I had a moment this weekend, as I was loading the dishwasher for the third time that day, where I couldn’t help but think about my childhood and how I grew up without modern conveniences. Since I grew up with no electricity or technology of any kind (other than a radio), I was completely out of my element when I went to a friends house.
I had always heard of TV dinners and imagined it was an amazing meal prepared by your mom and served to you in front of the TV. I was surprised to learn it was a tiny box pulled from a freezer, with food that didn’t look so good. I’m thankful I learned TV dinners are not yummy.
I loved dreaming about dishwashers and was envious that all my friends had one. When I had the chance to use one for the first time, I was a junior in high school. I had no idea there was such a thing as a special dishwasher powder, and flooded my friend’s house after filling the bottom of the dishwasher with hand dish washing detergent. I’m thankful my friend’s mom didn’t kill me.
We had no running water. Of course, all of my friends did. When I stayed over at a friend’s house and took an hour long hot water shower, I learned that probably wasn’t a good idea. Especially when her dad needed to get ready for work. Who knew there wasn’t an endless supply? I’m thankful for not getting into hot water with her parents.
Jell-o Jell-o Jell-o. My friends talked about how great it was. It was jiggly and sweet and everybody made it for Thanksgiving. I had to get some and decided to buy a little package and surprise my family. The only surprise was that it needed to be refrigerated, and putting it outside to chill on a cool afternoon only turned it into a cold sweet soup. I’m thankful for pie.
IT'S ME, SERENA!
In 2002, I was dreaming of creating a fun and happy little event to sell my vintage and handmade goods. In 2002, I held my first event in my neighbor's barn along with a handful of friends. The sale became wildly popular and began attracting visitors from across the country and recognition in national magazines. Today The Farm Chicks Vintage & Handmade Fair fills the Spokane County Fairgrounds and features hundreds of creatively and carefully curated spaces packed with vintage and handmade goods. Many describe it as a bucket list event, magical, inspirational, and the best event of its kind in the USA. I describe it as the best weekend of the year!
MORE POSTS LIKE THIS
My Early Years of Isolation
I used to joke with Colin that I could make soup from stones, and in the early days of our marriage while we he was building his career and I was leaving mine to become a stay-at-home mom, that soup-from-stones thriftiness helped to get us through. The ability of mine...
Portugal, My Heart
Colin and I arrived in Portugal today, beginning a journey that has a lot of meaning and is sort of like a new beginning to me. Having been born to parents who seemed to be searching for something in life that was beyond anything I understood, there were a lot of...
My Pastry Chef Dream
The day after The Farm Chicks Fairlast June, I was sitting through orientation for culinary school, about to embark on a longheld dream of mine to become a pastry chef that began taking shape when I was a little girl. In many ways, the timing wasn't great while we...