Stop Counting Sheep

When at night you cannot sleep, talk to the shepherd and stop counting sheep.

He Lives

One of my favorite hymms ~

I serve a risen Saviour,
He's in the world today;
I know that He is living,
Whatever men may say;
I see His hand of mercy,
I hear His voice of cheer,
And just the time I need Him
He's always near.

He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today!
He walks with me and talks with me
Along life's narrow way.
He lives, He lives, salvation to impart!
You ask me how I know He lives:
He lives within my heart.

Poppy Campbell

My grandfather's name was Dougald Alexander Campbell and he was born March 19, 1908 in Detroit, Michigan to Alexander D. Campbell and Therressa May Flora. Raised in Detroit and the youngest of seven children, he married my grandmother, Florence Pascarella, on November 9, 1929. He served as a Detroit Police Officer from January 1931 until March 1956, moved to California and then worked as a Security Officer for McDonnell-Douglas in Huntington Beach from December 1956 until 1970. I can remember running through their house, trying to find a place to hide if I was there and Poppy was due home from work. My favorite spot was the bottom shelf of the linen closet, towels piled in front of me, holding my breath and trying not to laugh or squeal as he walked around the house calling out, "Where's Susie? I thought she was here", always knowing exactly where I was. I was five years old when Gramma and Poppy gave me my first Bible in 1963 and Poppy always made sure I had a quarter for the offering plate on Sunday when I went to church with them. After church we would go home and play checkers out in the den, under the window on the bench seat. He passed away February 18, 1970 at the age of sixty-one and is buried at Westminster Memorial Park.

Waste Not, Want Not

Sometimes I wonder how we became such a "throw away" society. I remember my Gramma Paris saving leftover thread from sewing machine bobbins that were almost empty. She figured that she could use the shorter lenghts for sewing buttons on shirts or dresses. We had "button boxes" for saving buttons that had popped off, we repaired and patched clothing, hand-me-down's were common, leftover food never got thrown away. Everything was saved and re-used. Gramma was raised during the depression when things weren't so "aplenty" and harder to come by. I still have my button box, I repair ripped seams, I still save spare change and still roll pennies.

Eating the Elephant

Remember this when tackling a big project or you feel overwhelmed -

How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.

Florence Pascarella

My grandmother was born March 31, 1911 in Rome, Oneida County, New York. She was the oldest of nine children born to Michael Pascarella and Lena Mecone. She died August 8, 2004 in Huntington Beach, California and is buried at Westminster Memorial Park in Westminster, not far from the Huntington Beach home she lived in. She descends from Italian immigrants who came to the United States in the mid 1880's and her actual birth record shows the spelling of her name as Filomena Pasquarello. She married Dougald Alexander Campbell when she was eighteen years old and had two sons; Charles Alex and my father, Thomas Dougald Campbell. I remember visiting gramma at her house and the accordian that she kept in her closet. Gramma would sing and play songs on it then, as kids, we would strap the heavy instrument to us and work to pull and push it back and forth hoping to get just a sound or two from it. She told stories of how well her father, Michael, played the accordian and how his gypsy blood led him to believe in fortune tellers and séances, something that her mother, Lena, scoffed at. Gramma remembers attending séances with her father when she was young and how much she enjoyed them because there was always music and she could dance. She loved to dance.

Crescent-Wrapped Brie

Wheel of brie cheese (8 oz)
1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury refrigerated crescent dinner rolls

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Unroll dough, but do not separate into individual rolls. Divide the dough into two equal sections and firmly press perforations to seal, forming 2 squares. Place one square on ungreased cookie sheet and place the cheese in the center of the dough. Place remaining square on top of cheese round. Press dough evenly around cheese; fold bottom edges over top edges, encasing the brie in dough and pinch at seams. Bake 20 to 24 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 15 minutes and serve warm. Cut and devour!

Don't Worry

Worry is like a rocking chair. It will give you something to do but it isn't going to get you anywhere.

The Early Years

My mom tells me that when I was 10 months old she entered me in a baby contest that was held in the Bell or Huntington Park area of Los Angeles. She remembers the pink dress and patent leather shoes that I wore and says that when it was my turn I walked across the stage all by myself to where the judges were and started talking to them. I won second place.

At three, I had my own little ironing board and loved to wash and iron doll clothes. Apparently I loved to wash the dolls too, hanging the clothes out to dry by the hemline and the dolls by their hair.

For Tommy

Thinking about Cody and the CD that he spent so much time putting together in memory of Tommy. Jackie said that she told him what a nice gesture it was and he said, "Mom...it's Tommy." I'm touched beyond words.