Visiting Ruby Falls in Chattanooga

Ruby Falls, Chattanooga, TN, November 26, 2019

I can’t believe that almost one year has passed since I’ve made my last post on WordPress!

A ceiling view inside Ruby Falls Cave, November 26, 2019

My family and I have been extremely busy this year, and the time has really flown by at an incredible speed – much faster than usual, I’d say.

Formations that resemble tobacco leaves. Ruby Falls Cave, November 26, 2019

It has been a great year, however, and my son and I took a couple of days to enjoy the sites in Chattanooga during Thanksgiving vacation.

Another ceiling view inside Ruby Falls Cave. Notice that some of the formations have been broken off in the past. Tourists were told that people did that in the 1930s during the Great Depression to sell them for money. November 26, 2019

Posted here are some pictures I took while inside the Ruby Falls Cave on Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

A formation resembling a leaning tower. Ruby Falls Cave. November 26, 2019

I had never been there before, so I was pleasantly surprised and awed by its beauty.

Formation that looks like an elephant’s foot inside Ruby Falls Cave. November 26, 2019

I’ve toured a few caves in the past, but this is one of the best I’ve seen!

A famous formation in Ruby Falls Cave that people are allowed to touch. November 26, 2019

Please enjoy the pictures, although they don’t do it justice.

Making Another Holiday Cake

A better Christmas cake than last week! December 31, 2018

I’m getting better at decorating these holiday cakes, now. Instead of trying to frost half green and half red, I just decided to frost all red, and make a green Christmas tree, outlined with cinnamon drops.

It really looks much better than my previous one!

Making Frosted Christmas Sugar Cookies

Some of my Frosted Christmas Sugar Cookies, December 27, 2018

I’m at it again – baking for most of the day today! It’s the holiday season, and I really would like my family and friends to enjoy some of my goodies.

Some more Christmas Cookies, December 27, 2018

Today, I baked two batches of sugar cookies – from my great grandmother’s recipe. They are absolutely delicious, and even better when they’re frosted!

Cookies cooling after taking them out of the oven, December 27, 2018

Only two of the larger gingerbread man-style cut-outs broke in half, so I did really well keeping everything whole. And, I definitely worked up a sweat more than once today, but the end product is all worth it!

A tray of cookies after being baked, December 27, 2018

Merry Christmas and happy holidays!

Making Apricot-Nut Roll Pastries

Today, I baked some apricot-nut roll pastries to continue celebrating the Christmas spirit! The recipe is one that my Mom had since the late 1960s or early 1970s from the magazine, Better Homes and Gardens. My first tray turned out a little gooey (see above), but I improved by adding more flour after that (see below).

If you don’t really like apricots, the pastries are still really great! You just use apricot jelly to make them, and it causes them to taste quite sweet. They are really yummy, and my family and I love them!

Baking for Christmas!

Christmas chocolate cake, December 2018

In the past week, I’ve done some baking for Christmas! Usually, my mom does the baking around the holidays, but with her death in March, I’ve done a bit. We all miss Mom and her lovely peanut brittle, fruit cake, and other goodies. She really should’ve opened her own bakery because she was so talented at baking.

Chocolate-nut fudge, December 2018

This year, I tried my hand at the chocolate-nut fudge, and it turned out great! It was the first time I ever made fudge. I followed the recipe to the ‘t,’ and was very pleased with the results. My son really loves the chocolate fudge, and I’m happy he can enjoy some at these Christmas holidays.

Merry Christmas cake, December 2018

I also baked two chocolate cakes, and decorated them with a Christmas theme. I baked one cake for my family and another for our elderly neighbors. Both cakes have a Christmas tree on them.  One cake even has a shooting star at the top – see if you can spot it! Hopefully, I can bake some cookies next…Merry Christmas!

Time Goes by so Fast

My son, a Life-rank Boy Scout, Snellville, Georgia, June 2018

It has been several months since I last posted here on WordPress. It’s not for a lack of desire to write or post, but because the time goes by so fast and I’m very busy with life. It’s actually a good feeling to be busy because I know I’m using my time wisely and constructively. Being there as a support for my teenage son in all of his activities, and continuing my work as a counselor takes up most of my time. It’s all very rewarding and it’s great to enjoy this time in my life. Because the time goes by so quickly, I know it’s important to enjoy every moment as much as possible.

My son has accomplished some milestones in the past several months since I last posted. When he turned 15, he got his driver’s permit here in Georgia. Right now, he is actually very busy, so he has practiced driving very little. Of course, there is more of that to come. In Boy Scouts, he attended two leadership camps this past summer, including one at Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. It was a great experience for him. He also earned his Hornaday Badge Award and held his Honor Court for that in September. Now, he’s working on his Eagle project, and finishing up his last remaining Eagle-required merit badges. He really loves Boy Scouts and hopes to stick with it. School is also going well for him, and he is already a sophomore. I’m so proud of him! Indeed, the time goes by so fast!

Anna Maria Krakowiak Babcock (July 25, 1943 – March 7, 2018)

Anna Maria Krakowiak Babcock (July 25, 1943 – March 7, 2018)

Anna Maria (Krakowiak) Babcock died on March 7, 2018 at her home in Snellville, Georgia after a long illness. Anna was a survivor of ovarian cancer. Shortly after her recovery, she was diagnosed with primary peritoneal cancer, which took her life.

Anna was born to Wladislawa “Lottie” (Bulera) Krakowiak and Janek “John” Krakowiak on July 25, 1944 in Schelerten, Germany. Anna’s parents, both Polish, endured two world wars in Europe, and decided to immigrate to the United States. Anna and her family came into the United States through Ellis Island, and moved to Gowanda, New York, near Buffalo in 1950, where Anna spent most of her life.

Anna graduated from Gowanda Central High School in 1963, and married Bruce Babcock, originally of Collins, New York, on July 6, 1963. Anna attended Jamestown Community College, studying business and psychology. She was employed at the Gowanda Psychiatric Center, and co-owned and operated the Sears Retail Store in Gowanda for many years, where she retired in 1982. In 2006, Anna moved to Snellville, Georgia, to be near her only grandchild, J. Bobby Nice, III.

Anna is survived by her husband, Bruce E. Babcock; her daughter, Michele E. Babcock-Nice; and her grandson, J. Bobby Nice, III, all of Snellville. Anna’s surviving son is Charles J. Babcock, of Gowanda. Anna is also survived by her sister, Maria (Krakowiak Spires) Walker, of Delray Beach, Florida, and Larry Krakowiak, of Gowanda. Anna’s surviving nephew is Phillip Spires, of Gowanda; and her surviving niece is Desiree (Spires) O’Malley of South Carolina. Anna was predeceased by her parents, and her brother, Peter Krakowiak, of Chicago, Illinois.

Among Anna’s favorite pastimes were gardening, cooking, baking, and spending time with family and friends. Anna was very religious and spiritual, and regularly prayed the Rosary. Anna, also known as “Mimi” to her family, was loved dearly by her husband and family, and will be sorely missed.

A memorial service for Anna will be held at St. John Neumann Catholic Church Marian Chapel in Lilburn on March 16, 2018 at 11:00 am. Funeral arrangements are by Wentland Funeral Home in North Collins, New York, and burial will be at Holy Cross Cemetery, associated with St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church, in Gowanda, New York. Memorial donations may be made to St. John Neumann Church or the American Cancer Society.