The Basement

This is one of those memories I'll never forget because as soon as I light a wood burning fireplace, I'm transported right back to the basement of the house I grew up in.

The basement, now home to a new guest bedroom with a gas fireplace on the wall, and the laundry room was once our main living space. The upstairs living room used to be full of antiques and was more of a formal living room.

There used to be an ugly green and off-white-ish sort of couch as well as a burnt orangish red lazy boy chair.

There was a large hutch, which I believe is still there that used to hold our box TV and if I am remembering correctly it had a dial to change the channels. I remember watching cartoons and Sesame Street on it! I remember my dad coming home for lunch and us RUNNING upstairs

Most of my memories stem from looking at pictures of my childhood which might be why I LOVE pictures so much! But we had many birthday parties down there. We had a long table set up along the front side of the house of the basement... There are home video's of these parties and I love seeing my Grandma in them!

We also used to have Christmas down in the basement. We used to get a REAL Christmas tree that went in the basement every year and the fake one in the living room upstairs. The one down stairs had all the goofy, animated, colourful ornaments and the bead strands. We also have a wood burning fireplace in the basement which is why we lived down there. Once we got the "fake" one upstairs the downstairs ceased to exist as "the" hang out place.

My brother and I used to make some forts down there that were pretty cool! I remember a series of tunnels we made with the amazing cardboard boxes my dad used to bring home from work! I need to remember to bring home random stuff like that for when I have kids!

I also had a fancy tea party birthday down there one year!

I remember falling in love with  Kristi Yamaguchiand Scotty Hamilton's backflips there, snuggled up under ugly but warm (yellow, brown & orange zigzag striped) blankets, sipping cocoa, replacing wood in the fire. Such wonderful, wonderful memories!


One year I hosted a big dinner for 21 girls! It was formal attire, and it was a full turkey & potatoes spread on Valentines Day! After dinner we had an awards show in the basement that Carrie helped me plan! We had a red carpet lined with Christmas lights, and a podium! We invited Anne - the Youth Leaders wife, and we even had entertainment; Nikki & Nicole sang a duet! We gave each girl an award based on something from their personality!  That could be a whole other blog post as well!!  But here's a picture of the senior girls from the party!!

These wonderful things are the things we remember all though our lives.

I remember: the years of TICS when every Christmas we had a surprise Christmas video and a Surprise guest to our youth group nights, during Christmas....  It was always 1 of 2 Christmas movies, and I can only remember 1 of them, but it rotated every year, so it was never really a surprise! 1 of the movies was the Grinch... the old one, the cartoon one.... Melissa - do you remember the other one? Every year 1 of the Ottaways dressed up like Santa Clause! I remember 1 year it was Marty, the years before he was old enough to be in the youth group. I don't really remember what he did or brought. But That is my memory of the TICS Christmas's.     (TICS stands for Teens in Christ's Service)

I remember: the Christmas that my family took off on Boxing Day for Disney World! That was certainly a different Christmas than I had ever had before! We had to go to bed early that night, so that we could get up early and fly to Florida! That was my first and only time to Disney! I will never forget it! We took Aunt Steph & Aunt Bessie!! How cool is that!!!?

I remember: the year that Dana got a Calendar for Christmas and as she was pulling it out of the wrapping paper, she hit me in the nose with the calendar causing me a bloody nose all over new clothes I had just received that morning and was wearing for the 1st time!

I remember: the years at my Grandma's house for Christmas. I really hope I never forget, I was very young when we used to have all the kids over there, we were all kids then - young even Chad & Ryan were kids so I was like 3 or 4 probably. I remember 1 year my Grandparents had gone to Florida and brought us (Jacqi, Michael & I) back dresses and new clothes! I don't remember, but I have pictures to solidify the memories of making Gingerbread houses with Grandma and Michael and Jacqi.

I remember: chocolate chip muffins, yule log cookies, & crepes!

I remember: wearing my new PJ's to bed and then staying in them all day, or until I got something new to put on instead!