Christmas Memories Post 2

My most favorite Christmas of all was Tyler Dan's first Christmas. He was eleven months old and we were able to go out to West Texas and spend some time with my dad's side of the family. It snowed, which I was completely ecstatic about, and Ty took his first steps in my grandparent's living room. We had my little black and white cocker spaniel Raider, and I had this little red and white sweater that I put on him when he went out in the snow...it was super cute. That was also the Christmas that we went to the Christmas Eve Candlelight service at the Methodist Church and then went and sang Christmas Carols at the nursing home where my great-grandmother was staying.

I have a lot of great pictures from that Christmas -- one that makes me smile is the one of all of us sitting in the living room, opening presents, and Ty and Raider are in the floor playing. Ty is trying to eat Raider's new bone, my Papa was in his chair, wearing his red "Christmas Shirt", my Mimi had on a fabulous green outfit with a Christmas tree on it -- she looked very pretty and stylish as she always did. My aunts, uncles & cousins were sitting around, laughing, smiling & everyone was healthy and happy. There was a ton of great food in the kitchen & peanut brittle in the Christmas tree cookie jar. It was just really a great time.

When we got back, we had Christmas with my sister and her husband. That was when Ty got his "Teddy" -- the brown stuffed bear that he slept with til he was about 8 or 9, and took every where he went.  I made homemade dog treats for Raider, my sister's dog Missy, and my dad's shop dog Brown Dog --- that was a lot of fun & something that I haven't done since, though I do not know why. Maybe Maggie Mae will get some this Christmas!

Now, all these years later, our family has changed in so many ways, so I am glad that I have that memory. I believe it's what the holidays are all about -- making memories to look back on and being with family. Again, as always, I thank God for all my family and that I have the blessing of knowing that I am loved. A lot of people don't have that -- I am very lucky!!

Christmas Memories

I have been thinking a lot about Christmas and when I was a little girl growing up next door to my grandparents and surrounded by my dad's family. So, I thought that I would blog a little about that time and some of the memories I have.

The first memory I want to share is one that makes me smile and wistful, all at the same time. It took place when I was about 9 or 10 years old & it probably is something that most people wouldn't think twice about, but it meant the world to me, and has ever since.

We usually drew names on that side of the family and I honestly cannot remember who got my name that year. But, I do remember one special present that I received and it was totally unexpected. My Aunt Charlotte gave me a small bottle of "Tribe" parfume, which was in a black, pink and turquoise bottle and smelled amazing. It just really meant a lot to me because it wasn't expected and because it made me feel important to her and loved. But that is who my Aunt Charlotte was -- even if you had only just met her and spent maybe thirty seconds in her presence, you left feeling like you were one of the most important people on Earth. I have thought a lot about that Christmas over the years and that simple gesture which she had probably forgotten about. In fact, when I was recently going through some of my storage tubs, I found the empty bottle and smiled. One of the conversations we had had when I saw her last July was how she had downsized each time she moved. I thought to myself,  "I can move a million times but that twenty year old bottle of parfume will always go with me."

As I sat at my sweet Aunt Charlotte's funeral a few weeks ago, I remembered that Christmas again, as well as the many other holidays I spent with her. As I saw all the people who were in attendance, I smiled because I realized that each one of them more than likely had a similar story to tell. A small act of kindness, thought of and forgotten in a moment, meant the world to someone else. I prayed that somehow I could be even half the woman she was and that I would be mindful of even the smallest gestures, even from strangers, and make a point of not getting caught up in the selfishness and greed that is the way of our world today by reciprocating any chance I had.

I often listen to, sing, or think of the song Homesick by Mercy Me, especially the lines "In Christ there are no goodbyes, and in Christ there is no end. So I'll hold onto Jesus, with all that I have, to see you again..." -- I love knowing that God promises that if we are faithful, we will spend eternity with him, and I love knowing that I will spend eternity with my aunt & that eternity in Heaven will be a million times better than any Christmas here on Earth!

Ty's Practice Game

Last night, the JV and Varsity boys had their practice and a little intersquad scrimmage that the parents were invited to watch. So, naturally, I showed up even though it was 900 degrees at six o'clock in the evening. I was glad I got to watch -- as most of you already know I love football and I am super excited that my son is playing. He changed positions a little this year and right now is slated to be a defensive lineman (guard -- I think...he stands to the left of the center.) I love watching football -- that doesn't mean I know the names of the positions. However, he did teach me the sign for the Stack 2 play, which I was SUPER excited about. Now, I just have to pay attn at games to see if the coaches call it!

It was a little hard to tell who was who while they were out there, but I did manage to get some shots of him during their practice. I didn't take any of the scrimmage part.

It still amazes me that he is old enough to be in high school. He looks so big in the pictures and yet he looks so little...*sigh* -- my baby's not a baby anymore!! :(

Taking a water break.

They took break about every ten- twenty minutes so they wouldn't die of heat strokes.
It was ridiculously hot in the stands. I can imagine what it was like in full pads out on the field.

Waiting to get some more water.

He's the one to the left of the little guy!

Getting ready to do his guard thang :) He is two spots to the left of the little guy in blue shorts.

Taking another break. They really did do more than just stand around -- I just didn't get shots of it!

Next Saturday, he has a scrimmage and I am pretty excited about that, too. I can't wait for cooler weather -- big sweatshirts, gloves and hot chocolate under the "Thursday Night Lights" -- it's the stuff Texas dreams are made of!! :)

Granny's Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

This is a recipe handed down from my great grandmother to my mom to me. It has been a while since we made it, but it is very, very tasty!

1/2 cups margarine or butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 can pineapple, drained
walnut halves
maraschino cherries
1 package (18.5 oz) yellow cake mix with pudding

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Heat margarine in a 13X9X2 pan in oven until melted. Sprinkle brown sugar over margarine . Arrange pineapple on top. Decorate with walnut halves and cherries. Prepare cake mix as directed and pour batter over pineapple in pan. Bake until cake springs back when touched lightly in center, about 45 to 55 minutes. Immediately invert pan on heat proof serving platter. Remove pan; cool cake completely. Top each serving with sweetened whipped cream if desired.

Great-Granny!

I said I would post about my great-grandmother a while back, and I am just now getting to it. Apologies to those who were simply waiting on pins and needles! :)

My great-grandmother "Granny" was my mom's grandmother on her dad's side. She was born Bertha Jane Deathridge in 1893 in Iradell, Texas and three years later became big sister to Ruby Ella. At some point in their life, they moved with their parents to Louisiana. While in Lousiana, she met a man, whom she would later marry. Even though they had land in Louisiana, he felt that they needed to move to Texas and get rich in the oil fields.

When we were living in Denver City, my Saturday morning routine was to wake up fairly early -- maybe sevenish and turn on the cartoons (and this was back in the day of the good cartoons, not all the junk they have now), and eat my bowl of cereal and call Granny. At this point she was in a nursing home there in DC and was partially blind and mostly bedridden due to age and health problems. I would call her and tell her all about my week at school and she would in turn tell me stories about her life as a pioneer woman. She told me how when they came to Texas, she had to pack all of their belongings into the covered wagon and it took days for them to get here. I was always faciniated by this story because it was all very "Little House!" I used to also love the stories she would tell about owning a little cafe in Seagraves, Texas -- and I think that my love of cooking was inherited from her.

It makes me sad to say that I really honestly don't rememeber a lot of her stories anymore. I was only like six or seven when all this was going on. She passed away in 1989 when I was only 11. But, I do remember feeling like she loved me and I always felt safe around her. She never criticized or yelled at us -- which some older people tend to do. She was always so happy to see us and never wanted us to leave.

I can't wait to get to Heaven and see her again and hear all those stories one more time!! :)

SWING YOUR SWORD!

Well, Ty and I had a pretty big day yesterday; one which we had been anticipating since mid-June. We were going to the Mike Leach book signing in Dallas. It didn't start until 7pm, but I was convinced after seeing the Facebook/LAJ pics of the signing in LBK, we were in for the long haul. My plan was for us to leave Rice about 8am, run some errands in Corsicana, then head to Dallas and get in line.

WHAT HAPPENED WAS....

I didn't wake up until 9 and feeling pretty much like I had gotten hit by a Mack truck, I get my pot of coffee going cause I know I am never gonna make it through this ordeal if I don't have at least three cups. We get ready -- the "nagging" commences (which, really -- would I have to NAG if he just cleaned his room the first time I asked? or got the black bag out of the car two weeks ago when he came home from Zack's house? or threw the plates in the trash one of the first three times I asked him...you get where I am going with this....)

We head out around 11 am. We're still in pretty good shape, but I am sweating the idea that we might be in group Z if we don't hurry and get there. Mind you, I hate driving in Dallas. But, this trip was fairly easy thanks to Sacajawea -- my trusty GPS, which miraculously started working again in West Texas.

We get there and the first snafu is that I have to buy not just one book, but TWO! Each book = 1 ticket. Now, keep in mind, I have already pre-ordered, received and read one copy. Do I really need three? But, I caved because I know it's the only way in, and Ty can do without new shoes, school supplies or food for the next month, right? I mean, come on -- this is Mike Leach we're talking about. 

We browse through B&N after the purchase and I get freakishly excited because I found a book that I had been wanting to buy in the bargain bin. SCORE!! I buy it, and ask if they have the Josh Hamilton book (longer story -- I will tell it later), they do not, of course, because nothing in my life is ever that simple. So, we travel to another B&N about ten minutes away to make that purchase.

I am zipping through the Dallas streets like a pro and I'm feeling pretty good about myself, then Ty does the unthinkable. He asks if we can go to the Dallas Holocaust Museum.

I about choked on my Strawberry Mint Orbit. 

MY SON.... wants to LEARN???!!! The same 14 yr old who slept through almost every novel he "read" in junior high???? The same child who only goes to school so he can socialize??!! This same child whose eyes glaze over if I even mention the word school, college or future & Heaven forbid they all be in the same sentence. Somedays, I literally think his head may explode from the rebelliousness!!! The tears of joy slightly impaired the vision of Sacajawea's trusty map, but we made it the 8 miles to downtown, thus beginning the second leg of our adventure.

We roam the streets of the West End, looking for lunch. Ty chooses a restaurant called The Palm for lunch. It's the swankiest place he's ever been. We opted for the business lunch special, which comes with an appetizer, an entree, family style "half and half" and the vegetable of the day, and a dessert of our choice. The half and half is homemade potato chips and french fried onions (the only reason he ever eats green bean casserole), and the veggie was carrots and red peppers roasted with garlic. He had Parmesan chicken substituted with a portabello mushroom (don't ask) and I had the grilled swordfish topped with lump crab and asparagus. For dessert, he had the cheesecake & I had the flourless chocolate cake. YUM! Oh -- the best part! Appetizers were lobster bisque and a Caesar salad. I told him he should grow up to be a chef and work in a place like that and he declined saying "I'd be fat cause all I'd do is eat cheesecake!" (He rreeaalllyy liked his cheesecake.)

We went to the Holocaust museum first, knowing it would be sad. I have been once with a co-worker for a workshop and yet we have not been able to take the 8th graders for one reason or another. So, I was glad that Ty actually wanted to go. I think it's important for him to have that experience. Even though we read Anne Frank & I do a big unit on it every year -- the actual museum experience is very emotional. He took it very seriously, reading and listening to all the information on the audio tour guide.

Next, I was again perplexed, as he agreed to go down to the 6th Floor Museum. Again, he took it all in, very seriously, read and listened. It was like being with a totally different child. We actually had the best day! Maybe he did listen and comprehend the meaning behind our "pre-road trip discussion" when I basically said, "Look, I have got you for four more years and that's it."

We perused the gift shop and then drove back to B&N. We perused the books there once more, had some facebook/ipod time in the cafe, and finally the moment came. We started lining up and spent what really seemed like not that long in line.

It was all very "Soup Nazi" if you ask me. You gave your book to a guy, and your camera to a girl. The guy handed the book to another guy who handed it to Leach, who signed it in one second (literally), slid it across the table and another guy picked it up, and handed it to the girl who gave you the book & your camera and you left. The first guy said they frowned upon posed pictures, and I thought "look, buddy...my tuition at Tech helped pay his first year's salary...tuition which I'll be paying back until I am probably 97 years old... I'll pose if I want." So, I did. She took about 157,000 pictures (ok, so maybe it was really just three -- but it felt like we stood there, akwardly, for forever) and in the ONE that wasn't blurry -- he looks annoyed, and it's completely unflattering of me...of course. Oh Well. He shook my hand and told me he appreciated us buying the book. He looked at Ty like "Kid, why are you wearing a jacket when it's 110 degrees outside?" and politely said, "It's good to see ya out here" or something like that.

Pretty anti-climatic.

Ty said the best part of the day had to be the museums because he actually learned something & we were out of the heat. I have to agree. But as always, my favorite part was spending QT with my favorite guy. :)

The Pennies & the Whale

I was told a long time ago that once you start a blog, you need to get the first ten to twenty blogs down fairly quick, so that it will become a habit and you will be more likely to continue with it. I lead a fairly uneventful life. However, in an effort to be consistent, I am going to blog about random stuff in between the eventful stuff. Also, keeping with the mindset that someday (if I am blessed enough) my grandchildren or great-grandchildren may read this, I want them to know certain things about what I remember or who I was at certain times in my life.

My mom is really into geneology, and I think that most of that stuff is pretty interesting to a point. I like knowing that I have a distant relative that signed the Declaration of Independence and was the governor of North Carolina. But what I like more is getting to know the people themselves. Their character, their likes, their dislikes, their favorite book, what they thought about education, work, children and religion.

I was blessed enough to have known (and remember) two of my great-grandmothers. My Mammaw was my dad's grandmother on his mother's side and my Granny was my mom's grandmother on her dad's side. Both were fabulous women, and I do miss them. I am so thankful that I got to know them both though, and consider myself very lucky. (I will blog about Granny later.)

My Mammaw was named Naoma -- a name I love! She lived all her life in Snyder and was  a God-fearing, Christian woman with a big heart and a contagious laugh. Anytime we went to see her, she always had a pot of red beans on the stove. One of my earliest memories of her is right after my great-grandfather passed away & I think I was 4 or so. She came down and stayed a few days with my grandparents. We were out on the screened porch and Mimi had fixed the three of us sandwiches. I asked for some green olives and Mimi gave me some. As we were sitting there, I started sucking all of the pimentoes out of the olives and Mammaw laughed that fabulous laugh of hers and said, "You're just like Archie. He always did that, too!" It made me feel proud that I had something in common with him and that it made her laugh.

Another memory I have is one time my sister and I went to Snyder with my grandmother to visit Mammaw. Mimi was going to help her out by going to buy some groceries. In the parking lot of the grocery store was one of those traveling carnival type things with different types of attractions, but no rides that I can remember. I remember this for two very specific reasons: there was a whale and a whole lotta pennies.

In one of the trailers, there was an exhibit dedicated to President Abraham Lincoln. It had a poster of him in a glass case, which was filled with one thousand, eight hundred and sixty-five pennies. I was amazed because I had never seen soooo much money before and because I loved Abraham Lincoln. He was my favorite president that we had studied in school. It also had a replica of the wanted poster for the man who shot Lincoln, and it made me sad that he had been shot.

The next trailer was the one that scarred me for life. Inside was a dead whale. I guess that they had embalmed it so that it could travel from town to town, but there it was in all its glory, behind a glass case. Being the animal lover that I have always been, I was mortified when my sister pointed out the marks on the back side, and down by his tail. In my young mind, they were harpoon marks and this poor thing must have been killed violently! So, I started crying, thus prompting Mimi to take us back to Mammaw's. Later, when I was still upset, Mimi tried consoling me by telling me that they weren't harpoon marks, that they were probably scars from it getting ran over by ships and stuff. This devestated me even more and (I can still see & hear this) Mimi finally got exasperated with me and said, "Well, it didn't feel it!" (lol) I don't remember her ever taking me to a carnival like that again!

Often during those visits, Mammaw would always tell me how much I looked like Mary (my Mimi.) There was a particular picture of my grandmother when she was 16 or so, that hung on Mammaw's wall for years, and she would always point to it and tell me I looked just like Mary in that picture. Me, thinking that my grandmother was beautiful, always appreciated that Mammaw would say that.

In her later years, Mammaw couldn't stay by herself anymore so Mimi moved her to the nursing home there in Denver City. Ty and I were living in Lubbock, so I got to visit her quite a bit, but by this point she didn't know me anymore. She was such a sweet woman and I am so thankful that I got to know her. I look forward to being able to hear that laugh again some day!