:: C R E A T I V E G E N E ::

My sincere thanks to my cousin ME who is so kind and generous. She shared this photo with me and made my wish for a picture of my great grandmother come true!

Created for the carnival, Smile for the Camera.

This is picture of my mom back in 1941. She was 22 years old. It would have been the year before she started dating my dad. I'm thinking her Valentine back then might have been Mike...

[From "A Gift of Memories From Grandma"] Who is the boy you remember most? "Mike. I went out with him for 2 years. He was not Catholic. My dad objected. After I was married my dad saw him a few times. He thought Mike was the greatest guy, but I never saw him again." ~ Lucy

It's amazing what a grandparent will share with a grandchild.

I know I asked my mom about her boyfriends back when I was a kid but she'd always give me an evasive answer. "Oh, I dated lots of fellas but I wasn't serious about any of them.", was her favorite response.

Then when my kids were in grade school I bought 3 of those "Grandparent Books". You know the kind, they look like a glorified pamphlet with a couple questions on each page and a half dozen blank lines squeezed together for a response. My mom filled out one, as did my mother in law. I gave one to my father in law too but I guess he wasn't interested. He never filled his out.

Anyway, my mom filled hers out almost completely and gave it back to me. I remember looking through it briefly at the time, thinking, "she never told me that!" over and over again.  Then I filed it away. I don't know why it didn't occur to me to ask her about Mike back then but it didn't. After my mom died, in April 2007, I came across that book again. I read every page and was amazed at how much she'd shared with my kids that she had never shared with me.

If my mom had any photos of Mike, she never showed them to me. But then, my mom kept her share of secrets. She was quick to clam up when she didn't want to answer a question or she would reply, "Never you mind". One day when my brother went over to visit her he found her in the basement burning what looked like photos or documents in the wash basin. When he asked her what she was doing she replied, "Just getting rid of some things", and changed the subject. She liked her secrets.

My parents had a troubled relationship, which is another way of saying my mother was the victim of my father's physical abuse. I'm sure my grandparents must have known my mom was not happy in her marriage. I can't help but wonder if my grandfather ever regretted that he kept his daughter from marrying such an upstanding guy as Mike. Oh what I wouldn't give to know Mike's last name so I could look him up and see what ever became of him. But that's another of the secrets my mom took to the grave with her.

As Valentine's Day rolls around I'll be thinking about my mom and wondering, "Whose Valentine was she in 1941..."

Written for the Smile for the Camera carnival, February 14, 2010.

When I saw the word prompt, "gift", for the December edition of Smile for the Camera, I knew right away I couldn't contribute just one photo. My family didn't take a lot of photographs but Christmas was a popular time for them to pull out the ole camera.

I looked over my collection of Christmas photos and sure enough many of them included gifts. I decided to create a digi-scrap page for the Christmas Eve 1970 pictures. So here you have it, our gift-opening excitement at its best!

The top picture is me donning my new wig and the maxi-skirt my mom made me. Wigs were very popular at the time and being a natural blond, I wanted a wig that was dramatically different. I remember going shopping with my mom and picking out this wig. As soon as I put it on I fell in love with it. So my mom bought it for me along with a Styrofoam (head) wig base and a carrying case. High fashion in 1970 included full length ("maxi") skirts, coats, and dresses... along with mini skirts of course! I had no problem buying mini skirts but being 5'9" made buying maxi-skirts nearly impossible. They were all too short! So my mom made me the one in the picture.

My dad got a hot shaving cream machine that Christmas. This was one of those better-in-theory-than-in practice-gifts. I distinctly remember that my dad used that thing exactly once. He put the shave cream on his face and came out of the bathroom long enough for me to take a picture of him and that was it. I wish I still had that photo but I haven't seen it in years. I have no idea where it might be (or if it got thrown away).

My mom got an electric frying pan and boy was she excited about it. She used that fry pan a lot over the years. She always made her Salisbury Steak in it and she fried up her pierogi in it too. I have that frying pan now. It still works well and it brings back lots of good and tasty memories!

My brother Jerry got a Polaroid camera in 1970. I'm sure he must have used it but I don't remember seeing any pictures from it. The instant picture technology was very popular at the time!

Joe went to pick up his gift and was surprised by the weight of it. There was a good reason for that. It was a set of golf clubs! This was the beginning of his life-long love affair with the sport of golf. He used those clubs for many years before he had a set custom made. Joe is retired now, is on several golf leagues, and spends as much time on the golf course as possible. And to think it all started on Christmas Eve 1970...

And last but not least, the bottom photo is of me opening my blue star sapphire ring, a gift from my dad. It was my first piece of fine jewelry and I still have it. You don't see star sapphires much anymore but they were very popular at the time.

Those weren't the only gifts we received that Christmas but they are the only ones I have photos of. Oh it's so nice to have the memories!

The latest edition of Smile for the Camera is posted! Check out all the photos submitted for the word prompt, "travel". I think you'll enjoy the ride!

When you're done, consider submitting a photo for next edition. With the holidays in mind, the word prompt is, "gift". I'm already mulling over the possibilities... I have until the deadline of December 10th to decide. Hmmm...

The prompt for this month's Smile for the Camera carnival is, "transportation". I had sooo many ideas for this prompt but in the end my Motor City roots reigned supreme. Here is a picture of my dear mother and father in law as they were leaving their wedding reception on June 6, 1953 somewhere near or in Barnesboro, PA where they were married. The decorated car behind them transported them to their honeymoon in the Wisconsin Dells and to and from work at Murry Ohio Mfg. Co, in Cleveland, OH (they both worked at the same place).


Later, my father in law worked for Ford Motor Company from 1966 until he retired in 1993. He was an engineer in the Manufacturing and Development Lab where he specialized in new welding technology. He has several patents in his name. You could say he engineered transportation!

My mom didn't buy my school portraits or yearbooks every year, but she did buy them occasionally. Here is a picture of my 6th grade class, Whitmore Bolles Elementary School, 1968. This was the last year of grade school for me. Junior high was 7th-9th grades, and high school was 10th-12th grades. If I could get my scanner working, I'd show you my report card from that year. But you're not missing much, it wasn't all that impressive.

Let's see how many names I remember from my 6th grade class...
Left to right...
Row 1 (top): Mrs. Martella, Paula Davis, Marla Shooshanian, Paula Rohatynski
Row 2: Sue Johnston, don't remember, don't remember, don't remember, Mark Smith, Tina Santioni
Row 3: Esther Griffiths, Peggy Werth, Margaret Strachen, Robert Lesberance, Don Brown, Ron Carmen
Row 4: Steve Best, Donna Roesler, Judy Strahota, ME, Tim Hughes, Don Beyer
Row 5: Cynthia Motley, Diana Fugett, Mary Ann Novack, Jon Swank, John Gilmore, Ed Sedo
Row 6 (bottom): Cheryl Jackman, Debbie Skorich, Sue Hostetler, Karen White

Not too bad, I remembered 28 out of 31. Let's see, that's about 90%... wouldn't get me an A but it would probably warrant an A- on this test. That would pretty much sum up my grade school years. I wasn't a straight A student, but my GPA would have put me in the A- category.
From the same yearbook, here's me in the orchestra (I played violin). Can you find me? I'm in the front row between Laurel Schuff and Donna Roesler (3rd on right from center, fingering my red velvet jumper). I could name just about everyone in the orchestra but I won't bore you with that. ;-)

And here I am pictured with the Service Squad. Can you find me? This time I'm standing between Donna Roesler and Judy Guinan. (Hint: I'm wearing the same jumper and checkered top.)

And to complete the story, here's a picture of the school building from "back in the day".

I lived about 4.5 blocks from my elementary school. It seems like a short walk in retrospect but it felt like a long walk during those cold Michigan winters. I liked my school and most of my teachers. I have lots of fond memories of those grade school days...

This lovely watch fob chain is made of my grandmother's hair and was given to my grandfather during their first year of marriage. I can't imagine a more personal style of jewelry than one made from the locks of a loved one. What ever happened to the lost art of human hair jewelry?

Here's a group of hardworking men and women. This was the composing room staff of the Polish Daily News (Detroit) back in 1957. The gentleman the red arrow is pointing to is Bernie Ronowski, the husband of my Grandaunt, Josephine Lipa Ronowski. Bernie worked for the Polish Daily News for over 50 years and retired in January 1958.

The original photo belongs to my cousin ME who generously shared it with me and allows me to share it with you. Thanks ME!

Eleanor Lasky and Ed Rodzik were married in Detroit on January 23, 1949. Here you see them pictured with their family and friends on the steps of St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church. Some family members are missing from this picture; the bride's father, 2 brothers, and a sister. Every time I look at this picture I wonder why they weren't in it. I'm sure they attended the wedding... perhaps they were just camera shy ;-) Obviously Ronnie wasn't camera shy. That's him in the front row sticking his tonge out at you!

It was tough to decide whether to share a picture of my sweet puppy Kaj or a charming picture of a kitty with a couple of my cousins for the theme "All Creatures Great and Small" (the next edition of Smile For The Camera). In the end I decided to share both pictures because I thought they'd both make you smile!

First off, here's a "fishing" picture. Look at that cute kitty eyeing that string of fish! You know what's going through that kitty's mind ;-) I don't know who the kitty belongs to but I can tell you the gents in the picture are my first cousin once removed, Leo Szymkowicz (left), and Bernie Ronowski (right), husband of my grandaunt Josephine Lipa. The photo belongs to my dear cousin ME who graciously gave me permission to share it with you on this blog. Thanks ME!
And here is my not-so-little-anymore puppy, Kaj, pictured with my all time favorite flowers of spring... lilacs. Kaj is 9 months old now and weighs 70lbs. He's still full of puppy-energy and makes us laugh every day.

This is one of my favorite pictures of my mom (left) with her sister Helen (right) and brother Sigmund, aka "Ziggie". This picture was taken in 1923 making my mom 5 yrs old, Helen 6.5 years old and Ziggie 2 years old. The short sleeved dresses the girls are wearing, in pastel colors with ruffles, make me think this photo was taken in the spring time, perhaps at Easter.

Whenever I see pictures of stoic children it makes me want to reach out and tickle them ;-) They would have looked so much cuter with grins on their faces but I guess they didn't "smile for the camera" back then. Does anyone know when people/children started smiling in photographs?

They could be family. They could be friends. This photo was from my Grand Aunt Mary's collection and there is no information on it. The photo was taken in Poland, I don't know when. WWI? WWII? Sometime in between? I'm leaning towards the WWII era because I don't think hemlines were quite that short in the late 1910s or the early 1920s. The gentleman's military uniform could be a clue. Unfortunately, I don't know anything about Polish army uniforms to be able to date it.

One thing puzzles me about this photo and the others from Mary's collection. Mary's family was from the southern area of Poland, near Krakow. But the vertical stripes in these skirts and all the others from her collection are more indicative of the ethnic dresses from the Lowicz region (central region) of Poland. I'm certainly no expert on Polish folk dress but it strikes me as a bit odd.

The gal on the right is wearing a long white veil which is not typical of the ethnic dress of either the southern or central areas. I'm wondering if she was "crowned" for a festival or perhaps she was just married in her best dress (this is not a typical wedding dress).

Folk dresses like these would have been worn for any and all special occasions, especially religious and harvest festivals. Small children wore them, old Busias (grandmothers) wore them, and all ages of women in between wore them. The older women would have worn a much longer hem length though ;-)

Written for the 10th Edition of the Smile for the Camera carnival.

Who is this couple? Do you know? Any idea what time period this would be? The only information I have about them is what's on the card. The front says, "J. Sowinski, 376 Canfield Ave., Detroit, Mich." The back says, "Instantaneous process used exclusively. J. Sowinski, Art Photography, 376 Canfield Ave., Detroit, Mich." The woman's face looks familiar to me but that could be just because I've stared at for so long looking for a family resemblence. I was given this photo by my cousin M.E. who doesn't know who they are either. I'm guessing one or both of these people is related to my Lipa branch of the family. But then again they could be neighbors or friends of the family. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

I believe the Jos. Sowinski photo studio was in existence from the 1890s till the mid 1910s. (But don't quote me on that ;-)

Written for the 9th Edition of the Smile for the Camera blog carnival.

The word prompt for the 8th Edition of Smile For The Camera is Stocking Stuffer: Show us that picture that would make a great Stocking Stuffer and tell us whose stocking you’d stuff.


Digi-scrapping kit used is Holiday Shimmer, created by Phuong Ton and Microferk. It's available here.

Here they are, the most beautiful babies in the world! These are my babies, more precious to me than anything on this earth. Even though they are grown adults now, they will always be my babies.
My daughter doesn't wear pink floral dresses or bonnets anymore. And while the Detroit Tigers baseball cap that seems to be a permanent fixture on my son's head these days is white, it bares little resemblance to the sailor's hat in this picture. But when I think of my babies, these are the images that come to mind. Oh! Baby...

Written for the 7th edition of Smile for the Camera. Scrapbook kit used was, "My Baby Love", created by Susan Darter of Raspberry Road Designs.

The 6th edition of Smile for the Camera is posted at Kinexxions. You won't want to miss this one... the theme is "Funny Bone". Becky did a terrific job of putting together a collection of vintage photos that will entertain and delight you. And they will definitely make you smile. :-)

When you get done smiling over this edition of Smile for the Camera you can start looking forward to the next edition which will make you say, " awww...". Check it out!

When I first came across this picture in a photo album that belongs to one of my "new" cousins, I grinned from ear to ear. What a sense of humor!

Later that same afternoon the subject of the photo, Edwin (the husband of my first cousin once removed), regaled us with tales of his experiences in the Pacific Theater of operations during WWII. He told us of being rescued from his ship after it was hit by enemy fire and broke in two, and of watching Japanese kamikaze pilots ditch their planes in the ocean just feet from his own ship. The seriousness of war contrasts deeply with the humor shown in the photo above. Many years later Edwin is able to smile at the picture and thoughtfully share his war stories. He is one of the Greatest Generation and I for one am grateful to him for his humor and his valor. Thank you, Edwin Mordenski, for living your life with humor and bravery. And for taking the time to share it with us. You're a remarkable man.

Submitted for the 6th edition of the Smile for the Camera blog carnival. Theme: Funny Bone.

Digiscrap kit is "Seashore Splendor", a collab kit by Nicole of NBK Proudly Presents and tempusfugit of Tempus Fugit.

The 5th Edition of Smile for the Camera (a carnival of photographic images) has been posted! The theme words this time around are "crowning glory". What a huge and wonderful collection of articles Shady Maven has pulled together! More hats, helmets, and hair than you can imagine, and all for your viewing pleasure. So head on over now and check it out and be sure to drop a note of thanks to our Maven for all her hard work on this wonderful publication!

I've been waiting for a good opportunity to show you a photograph that I picked up last spring in an antique store. This photo is not my family. I bought it just because I liked it. And I thought I'd give fM some competition in the "200th Edwardian Lady Wearing A White Dress category" ;-) So here it is, my choice for the "Crowning Glory" edition of Smile For the Camera.

Aren't these ladies lovely? And aren't those hats fabulous? I fell for this photo in a big way and only wish I could claim a family tie with any one of these women.

Unfortunately, I don't have much information about the women or the photograph. So I won't be able to do a full analysis of the photo in the way that fM did of her "Birthday Club" photo. There are 3 names on the back of the photo: Sadie Harrington, Jennie Wilkins, and Essie Sedgeman. I'm guessing that since the photo was found in a Marine City, MI antique shop that the ladies probably lived in Michigan. Or at least one of them did. There's no date on the photo but the clothing looks Edwardian to me, doesn't it?

I did a search for info about the ladies but I just don't have the time to really put in a good effort. I did find the following information in the Michigan Vital Records online. Frank Sedgeman, age 25, of East Tawas, MI married Esther Wilkins, age 25, of Alpena, MI on June 28, 1900 in Alpena, Michigan. The couple shows up in the 1910 census as living in East Tawas. I don't have a lot to go on here but the fact that Esther's surname is Wilkins and another lady in the photo is also a Wilkins makes me think I've got the right person. That and the fact that Sedgeman wasn't all that common a name back then. If this is the correct information for one of these ladies then the photo was probably taken after 1900 when Esther was married and became a Sedgeman.

I did a search for Jennie Wilkins and Sadie Harrington too but those names were so common that I was not able to figure out who they were in the time I had to devote to the project. If anyone would like to take a stab at finding more information about them please do. And let me know so I can credit you with that information here on this post.