Tag: 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

Grandma’s Chocolate Oatmeal Cookie Tradition

Published on by Ann Marie Bryant2 Comments

All favorite family recipes begin with a pinch of joy, a heaping spoonful of love, and generous amounts of laughter. That’s how our family’s Chocolate Oatmeal Cookie recipe came together. The warm scent of cocoa wafted through Grandma’s home, and we all knew she had made our favorite treat. Our Chocolate Oatmeal Cookie recipe is more than just a dessert; it is a cherished tradition that connects generations through love, laughter, and shared memories.


As a child, I remember Grandma creating these treats for her grandchildren. Her cozy cottage kitchen was warm and cheerful, the perfect gathering place for lively conversations, games of Chinese Checkers, and sweet indulgences. The air was filled with laughter and music, as she adored the Grand Ole Opry and country tunes. Mom also made these cookies after inheriting the recipe. It’s amusing how these treats still remind me of the two women I cherished most, of happy childhood memories, of the love we shared, and of the special moments we embraced as a family.


Of course, my younger brother, David, had a particular fondness for these cookies; they were his favorite. As soon as he came home from school, he recognized the scent the moment he walked through the back door. Sometimes, before the cookies had a chance to cool and harden, David would sneak a spoon and carefully scoop a cookie from the tinfoil lining the kitchen table. Mom always chuckled; it was their special thing. David and Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies became part of his identity, a shared joke, and a source of joy. Even in his older years, his Christmas list always included his beloved Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies.


Mama also made these cookies for special occasions, but she often prepared them for after-school surprises. Many rainy afternoons, I would come home to Mama’s cozy yellow kitchen, the air rich with warm chocolate and sweet vanilla. We would sit on the couch, curl up under a blanket, and enjoy our treat. Those sweet mother-and-daughter moments were filled with conversations about school days and friends. Basking in her warmth, they became precious reminders of her love and care—memories that grow dearer with time.


As time passes, those cookies have become more than just a treat; they are a link to my family and the memories of my grandma, Mama, and my brother David. Although we’ve grown up, the smell of those cookies makes us feel like kids again, transporting us back to a time when a mother took time from her busy schedule to create a sweet treat she knew her children would enjoy. Hopefully, this family recipe will continue to be passed down from generation to generation, for after all, every family requires a little magic and sweetness.

No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup butter or margarine, cut into 1-tablespoon pieces so it melts faster
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 3 cups quick-cooking oats
  • 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions :

  • In a large saucepan, combine the butter or margarine, cocoa powder, sugar, and milk,
  • Stir well and bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil for 90 seconds, stirring occasionally.
  • Remove from the heat and stir in the oats, peanut butter, and vanilla.
  • Drop by heaping tablespoonfuls onto baking sheets lined with wax paper or parchment paper. Let cool to set.

Set a timer and be sure to boil the chocolate mixture for precisely 90 seconds. If you don’t boil long enough, the cookies may not harden. If you boil them too long, they will be dry.

What’s your favorite twist on the no bake cookies? And if you make this recipe, be sure to let me know how they turned out.

My Favorite Teacher

Published on by Ann Marie Bryant10 Comments

As a child, my mother would read to me every day, so books became an essential part of my life from an early age, and Mama laid the foundation for my love of books. When I was about three years old, she started teaching me the alphabet, and I began writing those letters. By the time I was four years old, I was reading books independently.

One fun activity I enjoyed was our treasure hunts. It taught me some of my sight words. Go, to and the. Then my mother would draw objects from around the house with the word printed under her creations. My vocabulary grew as I learned the words: lamp, couch, mailbox, and so many more. Once I completed my activity, I would find a treat or barrette or hair ribbon for my treasure.

As my vocabulary grew, she taught me how to read with the Dick and Jane primer series. I was excited to show my dad I could read Fun with Dick and Jane. As I progressed, so did my library. She always made sure that I had plenty of books to read. Some of my favorite childhood books were James and the Giant Peach, Where the Red Fern Grows, Charlotte’s Web, Little Women, and From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. As a child, I also enjoyed the book series Dr. Seuss, Mrs. Piggle Wiggle, Little House on the Prairie, Nancy Drew, and the Hardy Boys.

Looking back at that time, I fondly remember a busy mother taking time to ensure I had a good start on my educational journey. Without a doubt, my favorite teacher made learning exciting.

Photo Source:

A Snapshot of Mama

Published on by Ann Marie BryantLeave a comment

The young girl poses on a rocky ridge. She wears light-colored slacks and a button-up shirt. Her long brown hair is pulled back into braids. Sitting on the ledge with her dog, she holds onto Midge’s reins. She looks into the distance and smiles.

This picture is one of my favorite photos of my mother, Dotty Allen. I received this photo after she died, and I wish I could ask her questions. Where was the photo taken? On the family ranch? How old was she? My guess is around 12 or 13, so the year it was taken was about 1946 0r 1947. I wish I could ask her what her pup’s name was. And I wanted to know what she was looking at in the distance.

Although my mom and I often talked about her life, I still have so many questions. I wish she were still here to answer my queries and spin more yarns and tales about her life on the ranch.

Marie-Marguerite Dufrost de Lajemmerais: The Mother of Universal Charity

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Margueritte d’Youville – Le Mémorial du Québec, 1918

All the wealth in the world cannot be compared with the happiness of living together happily united.

— Marie-Marguerite Dufrost de Lajemmerais – Saint Marie-Marguerite d’Youville

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Marie Deshayes: A Daughter of the King

Published on by Ann Marie Bryant1 Comment
Jean Talon, Bishop François de Laval and several settlers welcome the King’s Daughters upon their arrival. Painting by Eleanor Fortescue-Brickdale.

On July 3, 1668, when she was about sixteen, Marie sailed to New France on the ship, La Nouvelle France.

As the colonies grew in New France during the seventeenth century, the men outnumbered the women. As male settlers and soldiers moved to these new lands, they wanted to settle down, marry, and have children. To help alleviate this problem, the French monarch King Louis XIV sent about 800 women to New France between 1663 and 1673. Over the years, the women became known as the king’s daughters. He provided a dowry of money and items the women would require when setting up their new homes. As soon as the couples married, they often received livestock and chickens. In addition, they were given an annual pension after the pair began having children.

When the king’s daughters arrived in the colonies, they were given room and board until they found a suitable marriage partner. A formal education was often neglected since life’s demands kept even the children busy. When children turned twelve, they took classes at Sunday school to prepare for their First Communion. In the colonies, young women were also trained to become wives and mothers. They took classes on keeping a house, and they learned to cook, preserve food, sew, mend clothes, plan, save and keep accounts. They were also taught good manners. Although life in the colonies was not an easy life, the women flourished. They tended to outlive their female contemporaries that remained in the old country.

About 1652, Marie Deshayes was born in Rouen, Normandy, to Anne Fortin and Alexandre Deshayes. On July 3, 1668, when she was about sixteen, Marie sailed to New France on the ship, La Nouvelle France. On May 20, 1668, she was confirmed at Chambly. About 1668 or 1669, she married a former soldier, Adrien Betourne dit Laviolette in Sorrel, Quebec. The couple settled in Repentigny and had two children, Pierre (about 1669) and Marie-Anne (about 1684). Two years after she arrived in Canada, her sister Marguerite came to Canada. She married Pierre Menard dit Saintonge at Sorel. They moved to Saint-Ours. The sisters lived about 50 miles away from one another.

Confirmation – 20 May 1668 – Marie des Hayes of Rouen

On August 30, 1695, a formal separation of property was ordered between Marie and Adrien. On December 18, 1707, Marie died. She was buried at the Notre Dame Ancient Cemetery in Montreal, Quebec.

18 Decembre 1707 – Marie Deshays, age 58 years, wife of Adrien Betourne dit Laviolette, died at I’Hotel-Dieu at this village after receiving the sacraments of the church. Testimony – Mr. Antoine di Valens et Henry Meriel, priests.

The King’s Daughters

Family Tree

Marie Deshays 1649-1707
9th great-grandmother

Marie Anne Betourne 1684-1726
Daughter of Marie Deshays

Pierre Chicoine 1723-1781
Son of Marie Anne Betourne

Pierre Charles Chicoine Dozois 1744-1795
Son of Pierre Chicoine

Pierre Chicoine Dozois 1769-1835
Son of Pierre Charles Chicoine Dozois

Marie Eulalie Chicoine 1808-1839
Daughter of Pierre Chicoine Dozois

Joseph LaDuke 1827-1907
Son of Marie Eulalie Chicoine

Ellsie LaDuke 1862-1898
Daughter of Joseph LaDuke

Anna Strassburg 1892-1913
Daughter of Ellsie LaDuke

Elva Marie Allen 1908-1983
Daughter of Anna Strassburg

Sources:

End of the Line: Madeline De Brie and Nicholas Mignault

Published on by Ann Marie Bryant4 Comments
Herman, Paul and Jean de Limbourg, October (detail with Louvre), from Les Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry, 1413-16, ink on vellum (Musée Condé, Chantilly)

During the sixteenth century, the Renassaince arrived throughout the nations of Europe, and France celebrated in all of its glorious splendor. The French monarchs returned to the city, and Paris began to flourish. Henry IV ended the religious wars and his people enjoyed their new spiritual freedoms. New monarchies supported the arts and sciences, which influenced all the nations of Europe. Architectural wonders, monuments, and city parks abounded, and Parisians took pride in their lovely homeland.

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The Cornerstone

Published on by Ann Marie Bryant6 Comments
Summer 1965 – Ann Marie, mother, Dotty, David and Tommy, Alameda, California

Often, recollections from days gone by take up residence in my thoughts as I remember my childhood. Days of warmth and fun-loving doings flow full circle. Yet, each innocent recollection eventually comes to rest on the woman that rendered care for her family, the loving matriarch of my family, my mother, Dotty Allen Reeder.

This woman gave me so much strength, hope, and courage. She taught me to laugh and rejoice at each extraordinary occurrence that took place in our lives. It was the simple things that found a home in my heart, words of encouragement, cuddles on the couch on rainy days or endless board games at the kitchen table. Or, it was summer tournaments of baseball and kickball with brothers and neighbors with mom in the middle of it all.

Always my closest confidant, we shared stories and laughter and silly gossip while doing kitchen chores or sharing a Dr. Pepper, her favorite soda, and now mine. She was the hub of our home, the very foundation that provided prudence and understanding on how to live in a world that was not always kind. She reminded everyone to find joy in each incredible moment and take nothing for granted. As my biggest cheerleader, the world sometimes feels so strange without her. Still, I find her in the shared stories with her granddaughter. I see her smile in my granddaughter, her kindness in my grandson, her ornery humor in another. Her legacy has continued and found residence in each generation that has followed; the cornerstone of our family still stands.

Fright Night

Published on by Ann Marie Bryant7 Comments

“If The Exorcist doesn’t knock you out of your seat, it’s only because you are too stunned to move.”

Stanley Eichelbaum ~ The San Francisco Examiner ~ 26 Dec 1973

“Everybody in the movie experienced some kind of horror.  On the day Max von Sydow arrived for his first scene, his brother died, and the film was again delayed while Von Sydow returned to Sweden for the funeral.  The little girl’s grandfather died the first week of the picture.  One of the carpenters cut his thumb off.  Irish actor Jack MacGowan who is murdered by the demon possessing the child, dropped dead one week after his death scene.”

Billy Friedkin ~ The Los Angeles Times ~ 18 Nov 1973

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