June 2008

In This Issue You Will Find:

1. Feature: Milestones
2. Project: Create a Family Legacy
3. Recipe: Black Walnut Ice Box Cookies
4. Calendar of Events

A Note From The Editors:

Welcome to all of our new subscribers!

You may have noticed a new look to our ezine. We hope you like it. From here, you should be able to easily access the rest of our website with more great projects and activities. And, don’t forget to visit our Article Archive, which is full of our favorite projects.

Here, you will find quick and easy projects for every holiday. We publish new activities every month.

If this is your first time to our site, have fun! Get to know us.
www.TogetherParenting.com

Check out our calendar or try our child friendly recipes and activities in the weeks to come. We'll show you how to turn an afternoon of play into meaningful and lasting traditions--enriching the time you spend with your children.

And remember, it only takes a minute to create memories that last a lifetime.

Enjoy! Rondi and Janell
Rondi Hillstrom Davis and Janell Sewall Oakes
Editors of the Together newsletter
Co-authors of the award winning book,
Together: Creating Family Traditions
www.TogetherParenting.com

"I've had a hard life, but my hardships are nothing against the hardships that my father went through in order to get me to where I started. "
-- Bartrand Hubbard

Feature: Milestones

I’ve spent a lot of time this week looking back. I find myself at a crossroad. Jenny, my oldest daughter, graduated from college this month--a milestone and a new beginning. My father died in February. It makes this Father’s Day particularly reflective. One big door in my life has closed.

50 years of memories come flooding back. I remember the time my dad wired the blue princess telephone between my bedroom and his basement workshop. We were within shouting distance. But, on Saturday mornings I would call, just to say hello. My direct line to dad. My secure line. It was good to know he was there.

We built together, in his wood shop, Snoopy’s dog house, the central prop for the high school play I was directing. Dad taught me how measure and hold a paint brush.

He was sentimental, though he tried hard not to show it through his gruff, Archie Bunker style. On the wall of his workshop hung from a piece of yarn, were 4 paper plates of plaster hands. One for each child. They look so small now.

On Saturday mornings, I would accompany him to the bank to make his deposits. The bank served doughnuts on the weekend. It was a special treat to have my dad all to myself. Inside the safe deposit box were all sorts of important papers. There was one, small piece of paper, folded many times. On the outside it said, “Rondi’s lucky penny.” He had saved it with his most important papers. I had found the penny the day my baby sister was born, and I had given it to my grandmother for safe keeping.

So many things in my house today are reminiscent of my childhood. My two daughters’ plaster hands sit in a place of honor on the kitchen counter. The photographs on the mantle sit above handmade tin stars. They mark the milestones in our family. My father’s portrait is center. His discerning eyes are forever watching. Next to his picture is a vase of yellow roses, his favorite flower. My daughter’s graduation picture is there, too. It holds the promise of the next generation.

Project: Create a Family Legacy

Who in your family do you most resemble? Are you daddy’s little girl? The apple of his eye? Do you have Aunt Barbara’s nose or dimples?

Gather together a collection of old family photographs. Create a legacy for your children and future generations. Write out a list of questions to ask members the eldest generation of your family. Use the photographs as prompts. What were their favorite pastimes? Where did they go to school? How did your dad meet your mother? What was their favorite holiday tradition? What is their favorite recipe?

You can record their stories using audio or video. Or, put together a scrapbook of stories and photographs. It’s the little things that make up a lifetime of memories. The stories are a powerful bond between generations. Record them as a keepsake for your family.

For more great ideas, visit our Article Archive.

Recipe: Black Walnut Ice Box Cookies

Who calls it an ice box anymore? This was my dad’s favorite cookie recipe. Double the recipe and store the extra dough in the refrigerator. Slice and bake as desired. You can’t beat warm cookies from the oven. Black walnuts are usually available on the baking aisle of the grocery store.

Ingredients
2/3 cups butter
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 2/3 cups flour
1/3 tsp. baking powder
1/3 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup chopped black walnuts

Directions

1. Cream butter and sugar together.

2. Add unbeaten eggs and mix.

3. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda, and gradually work into the creamed mixture.

4. Add the black walnuts and stir in by hand.

5. Turn dough onto a sheet of wax paper and shape into a roll about 2” in diameter.

6. Refrigerate until solid, about one hour.

7. Slice thinly and bake on an ungreased baking sheet at 375° for 10-12 minutes.