Community Chat

[meallen616]

Beautiful!

[lynnie61]

@Enufstuff   Happy Fourth, 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

I LOVE the sailor dress. Your hand sewn details make it even better!  My mom always made sure my sister and I had sailor outfits.  Mostly dresses like Toni.  Loved wearing them, we felt so special.  I remember one year my dads aunt crocheted us both RWB ponchos.  We wore them for years.  happy kids!

We usually swan at the local community pool, and that was the community that had our fireworks.  We lived over the hill from that pool, so we could always see perfect fireworks from our neighborhood.  My dad always bought fireworks and enjoyed doing them in our beighborhood.  A home cookout, watermelon, sparklers.  Many special memories.  Holidays are just not the same to us.   

Now we watch a Capitol fourth on PBS.  We usually don't head to the cities fireworks any longer, however the are on TV these days. Enjoy your holiday!  Stay safe.   

Thanks for sharing once again.  Both Toni's soooooo cute.  

[PamfromCT]

@Enufstuff, Hello Donna, Thank you for sharing all your little beauties dressed for the holiday.  I marvel at your fine work and attention to detail.  Brings me back to when I was little, and I had a great-aunt, a widow with no children.  She, like you, was a gifted seamstress, and I remember wearing hand-

smocked dresses she made for me.  From the collar to the waist.  And I do remember my daughter and son dressed in their nautical outfits.

Thank you for sharing your talents and memories. Have a very happy 4th!

Pam

[Oznell]

Love those two little patriots!   How adorable are they.  Sailor suits and stripes both seem so perfect for the day's celebrations.  

Thanks, @Enufstuff , for supplying such cheer,  and Happy Fourth to you and all here!

[Enufstuff]

@PamfromCT    Happy 4th of July, Pam. I hope that you and

                          your family enjoy the holiday.

                          We are having a relaxing, quiet day here and

                          not doing anything special.

                          My daughter invited me to go to the park,

                        where she and her husband have organized the  festivities for the neighborhood children.

                        I'm sure that they will all have a wonderful time, but I'm avoiding crowds and I really don't go out in the morning. We did those kinds of things for so many years, with the children and grandchildren (who are now in their 20's & 30's).

                       We haven't gone to the city fireworks at the beach for many years. You have to park blocks away and walk sometimes a quarter of a mile, to get there. Talk about crowds of people. We always took the kids to the fireworks, but now,

If I want to see the Boston fireworks, I just watch on TV.

                      The Boston fireworks are the best, with The Boston Symphony Orchestra on the Esplanade. I did that once,

back in the 80's. There had to be thousands of people there, for

the event. It was a beautiful display.

                  My son took his bike to the beach last night, to see the fireworks and he said that he couldn't even get a bicycle near the beach, there were such crowds.

                 Just  in the past few weeks, I've been hearing of people getting the new Covid variant called Flirt, spreading since May.

One is my sister in law. She doesn't really go out much, like me. Only to the grocery store, early in the morning and she wears a mask.

               She went to the dentist and had to wait in the waiting area. A few days later, she was sick with what she thought was a cold. When she tested, she found that it was in fact, Covid.

Then, my brother, who has asthma, caught it from her.

              They are both 72. Fortunately, he did not get real sick,

but she did. She has not tested positive for two weeks, but she has a cough that does not go away.

              So I'm back to wearing a mask, when I go to the doctor and I'm avoiding crowds, again. My husband and I have not had Covid , yet. We try to be careful. What a drag!

               Your hand-smocked dresses, made by your great-aunt, must have been gorgeous. Smocking is so beautiful and a lot of work. Your dresses were a labor of love. How sweet of your aunt to do that for you.

                Your son and daughter must have looked so cute in their nautical outfits. Now, that I think about it, that style has been popular for children, for more than 100 years.

                I was surprised that little sailor dresses were still being sold, when my oldest daughter bought one for her great-niece, my great grand daughter. It was so cute, with a matching, nautical style beret. She loved wearing it.

               My great grand daughter called it her "Shirley dress".

It reminded her of a dress that Shirley Temple wore in one of her movies. Since she was very little, her great-aunt had been showing her all the Shirley Temple movies and she enjoyed them. 

              A few years ago, for her 7th birthday, I gave her a porcelain Shirley Temple doll, wearing that famous, beautiful pleated dress, and I also gave her a DVD of Shirley Temple movies. She put the doll on the top of the armoire in her bedroom and said that it was her special doll.

              Well, I am going now to cook some red potatoes and boil some eggs, to make potato salad for dinner. I'll cook some hotdogs. We only eat hotdogs 2-3 times a year, since they are not the healthiest to eat, with the nitrates, sodium, etc.

              There are just the three of us, so no fancy dessert either. I'll just cut up strawberries, to put on vanilla ice cream.

              I don't do big family gatherings anymore. Five children have now grown to 28 people.

              I'm glad that you enjoyed seeing my July 4th girls.

                                      Happy 4th!

                                                    Donna

[Enufstuff]

@SportyShorty07   Hi Louise,  Happy 4th!

                              Today will be a quiet day here.

                  I just made potato salad and I will cook

                 some hot dogs tonight. I'm not even making

                 a fancy dessert, just fresh strawberries on

                 vanilla ice cream.

                           Do you and your family do anything

                  special for the 4th of July?

                            For many years, we did a lot of things

                  with children and grand children. We always

                  took them to the fireworks at the beach and to the

                  festivities and parades at the parks. Then we had

                  afternoon cookouts.

                          Now, my family of five children has grown

                  to 28 people. I haven't done any big family

                  gatherings for several years now. The kids can all

                  do them, with their children and grand children.

                         My youngest daughter invited me to come to

                  the neighborhood park event that she and her

                 husband have been organizing, the past few years.

                 But, I'm avoiding crowds.

                         They get between 50-100 kids and there are all

                kinds of games and activities, even pony rides. They

                serve lunch and ice cream, too. A lot of people

                donate to make this event a success. She loves doing

                it.

                        She also does a big neighborhood Halloween

                party, at the park.

                        For may years, I did parties and events for every

                 holiday and Tea Parties for Valentines Day.

                 I'm all partied out.

                       The last event I did, was the 2014 Centennial     Garden Party, to celebrate the 100th birthday of my house that was built in 1914. We had , food and music from 1914 and

everyone dresses  in 1914 attire. I made the invitations and gifts for everyone.

                        I worked on that party for two years. It was a lot of fun, but a lot of work too. My three older grandsons did not even show up and I had little gifts for everyone.

                       I should have confiscated cell phones, but I was too busy serving food and all. One grand daughter was on the phone feuding with her boyfriend and the other grand daughter

was on her phone engaged with drama, with her girlfriends who had dissed her the night before. She was so upset, she left before even eating anything. She had her brother , who didn't

bother to come, pick her up and take her home.

             So, now I will only plan to do things with my daughters and two sons. I used to have special parties here,for

grandchildren and was always close to them, taking them out for lunch and shopping for school clothes. Now, in their 20's and 30's I don't hear from them, not even a call to thank me for

Christmas gifts or cards and money for their birthdays.

           I only hear from one grandson, 18 years old. He visits too, and he lives 30 minutes away, while the others live nearby.

 The other grand children have small children and now I only give birthday gifts to the little ones. No more money for the adults, only a small gift at Christmas. That may end too, they can't even bother to thank me or even send a Christmas card.

          There are eight great grand children now and I give them all nice gifts for birthdays and Christmas. My two daughters,  (their grand mothers) will bring the little ones here to visit or I see them at my daughter's house.

            My oldest son and his wife, took over the big family Christmas gathering, they have a larger house. I would bake and bring food to their house. They did this for a few years, but then Covid hit and they have not done gatherings since then.

           My daughter in law is a financial analyst for a company that runs nursing homes, so she is very cautious about having large gatherings, since she is aware of the seriousness of how

easily this virus is transmitted.

           I was feeling more comfortable about going out in warm weather and not wearing a mask in doctor's offices and public places. That was until my sister in law recently got Covid, from sitting in the waiting area at her dentists office. Then my brother got it from her. She has tested negative for two weeks,

but still has a cough that she can't get rid of.

         Since May, the Flirt variant has been spreading and is more contagious, but the illness itself is not a bad as before, for

most people. Now, I'm wearing a mask again at the doctor's office and avoiding crowds. 

         When I was younger, I always loved doing special things for holidays, and felt compelled to celebrate. But now, I just appreciate peace and quiet times. It is weird, I never thought that I would feel like this.

         I think that Covid has changed a lot of things, or

maybe it is just getting old.

         Now, I'm going to prepare my strawberries.

         How exciting!

                                Enjoy the day.

                                                      Donna

[SportyShorty07]

@Enufstuff  Happy 4th of July, Donna ! My family and I are keeping it simple today- some grilled  hot dogs in buns, salad, potato chips and probably watching the fireworks on the news . Your strawberries and ice cream will be very refreshing to eat after your delicious dinner and side dishes    Back when my siblings and I were kids, our parents would take us to the beach and we'd watch fireworks- it was a lot of fun!  That's really sweet that your youngest daughter and her husband organize a neighborhood 5th of July event and party- it sounds like a lot of fun! I can understand your not wanting to be around big crowds and Covid is rough to go through- I never, ever get sick and covid really knocked me out in 2019.  I think you're making the right choice to relax and have small gatherings with your daughters and two sons. 

    I really admire the fact that you've planned so many amasing parties with such thoughtful attention to detail, costumes, menus and party favors- you are such a giving person! Your centenial party to celebrate your house sounds so creative- its a shame that some guests were to enmeshed in personal drama or cell phone use to enjoy it- I would've had an absolute blast at your party and would've been very grateful for the time you put into it. Those who didn't show missed out on a memorable and exciting evening! 

     I'm sorry to hear that some of your grandchildren don't visit or thank you for gifts- I think that the art of thanks via telephone or thank you cards is unfortunately a lost art for many these days.  I hope those grandkids can come around and see you- you really are a treasure and a gift to know!   Your grandson nearby is very nice to visit and I'm sure he enjoys time with you.  I'm glad the great-grandchildren are enjoying their fun great-grandma time!   Enjoy your strawberries and your 4th of July, Donna! Whether you have a big gathering or a little one- your presence is appreciated by your loved ones and I'm sure you'll all have a great time today! 

[haddon9]

@Enufstuff It sounds like you have happy memories of the fourth as well when your kids were young!

 I'm sure they were all adorable in the matching dresses and your son in the sailor suit!

[Enufstuff]

  Thank you so much @lynnie61 .  You and your sister must have been so cute in your sailor dresses. It was

so nice of your aunt to crochet ponchos for you.

 My mother knitted and crocheted many things for my five children, when they were little. In the 70's she made crochet

vests for the three girls.

 Fourth of July was always fun. I had forgotten about the sparklers. There were also punks, and those things that when they were lit, looked like little snakes, on the ground. When we were older, we had firecrackers. We also, had these little tin toys that when you pushed a little lever, the circular top, with a spiral design, would spin around and there were little sparks. I have no idea what those toys were called. My husband said that he remembered that toy too. He didn't know what it was called.

 Holidays were so exciting, when we were young. They are nice memories of doing the same things with our children.

 Now, watching fireworks on TV is good enough for me, too.

 I talked to my daughter tonight and she said that their event was a success. They had about 500 people. One city playground did nothing and all those people came here.

 ROTC kids came and volunteered to help set up tents and help

with events. They were only prepared for about 200 people, so her husband had to go get more drinks and snacks. They had bagels and coffee for all the volunteers, who helped.

 They had a horse and a pony for rides. Police brought the K-9

dogs and there was a petting zoo. They had games and events with prizes. Todd Angelli, who would sing the National Anthem at Boston Briuns games, came and sang the National Anthem at the park event.

  The best part was that it was not too hot and it didn't rain.

It was a great day for the festivities and everyone had a good time.

[Enufstuff]

  Thank you so much @Oznell . I'm glad that you enjoyed

seeing my Toni girls in their red, white and blue.

                           Happy 4th!