from shirley's cottage
p.s.
It was Kelly who went to work at 15, and rushed down into her bedroom with rustling bags.
I hate to shop
I don’t know when it started. I just don’t remember a time where I really liked to shop. When I was growing up, there were no shopping malls.
There was a downtown, and a Broadway. Monday was the only night the stores were open..
My best friend and I would walk the few blocks to Broadway, and catch the bus downtown, getting off in front of Weise’s. (Later to become Bergner’s).
Writing this, I had to call my sister and ask her if she remembered the name of the confectionery we used to frequent.
"I went downtown every Monday night for years," she said. But she couldn’t come up with the name. Finally, the light went on and we came up with, Stuckey’s (pronounce Stookey’s) and no relation to the Stuckey’s of more recent fame.
They made their own candy. Every Monday night, the whole gang would troupe into Stuckey’s, lay down our fifty cents, grab a delicious pecan praline, and go outside and wait for our bus home.
. I don’t remember buying things, or coming home with packages. Just sticky fingers from my praline.
I always thought I didn’t like to shop because I was never a lightweight. We couldn’t wear jeans or pants to school, so my mom would sew. She could look at a dress or skirt and blouse, and with or without a pattern, she could make it.
That couldn’t be the reason, though. I could have shopped for shoes or jewelry, or lots of things. I had no interest., I just did not shop. I do not have the shopping gene. Other than that idiosyncracy, I think I was a somewhat normal teenager of the times.
Fast forward to when I was about to get married. Besides my wedding dress, we had to shop for the groom, wedding party, and the parents. Then were the flowers, food, invitations, hall, and church. It’s a wonder I survived the ordeal. It did me in.
I had had enough shopping for a lifetime. Little did I know I was just beginning.
I had four kids to clothe for school. To save my sanity, they went parochial school. Thank God for uniforms.
Christmas shopping brought sweat to my brow and tears to my eyes. Kids want everything they see on TV. Mine learned very quick that if it wasn’t in the Penney’s catalog, it would not be under the tree. Sorry Santa.
The gene missed me and skipped a generation. I hope I didn’t have something to do with my kids’ LOVE of shopping, but I think I did..
They all went to work as soon as they could. (One lied about her age and started working at 15) They couldn’t wait to shop, buy, and hide. How many times did I hear bags rustle as they hurried into their bedroom, only to say to me days later:: "Oh, Mom, I’ve had this for a long time."
The boy was and still is the smart one. He goes with a sister or two. They love to shop for him, too.
It makes me sad in a way that I did not have that shopping bond with my kids. I missed a lot of good and fun times. I still do.
At least I made somebody happy. For over thirty seven years, my husband never complained about my disorder.
I have to do some shopping. You can’t get groceries from Penney’s catalog. I stay away from the huge stores and try to stay small, and stay focused.
Yes, I make a list. Sometimes I even take it with me. Makes no difference. I’m always forgetting something.
This is the kind of shopping trip I love. I bought the following items for this recipe, a repeat from a year or so ago.
Cherry Chocolate Cake, one of my mom’s simple favorites.
You will need:
one box chocolate cake mix, any kind
one can cherry pie filling
three eggs
mix all together
bake at 350 in 9x13 pan until done (will be moist)
serve with ice cream, whipped cream or both
enjoy.
It was Kelly who went to work at 15, and rushed down into her bedroom with rustling bags.
I hate to shop
I don’t know when it started. I just don’t remember a time where I really liked to shop. When I was growing up, there were no shopping malls.
There was a downtown, and a Broadway. Monday was the only night the stores were open..
My best friend and I would walk the few blocks to Broadway, and catch the bus downtown, getting off in front of Weise’s. (Later to become Bergner’s).
Writing this, I had to call my sister and ask her if she remembered the name of the confectionery we used to frequent.
"I went downtown every Monday night for years," she said. But she couldn’t come up with the name. Finally, the light went on and we came up with, Stuckey’s (pronounce Stookey’s) and no relation to the Stuckey’s of more recent fame.
They made their own candy. Every Monday night, the whole gang would troupe into Stuckey’s, lay down our fifty cents, grab a delicious pecan praline, and go outside and wait for our bus home.
. I don’t remember buying things, or coming home with packages. Just sticky fingers from my praline.
I always thought I didn’t like to shop because I was never a lightweight. We couldn’t wear jeans or pants to school, so my mom would sew. She could look at a dress or skirt and blouse, and with or without a pattern, she could make it.
That couldn’t be the reason, though. I could have shopped for shoes or jewelry, or lots of things. I had no interest., I just did not shop. I do not have the shopping gene. Other than that idiosyncracy, I think I was a somewhat normal teenager of the times.
Fast forward to when I was about to get married. Besides my wedding dress, we had to shop for the groom, wedding party, and the parents. Then were the flowers, food, invitations, hall, and church. It’s a wonder I survived the ordeal. It did me in.
I had had enough shopping for a lifetime. Little did I know I was just beginning.
I had four kids to clothe for school. To save my sanity, they went parochial school. Thank God for uniforms.
Christmas shopping brought sweat to my brow and tears to my eyes. Kids want everything they see on TV. Mine learned very quick that if it wasn’t in the Penney’s catalog, it would not be under the tree. Sorry Santa.
The gene missed me and skipped a generation. I hope I didn’t have something to do with my kids’ LOVE of shopping, but I think I did..
They all went to work as soon as they could. (One lied about her age and started working at 15) They couldn’t wait to shop, buy, and hide. How many times did I hear bags rustle as they hurried into their bedroom, only to say to me days later:: "Oh, Mom, I’ve had this for a long time."
The boy was and still is the smart one. He goes with a sister or two. They love to shop for him, too.
It makes me sad in a way that I did not have that shopping bond with my kids. I missed a lot of good and fun times. I still do.
At least I made somebody happy. For over thirty seven years, my husband never complained about my disorder.
I have to do some shopping. You can’t get groceries from Penney’s catalog. I stay away from the huge stores and try to stay small, and stay focused.
Yes, I make a list. Sometimes I even take it with me. Makes no difference. I’m always forgetting something.
This is the kind of shopping trip I love. I bought the following items for this recipe, a repeat from a year or so ago.
Cherry Chocolate Cake, one of my mom’s simple favorites.
You will need:
one box chocolate cake mix, any kind
one can cherry pie filling
three eggs
mix all together
bake at 350 in 9x13 pan until done (will be moist)
serve with ice cream, whipped cream or both
enjoy.
Labels: I
posted by Shirley | 10:59 PM
1 Comments:
Mom, you made me laugh. I still use that "oh, I've had this for a long time, trick". Doug is on to me now, though. I guess you were on to me too. Don't you fret. I'm getting back what I gave you with Sam. I keep telling him that he can't fool or sneak when his mom is the queen of all sneaks. I always catch him!
xooxoxox
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