Marty

We landed...

Next I will TRY to down lowd our pictures of Jace to send out to all the family.

UGGGHHH. This may take some time, but it's my New Year's resolution, so stand by.
LMatt

You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch

This is one ugly dog! It took about 35 tries to get this picture. Griff did not line being Santa!

Griff After Grooming

Took Griff to the groomer and all I got for my $30 was this lousy bow. I told everyone his name should be scruffy! At least he won't smell for the holidays and his nails are clipped.

Mason with Christmas Finger Puppets

Great Aunt Marty sent Mason some holiday finger puppets. Looks like he is enjoying them--note he has two fingers in each puppet. Looking forward to seeing Mike, Maura and Mason in Avalon this Christmas!

Getting Ready for Christmas

Hope everyone is enjoying the preparations for Christmas! My Nurnberger angel has been on top of our tree for some 27 years. Pete and I look forward to seeing the family over the holidays. Why not post one of your holiday decorations to share with the family?

Army Navy 2007

We lost! Nuff said.

I'm on line too!

Kate has finially gotten with the program. I'' post pictures of all the kids and DOG soon! Thanks for a wonderful Holiday..It was one of the best we ever had. We are so blessed!

Hey everyone. I'm finally onboard with the blog, so Aunt Marty can stop bugging me. :)

Avalon Beach Sunset November 27, 2007

This was tonight's sunset from the coastal monitoring camera on top of the Rec Center. Is this beautiful or what!!!

Go State!

I hope Hank realizes that it will be tough for the rest of us to talk to him if he decides to attend that Irish school in the midwest! What is the name of that school? Can't seem to remember it. Does it have something to do with a funny little guy in a green suit?

Who is the biggest turkey?

Nellie cooked. All John had to do was go find Brussel sprouts with Petey and cut the bird. Dinner was delicious--Kate and Nellie outdid themselves. Boy, did I like that sausage stuffing!

Gambling Fools

Left, right center was a ball thanks to Emily and Mike. Marty didn't mind a bit winning $110! Who is that man with the dice? Who let him come to our table?

Thanksgiving 2007

Thanksgiving was wonderful. Weather was gorgeous. Dinner was delicious. Family was outstanding. We ate, drank, talked, played games, gambled and laughed, laughed, laughed!

Joke was that GF wore the same maroon shirt for three days running!

Santa looks he's half asleep (from moonlighting ? ... ) Clearly, Marty & I didn't seem to mind that he was hardly the classic "Coca Cola" santa!

You are older than 56 if you remember this.... Thanksgiving Day 1954.

Don't forget your one dollar bills

Hi everyone! a head's up: i'm bringing Left-Right-Center to Avalon for Thanksgiving, so if you're in, don't forget to bring some one dollar bills with you. if you start with $3, and you win, it gets you $30...if the pot rolls over, it gets you $60...if the pot rolls over again, you could walk with $90... and that's with only 10 people playing!

if you haven't heard of Left-Right-Center, or haven't played it, bring some ones anyway. Trust me, you'll want in. Hit up Wawa and ask for change for your $10!

Can't wait to be in Avalon for Turkey day- it's been five years since I've been back for Thanksgiving, and I'm looking forward to it. One of the only days of the year when you can get dessert even if you didn't finish your beans!

Grungy has joined the blog

Would you ever have thought that someone could go from the 1920's to being a blogster!

Marty Went to Harlem

I had a great day in New York with a group from the college. I am mentoring a freshman minority student and the group was minority students in a special program at the college to help students overcome adjustments to college. It was geared to black history. We visited the Apollo Theatre and had an opportunity to hear the history and go back stage. Did a tour of Harlem, ate soul food for lunch, visited an African-American museum, the African market, a slave burial ground in downtown Manhattan, Ground Zero, and the new memorial to the firefighters who died on 911. Also had some time to just walk around and shop. Started out with torrential rain but was sunny by later afternoon. I missed the PSU/Ohio game--just as well as I heard it was ugly!!!! Have a great week. Marty

in case you missed it, here's a picture of Quinn's black eye. the Navy whites really set it off, in my opinion.

Birthdays and Anniversaries

Need help here. I know Suzie through Flip and some of the grandchildren's birthdays but not all. Also don't know most of the anniversary dates (and years). Please email me at mattkid3@comcast.net and it will be posted as a link. Marty

"Now, if I smash those 'out-of-season' Christmas balls on Carol & Mike's table with this hammer... how much duct tape will I need to put them back together??", thought their father....

Potions and lotions

I don't know if Suzie and Mike remember "Oil for the lamps of CHIIIIII-NAHHHHHHHH". Mom made an event out of delivering our vitamin "oil". I now suspect it's the fish oil that is heavily promoted on talk radio shows.

Does anybody remember Daddy's Dr. John's syrup?

Does anybody WANT to remember the amazing gravitational enema device?

Sorry... if I hadn't been cleaning out a vanity that had, literally, mouldy cotton balls today, I wouldn't be flashing back to the "dirty closet."

Love,
Lizzie

Back in Time from Lizzie

Lizzie checking in from Cinnaminson, NJ on Sunday afternoon the 21st of October.

I spent the weekend with Grundgie and Grandfather (by the way, how DO you spell Grundgie? Grundgy???).

Inspired by the less-than-appetizing experience of cleaning out a medicine cabinet that still held ---- yes, it's true --- a prescription for a salve for the late Uncle Bud who has been in heaven for at least 14 years... well, let's just say that a flood of memories of potions and lotions came back.

Or maybe it was because there was also an encrusted bottle of Tincture of Benzoin in there too. (I fear, if the police ever had reason to come over with their CSI tools, they'll find washed-off blood spatters all over the walls and several questionable poisons that no other family harbors. What conclusions will they draw and how many of us will be indicted on circumstantial evidence??)

Thus inspired, after the cleaning project, I used the internet to look up Tincture of Benzoin (which we all called Tincture of BenzoiD) and discovered it has many topical uses and inhalant properties. But nowhere does anyone encourage oral ingestion of any kind or the ancient art of throat painting. Hmmmmmm....

Apparently it's mostly used in these modern times on the blisters of long distance runners and by survivalists in their emergency kits. Hmmmmm.....

I did find ichthymol and iodex. Both can be found on sites visited by herbalists. You can also find both by Googling "drawing salve".These are words we grew up with, like "dress the bed" --- words no other family we knew ever used.

It was a glorious weekend in Avalon. Marty and Pete's exterior improvements look really great in this gorgeous fall weather.

Love,Lizzie

King for a day!

I need more family emails to invite to blog

If anyone has email addresses for Kate, Quinn, MJ, Hank, Jay, Dawn, Briana, Brian, KC, Beth, Andy, Sam, Walt, Steve, Neil, and Carol, would you please email me at mattkid3@comcast.net so I can invite them to participate. I already invited Suzie, Mike, Lizzie, Laurie/John, Ellen, Mom and Dad, Emily and Sarah. Help me if I have forgotten anyone. Marty

Matt Family Blog - First Posting

Hello to all of the family--especially grandkids who are more computer savvy than your non-techie parents. I am creating this blog so we can all keep in touch with family news. Please be patient as we old folks try to learn a new medium of communication. I will send all of you the link and the password so you can post your news to share. This way we won't have to try to remember who we have told what and can share in all of the family news.

St. Joe's published an article about Grandfather in the HawkEye, the St. Joe's Faculty newspaper, 24 September edition. It is not yet available in HTML so I couldn't attach it but will do so later. I did send it out as email to as many of you as I could.

Here's a funny story. I bought four boxes of oak chair parts at an auction two weeks ago. Supposedly there are the the parts of four different chairs. I took them to Grandfather and he was thrilled--much more so than he was to graduate from St. Joe's--the old story: Study the teacher before you study the book. I should have realized that the best present for Grandfather at this stage of life is something to challenge the mind. Can't wait to see what the first chair looks like as he puts the puzzle together.

Here is a fun pix of Mason at G's party

Now it's up to someone else to post the next addition to the blog. Looking forward to hearing everyone's news.

Best! Aunt Marty