Tag: family

Grandparents Day

Today is Grandparents Day!

I could not let this day go by without sharing my memories.

Oh my goodness, I loved my grandma.

Just so special to me when I was growing up.

Spending a week with her several times during the summer was heaven to me.  Just me and my grandma!

As a child, and in many ways still as an adult, I was a loner, not many friends.

Grandma was my friend in the early years of my childhood.

I watched her sew, making a pink dress for me by hand, simple, with only a lovely piece of old lace for the collar.

Loved the porch times we spent together, many times snapping green beans for dinner.

No one made green beans like my grandma.

Coffee in the mornings, with lots of milk, in my own adult cup.  Grandma is the reason I love coffee so much to this day!

Love this photo of her because it shows her hands.We would sit side by side and she would hold my hand, I remember her aging hands, hands that I now have.

Thoughts that bring tears to my eyes!

To my surprise, grandma came to a bridal shower my sister had for me, her gift to me, a tablecloth she crocheted.  I cherish that tablecloth to this day.

Grandma loved to crochet, memories of many crocheted doilies in her home as in the photo above.

Grandma came from such humble beginnings, the hills of Kentucky, Wallins Creek.

Love this photo that I recently received.  No shoes!  Me too grandma, I never like to wear my shoes, they come off as soon as I enter my house.

Seven children, losing a beautiful boy, pictured below, at five years old from a horrible accident, and a baby girl at 9 months old from pneumonia.

Heartbreaks I never heard my grandma talk about.

She loved her family, she loved children.

I am sure her best days were those when her home was full of family, cooking, table filled with country food, gathering together, her daughters singing gospel songs while doing the dishes.

Granny came to my home only once that I can remember. She climbed the steps up to my son’s room when he was very small.

Sitting on the bottom bunk of his bunk beds, grandma patiently listened to him talk and show her everything in his sweet room.

He played records for her on his little record player, his favorite, “There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly”, by Jimmie Rodgers, she loved every minute of their time together and often spoke of that day.

I never heard my grandma raise her voice in anger, never.

She was just good, kind, and loving, as I feel most folks from country living are.

Memories of grandpa are few, sitting on his lap and the smell of his pipe are the only ones I have.

He was a hard worker, a coal miner, a laborer.

He died young, in his fifties.  He appears much older in this photo, a coal miner’s life was hard.

I could go on and on, the more I turn my thoughts to grandma, the more I remember.

If you are fortunate enough to still have grandparents, give them a gift today of your time, talk to them, learn from them, love them.  You will not regret it!

Wish I would have done more of this with my grandma!

Love you granny, always.

 

 

 

She Loved to Wear Earrings

A week or so ago I had lunch with my sister, something we do together quite often.

Just the two of us, we talked, we laughed, and that day there were a few tears.

I love her so.

Before leaving, she gave me a small box, old, torn, held together with a rubber band.

As she handed the box to me she said, “I thought you would like to have these”.

Inside the box, our Momma’s earrings.

Momma loved to wear earrings, matching them with whatever outfit she was wearing on any given day.

No gold, no diamonds, nothing expensive, just her gathering of costume jewelry earrings.

I opened the box and ran my hand across the contents several times that day, closing my eyes almost seeing Momma wearing many of them.

Some are vintage, all so beautiful to me in so many ways.

I immediately knew they did not belong in a box buried someplace in a dresser drawer.

Carefully, I placed them in a clear jar and set the jar on my desk.  A quiet area where I sit and work many times throughout the day.

The sun shines in on my desk area, oh how the earrings sparkle!  Just like Momma when she wore her earrings!

My son commented that he remembered Grandma wearing so many of them!

I am sure all his cousins would say the same thing.

So very sad she is not sitting at my desk next to me.

I thank my sister for this gift, and the many days of joy I will get out of just looking at this jar of memories.

For now, a place on my desk, close to my favorite photo of me and Momma.

Just like photos, I believe in displaying keepsakes, I want them all around me so I will never forget those special times, and folks I love!

Blessings.

 

 

 

Red, White, and Blue Memories

Last week we spent our 4th of July, as we do most days, just simple and quiet.

Our fireworks were sparklers!

Of course, a bit of decorations.

Some may find it foolish, but it is something I like to do!

That’s just me!

My son helped me grill some burgers, corn in the husks, and some ice cold watermelon.

He asked me if I remembered the neighborhood bike parades we had on the 4th, as he was growing up.

Of course I do, fun for him to use balloons, crepe paper, streamers, anything red, white, and blue to decorate his bike.

When we purchased our home in 1978 our neighborhood was full of families, many children for my son to grow up with, so thankful, since he was an only child.

We had wonderful backyard cookouts, moms in charge of the food, and dads in charge of the fireworks.

Things changed as the years passed, many families moving on, children grown and off to school.

Our neighborhood is mostly filled with older folks now, many living alone.

We have new neighbors in the house next to ours, moving in within the past month.

A young family with two beautiful little girls, and a sweet dog who runs around the yard with a full size stuffed animal in his mouth.  Many times he brings the toy over to the fence for us to see, so very cute!

When we are sitting on our back porch it brings us joy to see them all together.

Much of our 4th was enjoying this family in their pool, the dog too!  He loves to get in the pool!

I realize that our 4th celebrations of years ago, are no longer.

That “season” of my life has passed, but oh how I thank our Lord for the memories!

Happy summer memories and love to all today.

 

 

 

Our Summer Family Gathering

Last weekend our family gathered at a local park for a picnic.

The occasion was the visit of my sister’s oldest daughter and granddaughter from Florida.

It was terribly hot that day, the temperature was well into the 90’s. We picked a shady area and tried to stay as cool as possible.

A watermelon pinata, purchased at Target, kinda gave us a theme, and a fun activity later for the kids.

Loved the cute, whimsy watermelon tablecloths, plates and napkins!  So festive!

The yummies were fried chicken, baked beans, fruit salad, and my brother-in-law’s famous mac and cheese.

I made a banner with family photos, tied around a large tree in the picnic area, our “family tree”!

There were many very old photos, and more recent ones, I wanted to include everyone!

My niece loved it!

Later, I gave her a small box to hold the photos, along with a note, as a keepsake of our gathering to take back to Florida.

We played games, of course.

Stenciled letters on cardstock and we played a version of “Bananagram” in the grass.

A hula hoop contest…

I remember the day when we all could “hula hoop”, not anymore!

We gave out simple gifts to our winners, wrapped in colorful tissue paper, tied with twine.

Made some silly tags to highlight which gifts were for men, women, or kids.

The pinata was filled with treats, a fun time for the kids.

Love those wonderful smiles on those beautiful faces!

I would like to end this post by saying a bit about families.

None of us are perfect, no family is perfect.  I think that is something we all should remember.

Ours has so much drama at times, and there are times when forgiveness is hard, but oh my gosh, how we all love each other.

We were all together for love, sharing our time together, to be with each other, making a wonderful memory!

I am so very emotional writing of my family, they, each and every one of them, mean the world to me!

Gather.

Love the imperfections of your family.

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend.

 

 

A Last Minute Gift Idea

Sharing a sweet, thoughtful, simple, gift idea with everyone today.

A gift with meaning, to give for almost any occasion, even a last minute Mother’s Day gift!

Taking photos is a big part of all of our lives today, so for this gift, simply choose a favorite photo, a double frame, a quote, saying, poem, or in one of my examples, song lyrics.

Choose words related to the photo, or words that have sentimental value to the recipient.

Since tomorrow is Mother’s Day, I made this one for myself.

My favorite photo of my son, very small, framed with a beautiful thought on having a son.

It sits in my bedroom, next to a photo of me and my husband, on our wedding day, the three of us, many years ago, my family.

Oh my, love it!

You can see the simplicity of this gift idea.

Here’s one I made for my sister and brother-in-law, for their anniversary.

Such a silly photo taken on a family vacation.

We all had to make tin foil hats as part of a game. So many laughs!

I paired the photo with song lyrics that captured the photo, song lyrics, that have special meaning to my sister.

Selected a whimsy font when I typed the lyrics, whimsy and fun like the photo.

It’s so cute!

My last example, a birthday gift, expressing love for a special little boy, a sweet boy, my nieces love so much.

The little boy, the son of one of their best friends, has been in their lives since he was born.

Again, I hope that you all can see how simple, and easy.

Print the photo, the words, and frame, that’s it!

What I really love about giving this as a gift, is that hopefully, the recipient sees the thoughtfulness, and love, that went into putting it together.

It’s a keepsake!

Love, family, friends, that’s what this idea is about!

Please don’t forget your Moms tomorrow, and those ladies in your life who are special.

So much love in my heart for all today!

 

 

Another Trip to the Country

A week ago, I was so blessed to be invited to visit my niece, the love of her life, and her extended family.

Good, kind, lovely folks.

She lives further north in the country, Ohio farmland.

Today I write few words, but many photos of my precious visit.

Early morning, loved the blues, and the pinks in the sky, so beautiful.

Sitting on their porch, early, having a cup of coffee is heaven to me.

The fields yet to be planted.

You must be in the country when your neighbors are bulls and cows!

We took a day to visit nearby Amish country.

Plenty of meats, cheeses, and bakery goods.

Stopped for a peice of peanut butter pie and coffee.  Oh my, so good!

Beautiful land with immaculate farms.

Many buggies gathered, and bikes too!

Gathered for a Saturday morning baseball game.

The ladies all sitting together, so cute!

We visited a few shops, my favorite, “Red Poppy Store”, farmhouse decor, of course!

The shopper is my sweet niece!

She likes to shop, just like me!

Love her so!

Thank you for letting me share.

There is a peaceful, simplicity about their home.

Gathering on the porch, just visiting, laughing, enjoying each other’s company.

Hope to visit again sometime this summer.

It is one of the joys in my life, just a wonderful place to be!

Blessings from our Lord, to all of you, on this Sunday.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Easter Blessings

Blessings to all on this Easter Sunday.

A day to rejoice!

My Savior, my Lord, my Friend, has risen.

His resurrection should quiet all our fears of what is to come.

My growing faith is so important to me.

My troubled life calmed when my Lord entered my heart.

I was sitting quietly, very early on this Easter morning, remembering, and longing, for the Easter Sundays when I was growing up.

Miss those days of the family gathering at grandma’s house for a country dinner, with biscuits, and a table full of desserts.

Miss the old gospel songs sung by my mom and her sisters as they cleaned the dishes.

Precious memories.

Life is different now, families scattered, separated, and busy.

Love, blessings, and precious memories to all today.

“precious memories, how they linger”

 

 

My Momma’s Birthday!

Today would have been my beautiful Momma’s 94th birthday.

She was just a simple, Kentucky born girl, who only wanted one thing in her life, to be a mother and grandmother.

Her greatest joys came from her family, her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

So proud of all of us!

Never judging!

How she loved being with all of us, cooking for us, loving us!

No one could have had a better friend or sister, she was ready to help, support, and love when needed, without hesitation.

Mom was an amazing quilter.  She was always sewing, and quilting, until the last days of her life.

I keep her sewing box in my bedroom and there are many days, like today, I will open it and see her threads, needles, small pieces of fabric, and her thimbles.  Momma always used a thimble to sew.

I am like her in some ways, I make my bed everyday, I love to care for my home, I iron everything before I wear it, and I love simple homemade things.

I am not the good cook she was, I cannot sew or quilt, and I lack her unselfish ways.

Love this photo of her smiling at me!

I pray she is smiling down on me today, knowing just how much I miss her and love her.

Happy Birthday my sweet Momma!

 

Our St. Patrick’s Day!

I can never let St. Patrick’s Day pass without writing a bit about my husband’s Irish heritage.

His grandparents came to Ellis Island from County Galway, Ireland.

They did not come together, but met and married here, raising five sons and one daughter.

Such lovely people, religious, good, kind, and hard working.

Both living well into their 90’s.

My husband’s dream was always to go to Ireland, but that was not to be!

He is now not able to travel so much, and it saddens me that his dream will not come true.

We had a little Irish lunch celebration today, making a recipe I found on Pinterest, “Baked Reuben Sliders”.

They were yummy!

Added a bit of green to the table, and we talked about his childhood memories growing up with Irish grandparents.

Such sweet wonderful stories.

There’s an Irish Blessing, I wish for all of you today,

“may your troubles be less, your blessings be more,

and nothing but happiness come through your door”.

Love to all.

 

 

Happy Day Out!

Last week I had such a wonderful, happy day out!

Before meeting my sweet sister for lunch, I stopped by the thrift store.

Found this really special bed tray for $4.00.

I had never seen one like this before, and was sure it was a vintage piece.

Well, I was sure until I found a small sticker on the back, “made in China”!

Bummer!

No matter, I love it just the same.

It only needed a bit of work, cleaned and scrubbed, sanded, two coats of white chalk paint, and a coat of wax sealer to finish up!

I also sanded the edges, so the tray didn’t have such a perfect look about it.

Love the scalloped edges, also that it can be a flat tray or bed tray.

Love it!

There are many days when I need to be alone, those many cold winter days, days when I can’t go out and sit on my back porch, so I retreat to my bed, have my coffee and read.

Have you noticed that it doesn’t take too much for me to have a happy day?

Just simple things!

A thrift store project, lunch, and lots of hugs from my sister.

Thanks for stopping by and letting me share with all of you today.

I love that I made this “vintage tray” like new again.

Blessings.