Beaverhausen]

14. Her unconditional love

[azmouse]

15. She fed me ice cream

and taught me to crochet.

[evlbstrd]

16. Leaving.

She hated kids, and there are six of us.

[RandomKoolzip]

17. Finally getting her to sign the restraining order.

[mdmc]

18. she loved me

:cry:

[mdmc]

40. she would make me soup and buy me puddin pops

just like Bill Cosby used to pitch

[Fenris]

19. How big was the organ?

[Misunderestimator]

21. *sigh*

I spent too long looking for a picture... You beat me to it. :cry:

[Fenris]

22. I wouldn't want to do an image search for "Grandma's Organ"

:scared:

[yvr girl]

26. Now stop that

Think musical instrument.

[Misunderestimator]

32. My grandma had a pump organ.

No. Really. :rofl:

[terrya]

24. Stop...

I'm getting distracted here. :-)

[Misunderestimator]

20. "Why grandma! What a big organ you have!"

[Ramsey]

23. My granddad

He was my favorite relative, he was such a great person and he was crazy about me. My grandmother was a bitch, I never understood what he saw in her.

They had a farm with all kinds of animals, horses, cows,m pigs, dogs, cats, peacocks. It was so great to go out with him to feed the horses or drive around the pastures to check on the cows. My grandmother always tried to make me stay home, she didn't think it was "ladylike" for girls to be running around in the fields! She even told me once that "girls don't whistle"! You can bet I was whistling every time she was around after that.

[CanuckAmok]

27. Which organ was it? I used to play with my grnadma's liver...

...she didn't drink, so she didn't really need it.

[yvr girl]

28. Bend over

:spank:

[windy252]

29. Because it made you feel

that things would be OK.

[trof]

30. The pistols

She had 3 old pistols with the hammers removed and she'd get them out and let me play with them.
REAL GUNS!
Not like my little Roy Rogers' Two-Gun cap pistols at all.
She knew what little boys like.
;-)

[MissMillie]

31. Nestle Crunch bars in her dresser drawer

and playing Pokeno with her and my twin sister.

[0007]

33. Home made ice cream and the big feather bed.

[Sequoia]

34. The scent of yeasty baking bread.

Grapefruit and store bought whole wheat bread before it became popular. At night she'd tell me stories and my all time favorite was Little Red Riding Hood. She'd add extra stuff to the story, like what Little Red had in her basket.

[SeattleGirl]

35. Favorite things about both my grandma's houses:

My paternal grandmother, in Arkansas:
1. The wrap around porch, with a porch swing.
2. The fish frys we'd have in the summer. We'd all go out fishing, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, everyone! And then we'd go back to grandma's house and have us a fabulous meal.
3. Food, food, food. In addition to the fish frys, my grandma could cook anything and everything, and do it so well!
4. The quilts. My grandma was quite the quilter, and in addition to those on the beds, she also had several of her most beautiful ones hanging on the walls.

My maternal grandmother, in Gig Harbor, Washington:
1. The house was on the waterfront. It had two decks, and I would fish off them, catch perch for dinner.
2. My grandmother's old clothes in the basement. My sister and I would stay with grandma and grandpa for entire summers, and loved playing dress up in grandma's old clothes.
3. The trees on the property. Tall pine trees, which were great for climbing.
4. Swimming in the harbor.
5. Going out in the row boat.
6. Going out with my grandpa in his motor boat.
7. Bob, the kid next door. We'd swap Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew books all summer long.
8. Walking around the harbor to the other side, where all the shops were. We'd pick blackberries along the way, and also stop at the park and play on the swings and jungle gym for awhile.

[Left Is Write]

36. My favorites...

My paternal grandmother's house:

1. Homemade doughnuts
2. Jell-o, Dream Whip, and Hi-C (hey! I was a kid!)
3. Did I mention homemade doughnuts?
4. Old toys and comics - Gramma had lots of toys from the 40s and 50s that my dad and aunt and uncle had played with; my favorite was the metal dollhouse with the little doll family and accessories. She also had a box of comics from the 40s, 50s, and early 60s, which I absolutely loved. I read all the romance, Archie, Wilbur, etc., comics that had belonged to my aunt
5. Walking around the neighborhood. Gramma lived in a small western Minnesota town, and it was fun to walk up to the gas station or the grocery store.


My maternal grandmother's house:

1. Archway cookies. I really liked Archway cookies.
2. The smell of my grampa's pipe tobacco.
3. Playing cards with Gramma while listening to the radio.
4. Going up the street to Bridgemans for ice cream.

[Orsino]

37. Falling asleep at night with the window open...

...and hearing a train, away off in the distance.

[no name no slogan]

38. Circus Peanuts

My grandpa had an organ, too. He was pretty deaf, so he'd blast that sucker and sing at the top of his lungs. He has a good voice, too.

[redwitch]

39. My grandmoms were wonderful

Paternal grandmother retired to their home at the Jersey Shore with my pop pop in the early 60's
She drank Manhattans and played Canasta and was the world's WORST cook. :-)
In the summer for lunch we had what she called "picnic"-chocolate milk in the blender and grilled cheese sandwiches.
- cracked us kids up when she called it picnic.
She kept a decanter of whiskey sours in the fridge for company and I thought she was very, very glamorous.
She and my pop pop LOVED each other. They held hands and he called her "me honey".

Maternal grandmother lived next door or a couple of streets away while I was growing up.
I always was certain of a sympathetic ear and a really good cuppa when my grandma was alive.
She took care of us when we were sick and mom and dad were at work. She'd fluff the bed pillows and make tea and toast.
The tea had whiskey in it in the winter if we had head colds.

Damn I miss them both! :cry: I lost them at 94 and 97 respectively. Boy it sucks to be a grown up.

[trof]

41. Like your grannies. Especially the Manhattans.

My granny was a tea-totaler.
Grandpa had to keep his "red medicine" in a cabinet on the back porch.
:-(

[redwitch]

44. It DOES have medicinal qualities!

What was his medicine? Was it a fine zinfandel? :P

[trof]

47. Bourbon whiskey.

Neat.
He'd get in from work, take his suit coat off, and head for the back porch.
Take one shot of his red medicine (I peeked) and go back into the living room, light a cigar, and read his paper.

[lizziegrace]

42. Dolmadas and rice pilaf

and she made terrific deserts. My other grandmother always wore slacks. She smoked, drank ginger brandy and was definitely not the typical grandma. She made terrific chocolate chip cookies and we used to sit on the front porch swing for hours.

I miss them both so much.

[NV Whino]

43. 1. Grandma herself

2. donuts
3. cinnamon rolls
4. creme puffs
5. bread
6. anything else she baked.

[TheCentepedeShoes]

45. Feeding the chickens

and someone would always crank up some homemade ice cream. Wasn't real nuts about their parrot, though, which I think they'd had for about 150 years. In warm weather they hung his cage from a tree limb, he lived on the back enclosed porch the rest of the year. Parrot (don't recall his name) seemed to like my Dad best, called him by name everytime he walked by.

[Initech]

46. My grandma used to have a really awesome pool...

But had to take it down a couple years ago because of insanely high heating / cooling costs.

[KatyaR]

48. EVERYTHING.

My paternal grandmother was my best friend in the ENTIRE world. Just being with her was the best time of my life.

I guess my very favorite thing was to spend Labor Day weekend with her and we would stay up and watch the entire Jerry Lewis Telethon. She stayed up every night until at least midnight, even in her 80s, and she loved Johnny Carson. Grandma was so cool--she loved the Beatles, thought they were cute. She taught me to sew and crochet and encouraged me in so many things. When I was in undergrad school, I would drive two hours round trip to take her to the grocery story when no one else could take her. We would shop in the catalogs and wait at the door every day to see if the mail carrier would bring something "down the drive."

She and her sisters and her sisters-in-law used to write "round robin" letters where someone would write a letter, mail it to the next person, and then that person would read that letter, add her own, and send it on to the next person. When the originator got the letter back, she took her letter out and added a new one and started the circle all over again. These women were simple people who lived all over the country, but yet they were never out of touch. When they would come to visit, we had a ball, and I was at least 40-50 years younger than the youngest one of them.

When I was with my Grandma, I was her whole world.

She's been gone half my life, and I miss her so much.

[RevCheesehead]

49. Going home.

Grandma was not user-friendly. Sad, but true.

[lizziegrace]

52. She missed out on a terrific kid

:hug:

[salin]

50. No idea

never knew my grandparents. On one side of the family both grandparents died three decades before I was born, on the other side of the family both died after I was born, but before I was three. :-(

What a wonderful thing to have such memories.

[Blue_Roses]

53. Going to the beach! Eating shrimp po-boys!!!

Oh, the days...how I miss them! :cry: My grandparents lived in Galveston and we went there all the time. I loved to stay during the summer 'cause we spent so much time at the beach. My grandfather had a farm and we would always go with him to slop his hogs. How he loved his sow! He had a favorite place he ALWAYS stopped and got a cherry coke--the real kind with REAL cherry syrup. Oh, what a damn good time...

:D

[yellowdogintexas]

54. Lucky me, I had both my grandmothers for many years..

well technically I only had one grandmother, my dad's mother because my mom's mother died when my mom was about 19..but my grandfather remarried several years later and my step grandmother was awesome!

Favorite grandmother things:

Granny (my dad's mom)
1. She LOVED a good joke, and her grandkids could crack her up better than anybody.
2. SWWWEEEET TEA! stronger than coffee, sweet with lots of lemon YUM
3. Fried peach or apricot pies. She sent me a box of them when I was in college.
4. she was always glad to see us
5. slumberparties in the guest room with the big breezebox fan pulling the night air through the room, and waking up chilled even on an August night!
6. the big porch, wrap around of course, with a swing. We would make it go as high as possible and then leap out into the grass.
7. Making mud pies
8. Christmas dinners with my dad's whole family, big huge meal with ham, frozen fruit salad, egg/cheese casserole, hot rolls, brazil nut chocolate cake, german chocolate cake, mac/cheese, spinach, green beans, relish tray, pickled peaches, coconut cake with ambrosia and boiled custard. Everyone had their particular thing they always brought to the feast.
9. She didn't have gray hair until in her 90's


Hilda (my mom's stepmother)
1. all her food was wonderful! And she knew how to make cool Norweigan cookies and stuff, cause her mom came over on the boat, so to speak. I learned quite a bit about cooking from her.
2. She had pierced ears at a time when it was out of fashion, so I wanted them too. I used a pair of her earrings when I did get them pierced!
3. She loved us unconditionally even though we were not her biological grandchildren.
4. She was as much a friend to me in my teens as any of my girlfriends and gave me lots of wisdom.
5. oh yeah she was a YELLOW DOG DEMOCRAT!!
6. Her sons were wonderful uncles too
7. She and my grandfather managed to mold a really close funloving family out of 4 kids who were 24 and 22 and already married (my mom and her brother) and 16 & 18 (Hilda's boys) when the marriage occurred. Our family parties were wonderful long evenings of excellent food, with hours of talking around the table afterwards. The best times were when all of my uncles and their wives were with us, and we would eat ourselves into oblivion and talk politics, books, events, etc. These dinners always took about 2 hours from sit down until the table was finally cleared. . Yeah when I was a kid, we would drift off from the adults to watch TV or something but after I was around 13, I started staying at the table for the conversation!


And in both houses, additional long discussions over the dishwashing after the meal. I was lucky growing up to have both sets of grandparents close enough that we could see them all the time. And my dad's mother lived to 102, and just passed away 3 years ago.