A Letter to Maggie

This was a letter I found in with some of the old pictures that belonged to the Pearce family. Maggie, my grandmother, had gone to California to be with Nelle, my aunt. I think she had had some surgery. The baby "Carroll" Dan was referring to was me - and the picture above is of the two of us, taken about the same time the letter was written. He spelled my name like my grandmother's maiden name. I was not the first grandchild, but I was the first one that lived in the area. The letter is a little hard to read, but if you want to click to enlarge it, I think you might be able to make it out. It was written when I was a year and one month old - a long, long time ago. A lovely little memento from the days long gone by. (Click to enlarge)

A Little Bit Tom Sawyer

Here are my husband, Ray, and his cousin, Bill, down by the river doing some fishing.  I just love the expression on Ray's face.  Have no idea what they were showing off as I certainly don't see any fish anyplace.  Looks as if Bill is showing off his bobber and hook.  Regardless, they were two cute little guys.  Ray kept his love for fishing all through his life and I did a lot of fishing with him - and liked it.  Nothing nicer than sitting in a boat or on a bank on a beautifuly evening and watch the sun set and hear the froggies croak.  Good times.  

A Pretty Old Card

Along with my new computer, I treated myself to a new combination printer-scanner so I am using the scanner for the first time. I found this beautiful old card in a little box with some other old things when I was cleaning out some drawers - maybe I should do more cleaning.

This is the back of the card. "Lilyy" sent it to "Ethell" with love and at a later date some little person, I would assume, was trying to mimic the writing. I think this card was from Ray's mother's things and that the card was sent to his Aunt Ethel, his dad's sister.

Ray and his mom were very close to Ethel and her family through all the years, and they would spend holidays and much other time with them. (Click to enlarge)

Maggie's Receipts

Here is a picture of my grandmother, Maggie Pearce, in her housedress maybe posing after having fixed a dinner for her husband, Dan, and their five children, Nelle, Nan, Harry, Leah and Ed. I have this old notebook that holds some of her "Old Fashioned Receipts", and I have scanned some of the pages for you to see.

This is the cover and written on the top is the title - it is very hard to read but if you click to enlarge you might be able to.

Here is a receipt for Annie's biscuits and another from a friend, evidently. On the biscuit receipt, the word "flour" is written very faintly right after "salt". Maggie probably forgot to include that when she jotted down the original and added it quickly the first time she used the recipe.

The first one is for Nelle's prune cake and then Margaret's Cookies. The cookies I remember were her icebox cookies which she would form into a roll, wrap in waxed paper (just think, no aluminum foil or saranwrap!!) and chill in the ice box. You would then slice off as many as you wanted and bake them. Where do you think Pillsbury got the idea? However, the ones they make are not as good as Grandma Pearce's. Don't you love all the spots and spills on the pages? A cookbook without them is an unused cookbook!! (Click to enlarge)

Another Great Old Picture

I just got a new computer (it's exciting!) and still don't have my family photos back in my files so today I am posting another of the old pictures I have found on the internet that I think is so neat. These pretty little girls are dressed so prettily with wonderful hats and lots of lace, eyelet and ruffles on their frocks. Why are they not smiling? Again, I don't remember where I found the picture and am sorry about that. Enjoy these little ladies! (Click to enlarge)

Five Pretty Girls at the Sionilli

Here is Nelle and four of her friends posing by and on a tree on the beach in front of the Pearce cottage in Rome, Illinois. Usually Nan, my mother, is with the group and she may be - could be the one taking the photo. The girls are all in light and airy summer dresses, and it would have been many years before shorts came into the picture. Even when I was in high school, we were still wearing dresses or skirts and sweaters to school. Actually, Sherry wore dresses to school.
A nice picture of pretty girls spending a nice summer day together. (Click to enlarge)

A Bride and Her Attendants

The beautiful bride and her attendants are not related to me or any of my family. Unfortuately, I don't remember where on the internet I got this picture but I just think it is wonderful. The gorgeous clothing, the huge bouquets and the sweet girls are fascinating. I think they look like they are sisters. What beautiful dresses and they are street length - even the bride's gown. Despite that fact, she has a long veil and and it falls from such a really cute cap. The girl to the bride's left is her maid of honor since her dress and jewelry are different than the other four girls. All of them are wearing different shoes, also. Just wanted to share this pretty picture with you - hope you enjoy it as much as I do. I have several other pictures I have found that I like so much that I will post those over the coming weeks. (Click to enlarge)