Remembering....

Remembering that terrible day ten years ago today, those that lost their lives and their loved ones left behind. My own little tributes is the flag hanging outside the front door and this photo taken from the top of one of the towers along with the ticket. Didn't even know I had them until a while later looking through photos, had to give it a little place of it's own.

Happy birthday to my brother today! (Peewee's dad, from previous post)

Reminiscing (sniff, sniff)

(7-17-93, son, almost 5 yrs., daughter, 1 month)

Bear with me as I indulge in a little reminiscing. Though I have been doing a bit of it this past week, it really hit me Monday morning that my youngest is graduating from high school this Friday. Selfishly, it's not just the change of her school status, as well as my son's change, it is a whole new chapter for me. The end of a child in school where I must keep up with various activities, what's due, what must be sent in to school, school lunches, games, deadlines, uniforms washed, permission slips turned in, speaking with other moms, friendships, field trips, ballgames, dance recitals, excitement, disappointment, (okay, that won't end!) dances, school events.......you get the picture. My life changes drastically too. My son is finished with college and is home till next May when he marries (that will be a doozy). I catch a break on my daughter, she will be going to college here, living at home, at least her first year. Tomorrow is her last day of school, drawn out by make-up days from winter weather and the recent tornadoes that forced the schools closed for four days. So, I count down this week until Friday, graduation day. The countdown for my son never occurred since his last semester ended abruptly by the massive, destructive tornado that hit on the 27th in Tuscaloosa. He would have been there another week and a half but it ended without pomp and circumstance. So I celebrate the both of them for their accomplishments and share with you a little snippet of years gone by. I can't promise there won't be more before the week ends, after all, this is a once in a lifetime period of time! They were funny kids and are funny young adults. First day at Disney World. BigBoy is 6 1/2, VolleyGirl is 21 months. One of many times she mimicked him. "BigBoy", 4 years old 2 years old, thought Peewee Herman was hilarious. "VolleyGirl" at one month
One year old "BigBoy"....always into something, the stove drawer, cabinets, the coffee table. Notice the chair cushion is missing. 20 1/2 months. Kindergarten
Hmmmm, 3 or 4?

Almost 4 years old. 5 and 1, I think.
Easter 2011

22 1/2 and 17 1/2 years

Praying and thinking of those affected by the Joplin, Missouri, Oklahoma City and Dallas area tornadoes.

Decking the Halls and Other Places Too

Just when I was working towards posting more regularly.....BAM......decorating season began. It has been up awhile though the gifts aren't all wrapped, the parties have began and so has the baking. I have enjoyed seeing friends decorations posted so I took a bit of time to snap some scenes of an Artist Unplugged's plugged up home......... Mr. Unplugged and VolleyGirl set up the initial setting. BigBoy arrived home from school and are still adding to it. Those guys LOVE Christmas!

The foyer, just inside the front door.....not quite like I want but it looks festive with the little lights inside the glass containers filled with shiny ornaments.

The front stairs and view of the den from the foyer.

Big Boy and the chosen one agreed to be in the shot.

I put a small tree in the den since "someone" might bother the big tree. This year I put all the bulldog, golden retriever and a kitty ornaments on it which was met with glee. He owns the den, may as well decorate it that way!

Carolers, given to me by my MIL, are on a table in the den. Some of my Christmas plates, mugs and such are on the kitchen cupboard.

The dining room is to the right as you walk in the front door. It is painted a dark red. The chandelier came from my grandmother's house, as did the table, buffet and a china cabinet that isn't in the photo. The red tablecloth was embroidered by my mother, she used it on her dining room table which my brother has now.

The cupboard in the kitchen is covered with mugs to use.
Go up the front stairs, to the right ,down the end of the hall is a rec room where our big tree is up. Have had the white tree for a couple of years now....kind of a nice change. I will show the "wreck" room after I've finished wrapping. It's also where I paint.

Dudley checks out the lighted garland every year right after it's put up.

The kids' stocking were crocheted by my mom and are about 4 foot tall. She made one even bigger for her first grandchild, sort of as a joke. She reigned them in a little bit for the rest of the grandchildren. Makes a cute decoration and a conversation piece. Many gifts have been stuffed down into those stockings through the years. Hope to keep up a bit better if it doesn't get too hectic this week. May everyone be blessed and safe this week.

Happy Father's Day!!!

May all you fathers enjoy your day and feel loved and appreciated! Those of us who can only have our dad in memories, may the sweetest ones come to mind. Pictured above, my dad was posing for a photo to be used in a newspaper article concerning his wood carvings. Today I am remembering how funny, loving, big-hearted and talented he was.

In Memory

December 23, 1930 - September 15, 2002

Though it was years ago you left this earth, you are always secure in my heart and memories until my dying day when we will meet again. My heart is heavy, still, and the void is vast, but your words, your actions, your lessons, your love is remembered often. Sometimes it is remembered in hearing yourself in my own words, seeing my hands become as yours, feeling your gestures appear in myself and enjoying your occasional appearance in a dream. I can find comfort more than hurt now when I see the resemblance in your sisters. It has been said that you will grieve as much as you loved. Obviously, I will not live long enough for that much grief. It was such a blessing to have you for a mom. Gone but never far away....

Tribute to Mom

It has been seven years since I celebrated Mother's Day with my mom and though my brain knows to move along, my heart doesn't seem to get the message. Hardly a day passes that I don't think of her in some way. She wasn't especially extraordinary in a particular way, as all of us are, she lacked perfection. She was one of the older siblings in a family of ten children so at a very early age cooking, sewing and taking care of the younger ones was part of her life. She knew hard work early on with the help she provided and picking cotton. The countless stories I have heard, her life was a bit challenging. Canning, freezing, picking wild blackberries, tending to her flowers, hanging clothes on the line were things I always remember her doing. She crocheted afghans, made quilts, candlewicking and sewed. I never had a store bought dress until I was in high school. I have countless memories of time spent in the fabric store looking at patterns and material. Suits, blouses, skirts, long dresses for piano recitals. She even made one of her younger sisters wedding gown. The light blue dress with lace was one made for me to wear in a school pageant, she also made my senior prom dress. She made me some dresses when I was pregnant with my son and I have some dresses she made my daughter. The photo where she is holding BigBoy, she made that outfit. Okay, the point is she had a lot of talent. Later in years as she saw quilts that were being made and displayed, she felt like her work was really not that great. She didn't make them for show, though they were carefully planned and were made very well, they were functional. All of our family has some of her quilts.

The countless times we had family, a whole lot of family, over for meals at the house. So many of my cousins that were close to mama, she was easy to talk to, shared her opinion and helped however she could. The many weddings she helped with food. The hours she spent with the grandchildren. They loved to go to my parents house to spend the night. Baking cookies, big country breakfasts. She was funny, blunt, kind and stubborn. Always having our favorite food cooked on the weekends that we came home from school. The times that she showed up at my door to help when BigBoy and VolleyGirl were babies, arriving early Christmas morning to watch the kids see their gifts. The many times that I met her at the craft shows or the shopping center to spend time together. Talks on the phone, every day, about current events, family, news from extended family. Discussing everyone after the family get together was over. I would always get a report after she went somewhere- who was there, how they were, what was said. I recall, weird as it sounds, after she died, thinking that she was somewhere new, experiencing and seeing things new.....and I wasn't going to hear her tell me about it. She always said that it didn't matter where we lived, as long as we were happy, she would be fine with it. One of my brothers lives in Louisiana and I know she missed not having him close but there never was any pressure on him, as long as he was happy. Words do not adequately describe what an important person in our family she was or what a massive void her passing has left in my life, and others. I was honored and pleased to care for her in the months before her death, it was just a droplet of what all she had done for me and for once I could be there when she needed help. Thanks mom, for all you were and for the priceless lessons and memories, you are missed as much as you were loved......

Leaves, football and, of course, sneezing

Photos snapped last year. Yellow tree at school, while waiting on VolleyGirl. Red trees enroute to school. Hope to use big tree in a painting I will donate to school fundraising gala and used the red tree photo for a painting that I donated to a silent auction Bookmama was organizing.


My most favorite time of year is the fall and there is a cool crispness in the air............eventually.

• Dead leaves are so lovely.
• You either are sweating in your costume or freezing, never seems to be just right.
• Growing up, homemade popcorn balls with molasses was THE best.
• Sitting in my dad's lap when the witch came on screen during the one-time Fall showing of "The Wizard of Oz!"
• The lady that always gave us a cupcake when we were trick-or-treating. How do you put THAT in your sack?
• The old man, rubbery mask that I was so afraid of it scared me even if it were lying on the couch.
• Elementary school's Halloween carnival........amazing. Dad's hamburgers there and the the fish pond....great prizes!
• Sounds and smells of the football game.

WEEKEND UPDATE: Volleyball tournament on Saturday. Arrival time: 7:50 a.m. Departure time: Approximately 5:15 p.m. Usually we pack up after lunch, not forwarding out of pool play, this time, undefeated and first in pool play. VolleyGirl was playing awesome. Result: 2nd place finish, big trophy and a butt that still flat from the bleachers.

BigBoy came home. Prepared him food. Helped him Saturday evening with an art project. Asked him last week if he wanted me to prepare him something special, like a cake. "Mom, you know I don't eat that crap" Fast-forward to Friday night after his stomach is full of shrimp, "what's for dessert?" "I thought you didn't want any." (Feeling bad, of course, as a devoted, spoil-your-college-baby-home-for-the-weekend) "Mom, you know, I want you to surprise me." Gee thanks. Lesson learned. Hmmmmm, what will I bake for the next weekend.