Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Beautiful Day

2 comments Posted by Grandma Hulse at 9:07:00 AM

Hasn't the weather been glorious? That springlike sun and the violets blooming makes it feel like winter has taken a back seat for the time being. When we drive along, running our erands, the sun coming through the car windows is so comforting. I am so glad for so many things today. This beautiful world on which we live, the material things with which we have been blessed, I will be eternally grateful for the Church to which I belong that has provided me with so many, many rich blessings. The worthy Priesthood bearer to whom I am married for time and all eternity. The well beloved sons and daughters that were born to us. The precious grandsons and granddaughters that we dote on and adore. The frosting on the cake has to be the thrird generation of spectacular human beings, our great grandchildren! The most revered blessing that is mine, however, is my knowledge that I am a daughter of an Eternal Father in Heaven and am also a daughter of Jesus Christ by my faith in, and my undying love for Him. I wish everyone in the world could have what I have. To all who read this, I love you and hope all these blessings are yours!

 

Monday, February 17, 2014

B'gorrah

0 comments Posted by Grandma Hulse at 9:39:00 AM

It is looking like St. Patrick's day is looming on the horizon! On Sunday the 16th of March we will be having corned beef and cabbage for the Irish and anyone else who shows up. Let's say 5:00 P.M. That way those who have school kids, or have to travel a ways will be accommodated. Bring something Irish or something green and a limerick. We will have a recitation thing. Love to all our dear ones!!! Grandma Hulse

 

Monday, December 30, 2013

Happy Birthday Grandpa

1 comments Posted by Grandma Hulse at 11:31:00 AM

The big day for Grandpa is approaching. Next Sunday I am making a big batch of Mexican Chicken and Vegetables because that is what he ordered. I will also have hot dogs for the poor unfortunate souls who don't like that famous dish. I will probably make cupcakes too. It will start at around 6:00. Let me know if you can't come. I love you all!!!Grandma Hulse 

 

Friday, November 1, 2013

Memories of my Mother

0 comments Posted by Grandma Hulse at 1:13:00 PM

My mother was an interesting lady. She was slightly theatrical and liked to dress in fancy clothes. When she was my room mother at school, she would come looking very elegant. She had a fur coat made of sheared beaver and it was so soft. We spent lots of time running our hands over it. When she brought treats to school, she looked so classy that I couldn't help but be proud of her. She believed in spanking and it was a great deterrant to misbehaving. It was more embarassing than painful. She did work hard though. She canned fruit for my father's clinic hospital and ironed sheets on a mangle for the hospital and she also gave anesthetics for the surgeries that my father did. One thing she did for me and not for my sisters was she took me horseback riding. We would ride together on the rural roads around the farm where she rented the two horses. I was so happy when we did this. I'll write more later.

 

Sunday, October 27, 2013

When Grandma Was A Girl

1 comments Posted by Stephanie at 5:44:00 PM

Hey guys!  Grandma has written some of her memories of her childhood, and I thought it would be a great idea to post them again on the blog for everybody to have access to. Enjoy!  ~ Stephanie


When Grandma Was a Girl
(Memories of Sherry Schaffer Hulse)

When I was younger than I am now – before life really began when I married Grandpa – things were different. There were many traditions in our family that I reflect on with fondness.
I’ll begin with holidays. As a child I don’t remember much about New Years being special but as a teenager living with my grandparents, New Year’s was fun. We always had a buffet with canapés and crackers, cheese, shrimp, fun stuff and blew little horns at midnight.  For entertainment we played Rook or board games all night. We always had a fire in the fireplace that seemed to be going all winter long.
For Valentines when I was little we took Valentines to school like today only they were the size of birthday cards and much cuter than the modern ones.  At night we went “Valentining,” taking Valentines to our friends and running after dropping them on the porch and knocking on the door. It was worse than death to be spotted leaving a Valentine.  St. Valentine, as mysterious as Santa Claus, would pound on our door after we got home and we opened the door to find no one in sight but a small box of chocolates for each of us.

Then came St. Patrick’s Day when you always wore green to avoid a pinching.
Easter was a depressing time for me because it meant Jesus had been crucified and it made me sad. But the pagan part of Easter was fun. We always found an Easter basket identified by a chocolate marshmallow egg with a name on it identifying the owner.  We usually got colored baby live chickens or a live bunny, but they never survived too well. We had an Easter egg hunt in the yard and enjoyed the hard boiled eggs we colored, until we had to eat them.

The next big holiday was Memorial Day. My Grandmother would scheme for weeks to outwit the season so she could put fresh peonies on the graves. She had saved large metal funeral baskets for years and we spent hours preparing the floral offerings. We went to the cemetery and decorated graves, visited with all the relatives there, kissed obnoxious aunts, uncles, and cousins, and then had a gathering for lunch. Big Tradition.
Summers were fun and filled with visits to our grandparent’s cabin in Mueller Park. We went up in May to catch the mice and clean up the dead flies. It had Murphy beds that went up into the walls and an outside toilet and a woodstove but it was fun and scary!  There was always that strange woodsy smell! We would tell scary stories and my mother would sing sad songs about little children who died or brave soldiers who died saving the flag.
We had traditional family gatherings, and community celebrations for the Fourth of July and Pioneer Day. My Grandma had an elderly rich friend, Mrs. Rhodes, who lived in the Grand Hotel on Main Street in Salt Lake, and we would go there and watch the 24th of July Parade.
Oh, when I was little, my dad, who was rich, would buy the fireworks for the town of Tremonton and set them off. He was the head of the American Legion and a big shot in town as the local doctor.  He took us on fun vacations to Sun Valley. He also took us to all three nights at the Tremonton rodeo and to the accompanying carnivals (which I liked but I was afraid of the gypsies who ran them).
Labor Day wasn't too big a deal, but Halloween was great. When I was little, we would to “Halloweening.” You carve a pumpkin, put a candle in it and march around your neighborhood in costume and soap people’s windows (no trick or treating). The smell of burning pumpkins and the smell of my mask stays imbedded in my memory. We usually had a Halloween party at our house with bobbing for apples and games.
We loved Thanksgiving and always went to Grandma’s where we had a huge turkey and the best baked beans in the world. This tradition continued after I married.
Christmas was a big deal. The tree had to be perfect and we used to burn our letters up the chimney to Santa. We all hung stockings and we used to go to the movies on Christmas Eve Day to take the edge off of our excitement. We didn't get a lot of gifts, even though my parents were well off. Usually some clothes, a doll, a game and a surprise. A big Christmas dinner was a must.
We had other fun traditions.  A cousins party each summer and all the female cousins from all generations came.
There was the traditional house scourging and the move from housekeeping and living upstairs to moving to the basement for summer.

I’ve probably forgotten a lot of traditions but they are important and we had them to provide the cement that keeps families together. 

 

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