Grampa was a family man

Grampa was a dancer

Grampa was the best dancer at our wedding. And Gram could keep up with him no problem.

Grampa was a husband

Just look at the joy on their faces on their 50th wedding anniversary!

Grampa was a dad

Grampa Cronin was a dad. He left a legacy of dads... so much so that at my bachelorette party, when asked "What does Shamus want to be when he grows up?" I said "A dad." And that's what Shamus's answer was. Seeing the love Shamus has for his kids makes me feel proud of who Grampa was as a dad - even though I was never his daughter. And it didn't skip a generation - Jim, like his father, adopted me as his own. What a blessing fathers are!

Grampa was mine, too

I got to know Grampa at Outback Steakhouse when he came to Georgia to see Shamus graduate. Before the waiter took our drink order, I managed to ask for some bread (because I love their bread). Grampa's first reaction was to make fun of me. And in that moment I basically adopted him as my Grampa. He knew I was in love with his grandson and he came at me with open arms and before he left Georgia, I got my first Grampa hug and kiss. That was almost 10 years ago. How I will miss those hugs and kisses.

Gram Ham Recipe

I made Gram Ham today. It's a recipe I made up based on other recipes that were said to be delicious. Most of the ingredients came from Shamus's grandmother so there's no way yours could possibly be as good as ours unless you get into her stash. And come to butcher pigs at Thanksgiving. Good luck.

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

butter

olive oil

Gram's applesauce

Gram's crabapple jelly

Ham steak from butchering

Cinnamon

Directions:

Melt butter and a little olive oil in a pan. Brown ham steak on med-high. Inhale through nose and say "mmmm". Turn to low. Drain the butter and fatty juices. Use a spatula to keep that ham in there! Put 6 Tbsp Gram's applesauce lunch lady style on the ham. Flip the ham over. Listen to the splat and think "cool sound". Spread crabapple jelly on the ham the way a 7 year old would on a PB&J. Sprinkle cinnamon on top until you think it looks pretty. Cook around 15 mins or until your side dishes are done. Serve with sliced oranges. And bacon (from butchering).

PS I only had Mott's, not Gram's, and Shamus still said it was amazing. I think he'd be speechless if it had been Gram's. Also, I did not serve it with bacon but that would have been AWESOME because bacon is soooo good. Especially butchering bacon.