Joanie circa 1977

The Black and White eDition

Yesterday, when I was digging through MORE boxes and STILL finding photos, I found this one. It lived for nearly 20 years in the bottom drawer of my dresser in a funky K&S dime store bag. But when we moved here we got rid of that ancient (seriously, ancient) dresser and it has since resided in a box in the dungeon! (By the way... how many more places do I HAVE photos?)

Kim's texture this week is called Happy Heart! I love that term! I choose to embrace that mindset! This photo was taken in the summer of 1977, one of my most turbulent of that decade. BUT, wonderful but, I had learned that-

I AM MY OWN HAPPINESS GURU!

I know that happiness is a choice. Yes, it is easier to choose happiness if all around you is going smoothly, but it is MY choice nonetheless! I'm so grateful for that knowledge. And do I really have to make that choice all on my own? No, never! I always have the tender-loving care of a kind Heavenly Father.

texture tuesday facts-
kk- happy heart blending mode multiply 80%

Then Life Happens...

Saturday I was nearing the end of my heritage album project. As I was wrapping it up I thought, "Daddy died that summer... why don't I have any photos?" A quick call to my sister Ann... the tears started to flow when I told her why I was calling. Wouldn't you think that after nearly 42 years... well, maybe not!**

Daddy's funeral, July 18, 1970 was the day I met my half-sister Sarah Jane, 47; and half-brother, Richard, 44. (Keep in mind I was only 17.) I always knew that Daddy had other older-grown-up-children and it was nice to finally meet them. I never saw or communicated with Richard after that day (he was a Catholic Monk) but I did keep in touch with Sarah Jane.

SUE, SARAH JANE, ANN, JOANIE, RICHARD- THE CARAWAY CHILDREN

Now here is an epiphany... we'd lived for years in our little house with the falling-off-asphalt-siding. It embarrassed mom so badly but we never had the money to do anything about it.  It occurred to me, as I looked at these photos, that perhaps Mom was finally able to hire a local tradesman to re-side and spiff up the house because she'd  received a survivor's annuity or life insurance from daddy. How could I have never thought of that before?

This is Ann and baby-Andy behind Mom's house (always the worst side... which I invariable took photos of) before it was painted. (I couldn't figure out whose orange house this was)

When I came back home in September 1970 from Virginia for a short visit this is what I found! What a beautiful and happy exterior for Elsie's little house!

** So what of *Then Life Happens...*?
That summer of 1970 marks the beginning of some very difficult years for me. I suppose that is part of what brought on the tears. After spending all of those happy hours reminiscing my childhood I felt overwhelmed with what I know, now, would occur in the next 11 years.
I'm grateful to be at this end of my live with all of that Life-Happening behind me.  I'm grateful to know that I've been strengthened and comforted by my loving Savior.

1952-1970 Heritage Album

I've been busily working away at my heritage album for the last couple of weeks. Tonight I completed it! It is just short of 100 pages by two!

It has been a wonderful happy trip though my childhood. I love seeing those old photos again and remembering all of those *extra things* that just float into my mind as I study a moment caught in time.

I've labeled the spine... now it will live, happily, on the bookcase in my office. I still have some orphaned photos from 1971-1981... I suppose I will just add them to the existing photograph albums.

I've had some interesting thoughts as I wrapped up 1970... but that is another post.

Joanie and Gypsy

I'm sure enjoying my trip down memory lane. Today I've gotten up to 1964 and came upon this favorite photo of Gypsy riding in the basket of my bike. The original is faded, yellowed and worn. What wonderful technology we have so I can restore these old photos.

JOANIE AND GYPSY SPRING 1964

Our memories are interesting things... some days they are all sweet and other days they are more realistic! This is an excerpt from my January 9, 2009 blog post...

Sue had just gotten married and was living alone!! No dog!! (yeah, she had a husband but that didn't count in my 11 year-old mind) A friend's dog had a litter of pups so I went and chose one for Sue for Christmas. Her name was Blue and she was a dandy!! By the time Sue was going back to Provo after the Christmas break I'd gotten attached to Blue so Mom asked if I'd like one of Blue's litter mates. Let's just put it this way... Sue got the pick of the litter!


Gypsy was one of those little dogs that is neurotic! We never could break her from pee-ing on the carpet, or walk on a leash without sounding like she was being killed, or barking at Daddy every time he walk into the house... even if he'd only been outside for five minutes!! This is the little maniac that almost burned down our house! Mom and I had gone to Reno for the day (100 miles one way) and we'd been invited to stay the night with Thelma, but Mom just felt like we needed to go home. When we arrive home the house was filled with acrid smoke. Gypsy had dug and dug at the electric blanket and foam rubber pillow until she'd shorted out the wires. There was a big smoldering hole in the mattress. Mom and I dragged the mattress outside and threw it from the back porch into the snow! Gypsy lived about 7 years. She died just days before Daddy. We laughed and said that there was Gypsy waiting at the Pearly Gates to bark at Daddy when walked in.

This-day I'm feeling the sweet memories. Gypsy was a funny little dog who filled a place in my heart. She was the only small dog we'd ever owned. We used to take her with us when we went on our trips, usually to see family in the Bay Area. As soon as we would turn at the *Y* and head those last 12 miles to Greenville she would go nuts! She knew she was almost home.

JOANIE AND GYPSY SITTING ON MOM'S FALCON CIRCA 1965

Can I just say again how much I enjoy photos?

The Joy of Photos

I'm someone who loves photos! I love taking, organizing, scrapping, scrutinizing and tagging them! (More about this photo in a minute.)

As you know I've been in my *happy zone* for much of this year delving into photos. It started with recent photos, 2004 forward, but then a conversation with Ann got me into the old photos. I remembered that I have photos of my parents when they were courting and then envelopes, somewhat organized, of my birth through the mid 1970s.

When I was about 10 years-old I started keeping a funny little 12" x 8" landscape photo album... green, of course, with the classic black pages and black corner holders! The funniest part about this album is that I started by mounting my photos, randomly, on only one of the facing pages. Then at some point I realized that I would run out of room that way- so I started filling in the blank pages with out-of-chronological-sequence photos! (And now it drives my OCD-ness wild!) Like I said, this one is totally random but I love it and don't want to change it... not even the Buddi-chewed corner.

I started thinking how nice it would be to have a more ordered approach with all of those photos that have lived in envelopes for decades (YES! decades). I tried to find an album similar to my old green one, but didn't have very good luck. The best I could find was a spiral-bound all black album on Amazon that with shipping (sorry, no free shipping from this vendor) would be around $25. I didn't love it enough to buy it without looking at Hobby Lobby first. Boy did I hit the day!! Scrapbooks were 50% off.  I liked the looks of this 12 x 12 specimen (I got two more as well. Hey! Half off!)  I also bought some black paper, more page protectors and opted against the corner holders. I'd much rather use my tape runner. And, AND a couple of white Gelly-Roll pens. I love the look of white ink on black paper.

To supplement the photos I already had in envelopes I took a week-long side-trip tagging and organizing many of the 3000+ photos Cindy scanned about 10 years ago. (bless you Cindy!)   I've been printing some of them so I can include them in my new heritage album.

As soon as this one came out of the printer I thought... sure wish this had the deckle edge! HA! I just happened to have some deckle-edged scissors! Voila! Almost-heritage photos!

JAKE AND ELSIE circa 1940

** Now for the story on the lead photo!

This was taken in March 1960 at Granddad's house in Oakland CA. My mom labeled this-

*THE MUNCE CLAN*

STANDING BACK ROW- BILL MUNCE, PATRICIA MUNCE, FRED MUNCE, SUE CARAWAY, ANN CARAWAY, PAT MUNCE
SEATED FRONT ROW- ELSIE MUNCE CARAWAY, ERMA MUNCE, KATHY MUNCE, JOANIE CARAWAY, JOHNNY MUNCE, DICK MUNCE,  JACK and JANE MUNCE.

This photo represents all of Bill Munce's posterity: 3 children and 7 grandchildren. With him is the only Gramma I ever knew, Erma... what a marvelous grandma (my mother's mother died in 1927)! I think she loved us as much as we loved her because even after Granddad died in December 1961 we still visited her frequently in her cute little house.

Now this is what I love about photos... you may only see the people in the photo.  I see some of Granddad's roses on the left, gingerbread on the porch, a climbing vine on the right side.  And then, far right, I see part of our old Ford aqua and white station wagon with 3 rows of seats so Mom could separate us girls if necessary!  I also see the rest of Granddad's rose garden that filled his front yard.  I smell the lemon tree that grew along the driveway down by the garage.  I smell the damp, ocean-fresh air and the faint aroma of Easter ham.  I feel the love of this family.  I hear the banter from Uncle Swabby-Fred... he was my mom's *baby* as she raised him when their mother died shortly after his birth.

And as an aside... my memory is just like a mental photo album made up from Technicolor photos, surround sound and vivid smells... maybe that is why I love physical photos so much.

A Picture's Worth...

at least a 1000 words!

I've been obsessed with photos since the first of the year. Not only taking them, which I've done a lot of, but every other facet you can think of! I've organized, scrapped, searched for, and poured over my photos. (How many places can I have photos? That's what I want to know!)

I found this photo of my mom, Elsie, again. I've found it before because it's mounted on cardstock... and I remember being so pleased to locate it! I'm quite sure that I scanned it then and sent it to family... but who knows?  I haven't come across that digital file.

ANY-way, these are some of the thousand words that this photo evokes from me...

It is August 1961 (it is the only month in 1961 that ends with the 31st on a Thursday). Elsie is 48. Her *baby* (me) will turn 9 this month. Her next oldest daughter is going to be a Senior in high school and her eldest daughter will be off to her second year at BYU. Elsie is raising her three girls, basically on her own, in tiny Greenville, CA. She is such a dedicated mother.

She works for the US Forest Service in Quincy, CA; a 22 mile drive on curvy, narrow mountain roads. Even though she does the very same work as a man in the office her pay-grade is two steps lower than his! She can use that antiquated 10-key with the best of them and can type 100 WPM on an old manual typewriter! Elsie is well liked by her co-workers and frequently talks to me about them. We even go to visit them at their homes and she trades books back and forth with them.

Reading is one of Elsie's passions. She loves nothing better than to curl up with a good book. She also reads to me frequently! My favorite is a story about a boy who turns into a cat. I love his adventures and can still recall in detail his encounter with a rat. I wish I knew the name of that book.

Elsie has a ready smile and a good sense of humor. You can see that she is caught off guard and is saying, "You!" 

She has beautiful black hair that waves just-so up from her forehead... she has no idea what a pretty lady she is. And you know what? Half-way through the day she will pull off one or both of her clip-on earrings and rub the feeling back into her earlobes before replacing them.

And tonight... now that I've scanned (again) and journaled about this photo of my Mommy... THIS time I've saved it digitally in the 1960-1964 folder- right where it should be... and the paper copy? That has gone into my carefully organized envelope (of the same name) waiting for its turn to be put into little-Joanie's NEW black-paged-album similar to the old one that lives, battered by years, on my bookshelf.

(FYI... that was only 307 words...)

All Done!

And if Missy Edna was still around she would tell me that, in fact, I am finished!

Only cakes are done!



My 2011 Joanie's Balonie blog book is uploading to Blurb as I type. It is always such a wonderful feeling to know that in a week or so I will have a year of my life in my very own little hands!

*When Life Gives You Lemons...*

Make Lemon Curd...

OK... here's a question???

Why do lemons get such a bad rap? I happened to love lemons. I used to eat them with salt when I was a kid. Lemons smell so fresh and clean.

Lemons are yummy additions to so many dishes...

• Fish
• Desserts
• Breads
• Pies
• Lemon Curd
• OH... I could keep going!
  

If you are going to make lemon curd the first thing you NEED! is a microplane. If you don't have one, RUN- don't walk, to the nearest store and BUY ONE! I had no idea what I was missing with my old grater.

Another thing you need is butter... cut into 1/2" cubes... don't they look so pretty!

But the very best part about making lemon curd is the EATING! YUM!

The worst part?

That would be cleaning up the kitchen.

So let me share (again) friend-Sheri's recipe for lemon curd.

LEMON CURD
7 large egg yolks
2 large eggs
1 cup plus 2 Tbs granulated sugar
2/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup fresh grated lemon zest (micro-plane)
4 Tbs butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (Sheri says unsalted but sometimes I don't have it.  I say I never have unsalted butter so I use the salted kind instead of adding salt to the recipe)
3 Tbs heavy cream

Whisk the yolks, whole eggs, and sugar til combined. Whisk in juice, zest and in a medium non-reactive* saucepan . Add butter and cook over med/low heat stirring constantly til curd thickens to a medium, sauce-like consistency, about 5 min...but I usually go to about 170 degrees. (I seem to be candy thermometer impaired!  If I put it into the pan with the cute little clippy thing then I end up scorching whatever I'm cooking under the end of the thermometer.)

Strain through fine mesh strainer into non-reactive bowl and stir in the cream.

This is so yummy on toasted English muffins... or just about anything. Sheri says she loves it more than chocolate!

** Inquiring minds want to know?

Non-reactive material- clay, enamel, glass, plastic, or stainless steel.  

Reactive material- Aluminum- imparting a metallic taste, and can discolor light-colored soups and sauces, especially if you stir them with a metal spoon or whisk.

Happiness...

Today's Texture Tuesday challenge is HAPPINESS...

I love that happiness is always MY choice! I love that I've learned that I am responsible for my own happiness. Can others influence the ease of that choice?  Of course they can. But when it is all said and done...

I CHOOSE TO BE HAPPY!

This is one of those things that adds to my happiness... beautiful, simple roses... growing in Grannie-Annie's garden last June.

texture tuesday facts-
kk-annabelle, blending mode- overlay 100%
kk-lilly, blending mode- multiply 75%
frame- House of 3 (Rhonna Farrer)

Half-Finished

Since we got home from Arkansas I've started working on my 2011 Joanie's Balonie Blog Book. This will be my third year to publish my blog for the year. (ah, well, print... I don't imagine anyone else is clamouring to have my blog in print!)

There is just something that I love about the paper and ink. It's very tactile... it has heft and weight... I can just smell it right now!

Since I didn't do a photo each day last year it is coming along faster than previous years. I'm up to 123 pages through the end of June 2011.

My Twenty-Ten book was 404 pages. The sad story here is that I was totally finished with the book, proof-read and everything, when I went to upload it I found that Blurb had changed their layout so I had to go through and totally re-edit all of my pages since I use every square centimeter of printable space they'll give me! Ahhhhh..... I didn't finish until late summer! The upside is I got 40% off my order.

My 2009 book was 320 pages. I worked on it during the 2010 Winter Olympics and had it finished in February.

I've been very pleased with Blurb! Their prices are very reasonable, even without a discount. And their customer service is stellar. Last year my book arrived with some printing errors (IE- text cut off and photos that didn't bleed off the page as edited). I filled out the form, sent documentary photos of the problems and had a new correctly printed book in just a few days. AND they let me keep the book with mistakes (so now I have one to lend!)

I think I may go back and make a 2007-2008 blog book for consistency. I love the quality of the photos. I've usually done home printing of my journals, but now that I've inserted so many photos I want them to be nice.

I love this winter hiatus from yard work AND this year so far I haven't had to shovel any snow! Whee-haw!  Look at all of the time I have to create!