Cindy's Birthday

Yesterday was my daughter Cindy's birthday. We gathered together and had presents and delicious cake. When she was born it was due on Thanksgiving Day. My husband parents turned up to stay with the other three. My labor pains had started and I went down the basement to check if my husbands shirts were dry. They were on a clothesline in the basement as we did not have a dryer. They were dry and lying on the floor as the clothesline had broke. It made me so mad that my labor pains stopped. They started up again after Thanksgiving and I went to the hospital in Kansas City Kansas==Providence. I was in the hall as it was very crowded and was near the stairs the doctors used. We had thought of the name Cindy as there was a cute song going around called Cindy Lou and the name sounded good to go with Steve. Susan and Sally. She was born without any trouble and not in the hall and I was in time to enjoy meals of leftover turkey. Happy Birthday Cindy. We are glad you came.

Mrs. Knappe's Turkey casserole

Every year the day after Thanksgiving the K C Star use to print "Mrs. Knappe's Turkey Casserole but this year they had a Turkey Taco. Here is her old recipe if you do not want a taco. Here it is. Leftover dressing,leftover turkey, leftover gravy. Bake casserole for 40 minutes at 325 degrees. If you do not have enough gravy packages gravy is good.

ANOTHER tHANKSGIVING MEMORY

I know this is not accurate but I will just write the memory I have. The day after Thanksgiving was another celebration started by a Kansas City Mayor. By the time i was involved in it my memory was a little vague. I can not remember the name of the mayor who started it but I remember him and his wife. One of his friends Jerry Cohen took it over and Jerry I remember well as my husband Ray even wrote about the many things he did for Kansas City. Kansas City ordered a big pine tree from Oregon which came in by train in two pieces. I think it was Bartle. In the time before Thanksgiving they sold chances on a car to be given away on the night after Thanksgiving and the money earned went to Kansas City charities. I think it was a Ford dealer.People would not receive the car because the taxes were too high so they were given a years lease on the car. Every year on the night after Thanksgiving we went to the Crown Center for the festivities. A group sang, then a celebrity spoke a few worda==generally. They gave out candy and the Boy Scouts handed out candles and then help light them during the ceremonies at the end. The ice skating rink was open and you could skate will you were waiting. The next day I would drive Jerry and Ray around while they delivered gifts like candy and toys to Mercy Children's Hospital. One year Jerry's nephew won and they were in a dither. Ray argued he showed have the car. The taxes became too high on the car so the winner got a rental car for a year. Sometimes I sat inside the Crown Center and sold tickets during the ceremonies as the winner was not drawn until the next day. I know the ceremonies are still carried on and they have added fireworks.

Thanksgiving again

One of the nice things in Kansas City at Thanksgiving is the lighting of the Plaza lights. I probably do not have my history correct but I think it was started by JC Nichols. Downtown Kansas City had so many Christmas things. Mr and Mrs Santa Claus in the window of Emery, Bird, Thayer. The neat train in Jones,The Fairy Princess in Klines and he had this new area he started so he started the Plaza Lights.

For a time, when we could afford it, we rented a room at the Alameda and had our children and grandchildren to see the lights turned on. You got a couple of parking places in the garage, ate a good dinner. I generally had to take a casserole of Kraft dinner for grandchildren.

The lights burn out sometimes and there was a florist shop in Fairway who sold the burnt out bulbs as a memento. They have great crowds and the program on a stage is good.

The only other big entertainment is the day after Thanksgiving when they light the Mayor's Christmas Tree at Crown Center. I think there is a Christmas train at Union Station, I will think on these things and hope they are correct but my husband who was a newspaper man, said I was never a reliable source.

Thansgiving again

When I was about ten the President did not declare what day was Thanksgiving and states were to choose themselves. Missouri picked one day and Kansas the preceeding Thursday. My father decided to take us to Kansas City on the Thursday Kansas picked and loaded us up and we headed east on Highway Ten which was the south highway and went thru Lawrence, Kansas. We drove by the Indian school in Lawrence and headed east and arrived in the suburb of Kansas City known as Johnson County. Highway ten went through Shawnee and the highway went along through Mission and Fairway going east. We saw them turn on the lights in the Plaza and then left and went across the Kaw River to Kansas City, Kansas and stopped at the Katz store and bought a bag of Chocolate Kisses. We went west on Highway 40 eating the kisses which had been carefully divided and passed Lawrence across the river and on west to Topeka. We had a wonderful time and were all tired out. We had been to the big town east of Topeka. We visited Kansas City a lot to visit Aunt Lily and Uncle Jack> I think it was Liberty. My uncle was a seamstress and worked in a clothing factory and I had three cousins, Fred, Dorothy and Laura.

Thansgiving again

When my husband was alive this how we did Thansgiving dinner. We ate in the basement recreation room around the ping pong table sitting some on wooden benches from the backyard picnic table/ We used plastic plates and pretty paper napkins. We used seasonal material the length of the table I bought at a fabric store--4 yards. On Tuesday I fixed the potatoes snd tore them in the crock pot. Wednesday I bake the potatoes. Wednesday I baked 3 pumpkin and one mincemeat, Before we went to bed Ray fixed the turkey in a bag and put it in the oven. It started baking by a timer on the stove. At 11 the oven was available again and I make the Pepperidge Farm stuffing. I add some dripping from the turkey and a lot of water. The group brings in things like Green bean casserole, corn casserole and Yam casserole. Someone brings home made bread. Sally brings Waldorf Salad. We eat at noon so about 11:45 we put on the Kraft macaroni. We open the canned cranberry sauce and cut turkeys out of the slices. We open both kinds of olives, We open the canned gravy and heat. We have the pie on paper plates and birthday cake as we have a four Birthdays. Sometimes we have wine if some one brings it and sometimes Russell Stover chocolates. We have plastic trash sacks to put the trash in for everything but the silverware. Plastic silverware is not good we we do wash regular silverware, Then we sit back and think what a great day it has been and will be as the group will head to the Plaza to watch the lights come on in the evening.

Church Pilgrim Costumes

I need to correct the atory about the costumes as my grandaughter Hayden tells me that when Susan Wa moving she asked about taking the costumes and my grandaughter Hayden who was tired of dressing up in them told her to go ahead, My daughters and grandaughters wwew chosen because on my husbands family they were desendents of Priscialla Alden's granddaughter. She was not mad just moving. Sorry Susan. Thanks Hayden