A Few Pictures from the Past

Stephen, ten months old, in Pappaw's arms at Andrea's wedding,
1992.








My happy parents at the beach.
Not sure when this was taken, nor where.














My parents' 25th wedding anniversary, 1986.
Paul and I (far right) were engaged. Back then,
it was hard to fathom being married 25 years,
but we're coming up on 23 this year. Wow.















Daddy shoveling after a blizzard at our
old homestead. He had the strength
of a 30-year-old--and borrowed a
30-year-old son-in-law (Paul) to help.
Not that he asked; I'm sure Paul
volunteered. We owned that Dodge
truck in the picture.












Seated: my grandparents, Chet
and Kathryn. This was the grandma
who played baby dolls with me and sang
"His Eye is on the Sparrow" while
sitting beside me as I played it on piano.
(What patience she had!) Back row:
Mama, me, baby Sarah, Andrea,
Rachel, little Jill, Daddy. 1989.














Our beloved horse, Brandy, with
Ben and Sarah on her back, and Pappaw
close beside. Probably 1992.














My parents kissing at Gettysburg.
Her caption on the back of the
photo: This is a battlefield?














Is any job beneath Daddy?
Just floor-scrubbing:).














A personal favorite.

Trophy Cake

Anybody suggest how I can make a cake shaped like a trophy? I want it to be vertical, preferably.
The flavor is German chocolate (Daddy's favorite). Gold, silver, black are the party colors. Elegant feel. I am actually delegating the job to my Sarah, the better baker.

Take More Pictures of the Older People

If I've learned one painful thing by going through all these old photos, it's that I've not taken enough pictures of my dad and mom.

-many holidays but not enough everyday ones,
-plenty with background, but not enough close-ups
-too many posed shots, not enough candids

If I could encourage people to make one change to their holiday pictures, it would be to increase the number of pictures of their parents and adult siblings. They may not be as "cute" or entertaining as the teeny crawlers or jumping monkeys, but chances are your hard drives already have a 100:1 ratio of kids to adults if you're a parent.I regret that's the case here.

My resolution for the new year? "Shoot the elderly," and I mean that in the kindest way possible: with a camera.

Need German chocolate cake recipe

So far I've gotten a link to a German chocolate cake recipe through a Facebook friend.

My dad and sister both requested GC cake and I would prefer the taste of homemade over storebought, but I need cake toppers to fit the theme of trophy/prizes (elegant, not cutesy ).

Where do I go for those?