The MOSLANDERS::Who could play us in a made-for-TV movie about Ross-the-boss, Mrs Moss, and all the Little Landers??

My dad

James Garner

Is there really any actor who is more beautiful than James Garner?  I mean, he stayed good looking,too.  And he is a man’s man.  And when he had his show The Rockford Files, my dad loved it because he had a similiar swagger.  And I always thought of my dad as very handsome and put together, too, and definitly full of self-assured attitude.  So, yes, James Garner could have played the role of my dad.

My mom

Barbara Stanwick

My mamala never wore one stitch of make-up in her life until retirement and barely now, so this younger, slightly less-than-ultra-glamorous version of Barbara Stanwick would work, more innocent.  Barbara was always a little feisty, and my mom was and is just plain SWEET!  She is a loving, forgiving,  guile-less woman.  She is truly beautiful, really gorgeous features, but never capitalized on them.  To this day, she has a jawline women pay big money to try to get.

Little brother, Joey

Ernie from My Three Sons.

Joe.  He had to get glasses in the 4th grade, I think.  He was a cutie, really, always a fav with the girls.  He had coarse, naturally wavy (a little bit curly) dark hair he tried to keep under control.  He still has all his hair, though it is silvery with wisdom now.  He was like-able and nice, a good friend and sweet brother who just had that awkward glasses stage for a time.  But oh, I love him.  Yes, Ernie from My Three Sons could be Joe in the TV version.

Little brother, Timmy

Little Ricky Nelson from Ozzie and Harriet

Irrepressible.  Cute.  And asked mom to shave his head on a couple of occasions, oddly.

Little sister, Tami

Buffy from Family Affair

Remember that show?  Buffy was a twin to Jonny Whitaker?  And she had a doll names Mrs. Beasley?  Tami had that doll, too and was cute as a button, 6 years younger than me.

Baby brother, Danny

Timmy from Lassie.

Danny was the cute little cuddler.  The baby.  Mom’s little fella.

Finally ME, the firstborn!

Jodie Foster.

She played Danny Partridge’s girlfriend, Gloria, in an episode or two of my fav show.  Her teeth, like mine, were a little big for her head and her hair was fine, like mine.  And if she weren’t an actress with  a make-up crew, I bet it would have been as stringy as mine, too.    She was blonder, but yes, Jodies could play the role of Jeanie, I think.

The Real Moslanders, 1964

And in 1971

My goodness.  Look what you have done.

Me and Dave and Tara and her Dave with Hunter (plus another on the way); Stephanie and Tristan and the little K-kids, Gavin, Guini, and Gemma; Tredessa and probably Ryan (shhhh, top secret); Rocky and Jovan and their girlies, Averi and Amelie; Stormie and her house.

Then there is Joe and Robin and Elise and now Matt; and Ross and Christiana and Corbin.

You’ve got Tim and Julie and their three great boys, Zach, and Seth and Caleb.

Tami and Gerron, the cool ones.

And Danny and Dawn and Jordan and Alise and new baby Brody; Jared and Austin and all who are to come.

5 kids, 15 grandkids and 7 greats so far.  You’re on a roll!

Psalm 128

A Pilgrim Song

1-2 All you who fear God, how blessed you are! how happily you walk on his smooth straight road!

You worked hard and deserve all you’ve got coming.

Enjoy the blessing! Revel in the goodness!

3-4 Your wife will bear children as a vine bears grapes,

your household lush as a vineyard,

The children around your table

as fresh and promising as young olive shoots.

Stand in awe of God’s Yes.

Oh, how he blesses the one who fears God!

5-6 Enjoy the good life in Jerusalem

every day of your life.

And enjoy your grandchildren.

Peace to Israel!  [The Message]

That is really all I am prepared to say about that at this time.

Moslander Family Reunion!

I woke up this morning (it is an hour later here than home) and started listening to the audio Bible on www.biblegateway.com to wake up gently, when Tara shook me from my good times with, “Do you realize what time it is?!?”  I keep forgetting about that lost hour!  Geesh.

So, as for all the rest of you, keeping up on my plan for the summer is a challenge, but it so worth it – even the catch-up days!  So worth it!  Hang in there, everybody!

This past week:

Wow.  As much as I adore and love Romans 8, I wonder how much more weird and confusing Paul could have been in Romans 7???  Geez-Louise!  Yet, on the topics he covered, I would be talking in those same circles, I fear!  The Book of Romans…I HAVE to read it again before the end of the summer and then I’ll be back!

Psalm 27.13-14, I will take this!  It is mine.  But I will share, too:

I remain confident of this:

I will see the goodness of the LORD

in the land of the living.

Wait for the LORD;

be strong and take heart

and wait for the LORD.

Psalm 34 is an thoroughly encouraging, full-of-truth and crazy-great-hope Psalm which includes the most amazing, rich declarations including:

…I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. {even just my fears}

…Fear the LORD, you his holy people, for those who fear him lack nothing.  {I have everything I need}

…The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry {He hears me}

…The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.  {all!}

…The righteous person may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all {ALL!}

And those are just a few.

NEXT UP for the  week of June 26

1 & 2 Corinthians and Psalms 35 – 46

Because of reunion, I may or may not be a few days behind.  But I’ll catch up.  You will, too!

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.  In me, too! 

It is almost time again.  26 days or so…give or take a few hours.  Denver to Chicago, that crazy town.

Actually ~ flying in to Chicago, then “Going Back to Indiana,” as the Jackson 5 sang because I lived in NW IN, part of the greater Chicago area.  My nephew Jordan is getting married.  Then we’ll all go to church where last the Moslander crew all lived together before marrying and moving out and away: Ross-the-Boss, Mrs Moss and all the Little-Landers.  Then the beach at Lake Michigan, the Dunes.  Playing and remembering in our old stomping grounds.  Then back to Chicago for a day or two before home.

Mommy-time.  No time like Mommy-time!  And Dad and the sibs and the nieces and nephews and old friends and Vienna Red Hots on steamed Poppyseed buns.

UPDATE 5.31.11:  O I forgot to show you what I have on my iPod!

Who on earth would even want to try a recipe called “Shrimp-Macaroni Casserole?”  That would have been me, I guess.

My co-workers at Bible College and a few friends threw a “Tupperware” shower for me before dad and I married [note: I was writing this for the kids].  That meant that the Tupperware lady would come and display her wares and everyone would order something for me from her.

I don’t really remember anyone asking me what I wanted.  And I don’t really remember wanting anything in particular. My mom had been the queen of re-using bread bags and cottage cheese containers before there was ever even a green-movement.  So I had not grown up dreaming of the Tupperware that would grace my kitchen cabinets one day.  Not at all.

Luckily, my friends and co-workers knew just what I “had to have,” and excitedly began scouring the catalogs and items on display at the shower.  I witnessed great exuberance over matching sets of plastic storage containers, and crispers and pie-rolling mats and lids that “burped” the air out before sealing.  Much enthusiasm to be sure.

Everything I got was the late seventies brown or avocado green or harvest gold.  But it was nice.  The lettuce crisper wasn’t the savior I thought it would be (you do eventually have to make sure you don’t leave it in there for weeks on end) and the huge yellow mixing bowl with lid was soon pitted with hot popcorn kernels.

As a “hostess” gift from the Tupperware lady, I received a Tupperware cookbook.

30th Anniversary Edition, published in 1981 Tupperware’s Homemade is Better cookbook

As a new bride, I decided to try one of the recipes they had.

Now, growing up in the Moslander household, you really pretty much doubled, tripled, or quadrupled every recipe when you made it.

I was already struggling to rein it in for dad, Tara and me, because I couldn’t quit doubling recipes.  There was always tons of everything I made (150 homemade meatballs, pounds and pounds of noodles for, in theory,  just one spaghetti dinner, etc).

The Moslander auto-double+ Tupperware’s HomeMade is Better cookbook

Now – take my doubling obsession and mix it with a Tupperware cookbook and you’ve got trouble.  For what I failed to understand was that the Tupperware people were trying to get you to believe you needed more Tupperware so the recipes in the books were already made to fix and then divide and then store in your handy dandy Tupperware for 3-5 future meals.  That would have been a good thing to understand.  I did not.

So one day, I wanted to find a new and really special recipe for our little family.  In the cookbook, I found something, a casserole utilizing ingredients I loved: macaroni, Corn Chex and cooked shrimp.  I could imagine a wondrous and delightful meal.  I decided to double it, naturally, because if it were really good, we’d want leftovers, and I could just tell we would.

Well – may I just say I could have catered a party for 50 with that much of the cereal, macaroni and shrimp conglomeration?  I don’t know if we had a loaves and fishes miracle happening or what? But the more we ate that stuff, the more there was left in our small fridge.  Dad ate it, graciously.  He, who prefers Rice Chex, can take or leave anything with “macaroni” in the title and doesn’t like shrimp unless it is generously breaded and deep fried beyond the recognition that is was once a living sea-creature – he ate it.  And he ate it the next day.  Maybe the next even…?

I discerned immediately – that if I was going to be cooking like that – I did not have enough Tupperware.  I think we may have actually used every storage bowl and a few old bread bags to boot.  Of course, I actually loved it and ate it for breakfast and lunch, too.  After a couple of days, dad asked me, “Do you think it’s still safe to eat this?  I mean it is seafood and I don’t know how long it will be good.”  He was gentle and very honoring.  Sadly, I watched him scrape it into the trash.

“Next time,” I thought, “I’ll only make one recipe.”  There has never been a next time.

written 9.22.07

PS – Just in case you’re curious, I decided to look up the old recipe.  And OOPS.  It was supposed to be Rice Chex.  I guess I used Corn Chex because I love them and was trying to sway Dave.  That may have made all the difference.  Haha. Or not.

Shrimp-Macaroni Casserole

Prepare macaroni and cheese according to package directions, except substitute the 1 1/2 cups of milk for the total amounts called for.  Stir in the shrimp and soup, Worcestershire sauce and pepper.

To bake immediately, turn one-third of the mixture into a one-quart casserole.  Bake uncovered, in 350-degree oven for 30 minutes.  Stir.  Sprinkle with 1/2 cup crushed Rice Chex.  Bake 10 minutes more.

To freeze and bake later, divide remaining two-thirds of the mixture between the Seal-n-Serve Set.  Apply seals, label and freeze.  Immerse sealed container in warm water for about 3-5 minutes, just till mixture is thawed enough to remove from container.  Invert into a one-quart casserole.  Cover and bake in a 400-degree oven for 40 minutes; stir to spread mixture evenly in casserole.  Bake, covered, for 30 minutes.  Uncover and stir.  Sprinkle 1/2 cup crushed Rice Chex atop casserole.  Bake 10 minutes more.

Makes 3 casseroles, 4 servings each.

This recipe exhausts me just reading it.  Thank goodness the common folk could start to afford microwaves in the 80s.

So, um…I actually might try this again, for fun, and I think now, after all these years, I would definitely double it again, but probably quadruple the shrimp.  And the Corn Chex?  Stays!  Dave won’t eat it anyway.

~

The TWELVE embarrassing pictures of Christmas~past!

Aw~the ones that made the cut.  From Ross the boss, Mrs. Moss and all the little Landers.  1968

The ones that didn’t make it.  For obvious reasons.

Nativity.

Left:  I was an angel (both as a child and for this photo shoot) but my mom cut my wings out of the shot!  What the heck?  I see I must have been making THE pronouncement over Baby Jesus (aka little brother, Danny), as I seem to have everyone’s rapt attention.  The set was created using bathrobes and towels, a bassinet and my aunt’s old prom dress. 

Right:  Why on earth would my own mother cut me, the angel, out?!?  Joe is not playing air guitar, but rather looking “Josephly,”…I think.  Or perhaps, “shepherdly?”

Just 5 sweet children getting ready for bed the night before Christmas.

Left: Well, the boys are taking a break, I see.  These were done on a Saturday night after our baths to prepare for Sunday morning.  Everyone was in good spirits, feeling fresh.  How much does Danny look like the little brother on “The Christmas Story??”

Right: We got the pooch in on this one, which, I guess, is why I got placed in the background.  Hmph.

We were Christmas Carolers.

Scenario:  My mom used crayons to draw an outdoor backdrop on a white sheet.  She dragged an old storm window frame in from the garage and attached some drapes to it.  Then she used the red towel to cover a dresser and set a Biblical vingette as though some one was looking outside (from inside their cozy, warm and very spiritual home) at these little children sing.  This is WHY Photoshop was invented: to help creative photographers like my sweet mama.

BTW~these were AFTER church on a Sunday night, which followed church on Sunday morning, that had followed Sunday School before that.  I recall being veeeeeeery tired, at half past 10 p.m., it was sooooo flipping hot in our coats and hats inside the house and my mom just would not quit.

Left: Though nearly ruined by water damage in some humid state or another, I feel this was “the one!”  I mean, I am obviously truly singing, Tami is smiling cute!  Tim is singing his head off, even though he had the little Carol book turned inside out, you can practically read the Bible (turned appropriately, I am certain, to Luke’s Gospel. chapter 2).  It was a good one.

Right:  Danny is crying and Tim is thinking about it.  Tammy and Joe can’t keep their eyes open, and I am in a preacher’s kid-after-Sunday daze.  Let us go to bed, already, mom!

And then there is this atrocity:

Me, at 16, playing an 80-year old grandma in my mother’s church production, “The Littlest Package.”   Baby powder in my hair, a crocheted shawl about my shoulders.  Can’t understand at all why this didn’t make the family Christmas card?!?  (Is the girl in the left picture flipping me off?  Because she was my best friend at the time!)

I love you anyway, mamala!

  

 

Ode to the Family of my Summer, for I shan’t and mustn’t acknowledge an autumn which does not truly begin until the September (or Autumnal) Equinox, on the 22nd day of this month ~ yes, just a couple of days from now, but still.  Despite the fact that my sweet daughters, Stephanie first and then Stormie, have brought me a pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks each (how sweet are they??),  I won’t purchase my first until it is truly autumn.  I must sing of my love for the summer until the last verse fades softly…

 

Ross and Norma with grandkids and great-grandkids

  

 

Dad and the brothers visit

Press close, bare-bosomed Night! Press close, magnetic,
nourishing Night!
Night of south winds!  Night of the large, few stars!
Still, nodding Night!  Mad, naked, Summer Night!
~Walt Whitman

 

 Joe’s wife, Robin with my dad; hanging on “Moslander Mountain”

 

Ross the Boss, Mrs. Moss, and all the Little Landers (Jeanie, Joey, Timmy, Tami and Danny)…except Tim didn’t come this year, but the rest did – with their spouses and children.

It was a divine time, full of remembering and creating new memories.  Cousins kidded and cajoled.  Siblings sought to reconnect.  Dad told us where we came from and gave us insight for our futures.  Mom cheered us all on and hugged the stuffing out of us.  Love was in the air and in our hearts.

Gerron, Jordan and Austin being dudes

  

Tredessa, Grandma Moslandr and Uncle Joe

Sister-in-Law, Dawn.

Dawn and Dan share family secrets

Just the other morning my sister-in-law, Dawn, whom I have known and loved since she was 14, emailed me these beautiful sentiments about The Moslander Family Reunion:

“I took you all in during our time spent together. Kinda like a wonderful meal!  I feel full, but want to take in some more. Good memories, but missing everyone.”

Cousins Rocky and Corbin having fun at the Phipps farm

Riding horses at the farm.

Brothers telling fish stories, no doubt

So blessed.

 

Me with little sister Tami and her husband, Gerron; Jordan and Rocky-best cousins forever!

I love my family.  I am so blessed by wonderful parents and amazing siblings who have married so well.  They have gifted me with extraordinary nephews and nieces.  And everytime we are together, all is right with the world.

 

Aunt Tami with her nieces; Aunt Tami pulling me into silliness.

“In every conceiveable manner, the family is link to our past, bridge to our future.”  Alex Haley

Mom and Dad. 

Whom I have also sometimes (with great affection) called “Mammogram” and “Pap Smear.”  Not sure how they feel about that!  This is the result of these two people. 

All my love to family, both near and far, both born to us and joined by love. 

Related posts:

• Scenes from a Good Summer ~ Heaven Fest
• Scenes from a Good Summer ~ The Grandbebes 
• Scenes from a Good Summer ~ The Garden
• Scenes from a Good Summer ~ Puerto Rico 

Previous posts about the Moslander family reunion:

• Mommy & Daddy 
• Moslander Reunion ’09
• It’s a Family Affair
• Family Farm
• We are Family-I got all my sisters with me

Stefanie and Wrex Phipps are just such generous and giving people.  They let us crash their farmland and just became a part of the Moslander family from far and wide as we celebrated and re-unioned together last week.  Thank-you sooooooooo much, Stef and Wrex.  EVERYBODY fell in love with you just like we did when we first met you.  You made us so welcomed and were just a part of us!  We love you and will never forget the great time at the farm!  pictured: the farmer and his drop-dead gorgeous wife; Stef and Dessa

Aunt Tami-finger licking good; Uncle Gerron saying, “Down boy-Tami is mine.”; Elise-the-Niece and me

Austin feeding the calf; Dawn and Robin, my beautiful sisters-in-law…and two of the godliest women I know

Goat says, “Really.  What do you city folk want?”; Cowboy Wrex bringing the horses; Hunter saddled up

Tredessa swinging the rope and getting her steer; Averi taking control of the bull

Cousin Corbin roping; Gemma bull-riding; the boys being little cow-pokes

My mom has always, and I mean always been a cowgirl at heart!; Tristan with his kiddies; Guini and the goat

Tredessa lassos her cousin Corbin (certainly he deserved it for one ornery thing or another he said); the little ones lasso-ing; Dave and his food

Hunter and his corn-on-the-cob; Averi and hers; Gavin and the goat

Corbin; Rocky; Uncle Joe playing horseshoes and losing (to his 71-year-old mother)

Uncle Gerron with Jordan and Austin; my mama roping again; Stephanie and Tristan

Uncle Gerron and Uncle Joe; Rocky and Corbin shooting…plastic bottles and stuff

The bonfire Wrex built; Aunt Dawn and Guini; Wrex and Austin stoking the fire

The boys roasting marshmallows; Guini and Hunter walking down the road as the sun disappeared; a beautiful summer evening with family around the fire

above: Our hostess Stef with sisters Tara and Tredessa;  Aunt Dawn and Guini doing sparklers

below: Uncle Gerron is loved by animals and toddlers alike – here with GemGem; Hunter and his fireworks

It was an unforgettable evening of love on the farm with the fam.

Previous posts about the Moslander family reunion:

• Mommy & Daddy 
• Moslander Reunion ’09
• It’s a Family Affair

The Moslanders Came to Denver & here is a glimpse of the time together…

pictured:  At Mile High Flea Market ~ Jordan, the semi-pro football player; Uncle Gerron innocently shopping for the right pair of jeans; Aunt Tami with Jovan and Averi

pictured:  me (what the heck with the hair??) and my mama; cousins Tara & Elise; Gerron and Dave, the bro-in-laws (some people think Tami and I married brothers becuz we both went for the hot Latino types)

pictured below: Elise with her daddy and my brother, Joe; Elise at the jeans shop, where unbeknownst to her, there was the inevitable Moslander-booty discussion happening; Tara and her Aunt Tami discussing tank tops

What on earth did we do?

We gathered, we ate, we Mile-Hi flea marketed, we cooked out at the farm (Stef and Wrex~  Thank-you so much for an unforgettable evening) and roped “cattle” and rode horses and played horseshoes.  We bonfired and sang, we talked and talked and took pictures.  We prayed.   We cried sometimes and laughed a lot.  We ate some more.  Robin cookie-ed us silly!  We shot off fireworks (which may or may not have been illegal from over the Wyoming state line) and BBs and air-soft pellets.  Grandma (or great-grandma) Moslander whipped everybody’s butts in horseshoes at the age of 71-years-young!  Seriously?  If she would color her hair, you’d only think she was 54 by her activity-level.  She also perfected her roping skills after the lesson from Cowboy Wrex.  The woman kills!  We ate some more.   In short, we just hung out together.

pictured: Dawn and Dan and Grandpa Moslander relaxing; the little ones on the horses; praying before the big steak and corn on the cob and all the other delish food meal

pictured: Aunt Tami can truly talk to the animals!

pictured: a horse, of course; Tristan and Gemma riding; Rocky and Guini riding into the sunset

pictured: Grandpa Moslander reverted to his farm days as a kid and spent a lot of time feeding the mama goat and the albino calf

pictured: Aunt Tami with her new friend the horse; Guini and Hunter riding by; Grandma Moslander winning at horseshoes

pictured: Uncle Joe and Grandpa visiting between songs; the calf

Not Pictured:

The giant 3 1/2 foot snake that almost ran right over my feet!  Yes.  It was a giant!

Psalm 34.11  “Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD.”