Jell-O

On “free museum day” this year we visited the

Birthplace of Jell-0 in LeRoy, NY

{most images from newyorkupstate.com}

A tour guide gave us a quick rundown on the history of Jell-O, and then we walked through the rest of the quaint museum displays on our own.

We loved looking at the old Jell-O memorabilia, everything from old boxes to recipes to advertisements.

It was really a trip down memory lane for us. I am not sure if a younger visitor would enjoy it as much as we did.

We are now inspired to recreate some of our old favorite recipes from our childhood.

Jell-o Trivia

In 1845, Peter Cooper dabbled with and patented a product which was "set" with gelatine but it never did "jell" with the American public.

In 1897, Pearle Wait was putting up a cough remedy and laxative tea in his home. He experimented with gelatine and came up with a fruit flavored dessert which his wife, May, named Jell-O.

In 1899 he sold his formula to a fellow townsman, Orator Frank Woodward, for the sum of $450.  Sales were slow and disheartening for the new product

An advertising campaign in 1902 proved so successful that in 1902 Jell-O sales mounted to $250,000.

They began the distribution of recipes and samples in 1904. The first of the Jell-O "best seller" recipes rolled off the presses. In some years as many as 15 million booklets were distributed.

 In 1904, Jell-O introduced the Jell-O Girl, four year old Elizabeth King whose father, Franklin King, was an artist connected with the Jell-O's advertising agency.

In 1909, the Genesee Pure Food Company posted sales earnings of over a million dollars. Four years later, that number doubled. January 6, 1925, Jell-O is issued a patent for a sugarless gelatin dessert known as D-Zerta.

The first four Jell-O flavors were orange, lemon, strawberry, and raspberry. Lime was introduced
in 1930.

There are currently 18 flavors.

The little Jell-O package which was born in LeRoy in 1897 left its hometown to make its way in the wide wide world in 1964. Today Jell-O is manufactured by Kraft/General Foods in Dover Delaware.

There is a small gift shop to purchase souvenirs.

Do you have a favorite jell-o memory?

stylin in 1957

I know that Father's Day has past but 

I just came across this photo and couldn't resist posting it.

 How about those rolled up jeans and argyle socks?

stylin in 1957

mother's day

a little trip down memory lane

circa 1992 

belleair beach

Last week we visited Belleair Keys where my father-in-law lived for 20+ years.

We had a flood of memories from days gone by. 

Happy times spent with "Grandpa Jim" at the beach. 

While there, we were so fortunate to have a long conversation 

with 92-year-old Sylvia Holstein who remembered Jim Sr.

as a good friend and shared great stories with us.

 

by the way . . .  Sylvia Holstein

is an amazing woman 

where the magic happens

We recently discovered {thank you Jim and Cathy} that we qualify for 

Florida resident discounts on rooms and tickets at Disney World.

After a little help from AAA we will be off to Disney on Wednesday.

Wishing you could join us at . . . 

Epcot

Hollywood Studios

Animal Kingdom

I don't think it really is the"happiest place on earth"

but it sure will be a fun filled three days.

Mark your calendars for next year  and come along !

thailand pastime

When both of your grandparents were teachers this is how you play . .



A=aiya, B=baby, C=cedar, E=ezra, G=grandpa, L=ming lindsays, M=mama, P=papa, Y=yayyay

first day of school

Things I miss about the first day of school.

shopping for and organizing all those school supplies
buying new lunch pails that match each personality
picking out the perfect outfit to wear
the excited {and nervous} faces of my children
getting back into a routine after a relaxing summer vacation
meeting teachers that will share my children for 10 months
a chance to get all 4 kids in one photo
knowing that soon new friends will become part of their lives
hearing about that first day over dinner
early bedtimes {for everyone}
structure that the school year brings

No more first days of school in our house



Good luck to those of you returning to school for another year.
I was never ready to give up summer until that first day of school
and then the magic happened . . .

away in the manager

When my children were little some of their favorite toys
were their Playmobil sets, We had pioneers, Indians, pirates,
knights, astronauts, families, soccer players, medical personnel,
police, farmyard, zoo, construction, etc. It is one toy
(along with Fisher-Price and legos) that we have kept for them,
tucked away in our storeroom.



So . . . even though they are now grown, when I saw this
new set at Wegmans I just couldn't resist.



Luckily on Christmas Eve,
I had a little help from our Pastor's family



Sweet little girls that know the story of Christmas well.



Away in the manager
No crib for a bed
The little Lord Jesus
Lay down his sweet head



The stars in the sky
looked down where He lay
The little Lord Jesus,
asleep on the hay"



And just so you know . . .
It took 4 young adults to put the stable together.
Now, who will come over and play with it?

irrevocable

Dear Mrs. C and Mr. W,

Please accept this letter as my irrevocable resignation for the purpose of retirement effective June 30, 2010.

When I married Jim in 1979 and moved to this area I had no idea how important you would all become in my life. The first day I started teaching at K Elementary School I didn’t know anyone here. Thirty years later this is truly my happy place and I can’t imagine leaving this family of friends and dedicated professionals.

I am constantly amazed and impressed at the impact that this wonderful staff has on the lives of K’s children and I could not have asked for a better or more welcoming place to work. I leave this job confident that I gave my all every day and with the hope that I have made a positive difference in the lives of our students.

Thank you for the opportunity to be part of this school district for all of these years. As I leave K Central School I take with me wonderful memories of working with you and look forward to keeping in touch.

Sincerely,
MH

Don't look back . . .


Look ahead . . .

halloween

Now that my children are grown and gone

I have to resort to dressing up my dolls.Here is Alex fitting right in with the Patty Playpals.