Way Back When-sday-Easter 1973

March 31, 2010 at 5:37 AM (Family Life, Way Back When-sday)

I don’t know what I can say that would explain the choices in this picture.

Mousey just came in and said Beeve’s belt looks like a pilgrim’s.

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We are so Pretty in Pink, are we not? What a Babe. What a Dude.

The back of this picture says that I am 11 and Beeve is 7.

I do know that I wore this dress again for Halloween when I was a senior. I went as a little girl. I could not believe it still fit.

I am pretty sure Beeve did not wear his get-up again once he graduated from 2nd grade.

Happy Easter from 1973!

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Passing on the Pine Cones

March 30, 2010 at 6:04 AM (Confessions, Family Life, From the Heart, Honey, Muggins Q. Mouse)

I asked Honey at dinner last night  to tell me again why we were not going to Florida.

It was because Ab-Cat and The Boy do not  have break that week and Mousey does. Honey just didn’t feel like driving and Mousey has a fear of flying. She was 7 years old when 9-11 and the Iraqi War occurred. She vowed not to fly until “Osama Hussein” was captured.

One day she will rethink that and board the plane. But we have not arrived at that day yet. So there you have it.

We are going to have Easter dinner here with my Dad, Beeve and his family and my Mom’s brother Bob, and his family.

I had a thought yesterday on my way home from my folks house.

Our china does not match our beautimous dining room Capri Patt wallpapered for us a few years ago. This has never come up before, because the holiday we always host is Christmas, and no one notices if Christmas dishes  match your decor.

This is not really a problem, it’s more of a realization. I’m pretty sure my family is not going to judge me or anything. But it did get me thinking about my Mom’s china.

What I remember thinking about her china when I was young,  was that it was not my cup of tea. My Mom’s colors were her generation. Avocado greens and harvest golds, varying shades of oranges, with a hefty dose of browns. And pine cones. I was NOT into pine cones.

 I married in 1985, when my tastes ran to mauve and grey, and country blue. Colors that are not represented in our home today. Anywhere.

Today, my tastes lean more to the greens, golds, browns and brick reds. Fancy that! A couple of weeks ago when I told my Dad about this, he said he was happy  that I wanted her china. It pleased him. So someday, when he has no use for it anymore, I will gladly take the passed torch of my Mom’s china. Because I now love it, and because it was hers.

And guess what? I am totally into pine cones!

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Thoughts From Smiling E Kelly

March 29, 2010 at 7:09 AM (Confessions, Family Life, From the Heart)

I have been having some thoughts. The list format is not very original, but I have found it helps greatly in times of mental sluggishness.

1. I could not  fall asleep last night, so I stayed up way too late watching Shooter. Which I have seen before, and seems to be on all the time right now.

2. Almost everyone I talked to at church yesterday is going through some sort of major event in their life. Mostly not of the good variety.  In fact, I can’t think of one that was the good variety.

3. I miss my Mom’s smile and her laughter. I remember when I was little, I thought words looked happy. Those two words look happy to me. Maybe it’s the E’s. I think E’s are happy letters. Kelly has an E and I always thought my name looked happy. E’s smile.

4. Mouse missed the bus again this morning. I didn’t even ask her why.

5. Other than 7 years ago, I think this is the first time we have not gone on vacation at Easter. Seven years ago we went on winter break in February, because Honey went on a mission trip to Argentina at Easter break. I can’t even remember if there is a reason why we aren’t going. Seriously, I don’t know. Why are we not going?

6. I miss my Mom’s soft skin. She had the softest skin.

7. I hear that we are supposed to have a great week weather wise up here in The Mitten! I am really looking forward to this.

8. When I was in the 6th grade, there was a teacher at my elementary school named Mr. Chatlin. He was not my teacher, I had Mr. Komlen, and he was very cute. His first name was P.J., which I thought was adorable. Anyway, back to Mr. Chatlin, who was not adorable, but a portly older man that all of the kids loved because he was so cool. Looking back, he was probably in his 40’s, not exactly closing in on retirement. 

Mr. Chatlin always took all of the 6th graders to the Toronto Science Center on a train for our farewell to elementary school days. This is all I remember about that day (oh happy day, a list WITHIN a list!!)

1. I wore my blue elephant leg bell bottoms and my favorite light blue shirt.

2. I was chosen to put my hand on the electricity ball and my long hair stood up on end. It was a great honor to be chosen!

3. We had fried chicken for dinner.

4. We played Truth or Dare all the way home on the train. Which really should be called Dare, or Go Kiss So and So.

I tell you ALL that to tell you that my favorite reason for liking Cool Mr. Chatlin was because he called me “Smiling Kelly”. I was not  a happy girl in 6th grade, and that made me happy.

9. Honey keeps telling us that the pets we have now are our last pets. This worries me. I don’t even want to live in a house with no kitty witties.

10. I keep thinking that I am going to have questions that will never be answered because my Mom is no longer here to answer them. I don’t know what those questions might be, but I am nevertheless thinking about them.

That is all I have today.

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Potent Quotable

March 28, 2010 at 7:05 AM (Potent Quotable)

“You cannot see faith, but you can see the footprints of the faithful.” We must leave behind “faithful footprints” for others to follow.

Dr. Dennis Anderson

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52@13

March 27, 2010 at 6:50 AM (52, Family Life, From the Heart, Uncategorized)

I am missing my Mom today.

I felt in need of some comfort food. So I made cornbread, in my Grandmother Georgia’s Pyrex. 

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The Rustling

March 26, 2010 at 7:09 AM (Cats and Dog, Family Life, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Muggins Q. Mouse)

Mousey was home from school on Tuesday. She has some sort of throaty, coughy, thingy. It was a good thing too, because we found out later that day from The Boy’s friend, Elyk, that there had been a bomb scare. And the kids  were in lock down for quite a while. Good day to miss, I must say.

So Mouse was ensconced on the couch, catching up on the second season of Friday Night Lights she missed from the weekend, cause  we had watched it without her. Because HELLO, just because she has a life doesn’t mean that we have to sit around waiting for her!

I think I was in the kitchen when she suddenly muted the TV and asked what is that noise? It was a strange noise. Then I heard the unmistakable sound of charms on an animal collar. I would like to be able to tell you that I am a little baby genius and have the skills to tell all of our pets apart by the sound of their jingly collars. All I can say is that I can differentiate between canine and feline. The three felines, I cannot tell. Mama Mia and Halle jingle. Lucy is a stealth cat.

It was the canine. Because she has two charms on her collar. She likes to be distinctive with the collar bling. There was another noise that we could not figure out until the canine came into view. It was a distinct rustle, rustle. When Katie came around the corner, we just laughed and laughed!

We have no idea where she got this accessory. We have no idea how she put on the accessory. She could not do it again in a hundred tries! It was like a halter dress.

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She was embarrassed when I got the camera, because she knew it was going to be featured on the blob.

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Mouse and I just laughed hysterically at her discomfort.

Katie was so distraught that she tinkled. So I picked her up in one fell swoop and deposited her in the laundry sink for a bath. All’s well that ends well. That’s what Ma Ingalls always said anyway.

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Abject humiliation.

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P-Paw’s Party

March 25, 2010 at 6:19 AM (Family Life)

Happy Birthday P-Paw! We went over to Beeve and Stacey’s for a little age celebration last night. We had a yummy Mexican fiesta menu, with the birthday boy’s favorite cake for dessert.

Congratulations Stacey! You pulled it off! We weren’t sure how to make the cake. I looked in my Mom’s recipe box out at the lake. Wasn’t there. The recipe turned out to be on the cake box. Whew!

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We had a nice time celebrating The Big Dog. Happy Birthday, Frank-O!

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Little Goomba gave excellent support as my wing man in the dish washing department. They were very clean spoons.

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We then came home and were not surprised to say goodbye to Paige on American Idol. Would have preferred that Tim had left, but since I don’t vote, I have no real say. I don’t think the world can survive another week of his heavy helping of cheese.

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Way Back When-sday-Happy Birthday Dad!

March 24, 2010 at 5:20 AM (Family Life, From the Heart, Way Back When-sday)

How perfect that my Dad’s birthday fell on Way Back When-sday!

My Mom married my Dad in 1971, so I would have been 9 and my brother Beeve would have been 5. He is a great guy and we are blessed to have him. He took a broken family and made it whole.

What a handsome young man! And as his hairdresser, I can tell you he would love to have all that hair again!

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I owe him a special debt of gratitude because he endured my teen years. And it wasn’t pretty. My Mom once told me that if she could live through my fifteenth year, she could do anything.

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He planned a surprise party for my Mom’s 50th birthday. He pulled it off, she was surprised! That’s my Grandma Georgia in the back, next to Beeve and Honey. Look how young we all look!

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Not only was he a loving Dad, he has been a wonderful Grandfather. A personal playmate for all three of our children, and a doting P-Paw to Little Goomba now as well.

 Mousey is giving him two thumbs way up! Or maybe he pulled that thumb out of her mouth!

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But most of all, he was the hand picked by God, best husband in the world for my Mom. For almost 39 years,  he was her devoted partner and friend, and in her later years, her work assistant, cook, chauffer, housekeeper, nurse and constant companion.

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Thanks Dad, you’re the best. Happy Birthday!

8 Comments

Arrow Texts

March 23, 2010 at 4:55 AM (Confessions, From the Heart)

About 17 years ago, I remember hearing our old worship leader talk about shooting up “arrow prayers”. Just praying when you remember something, or were worried, or felt the need to talk to God about a problem right at that moment. You pray doing whatever it is you were doing. Walking, driving, working, laundry, whatever.

I had never heard of that concept, but I liked it a lot.  I continue to do this  throughout my day. I’m not saying you shouldn’t have a set aside time of prayer, but the way my mind operates, it’s hard to sit and concentrate for a long period of time. I can jump 87 topics in a 15 minute time span.

I read something yesterday that I thought was interesting. It’s kind of the arrow prayer for the new generation.

This article was talking about texting, and how some kids text thousands of texts a month. The kids are in constant communication with each other, all day long. I know this to be true. The Boy is the record holder at our house with an all time, whopping high, of 8000 texts last April, mostly due to to our vacation in Florida, and his forced separation from LMNOP.

The article also talked about 1 Thess. 5:17, “Pray without ceasing”. And what exactly does that look like? If I can’t sit and pray for 15 minutes without my mind going down countless rabbit trails, how could I possibly pray without ceasing, all day long?

The writer suggested that arrow prayers were like texting. A way to stay in constant communication with God throughout the day. Pray as the need arises, for whatever the reason. No matter where you are. All throughout the day, without ceasing.  I am a fan of texting and arrows.

But if it’s all the same, I’ll stick with the arrows. I shoot way better than I text.

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Three Things

March 22, 2010 at 7:22 AM (Around Our House, Family Life, Honey, Lists, Muggins Q. Mouse, Our Boy, Television)

This morning got off to a strange start. I was woke up by Mousey when she came in to tell me she had missed the bus. That is not a good way to start a brand new week. That is not the strange part.

Teen girl+ alarm clock problems+ makeup + hair and wardrobe decisions+breakfast=missing the bus on occasion. I prefer that she miss the bus on non BSF days anyway. Missing the bus ON BSF days throws off my getting ready groove and causes me to SIGH very loudly and launch into my Mom speech about getting your act together in a timely fashion. She’s heard it before, and I have no doubt, will hear it again.

What was strange, was my alarm not going off. It is supposed to be a smart clock. One that resets itself when the power goes off. Well, somehow, it got it’s smart little self off a day. It said it was Sunday, evidently The Smart Clock’s day off.

So I had to take that late Mouse to school before I even had my cup of chai. Really big sigh. AGAIN.

We had a big weekend. We did three things. Of course I am being facetious.

On Saturday, Honey and I shopped at the produce store and Sam’s, to buy mass quantities of stuff to make Honey’s famous spaghetti sauce, that we make in 2 huge pots and freeze for a later date.

Once again, he tried to get me to do math. I reminded him that I am not that kind of girl.

He feels that his sauce recipe could be for once and for all time perfected if he could only translate the whole thing to ounces. I told him he is MORE than welcome to figure that out himself. I am just the meat browner, can rinser, dishwasher and ladler into container, helper. That is well above my pay grade and don’t ask me again. Thinking that intensely could cause me to have a stroke.

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The results of our labor of love. We made extra because we decided to make a small meatless pot for Beef-Free Mousey and it was our turn to make dinner for the 18-20 youth workers at church. I hope that crock pot was enough. I have heard rumors about youth workers appetites.

I told you last week that our head pastor and our assistant head pastor were changing places. Last week was all about honoring and celebrating the 30 year founding pastor. It was lovely, and if you recall, Honey and I dressed for the occasion.

THIS week was the final flip. It was all about celebrating and honoring the INCOMING head pastor. Yesterday morning was his installation hoopla, and after church we had desserts and a coffee bar. Fancy coffees that I can hardly spell.

Honey and I manned a table with our partner, Betty. We were baristas! Just like my cousin Lindsay was at Starbucks! I am here to tell you that is the only reason that I even know that word! We made lattes, macchiatos and some Kahlua thingys. We were a well oiled machine my Friends! Congratulations PASTOR Mark!

After all of that activity, we reclined on the couch to watch our latest obsession, season 2 of Friday Night Lights. Which, I am sorry to say Hat Chick, I have more questions to ask you.

1. Is it legal in Texas for guidance counselors to wear blouses that low cut ? Really!

2. This is not really a question. More of a statement. If my 15 year old daughter was as sassy and obnoxious and disrespectful as Coach Taylor’s daughter? She would not live to see another Texas sunrise. Please don’t even TRY and pretend that normal parents put up with that sort of nonsense.

3. Is it legal in Texas for girls to wear such low cut shirts to public school? I know that here in The Mitten they are fighting that battle as well. Along with the ridiculous fad of boys wearing their pants at half mast. Of which, our son participates. Much to our disgust. At least they send them home, or tell them to cover it up.

4. Is it legal in Texas for devout Christian girls like Lyla Garrity to wear such low cut blouses? Clearly, all my questions are chest-ally related.

That was our weekend. Go forth and do Monday.

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