We Are Family

Easter Sunday was the first time since Thanksgiving 2007 when ALL my siblings and mom were together for a holiday. My brothers bailed shortly after lunch, before the cameras were launched so all us girls had group photos taken.

What a bunch of goofiness! With all the cameras going off we were never sure which direction to look!

Oh look! We finally got it right! What a gorgeous family we are! lol

Be watching closely! This is blog post #696 for me. In honor of my 700th blog post and my 3rd year of blogging I'll be announcing my first giveaway very soon! Don't miss out!

Happy Birthday Mama!

Today is my mom's 57th birthday!!! I love you Mom!!!

I snapped this picture when I was in Missouri this summer for vacation. Also pictured is my baby sister Lacey, who is expecting Mom's next grandbaby!

Wordless Wednesday (almost)

More photos from my mom.

Grandpa's Place....in Bloom

Mom's been traipsing around Grandpa's place taking photos. She sent me a cd full of spectacular photos. I can't remember the last time I saw this many blooms there, especially after Grandma became too sick to care for all her flowers that grew in abundance by the house.







It has taken me a few days to view the pictures. My computer has not been cooperative in loading her cd and tonight's the first time I've viewed all of them. Some of the pictures really brought back memories of the times I and my siblings and cousins were running all over the place; from one pond to another; from the saw mill to the barn; from the house to the shop.







Looking at the pictures of the ponds reminded me of a time several of us were fishing in the pond by the barn and we kept catching snapping turtles instead of fish. I remember a huge one my cousin Chester caught and I wouldn't go near it!







The photos with the old barn in the background reminded me of following Grandma down to the barn and chatting with her while she milked the cow. She'd call the cow and the cow would go straight to the stantion and I'd pour her grain. Grandma would take her one legged stool off the wall and balance on that and prop her forehead against the cow and could always get more milk than I ever could! The cats would all come running and she'd squirt the milk straigt into each of their mouths before going back to filling her milk pail. I always hated the cows and the milking but loved to watch Grandma or Mom do it and loved talking to them when they did.







It's my hope that when Grandpa is gone, whoever next inhabits his land will carry with them as many memories as we all have from there.

I'll have to ask Mom, but I'm almost positive this photo was taken on the highway she and Grandpa live on, just about a half mile up the road from his place.

To me, this photo perfectly reflects both Grandma and Grandpa.

Fabulous photos, Mom! Thanks for sharing and for allowing me to share with everyone else!

Grandma's Peach Blossoms

Mom's been at it again. My mom can be found out taking photos even more often than me. All the heavy rains in southern Missouri and northern Arkansas recently have kept her from taking photos of the places she'd like to photograph. This weekend found her wondering Grandpa's property enjoying the blooms on all the fruit trees he and Grandma planted over the years. She emailed me 2 of the peach blossom photos she took and I called her and told her how fabulous I think they are. She told me with all the rains everything's finally blooming.

Grandma's Peach Blossoms:

When Mom told me these were taken from Grandma's peach trees, memories of my Grandma surfaced anew. I don't know which peach tree Mom photographed for these, but the peach tree that comes to my mind is the one that could be seen from the window beside Grandma's chair. If the boys had been naughty, she'd threaten them if they didn't behave they'd be cutting their own switch from that tree and she'd give them some "peach tree tea." That always got their attention but I don't recall a single time anyone ever had to cut a switch and bring it to Grandma. I'm sure the boys can remember occasions they did that though!

My grandma died several years ago, but when I was growing up she referred to me as "Grandma's Girl." I loved spending time with her as a child and would spend as much time at her house as my own, if not more. She lived half a mile from our house out in the country and my siblings and I were often found running up and down the highway between the houses. Our dog didn't even know whether he lived at her house or ours.

Her Molasses Cookies were the best. We'd spend hours playing game after game of Rummy. There was usually a puzzle in progress on one of the tables in her kitchen and she'd let me help her find some of the pieces. Before she became unable to work in her garden, we'd spend much time outside weeding her vegetables in the garden behind the house.

When I was a preteen Grandma gave me her hope chest that was over 100 years old and began collecting items to put in it for me. I still have some of my great grandmother's plates she and mom put in it for me, as well as one of Grandma Dolly's tea cups.

Grandma always had quilts in progress and often a quilt rack hung from the living room ceiling or the kitchen ceiling. When she could no longer sew, I asked for one of her last quilt tops to save for Heather and although it's never been made into a quilt, I will keep it so Heather has something from my Grandma.

I am so thankful to have grown up living so close to so many relatives, especially my grandparents. When Nana came to visit last weekend and we were out taking so many photos of flowers, we were thinking of Grandma. Grandma loved her flowers and always had so many blooming everywhere that she tended with such care. Nana and I both decided that our love of photographing flowers must come from Grandma's love of growing them. Neither of us can grow anything and all our plants and flowers die. We'll just stick to photographing them and enjoy that Mom can do both! She photographs them very well....but she can grow them too! Thanks Mom for sharing!!!!

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

More photos by my mom:

Photos By....Janice!!!

When I arrived home today, it was to a Valentine card in the mail from Nana (along with the cutest flip flop sticky notes pad!) and a package from Mom containing 3 cd's of pictures she's taken. Do I feel loved today!!!! Everyone loves mail that isn't bills, advertisements or credit offers, especially when it's personal mail from a loved one!!!

I still have no new pictures to post, so enjoy some of the pictures Mom has been out taking! The views she's enjoying are sure making me jealous!!! Of course the gorgeous weather we're having (80+ degrees today!) might be making her a tadd green also.

More Pictures from Mom

THANKS MOM!!! I've been waiting since THURSDAY for my mom or my sister Regina to send pictures of the big snow they got back in Missouri to post for them. Regina said hers didn't turn out well but she'd send some anyway...but I'm STILL waiting! Mom just sent these and they are awesome!!! They all have dial-up so I know it must have taken FOREVER to send. Thanks for taking the time Mom! I know it's a pain! :0)

My hometown of West Plains, Missouri got hit with a big snow storm this week, closing schools before the snow even began to fall. Mom took the following pictures of the snow storm and some of some eagles she sees almost every day now. I recently posted an awesome eagle photo Mom took here. The pictures she sent managed to make me miss playing in the snow, even though I've done nothing but complain about winter/cold weather lately!

This is Mom's driveway, the hill where we always went sledding! What fun we had and how we froze sledding for hours before racing home to warm by the fire! We'd drape our wet gloves and socks all around the stove wishing they'd hurry and dry so we could go back out! One winter we used sheets of plastic as our sleds and those made the funnest sleds ever! Dad didn't ever let us do that again because the hillside became so slick he couldn't get out, even in a 4 wheel drive!

The creek on Mom's property where we used to play. It doesn't always have water in it, and Mom said there were only a few spots with water in it now.

I'm still so jealous that Mom has this view to look at almost daily!!!! Wow!

Great photos Mom!

Wish I was there to walk in the snow with you again!

Love you bunches!!!

I Am Sooooo Jealous!

My mom's been watching several areas near her home in Missouri where she's spotted eagles. She's taken several photographs, but I haven't seen any as good or as close up as this one she emailed me tonight. It's amazing! I wish I'd seen one this close when we were there. This picture is beautiful, Mom!!!


(Hope all my family in Missouri and all my readers in MO and surrounding areas stay safe during tonight's storms and tornadoes!)

Mama

I love living in Texas, but at the same time it is so hard to live this far from my Mama! As an adult I can truly say my mom has become one of my best friends. We share so much, despite the distance.

Until I had a teenager of my own I didn't realize how tough my mom had it when we were teenagers. I mean the woman had THREE teenagers plus 2 babies in the house all at the same time.....with ONE bathroom!

Dad was gone a lot for work so she did it all. She built our house, with Grandpa's guidance...but she did much of the work herself. When the car broke down along the side of the road...sometimes she could fix it! She was our plumber, our baker, our doctor, our nurse, our teacher, our chauffer. She was a stay at home mom until I was in high school.

She sure had a knack for making us feel special. When Dad would go on late night fishing trips it became tradition that she'd take us out somewhere special to eat. Eating out was a very rare treat for our family. I remember the first of these trips was to Maxine's Steak House for Chicken Fried Steak! Yum!

For years the family car was a pickup truck that Dad bought brand new in 1969. The seats next to or on Mom were the fought-over seats. When it was just us three older kids one sat on Mom's lap, one beside her and one beside Dad. No none wanted to sit next to Dad because the gear shift was in the way!!!

I've never been that great at talking about how I'm feeling, etc., so Mom encouraged me to write to her if I needed to talk to her. She completely understood my difficulties and this helped tremendously. I'd write her a note when something was bothering me and would usually slip it into a pocket of her bathrobe hanging on its post. When she'd get ready for bed at night she'd find it and come sit with me and we'd talk about whatever was on my mind.

I always loved walks with Mama. We'd walk to Grandma's house. We'd walk in the woods. We'd walk in the field. We walked in the snow. We even walked in the rain on occasion. When I was in grade school I was a runner and loved it when Mom would run with me. She didn't often, but I loved it when she did. One occasion I asked her to run with me as we were walking home from Grandma's. That's the day she told me she couldn't.....because she was going to have another baby! I was sooooo excited!!!

My mom has the biggest heart of anyone I know. And right now it's breaking. But you wouldn't know it to talk to her. Her heart breaks for my youngest brother Levi. He sits in a prison drug rehab center as I type this. She continues to help him, even in ways she shouldn't, because she can't bear to feel like she's deserting him when she feels she's the only one left for him. Her heart also breaks for her own daddy. Grandpa has been ill for some time and he's not doing so well lately. Doctors told him over 2 years ago he only had another year. And her husband, my step dad Jerry, has emphysema and is on oxygen. Most days he does ok, but there are times he's given us all quite a scare. It's hard to be here knowing Mom's going through all this right now. But I talk to her often and I hope it helps in some small way. She understands why I'm here, but it saddens her at times just the same. She tells me she just takes it one day at a time.

I've always been told I look just like my Mama. Once when I was a teenager an older lady in the grocery store stopped us to ask if we were twins! I laughed at that one and told Mom either she was really being complimented on her age....or I was being really insulted about mine!

Mama, I love and miss you bunches!!!!

I'm not sure how old Mom is in the photo. I'm guessing late teens early twenties. Mom or Nana...if you see this and know...post the answer in the comments.

This is one of my favorite photos of Mom. I don't know how old she is here either. I know she's in high school because I've seen the picture in her yearbook!

You decide if we look alike. Of course, my photo isn't a high school photo so probably isn't the best to compare but it was the handiest photo to post!

Mom and Heather above. Heather and me below.

During the summer of 1999 after Dad died Mom went with me to Smyrna, Tennessee to take Heather to dance camp. Mom and I enjoyed the most relaxing vacation I've ever taken and I will treasure the time we spent together there always. We window shopped, traveled to Murfeesbooro to a huge antique mall, played lots of cards and SCRABBLE and just enjoyed the week to ourselves. Here she is playing cards with Heather one evening in our hotel room.

Mom and I when she married Jerry....New Year's Eve 2000 at midnight!

Mom and I at a celebration event for Heather last year.

Mom, I know you've always regretted the many times you couldn't be there at our events, but I'm thankful for the events you WERE there for and the wonderful love and support you have always shown us. You have a knack for making every one of us feel loved and important. Thanks for being our wonderful mom!! I hope one day Heather will think just as highly of me...