Fun Monday #19 - A Trip Down Memory Lane

Fun Monday this week is being hosted by Karisma at Karisma and Kids. This is want she wants us to do:

"I want you to take a trip down memory lane, and keep right on going, right back to your childhood. And I want to hear "THAT STORY". You remember the one? Yes, you do! The one your parents, siblings, extended family or friends, would never let you forget, live down or get over!"

I was a perfect little angel when I was younger, so my story isn't that fantastic, BUT here goes !!

I am the oldest of six siblings. Three brothers followed me before I got any sisters. So, this episode took place when Brother #3 was just a baby. And, I wasn't even in school yet.

We lived in military quarters in West Point, NY and I don't remember what we were looking at, but Brother #1 and Brother #2 were standing on the couch and looking out the window. I wanted to join in. They wouldn't let me, so I pulled on the cord to the venetian blinds (remember the wide slatted, heavy metal kind) and they came crashing down right on Brother #2's head ! I don't remember if I ever got to look out the window, but I do know that to this day, my brother has a pretty little scar on the top of his head where hair just won't grow. I don't see him often because he lives in CA, but he has never let me forget what I did.

Make sure you pay Karisma a visit and read all about everyone else's memories.

Sorry this is so late BUT it is very difficult to post when you have no electricity !! It finally came on after a half hour or so ....

A Random Sunday Funny

I received this in an email and just had to share !! (No harm meant to anyone who lives in the states mentioned - it could be any state inserted ).

NTSB Report

The National Transportation Safety Board recently divulged they had covertly funded a project with the US auto makers for the past five years, whereby the auto makers were installing black box voice recorders in four-wheel drive pickup trucks in an effort to determine, in fatal accidents, the circumstances in the last 15 seconds before the crash.

They were surprised to find in 47 of the 50 states the recorded last words of drivers in 61.2 percent of fatal crashes were, "Oh, SHIT!"

Only the states of Georgia, Tennessee and Alabama were different. There, 89.3 percent of the final words were: "Hold my beer and watch this!!"

Hope you have had a Good Weekend !

I've Had Better Days

Tonight, I am tired. Emotionally tired. I've had too much time to reflect on times to come. I hope that the grief that I feel right now will never return - but realize that my day will come - even 20 years from now will be too soon.

In the last three days, I have attended 2 funerals. I thank the Lord that it wasn't for any one in my immediate family. But still ...

A week ago this past Friday, I received a voice mail message from someone I didn't recognize at first. I thought about it for a few minutes, then realized who it was and returned the call. It was my former sister-in-law. We haven't really kept in touch all that much, but do exchange Christmas cards each year. I figured out the reason for her call before I actually made my return call - her father had passed away - my former father-in-law. I wasn't overcome with grief but felt sad just the same. When my ex-husband left me, his family kinda left me too. Up until my former mother-in-law passed away in 1991, I tried to keep in touch by sending pictures of the boys, cards and such. After a while, I stopped when I never heard anything back from them - my boy's Nanny and Grandaddy.

It made my feel good, that my former sister-in-law thought enough of me to let me know of his passing. She told me that her Daddy always liked me even after I wasn't married to his son anymore. I decided then and there, that I would attend his memorial service/funeral to show my respect and to support his daughter in her time of grief.

I called my children the next day to let them know. Neither one of them would be there on Saturday, it turned out. The older one told me that he wouldn't go unless his Dad called him. His Dad never called. The younger one told me that he didn't even really know his Dad, so he wouldn't have known his grandfather either. I tried to include their paternal grandparents in their lives when they were growing up, but without their father doing his part ...

On this past Wednesday night, I received a phone call letting me know that my friend/co-worker's mother had passed away earlier that evening. I had met this woman. She was only 59 - less than 10 years older than myself. I had spent time with this woman and her family many times, as recently as this past September. I have supported her daughter (my friend and co-worker) through the many, many months of her illness. This phone call broke my heart and I was truly overcome with grief - for her daughter, my friend. She had just lost her mother, her best friend. Right then and there, I decided that I would be there for her in her time of need. Her mother was no longer in pain and had moved on to a better place, a place where her strong faith in God had taken her.

So, on Saturday morning, I attended my father-in-law's funeral. The cemetery is right next to the church. It was a small, informal service with a simple burial right afterwards. It was his wish to be cremated. I saw former family members that I hadn't seen in a long time (about 14 years at least). I saw family members (children) that I had never met. I saw my ex-husband and his family. I wish that my boys would have been there too. I did my part, I paid my respects to my former father-in-law. He has been reunited with his wife. My hope is that his children will now pull together and be there for each other as families should be. By his own admission, my ex-husband knows that he shouldn't have drifted away from his father's life after his mother passed - he regrets that he didn't have the chance to say goodbye. I hope that he realizes that each and every life is precious and that he tries to reconnect with his two oldest sons. I can't force it, but I can hope.

On Saturday evening, I went to the funeral home for the visitation with the family and viewing of Melonie's mother. There were so many people there. There were so many flowers, including the ones that we, as co-workers sent. It was the first time I had seen Melonie since her mother had taken a turn for the worse, a week or so before. It was very hard, but Melonie is so strong in her faith, that I knew she would be OK. I viewed the video from her parent's 40th Anniversary party last year, that they had playing and realized that that was the last time I had seen her mother smiling and so happy. She had been diagnosed shortly after. She put up a strong fight until the very end.

Saturday night, I didn't sleep very well.

This morning, I attended Melonie's mother's funeral. It wasn't a solemn service at all. They celebrated her life and her faithful service in the church. So many memories were shared, some of which I had the privilege to be a part of. The drive to the cemetery was a lengthy one and it was uplifting to see the officers who were controlling the traffic at the intersections, stand with their heads bowed as we drove by. It turned into a route through country roads and the fall foliage was a sight to see. Her final journey was just as colorful as her life was. Afterwards, the family invited everyone to their church for a time of reflection and fellowship and very tasty home-cooked food. As I was saying my goodbyes, Melonie thanked me for coming and also thanked me for being a friend. She has been so strong through the last few days, it was at that moment, we shared a few tears, as friends.

My father-in-law and Melonie's Mom - May you both Rest In Peace.

Fun Monday - # 18 - Mother May I?

HOOTIN' ANNI is definitely a hoot this week. This is what she wants:


Stand up from where you are (at your computer) - Take 30 giant steps in any direction and take a photo. Then, take 15 baby steps backwards and take another photo. AND don't forget to say "Mother, May I?"

I live in a small townhouse and had to make a decision - Up or down. Up won hands down because there is no way in hell that I will show you the disorganization that appears if you go down !

Taking 30 giant steps in any direction would have put me smack into a wall, so I compromised and took 30 normalish steps to the left at each turn and ended up in the corner of my bedroom, looking directly at this:

This plant was an orphan when I got it. It's mother stuck it in a corner on her porch and promptly forgot about it. I love plants and couldn't bear to see it wither away and die. So, I brought it to my house. I water it, I talk to it, I give it light - it has found a loving home. Maybe, as a Christmas present to this deserving plant, I will transplant it into a bigger pot.

Taking 15 baby steps backwards put me in the hallway right at the top of the stairs. Directly in front of me wouldn't have been a decent picture, as I would have been taking a picture directly into the mirror in the bathroom. So, I turned to the left and this is what I saw:

I took these pictures during a trip to the Outer Banks about 5 or so years ago. I was rather pleased with the results, so I framed them and hung it up on the wall in between my bedroom and the bathroom.

Take a bunch of bloggy steps and visit Anni to check out all of the other Fun Monday participants to see where their steps took them.

Fun Monday - # 17 - Holiday Traditions

The holidays are quickly approaching - They will be here before you know it and I haven't done a bit of shopping yet !!


This week, The Humble Housewife is the hostess for Fun Monday.


She wants to hear about or see a holiday tradition, recipe or event. It can be any holiday you like or that is special to your family. With Thanksgiving and the Winter holidays coming up, those would be especially apt, but anything that is special for your family is fine. If you have pictures - it's a bonus! Whether it's your Mom's famous stuffing recipe, going caroling on Christmas Eve, Diwali dances, or even the inevitability of Great Aunt Polly having one too many brandies and knocking over the Christmas tree - I want to hear about it!!!

THANKSGIVING
Growing up in a big family always made Thanksgiving an enjoyable day. The entire family (it got larger as we each married and had families of our own) would gather at Mom and Dad's for Thanksgiving dinner. Mom would do the turkey (and sometimes ham) and other good stuff and we each would bring along a dish or two to add to it. The card table would be set up in the living room (the "kids" table) because the dining room just wasn't big enough to accommodate all 6 six kids plus. As the years went by, different ones left the area and we no longer had to use the card table. There were a couple of years where we had guests that had no family in the area, and they became our "extended family" for the day. (Heaven forbid, I ended up dating one of them for 7+ years - but that is a subject for another day). Mom and Dad have within the last year moved all the way across the United States near SJ in CO, so Thanksgiving in VA is now, a much smaller affair.



CHRISTMAS
The house where I grew up had no fireplace, so we hung our stockings on the banister of the stairs. We used one of our socks instead of a store bought stocking. Being the oldest (and a girl) I always picked out the longest pair of knee socks I owned. I believe that my brothers always felt cheated but rest assured, we were all treated equally. The fact that I had the longest sock didn't mean I got more !!



Ever since my boys have grown up and left home, I attend the 11:00 Candlelight Christmas service each Christmas Eve at the church I attended growing up. When they were young, I would get them off to bed then spend half the night wrapping gifts, filling stockings and such. Now that they aren't at home, I can do all that stuff at my leisure and not have to keep everything hidden. I felt lost those first years, with nothing to do on Christmas Eve. From that point on, I have gone to church each year and come home with the real reason for the season in my heart. Each year, just before midnight, the lights are turned out and candlelight spreads through the sanctuary and everyone joins in to sing "Silent Night" as we exit out into the darkness.



SNOWMEN
This isn't really a traditon, but an obsession of mine. I "Heart" Snowmen. I decorate my entire house with snowmen ... the entire house !! It is much easier now that it is just me. Each year, I buy more - I search out the "unique" ones. It really is getting out of control but I can't help it - I "Heart" Snowmen. And my family knows it, so the collection grows every year. I bought a second Christmas tree last year on clearance so that I would have enough space to display the multitude of snowman ornaments that I own.



They second tree will be for the non-snowman ornaments that I just can't bear not to put out . There is one special ornament that hangs near the top each year. A small Santa (inexpensive flocked dollar store kind) that hung in my oldest son's incubator the year he was born. The nurses in the hospital put it there and it came home with us when he finally gained enough weight to come home. (He was born in October, came home in December). There will be the handmade ornaments (most treasured are the ones made by my children and the ones made by my grandparents who are no longer with us on this earth), themed ornaments, dated ornaments, ornaments that represent my grandchildren, neices and nephews, great neices and good friends. Everything that is near and dear to my heart EXCEPT the snowmen which will get their own tree this year.



Here is a small sampling of my snowmen ....



Blogger isn't being cooperative at the moment, so I will tell you of the newest snowmen I have purchased recently - a snowman shower curtain that matches the bath mat I bought last year and snowman flannel sheets to keep me warm. And to add, I have numerous sweaters and fleece tops adorned with snowmen that I wear most days during the last weeks of December.



Let's try again ...






The tree in all it's glory (I need to find a snowman tree topper)


Yes, that one says it all !

The coffee table

One of my favorites

All around the floor ...

And on the stairs

( I have acquired and put out many more since this picture was taken)

Make sure you go visit Deborah, The Humble Housewife and read about everyone else's holiday traditions. I have visited a few and they definitely don't disappoint.

Sometimes It Pays To Give Out Your Name

About a month ago, I was skipping around the Blogosphere and came across a Mother Talk Tour book review at Did You See That? I read the review of "On Borrowed Wings" and felt that it was something I must just want to read. CPA Mom had been given the opportunity to give away TWO (2) autographed copies of this wonderful book. So, I left a comment as instructed and hoped that my name would be picked. Then, I completely forgot about it. (I do that sometimes !!)


Imagine my surprise when a few weeks later, a package was sitting on my doorstep from an address I didn't recognize. I ripped it open and this is what I found!

AND as promised, it is autographed by the author, Chandra Prasad.

I WON !! I WON !! I WON !!

I am anxious to have the chance to read it when I can find a few moments of down time !

Not as anxious as SJ is right now - I am sure - because she gave out her name and ...

SHE WON !! SHE WON !! SHE WON!!

I get to sit down and relax with my winning - she has to exert physical energy with hers !!!

I am pleased for both of us - cause we both won !!

( I felt rather silly this afternoon as I was using my little red Dirt Devil Stick Vacuum and dreading every moment. I would have rather been dancing around while using a Pink Dyson!!)

I truly am looking forward to reading my new book, because HOUSEWORK MAKES YOU UGLY!!

Really, there is a sign in my kitchen that says so !!

SHE WON !! SHE WON !! SHE WON !!

I am so excited for my youngest sister !!

SHE WON ! SHE WON ! SHE WON !

I didn't ...

It's OK though, at least it's in the family!!

Go visit SJ and share in her giddiness.