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Showing posts with label rituals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rituals. Show all posts

Friday, August 1, 2008

Friday Show and Tell – Ice Cream Bowls

Show and Tell


Show and Tell Friday is hosted by Kelli at There is No Place Like Home


This Tuesday I went grocery shopping and bought some Friendly’s Ice Cream which was on sale, buy one- get one free. One is Strawberry and the other Vanilla Bean. So far this week my mother and I have had ice cream three times. Each time I’ve served our portions in special small bowls.
This is how they look.



Back in December 1941 my parents received a set of these bowls as a wedding present. As children my brothers and sisters and I looked forward to Saturday nights when our Dad would make homemade ice cream, using one of those ice cream makers with the hand crank. We always had our serving in one of the little red bowls.



The bowls are 4 1/4" in diameter (or 5 3/4" from handle to handle), and are in the Royal Ruby color in the "Coronation" pattern by Hocking Glass Company. The design of the glass is banded with ribbing. These are called berry bowls and could be used to hold summer berries, fruit or other treats. I read that this pattern was made from 1936-1940. I suppose this makes them a variety of depression glass.





We still had these berry bowls when we moved to New York in 1959 and used them over the years. However, when their marriage ended in the early 1970’s, my mother sought to get rid of all that reminded her of Dad – a lovely French Provincial bedroom, etc. etc. including wedding presents.


But as the years went on nostalgia caused me to seek out these bowls. I bought 10 of the berry bowls and one larger 8" diameter (or 9 ¾" from handle to handle) serving bowl. It was fun serving ice cream to my small nephews and telling them that we had eaten our ice cream out of bowls like these when we were kids back home.



To see more interesting personal memorabilia, visit Kelli for a list of participating posts.

Sunday, October 14, 2007

Celebrating Personal Rituals

I hope you have had a great weekend and are ready for another week of of work, sharing and enjoying all that life has to offer.

Here is a piece from Dr. Weil which seems especially relevant at this time of the year. In November we will celebrate Thanksgiving Day, the holiday when many of us will share in celebration for all our blessings -- and for the strength to face our trials as well. In this selection Dr. Weil urges us to focus on making each aspect of our holiday routines especially resonant as we share with family and friends.

Celebrating Personal Rituals

“With the holidays fast approaching, take a little time to reflect on your personal celebratory rituals. What do they mean to you? What would you change or add? Even simple holiday rituals can have deep emotional resonance. Our relationships are intensified as we dine with friends or relatives; our values are reinforced as we make charitable gifts or volunteer our time; our sense of continuity is refreshed by the comforting sameness of the season.

This year, why not create new rituals by reinvigorating old traditions? Bake your great-grandmother's favorite cake; use heirloom linens to set the table. Incorporate new ideas into old routines. For instance, after toasting the New Year, share your personal bests from the past year - and hopes for the new one. You may find that a few twists add just the right amount of tradition.

You may also want to learn more about other celebrations. In the United States, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas and New Year's Eve are commonly celebrated. Learning more about the history behind these celebrations can help you to better understand the meaning they hold for others. Think of new ways you can mark these days as special, even if they are not your traditional days of celebrating.”

- Good Morning from Dr. Weil.com, Nov. 8, 2003

Selected Books from Oak Rise Cottage Shelves

For a sweet example of memorable holiday ritual with family, read A Cup of Christmas Tea by Tom Hegg (Waldman House Press, 1982) and its sequel, A Memory of Christmas Tea (1999)



A Christmas Gathering by Pat Ross (Viking Penguin, 1991) gives samplings of vintage Christmas traditions. One way to record your holiday celebrations is with The Victoria and Albert Museum Christmas List Book (Random Century, 1989