11-21-15 Autumn

11-21-15 The Shops

The first shop... 

This is the first shop that I remember. I was about 3 years old when my parents were working out of this one. Their bay was halfway down this hill. It seemed much bigger when I was little. 

Memories from this shop- 
1- My sister and I used to fill buckets up with water and sprinkle water on the ground wherever we thought my dad might possibly walk. We thought it would be funny if he slipped and fell. Apparently we watched too much slapstick. 

2- I accidentally left my absolutely favorite Raggedy Ann and Andy blankie there one day and my dad used it as a rag. I found it in a 5 gallon drum of stain a few days later. I thought my world was ending. 

3- At one point my dad attached a swing to the rafters. This was the most awesome thing ever!

4- I'm pretty sure that this is the shop wherein my parents decided to get a shop cat to help control the vermin population. We got a kitten and my dad named him Ditzler (after a paint company.) He stayed at the shop until his first vet visit. After that, we got so attached to him that we begged to keep him home. Ditzy died two weeks after I moved to NYC for college.
5- There was a business a few shops up that had a lobster tank in their office (I have no idea why. That doesn't even make sense!) Sometimes my mom would walk us up there so that we could watch the lobsters. (I wonder if it was a fish tank and in my kid head it was lobsters. I will have to ask her.)  

The shop with the dumpster

This shop has had a facelift since we were there. 

Memories from this shop- 

1- There used to be more to the loading dock and there was a large green dumpster out front. We played on, around, and in that thing for hours.

2- We would race around the building. From my kid eyes, this place was huge. It took a lot of courage to go around by myself. I ran as fast as my little legs would carry me. 

The shop with the yard

This shop was one of our favorites because it actually had a yard. 

Memories from this shop-

1- My dad finally got his shop cat. He was a huge massive Tabby cat named Higgins. Higgins lived at the shop, and each morning when they opened the door he would shoot out across the yard and climb one of those trees. Moments later he would come back down and go inside. One night he got into a fight with something out back and got infected with something. He came to live at home with us for a bit but he never quite recovered. He got put down not long after that. 

2- Behind the garage door there was a ramp into the shop. My sister and I would each get on a dolly at the top of the ramp and when the door was open we would race as quickly as we could down the hill and into the parking lot. That game entertained us for hours. 

3- This shop was the first one to have a forklift. My sister would climb to the top of it and read for hours and hours. That always made me sad because then I had to entertain myself. 

4- This shop was within walking distance of a McDonalds and we went there often. Back then McDonalds served pizza for a time.

5- One day when I was eight, we were pulling into the parking lot as my dad was coming out the shop door. He seemed very upset. That was day I learned that my grandmother had passed away. 

6- My mom took us to a local pet store and let me pick out a rabbit. I named him Pepper. One day he was running around our kitchen and apparently got under the counter where there was rat poison that we didn't know about. He died shortly thereafter. 

7- My parents had a secretary that worked there. Sometimes she would babysit us at her house. It was incredibly boring, though she did have a small organ and an extensive collection of nutcrackers. 

8- My dad drove a Lincoln Mark iii. This is where he did his own custom paint job on the car. It looked awesome. Unfortunately a few weeks after it was finished he hit a herd of deer. Yes, a whole herd. 

9- There was a restaurant nearby that my parents often went to. It was called Domino. (Not the pizza shop.) From what I understand, it was destroyed by the tornado that ripped through College Park years later. 

Domino Restaurant

The shop that was shared

My parents rented a portion of this building from a larger woodworking company. 

Memories from this shop-

1- The office was in the basement and was kind of cramped. 

2- The secretary from the other company brought her yippy dog to work with her and he would hide under her desk. 

3- This was not a 'friendly' area so we were never allowed to play outside. 

4- My parents weren't here long. 

The shop I remember the most

This was the last shop my parents had before they moved out of state. Their bay was down the hill to the left in the corner. They were at this shop the longest, and most of my shop memories are from here. 

Memories from this shop- 

1- They rented out a small portion of their shop to an older greek gentleman that never wore a shirt. He made me mildly uncomfortable because of his thick accent and, well, lack of shirt. He grew fig trees out back, so every once in a while we would get to eat fresh figs right off the tree. 

2- My sister found a kitten in the parking lot and brought her home. She named her Pie. Eventually Pie went to live with a family from our church who renamed her 'Cuddles,' I think. Cuddles passed away a few years ago. 

3- I started earning money working at this shop. I did sanding, cleaning, and answering phones. 

4- I read a ton of Boxcar Children books in the office. 

5- My dad had an autographed photo of G. Gordon Liddy on the office window. I have no idea why I remember that. 

6. The business right next to them was a carpet company. They would roll out carpets in the parking lot, making it impossible to get in and out. 

7. This shop had a little kitchen, which also had a shower in it. During the Great Ice Storm of '94, the shop got power back before the house, so we would drive up to the shop to shower and be warm. 

8. Toward the end, my parents had expanded into several more bays in this building. The shop was huge!

9. My parents left this shop in 2003. I miss it. 

After doing this little exercise, I was really fascinated by what I was able to remember of each place. It is funny how your mind can store up seemingly unnecessary information (note G. Gordon Liddy), but how those inconsequential memories work to populate a place you once knew. 

11-20-15 Pizza Night

I stopped by the store this evening and picked up ingredients so that the kids and I could make pizzas this evening. I've never done this with them before, but I figured they would enjoy the hands on activity! 

I was right. It was a huge hit! And the best part was that they actually ate most of it. In fact C nearly finished hers! This is huge, as she has become pretty picky as of late.

Step one was spreading the oil on the crust. I told them to paint their crusts until they were completely shiny.

Step two was adding the sauce. 

C asked to lick the spoon afterwards. I let her, but she didn't enjoy that at all. I assured her it would taste better on her pizza than off a spoon! 

Step three was adding the toppings. I bought dairy free mozzarella style cheese for the first time. I gotta say, I think it must be an acquired taste. 

Big E was pretty liberal with his mini pepperonis! 

She wanted to start eating it immediately, but I reminded her that we should cook it first! 

Fresh out of the oven!

Like I said, they loved it. I'm glad I bought two packs of crust because we will probably be doing that for lunch tomorrow! 

Even Baby E wanted in on the action, he decided earlier this week that he isn't a huge fan of baby food anymore. He will begrudgingly eat it, but he makes it quite clear he would rather sample from your plate. He gobbled down nearly an entire slice of Big E's pizza (minus the pepperoni.) 

I think this activity cut into their squabbling time, so it was actually a pretty quiet evening. :) 

I snuck in on Baby E sleeping this morning. Sleeping babies are adorable! 

11-20-15 The Wonder Bread Truck

When we were kids, my parents owned an older, retired Wonder Bread/Hostess delivery truck that they used for the shop. All that remained of its former calling was a sticker that adorned the inside wall.

The truck was all white on the outside. Inside there was a driver's seat... and nothing else. My parents would use this truck for business deliveries, and at times... it was the vehicle of choice for family trips. Remember it was the early-mid eighties and seatbelt laws were in their infancy. We would grab our sleeping bags and pillows, and load in the truck for the six hour drive to visit family in Pennsylvania. We spent the drive either perched on the wheel wells, or sprawled on the floor, listening to the echoing road noise and wind from outside.

My memories of these adventures are few, so I'm not sure that we did it often, but I have distinct images of my father in the driver's seat and my mom standing next to him as we drove along the turnpike.

We must have been quite the sight at rest stops and gas stations, as we piled down the stairs and out the side door of our 'family' vehicle!

This looks similar to the truck, though I think ours might have been flat in the front. There was no driver's side door, only a sliding door on the 'passenger' side. All the markings had been removed from the outside of the truck. It was painted white. 

There's the sliding door. There were metal steps that led inside. 

This is very similar looking to the back of our truck.

When we were a little older, we tried 'camping' out in the truck in the driveway. Dad brought out a small grill and cooked us dinner. We had our sleeping bags on the floor and we laid there in the quiet. It was going well until the neighborhood dogs started barking, and our imaginations went wild in the  belly of that truck. My guess is we lasted about 15 minutes before high tailing it back into the safety of our home!

As I've mentioned before, we spent a lot of time at the shop growing up. The one treat was when we would go out for lunch. My parents' had several 'go-to' spots, and one of our favorites was the Hot Shoppe's Cafeteria in Landover Mall. It was a cafeteria style restaurant. You stood in line and got a lunch tray and placed it on the metal counter. You slid your tray along the display of foods and helped yourself to desserts, salads, and breads. We would pick out jell-o first. (The bigger dollop of whip cream on the top, the better!) Hot Shoppes had the best large, buttery, warm rolls and the most incredible fried chicken. (I remember when I was eleven, sitting in one of the booths trying to convince my parents to let me take a trip by myself out to California. They werent going for it and I thought they were being incredibly unfair! Ha!) If there was extra time after eating, my parents would walk us around the mall, probably to expend any extra energy we might have been harboring!  

Landover mall closed years ago, and was subsequently torn down. A Sears remained for awhile, the last vestige of that neighborhood's prosperity, but eventually it was deserted as well. The sign still exists, and can be seen from the Beltway. It's broken and over grown and hidden amongst some trees. I never pass it without thinking about Hot Shoppes and the wonderful memories our family made there. 

Is its day, it was happening place to go, but towards the end, the patrons became more sparse, and the storefronts began to empty. The lights weren't always replaced and the fountain wasn't always turned on. I remember that brown and white tiled floor. 

The mall was closed in 2002. The malls doors were sealed shut with cinder blocks. Ultimately it was demolished in 2006. 

The lonely Sears. In 2014, the company decided not to renew its lease. The last I read, the mall's location was one of the possible options for the new FBI Headquarters.  

11-19-15 Selfies with Big E

11-18-15 Giveaway Time!!

It's that time again! The time when I arbitrarily decide to have a giveaway and invite you to play along! Today's game is simple.

In honor of my daughter's new found love of the movie Inside Out, I am posting a bunch of pictures of C and a couple of her cousins showing off every emotion we could think of. After reviewing them all, post which one you like the best and why, (either by commenting on this post on Blogger or commenting on the FB link.) Tomorrow evening Baby E will randomly choose a winner from all the posts and that lucky person will get a wonderful, surprising, and/or exciting gift in the mail. (Said gift will be under $10 and Amazon Prime eligible.)

1- Happy

2- Serious

3- Sad

4- Scared

5- Disgusted

6- Sad (again)

7- Surprised

8- Silly

If you remember, I mentioned that I hadn't told the kids where we were going last night. On the way to the party, C kept chiding me that it was late and she was supposed to be going to bed. She was tired and we were driving for too long! She certainly got over her sleepiness when she saw all her cousins!

Baby E was surprisingly not interested in birthday cake last night. Perhaps his sugar rush from earlier in the week weighed heavily on his mind... OR maybe he was just overtired and not interested in eating.

Big E was disappointed that we didn't play in the play area the entire time.

The kids were exhausted when we left, but it didn't keep them from jabbering the entire way home... Seriously, I expected they would all pass out before we got there. C was asleep when we pulled into our parking spot at home, but I'm not convinced that it was genuine. She has a habit of 'falling asleep' close to home in hopes that we will just carry her up to bed and tuck her in. She thinks if we fall for it, she won't have to brush her teeth or use the potty before bedtime.

This little fellow enjoyed the play area. He didn't get to play on anything,
but he did get to scream at the top of his lungs as all his cousins ran past,
so that made his evening!

This little guy will be the next kid to have a birthday. I can't believe how
much he has grown in the past few months. He is such a little charmer! Love him!

My silly kids...

This kid is pretty introspective. 

This little guy is such a sweetie. He has two older sisters, but he
certainly seems to hold his own! Love him!

My sweet girl. She makes my heart happy!

This beauty has a sweet and independent personality. I rarely
see her in a bad mood. What a cutie!

The birthday boy! I can't believe he is already two! He's also a smily kid,
(except for when they wouldn't let him take his half eaten cupcake
into the play area. Poor little guy!) 

Tim and I have been talking about cutting Big E's hair. We know it is time, but
have been kind of hesitant because it looks like it might be all brown hair
underneath. We are holding on to the last vestiges of his baby blondness
for just a little while longer!! (We did get a comment yesterday that he
is starting to look like part of the British invasion!) 

This group of blondies are all close to the
same age and are great pals!

A table full of happiness! 

11-18-15 Parents' Day!

Today was parents' day at C's school. I've been looking forward to this day for weeks! As a working mom, I am used to dropping my kids off with people that I trust and then picking them up in the evening, knowing little about the details of their day, but confident in the fact they have been well cared for and loved.

School is an entirely different matter. Putting C on the school bus each morning and sending her off into the unknown always makes me a little uneasy. I don't personally know anyone well at C's school and I just have to trust that she's making friends and fitting in.

Walking into her classroom was a real treat. She had no idea that we were coming so it was heartwarming to see her face light up when she spotted us! We got to watch her interact with her classmates. I met a couple of her friends and made mental notes of the kids she often mentions when she is at home. It is nice to have faces to put to names!

We were pretty disappointed that C's teacher wasn't there, and instead the class was being run by a substitute. I kind of felt cheated, because, while this woman was nice, she didn't know the kids, was reading from lesson plans, and didn't really have a lot of energy.

We could hear the other classes laughing and singing, while our class was sedate, and well... boring. The parents in other classes were sitting with their kids, doing activities, and we sat at the back of the room staring at the back of our kid's head for an hour and a half.

I made a mental note to finish the volunteer paperwork so that I can come in one day and really see what it is like.

C was telling me just last night about the turkey she made
in school. It was hanging on the wall outside of her classroom. 

The first 10-15 minutes of class time was them sitting at their tables reading...
quietly... So we sat in our chairs... quietly. It would have been nice
if they had offered to let us sit with the kids and read with them. 

The kids are collectively writing a few sentences.
 Apparently they do this each morning.
C kept glancing back to make sure we were still there.

Seriously, I loved seeing my girl this morning and being in her classroom, I just wish it had been more interactive. 

Things we noticed about C in class...

1- She is one of the shortest kids. 

2- She never raises her hand to answer questions, but you can see her mouthing the answers.

3- Because she sits in the front of the class, she doesn't get distracted by the other kids fidgeting around her. (The teacher told us last week that she usually puts C in between two of the rowdier boys because she is so calm and it calms them down.) 

4. She follows directions very well. 

5. She gets very nervous when she stands up in front of the class to give answers. She was asked questions that I know she knows the answers to, but in front of everyone she clammed up. (She gets that honestly from her mama! I was always one of the shyest kids in class! If the teacher called on me, I would cry!) 

6- She is surprisingly good at the song Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes!