Grandma's 90th Birthday!

Last week was my Grandma's 90th birthday and the entire family got together on Sunday to celebrate this milestone in her life ... Italian style! The family took over a back room at Lascari's Restaurant in Whittier. We may be a wacky bunch, but we know how to eat and laugh and we know the meaning of family!


The food was amazing, but I would expect nothing less!

gnocchi with brown butter and garlic

lasagna, just like Grandma makes

cheese ravioli

Aside from the food, we were here to celebrate a birthday. The woman who raised me because my mom worked full-time and was a single mother ... much like me now ... has spent 90 years on this planet. Ironic how history repeats itself. I hope Dylan has a bond as strong as I do with my Grandma with my Mom when he is older.


I am who I am today because of my Grandma. She taught me so many things ... how to bake a pie, make a pizza, bake lasagna, bake snickerdoodles, knit, crochet, sew, vacuum, iron ... the list could go on forever. She was like a second mom to me. I remember taking the bus to her house after school and riding the city bus downtown with her to buy bread from the Weber Bakery.

This once strong woman who could scare the living daylights out of you just by taking the wooden spoon out of the drawer and placing it on the counter is now a frail woman. She has lived a full life and seen more than I will probably see in my lifetime. Mary Jane Rinaldi, 'Janie" to her husband, is Mom to six children, Grandma to eight grandchildren, and  Great-Grandma to three adoring great-grandchildren.

Happy 90th Birthday Grandma ... We all love you!

I know you miss Grandpa, but I'm not ready for you to go anywhere just yet ... so let's start planning your 91st birthday celebration.