The Way It Was

The south is known for the unusual names of some of its quaint little towns ... Gourdneck,  Bald Knob, Weiner, Possum Grape, Hogeye ... all are in Arkansas, with those as just a beginning.
I remember when some friends of our family were on a well known game show and the host poked fun of the name, Weiner. He immediately began calling it Hot Dog Town USA.
If he thought Weiner was funny, he would probably have rolled in the floor to hear the names of some of the neighboring towns!!
We never thought anything about it. That's just how it was, how we were ... how I still am!!  The old saying "you can take a girl out of the country but you can't take the country out of the girl" is very true!  I absolutely adore going barefoot, would give anything to know where a good patch of wild blackberries grew berries as big as a thumb, dusty and begging to be picked for a cobbler or pie or maybe a bit of that delicious blackberry preserves! Nothing in a supermarket comes close.
I am forever reading something about "going green", making your own cleaning supplies, cooking from scratch, etc. This is supposedly the new way.  Actually the new way is the old way which has come full circle, into its own again!  With eyes closed  I see my sweet little mama bringing her sliced apples to the back porch to protect them from the morning dew, slowing their drying process.  Those dried apples made the best fried apple pies you could imagine, with a crust so flaky it practically melted in your mouth and the sweetness of the apples with a hint of cinnamon make those with ingredients you find hard pressed even to pronounce, seem tasteless!
Make do or do without. That's how it was, how it should be.  Life was sweet.  We rarely saw a doctor as mama and my grandmas knew exactly what was best for every ailment.  I remember once when my brother and I ate a whole card of buttons, staples and all, you better believe my mama lost no time getting us to see old Dr. Hickman then.  It scared her to pieces.  Her mouth dropped open, her eyes widened, as round as saucers.  This was cause for alarm and sent her scurrying, preparing us for the trip to the doctor!!!

Treat others as you would like to be treated and, remember, in all you do be kind and be sweet!!

Just One Happy, Silly Old Lady

I am posting this little picture and prayer as it is funny and I don't ever want for a minute for my readers to be saddened by something I have written.  I know the previous post is indeed sad, but I would ask you to be happy for me and for my family.  We have known our share of sadness but we have also known more than our share of joy.  We have been so blessed and are ever so grateful for all the lovely years spent with our loved ones who have gone on before us.  They have added a measure of happiness to our lives we would never have had otherwise.
Life is short and I don't always make the most of it, but I laugh more than I cry at the antics of my son and grandson who are the most precious of angels now and I am sure they must be the funniest of all, playing pranks as they once did with us.
Be happy for me that I was lucky enough to have them to love for as long as I did, for I am keenly aware that there are others who are not so lucky.
I look at my 5 great grand children today and wonder what in the world I have ever done to deserve such happiness!!!! I have been SO blessed.  I am SO very thankful that I was raised and taught by the most loving, wonderful parents anyone could imagine!  I am SO very thankful that I have had 6 of the most beautiful and best children in all of the world!  I am SO thankful for my precious grand children and my sweet little great grand children!
As I have said, life is short and life is what we make it to be ... now I just want the weeds out of my veggies planted in the flower beds, my prayer above to be answered and I will be about the happiest, silliest old lady on the face of this earth!!
Remember to always be sweet and whatever you do, be nice!!!

A Tiny Pink Angel & Herbs In The Flower Bed

This is Morgan Lynn, my newest great grand baby.  She is my FIFTH great grandchild!  I can hardly believe I am that lucky.  I count my blessings, not just daily, but many more times in a day.  How can I look at the sweet little angels in my life and not feel such gratitude!
Brittany is Morgan's mom and, my daughter Debye, her nana.  Her dad is Nathan and he is so proud of her I thought we would have to buy him a hat a couple of sizes larger!!

Debye and I have been planting vegetables in the flower beds!  It is such fun, I go out on the deck at the first morning light just to look at them and see if they have grown any during the night!  The squash actually have tiny squash and blooms on them, the tomato plants and peppers are blooming!  I am as excited as a child on Christmas morning! 
I always had a garden big enough to feed the state's National Guard when my kids were growing up. I canned and froze vegetables and fruit, made pickles.  I haven't done anything of the sort in years, since they are all grown up, but decided to put those flower beds to work!  I still have plenty of room for flowers, but am afraid all the space will go to veggies!  My neighbor came over one afternoon as we dug in the beds and I believe I am the only one on my block to have vegetables in the front yard, but the neighbors will eat their hearts out when they see me picking cucumbers!
I have a big, fenced back yard, but thought this is such a great idea I could not keep myself from doing it.  I also think I will put herbs in big pots on the deck.  It is very large and runs the length of the house.  We will see if I still have a green thumb. 
I remember when my mom grew sage and other herbs, picked and dried the leaves ... how good they were in the dishes she prepared, much better than store bought, the flavor was something I simply am unable to describe. My mom did a lot of things "the old way" as that is what she knew to do and I believe most of the time "the old way" is the best way!!!!
As always, Loveys, be sweet!!!

Mama's Gonna' Be Grandma

This is my youngest, Brent ... our little "surprise", and what a pleasant one he was!!  He is the youngest of 6, so there's no need to go into all the details of how his older brothers and sisters had him walking and talking at such a young age even they were amazed!!! 
The fun really began when I learned not only was I going to be a mom again, but also a grandmother for the very first time!!  Yes, my daughter in law, Carol, and I were pregnant at the same time!!!  I was both happy and embarrassed.
I found my oldest daughter giving me sideways looks, laughing, looking away, back again and saying, "You ARE kidding, aren't you?".  I will never forget the first time I wore maternity clothes!!  The kids and their dad were going to a ball game and one of them asked, giving me "that look", "Mom, are YOU going?".  It was such a wonderful, delightful time looking forward to a new baby and so excited that I was going to be a grandma too!!  I had stopped coloring my hair, but told my doctor the first thing I was going to do after leaving his office was go buy some hair color!!  My baby wasn't gonna' have a gray haired mama!! (Actually I started getting gray at age 16, by the time I was in my 30's I had salt and pepper hair!!)
After I learned I was going to also be a grandma, I couldn't decide what to do about the hair color, but the vanity won and I put that color on my hair and always told everyone my color came straight out of a bottle and as long as I could bend over to wash it out, that is how it will stay, no bones about it.
Brent is still my baby, just like the rest of them ... they are all my babies, he is just the youngest .
The happiest days of my life was when I was raising my children, I thought I would fall off the face of the earth when they started growing up and leaving home, one by one they grew up and made lives of their own, which is the way it is supposed to be.
Debye, my oldest daughter, had moved to Texas and we would talk on the phone till the wee hours of the morning.  Once, I was still on the phone with her when the first light of day began coming through the window. She told me, "Mama, you've got the 'empty nest syndrome' baaad, Honey!"
I cherish those days, treasure the memories that I am ever so grateful to have.
Be sweet!!! 
 

Life Blessings

I have had a life filled with blessings!! The latest and newest blessing is little Morgan Lynne, my fifth great, great grandchild, so tiny, chubby and sweet, so perfect. She has a little curl on top of her head and makes "Miss Piggy" sounds when she nurses!! I love her so much, I wanted to pick her up and just run with her! HAH! As if I could run anywhere any more!! Lots of pictures were made and my daughter, Debye, Morgan's Nana, will email them to me. I will post them here so I can look at her and play with her in my computer until she is big enough to really play with me. She has a big sister, Abigail, who will love little Morgan so, so much. I can hardly wait to see the two of them together. Sisters have a special bond, so I am told. Brittany and Nathan are her proud parents. Brittany is my sweet grand daughter and Nathan is very sweet and good to her, for which I love him dearly. I would hate for someone to mistreat her, for they would not want to deal with me!!!

I have recently made a decision I had to consider at great length. I took in a young man who has a major mental illness, lost touch with his family when his mother died. He had wandered aimlessly. living in shelters, alone and afraid, delusions and hallucinations often tormenting him. My heart ached for him, for I have two adult children with schizophrenia and some people would say I have given up everything for them, but I have gained far more than I have given up.  I wanted them to have a home, to feel safe, to be protected and cared for, to know they were loved unconditionally.  It has not been an easy road to travel, but so many blessings were along the road side, seeming to be waiting just for me. I have two more adult children who are disabled by an anxiety so crippling it is often impossible for them to function, I lost a son at the young age of twenty.  I am very thankful my oldest is healthy with a wonderful family. I was afraid for  him when cancer was discovered in a kidney and doctors removed the kidney, but had been unable to remove all the cancer cells. He was scheduled to begin treatment with chemotherapy when the Lord saw fit to reach His loving hand down and heal my son, for the cancer had disappeared with no explanation after world reknowned doctors had seen it there!!

God has been so good to me, despite the heartaches. I like to say, here I am with 6 children, those beautiful grandchildren and now, FIVE great grand children. Some people do not have any and I feel especially blessed that God saw fit to let me be a mother, grandmother and great grandmother.
I do have a sense of humor, maybe not as much as I once did before I became so sick, but it is still there, just not as close to the surface.

For some weird reason I always have to end everything with these two words .... Be sweet!!!

GRAND DAUGHTERS (and daffodils in the snow?)

Aren’t’ they the spittin’ image of me?  I sure like to think so.  They are the daughters of my oldest son, Keith and his little wife, Carol.   They also have one son, Eric.  My grand daughter, Brittany is due to give birth to a new GREAT grand baby next week and I am as excited as if I were giving birth myself!!  I have to be there when the baby is born!  They will get her all settled in and come get me!!!!!!  I said half heartedly that I would wait till the baby was born and let the new mom, dad and nana have time with her before I take over, but they still said I have to be there right when she is born.
Kristi, in the scrapbook page above, has two children, Anna and Christian.  Brooke says she is not having children, but she stays busy with her little step daughter, Jordan, and her nieces and nephews.  She is like a mother hen taking care of everyone!!
Can you believe they are saying it may snow this weekend??  Spring is almost upon us and Brandon (my grandson) picked a daffodil for me today.  I put it in a glass bottle with a small neck and it looks beautiful.  Wouldn’t it be the neatest thing if he could see them peeking out from the snow by the end of the week??  They are saying “flurries” but usually when they say that, it “flurries up under the window sill!!  If it does, we will just wrap up, watch old movies and make homemade caramel popcorn.  I won't mind at all.
Be sweet!!!

Daughters Are A Mom's Best Friend

This is a scrapbook page I made of my daughter, Denny.  Her name is Melinda Denise, and she was the fourth child of four, the oldest being just four, so none of them could pronounce either Melinda or Denise!!   Their dad and I tried Melinda first and none of them could master that, so after about a week we decided Denise might be a little easier for them.  Her brothers and sister tried so hard, but the name of the new little one was a bit more than they could master.  She became simply "Sissy" until one day, they were gathered around, showing their new little sister to an aunt and out of the chaos, one word stood out ... "Denny"!!!  That did it.  She has been "Denny" from that moment on.  Even her drivers license has Denny on it, I believe.  Many of our own relatives don't have a clue it isn't her real name and have wondered aloud why on earth I would give a boy's name to such a cute, sweet little girl!!  I just smile, remembering ...

Be sweet!

My Little Prince

Is this not the cutest little guy you ever saw?! I know we all think that about our babies and grand children, but, come on now ... this is a great grand child!!! Christian is my first great grand son. He has a big sister, Anna, who is all of 3 and I have 2 more great grand daughters, Abigail and Carlee. I tell you, they light up my life like you wouldn't believe. My grand daughter, Brittany will have a baby daughter in about 4 weeks. My goodness, that will make FIVE great grand children!!!! I can hardly believe it. I can barely wait till Britti's little baby makes her grand entrance into the world. When she is big enough, we will play with dolls all day and have the best tea parties. It will be so wonderful to have one who lives close enough to spend a lot of time with. When Abigail lived close we had so much fun. We did whatever she wanted. We sat on the hearth when logs were burning and roasted marshmallows and hot dogs, pretending we were on a camping trip in the middle of nowhere. We had every pot and pan I owned out pretending to cook. When she went home, I sadly put everything away. I still have little scraps of paper that she scribbled her "recipes" on. I will always have them and everything else she did, like trying to draw a star and her water color "art".
Oh, I do love those babies!!!!!!
Be sweet and good!!!

Ugly Shoes and Clothes That Don't Match

Though growing old ain't what it's cracked up to be, it does have its perks. I can wear ugly shoes and clothes that don't match and no one gives it a second thought! I no longer try to impress anyone, nor am I easily impressed by others. I wrap up in a horrible leopard print coat that once was very stylish!! I LOVE that coat!! It is sooo warm and I could never part with it. When I get out in the snow, it looks like a leopard has escaped from the zoo, but I am so warm and snug, then people get a good look at me and just silently say, "Oh, that explains it." How happy I am that I no longer have to explain anything to anyone. "Oh, she's just old".
I can watch the Soap Opera channel, sit in my rocking chair and eat chocolates all day long if I choose! I can even be fat and shop in the Big Mama section of a store without feeling one bit conspicuous!!
If I don't want to answer a question, I can pretend I didn't hear it and no one is the wiser!! People hurry to open doors for me and help me cross the street.
Young boys carry my groceries to the car, smiling like they have just won the lottery. "Where do you want this, Maam, in the trunk or the back seat?"
I guess the greatest perk would be learning to accept yourself and realize it is okay to be exactly who you are.
Be sweet!!

A War Story

This was sent by my daughter, Debye, and my daughter in law, Carol.  Don't remember who sent it to who first, but one of them sent it to me and I feel the picture alone speaks to us , but once you read the story behind it, you realize how powerful the message really is.  This is a  story that should be shared with as many as possible.  I will share it with you and feel free to pass it on. 
 
 
This needs to make headline news ..... not some of the other junk that makes the news these days! Like the Rosie O'Donell war of words ... celeb weddings ... who's not wearing undies ... etc.

                                              An Iowa Boy

John Gebhardt works at the Cargill plant in Eddyville, Iowa.
  
It's a tough, but heartwarming story ... with a picture of John Gebhardt in Iraq.
John Gebhardt's wife, Mindy, said that this little girl's entire family was executed. The insurgents intended to execute the little girl also, and shot her in the head ... but they failed to kill her. She was cared for in John's hospital and is healing up, but continues to cry and moan. The nurses said John is the only one who seems to calm her down, so John has spent the last four nights holding her while they both slept in that chair. The girl is coming along with her healing. He is a real Star of the war, and represents what America is trying to do. 
 
This, my friends, is worth sharing. Go for it!! You'll never see things like this in the news. Please keep this going.  The American public needs to see pictures like this and needs to realize that what we're doing over there is making a difference. Even if it is just one little girl at a time.. 
 
James Gates
U. S. Navy

Awards - Treasured Gifts From Friends

That sweet little Momma Young has awarded me the Passionate Blogger Award.
Recipients are to write about five things unrelated to blogging and nominate five others।

Glynis at Gunibee Scraps

Anish at Actuate Life

Patty at Two Greyhound Town

Sara at The Breathing Post

JT at The Frugal Housewife

The five things I am most passionate about include: my family, scrapbooking, cooking, friendships, and learning new things.

I also received The Nobless Oblige Award form Melissa at Real Parenting 4 Real Kids। Thank you , Sweetie। This my second of these, so I will pass this one to Lilly OF Lilly's Life - please look at Melissa's post for info.

Be sweet guys

A Mouse in the House

My kids were all so funny when they were little----matter of fact, they still are! It was funniest when they were not trying to be funny. Our family lived in the country on a gravel road with rice fields and soybean fields surrounding our yard on three sides so, of course, snakes were everywhere in the summer and mice came in from the fields to keep warm in the winter. Our house was new but I will tell you those mice could stretch out and come in through a nail hole! Though we had moved into a house, we had made it into a home and I never knew how many extra kids would be there when I woke up each morning. I was counting mouths I had to feed one morning and overheard my oldest daughter say to her little friend, "Guess what we have? Betcha' can't guess, betcha' can't!! We have little tiny puppies running really fast in our house--so fast we can't even catch one." I remembered a few days before when a mouse ran along the wall, she was so excited and screeched loudly, "I saw a little bitty puppy running real hard!" How sweet it was. I loved it to pieces. Be sweet and be good. Later.