My Wonderful, Smart, Beautiful, Loving Sisters

Today I want to let my sisters know how special they are to me. I grew up in a VERY large family. There were 9 of us kids (4 boys and 5 girls) for my mom and dad to take care of and Love. They did a awesome job making sure we all knew how much we were loved.

I LOVED coming from a large family most of the time. There was always someone there when you needed something. Our family was big but it was kind of split in two. My parents had the 4 boys but kept trying for a girl. When they had Jeanette they were done...or so they thought at the time. Five years later they had Shelly and before they knew it, Norma, me and Kari were added to the mix. I don't remember all 9 of us living at home at the same time EVER. Anyway....on to my original plan for this post. Sorry about getting off track but, that's just how I roll ...LOL...BACK TO MY SISTERS!

My oldest sister Jeanette was quite a bit older than me so I don't really have a lot of memories of her when I was young. There is one very distinct memory I have and that is of her and her friends playing a song called "Itsy, Bitsy, Teeny, Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini" I LOVED that song and had a polka dot bikini...I would run and put that on and dance around bugging her and her friends every time I heard them play that record.

As we grew older and she got married and moved out on her own. I remember babysitting for her quite a bit. I loved going to her house and playing with my cute little nieces and nephews. Sadly she got sick and passed away at the extremely young age of 38 after fighting leukemia with all her might. She left 10 children. I remember that phone call so vividly. All I could do was sit and worry about my nieces and nephews. I'm sure her older kids have some great memories of their mom but the young ones may only have a hazy memory or two if even that. It breaks my heart. She was so much like my mom, she lived for her kids and was an incredible mother, wife, sister, daughter....an all around beautiful person inside and out! LOVE and MISS her so very much!!

Shelly... hmmm what can I say about one of the most loving, kind and generous people I have ever known. I am truly blessed to have her as a sister. She stepped in and gave my girls the unconditional love that I know my mom would have given them had she lived. She was not able to have any of her own children so her MANY nieces and nephews have meant so much to her. When they were all little they called her "Aunt Silly" I think she loved that name. She doted on my girls and spent countless hours and weekends with them. She is ALWAYS there for them and me when we need her. I am so thankful to her for all the help and support she gave all of us during the trauma one of my precious daughters and the rest of my family had to face. She would do ANYTHING for her family and I hope she knows just how much I love and appreciate all she does. I Love you with all my heart Shell and I thank God for having a sister like you.

My sister Norma has always been strong minded and very sensible. She is just 2 years older than me and I always envied her growing up. She was a cheerleader and very popular. I hated being constantly asked if I was Norma's sister. Even though I got irritated when I felt like I was in her shadow I was so proud of her and her accomplishments. She always tried to encourage me to get involved in activities at school. I went the total opposite way...LOL sometimes I wish I would have listened to her more. She always invited me to go with her and her friends and really watched out for me. At the time I didn't really see it that way but now, as an adult I see what a really great sister she was. I was the typical tag a long little sister that talked to much and did my best to totally annoy my big sister. The thing was, she never did seem to get annoyed. I have very fond memories growing up with Norma and I am thankful (now that I'm older) that She was MY big sister. I Love you Norma!!

Now, last but certainly not least, my baby sister Kari. I think I am probably closest to Kari out of all my sisters but it wasn't always that way. I am 3 years older and growing up all I saw when I looked at her was a spoiled rotten little brat...LOL..(I mean that in the nicest possible way Kari) She was the baby of the family and I guess I was probably just a little jealous of the attention she got. I was NOT a very nice sister to her growing up and I'm probably lucky she even talks to me now....LOL

Now that we are grown I love her dearly and feel very fortunate that she is my kid sister. I know that I can go to her with any problem and she will do everything in her power to help. I wish she lived closer so that I could see her more. I miss our visits so very much. I'm not sure what I would do without her in my life, she is more than my sister, she is one of my dearest friends. Kari is an amazing woman and fantastic mom and in my opinion an absolutely AWESOME sister and I'm so proud of all she has accomplished in her life. Love you Kari!!

OK.....ready for a great pie recipe? I LOVE this pie. I made it for the first time last Thanksgiving.

Eggnog Custard Pie

1/2 (15-ounce) package refrigerated pie crust 1 cup sugar 4 large eggs 1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk 3/4 cup water 1/4 cup light rum 1/8 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon Whipped cream, for garnish Powdered sugar, for garnish

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. On a lightly floured surface, unroll pie crust. Roll pastry into a 12-inch circle. Press pie crust into a 9-inch deep dish pie plate, crimping edges, if desired. Lightly poke holes into the bottom of the dough once it’s fitted firmly in the plate. In a large bowl, beat sugar and eggs at medium speed with an electric mixer until well combined. Add evaporated milk, water, rum and salt. Beat at low speed until combined. Pour mixture into crust. Sprinkle top of pie with nutmeg and cinnamon. Place pie onto a rimmed baking sheet with a depth of 1/2-inch. Add hot water to baking sheet. Bake for about 55 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted near center comes out clean. Cut into desired sizes and garnish with whipped cream and powdered sugar