Thursday, November 27, 2008
Early New Year's Resolution
During my trip into Little Town yesterday I had to make a stop at the liquor store (yes, my family is driving me to drink already) and I ran into the parents of a high school classmate. Now admittedly I definitely need to lose about 30 or 40 pounds, and I'm certainly 60 pounds heavier than I was when they last saw me when their son and I graduated from JHS in 1985, but did she have to point it out to me in our conversation? I can't remember the exact conversation, but it went something like this. At this point she's looking me up and down and says, "I see you've gotten to be like M.B. (her son)." I catch her meaning and say in response, "Oh, has M.B. gained some weight?" She says, "OMG, yes, he's HUGE!" The only thing I could think of to say was, "Yes, I've enjoyed life to the fullest the last several years." She responds with, "Too bad you didn't take after your mom and stay skinny." Since I didn't want to start calling her names, all I said was, "I like to believe I'm much happier than skinny people that starve themselves all the time!" I realize she probably didn't mean anything by it, she was just being honest and spoke before she thought about what it was she was saying, but it certainly made me admit to myself what I've been denying for the last several years -- I need to lose some weight. I know that I can do it if I just start exercising in some way or another and being more careful about what I feed my face with, so I think I'm going to put that at the top of my to-do list after the first of the year. I see no sense trying to do anything about the situation until after the holidays, especially since as soon as I publish this post I'm going to go load my plate with lots of turkey and dressing and then plop in front of the TV watching football! ;)
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
With a Broom in Her Hand
Our mom's sister, Aunt Jackie, passed away November 23, 2008, at the age of 85.
By Sandra: I always thought of her as the Energizer Bunny with a broom. At the cabins she was always fighting the losing battle with the oak leaves. And when she wasn't doing that, she never seemed to be still -- she was always busy doing something.
I have vague memories of spending time at her house when I was very young. The two things I remember best is that silly little bird that was filled with liquid that dipped his head in the water over and over again, and one Christmas Kelly Don got one of those football games with the magnetic men that vibrated across the field to make a touchdown. The main thing I remember is being well loved, well fed, and well taken care of when I was in her care.
By Brenda: I remember her broom. Oh my, how she loved to sweep. I realize that now in my older years, it was a form of therapy. My memory of spending time at her house as a young child is vague also. I can still picture Kelly Don sitting in her lap when we were younger with his hand on her ear playing with her ear and earrings. I was always fascinated by that for some reason. I had the honor of living in the same town with her for the last 22 years and even though I didn't stop by often, you were always welcomed with open arms and an offer of whatever she had cooked for the day. As my son, Travis, grew up she always had a special Halloween treat ready for him at her house when I would bring him by to "trick or treat". She was a special lady and she will be missed.
By Bethany: I stayed with Aunt Jackie when I was young and Dad and Mom both worked. I remember Kaptain Kangroo in front of the TV. Always having something good to eat. And some of those crazy Chandler girls putting mayonaise on red beans and some of those Chandler girls putting sugar on those good ole' red beans. I remember taking an ice pick and poking one hole in the middle of the metal Dr Pepper cap and sucking out the sweet liquid. I guess I am dating myself since some of you will not remember the metal lids. She was a smart lady, I bet it took us 5 times as long to finish a Dr Pepper that way. I also have memories of dropping peanuts down into those bottles when we did pop the lids off with a bottle opener. The only time I remember getting into any trouble with Aunt Jackie is when we drove Gay-Gay or Kelly Don crazy. (many times over I'm sure) My cousin Jack and I are the same age and always close. Well, he will tell you he is older by a few months than me. I never got into trouble with him because he still thinks or I should say knows that I am perfect. In those rare cases of when I did get into trouble with Aunt Jackie, she always threatened me with a wet fly swatter. Of course, she never really used it on me. It was the wet part that always made me behave. I also remember also all the craft projects she and I did together and separately. Oh what fun!!!! Aunt Jackie will be loved and missed by all but her loving memories will always be close to my heart.
By Lisa: I shouldn't have let my sisters go before me. Most of my best memories from childhood are the same as theirs. I know that I don't remember any kid ever getting in trouble while they were at her house. She was just like my Granny Erna (her mother) in that regard.
My most recent memories of her are some of my favorites though. She owned the cabin next to ours out at Telegraph. And during the years that we spent alot of time out there, she was usually aways there also. Our cabins are under huge old oak trees, so you know how many leaves fall from them in the spring. So, yes, I also will never think about her without seeing her with her broom in her hand. Even during the last couple of years when she wasn't at her cabin when we were out there, I could look down the sidewalk that connected the two, and I swear I could see her sweeping. I'm sure I always will. And after she got her big deck and porch swept off, she would head down the sidewalk towards our cabin, sweeping all the way. She wouldn't stop until she also had ours all swept clean, too. And like Brenda said, I now realize this was probably a form of stress relief. Better than yoga now that I think about it, because you had accomplished something when you were through. Neal reminded me last night about something Lily said when she was little. Lily was probably 3 or so, and we were at the cabin but Aunt Jackie wasn't out at hers and Lily asked, "Where's the sweeping lady?" She also made the best peach cobbler of all times when we were all at the cabins. I have never eaten any better, especially the crust. And lastly, I'll never forget sitting out on the deck at the cabin with Aunt Jackie and my mother. It was highly entertaining to listen to them talk. You'll notice I didn't say converse because they mostly didn't. They both talked constantly, and I mean non-stop, at the same time without even listening to what the other one was saying. But they both were happy regardless. They had a great time spending time with each other, even before they opened their Mogan David wine. And they both left feeling that they were all caught up with each other I guess. We'll miss you, Aunt Jackie. It makes me feel good to think about you being back together with Granny Erna, Colie and Aunt T.
By Sandra: I always thought of her as the Energizer Bunny with a broom. At the cabins she was always fighting the losing battle with the oak leaves. And when she wasn't doing that, she never seemed to be still -- she was always busy doing something.
I have vague memories of spending time at her house when I was very young. The two things I remember best is that silly little bird that was filled with liquid that dipped his head in the water over and over again, and one Christmas Kelly Don got one of those football games with the magnetic men that vibrated across the field to make a touchdown. The main thing I remember is being well loved, well fed, and well taken care of when I was in her care.
By Brenda: I remember her broom. Oh my, how she loved to sweep. I realize that now in my older years, it was a form of therapy. My memory of spending time at her house as a young child is vague also. I can still picture Kelly Don sitting in her lap when we were younger with his hand on her ear playing with her ear and earrings. I was always fascinated by that for some reason. I had the honor of living in the same town with her for the last 22 years and even though I didn't stop by often, you were always welcomed with open arms and an offer of whatever she had cooked for the day. As my son, Travis, grew up she always had a special Halloween treat ready for him at her house when I would bring him by to "trick or treat". She was a special lady and she will be missed.
By Bethany: I stayed with Aunt Jackie when I was young and Dad and Mom both worked. I remember Kaptain Kangroo in front of the TV. Always having something good to eat. And some of those crazy Chandler girls putting mayonaise on red beans and some of those Chandler girls putting sugar on those good ole' red beans. I remember taking an ice pick and poking one hole in the middle of the metal Dr Pepper cap and sucking out the sweet liquid. I guess I am dating myself since some of you will not remember the metal lids. She was a smart lady, I bet it took us 5 times as long to finish a Dr Pepper that way. I also have memories of dropping peanuts down into those bottles when we did pop the lids off with a bottle opener. The only time I remember getting into any trouble with Aunt Jackie is when we drove Gay-Gay or Kelly Don crazy. (many times over I'm sure) My cousin Jack and I are the same age and always close. Well, he will tell you he is older by a few months than me. I never got into trouble with him because he still thinks or I should say knows that I am perfect. In those rare cases of when I did get into trouble with Aunt Jackie, she always threatened me with a wet fly swatter. Of course, she never really used it on me. It was the wet part that always made me behave. I also remember also all the craft projects she and I did together and separately. Oh what fun!!!! Aunt Jackie will be loved and missed by all but her loving memories will always be close to my heart.
By Lisa: I shouldn't have let my sisters go before me. Most of my best memories from childhood are the same as theirs. I know that I don't remember any kid ever getting in trouble while they were at her house. She was just like my Granny Erna (her mother) in that regard.
My most recent memories of her are some of my favorites though. She owned the cabin next to ours out at Telegraph. And during the years that we spent alot of time out there, she was usually aways there also. Our cabins are under huge old oak trees, so you know how many leaves fall from them in the spring. So, yes, I also will never think about her without seeing her with her broom in her hand. Even during the last couple of years when she wasn't at her cabin when we were out there, I could look down the sidewalk that connected the two, and I swear I could see her sweeping. I'm sure I always will. And after she got her big deck and porch swept off, she would head down the sidewalk towards our cabin, sweeping all the way. She wouldn't stop until she also had ours all swept clean, too. And like Brenda said, I now realize this was probably a form of stress relief. Better than yoga now that I think about it, because you had accomplished something when you were through. Neal reminded me last night about something Lily said when she was little. Lily was probably 3 or so, and we were at the cabin but Aunt Jackie wasn't out at hers and Lily asked, "Where's the sweeping lady?" She also made the best peach cobbler of all times when we were all at the cabins. I have never eaten any better, especially the crust. And lastly, I'll never forget sitting out on the deck at the cabin with Aunt Jackie and my mother. It was highly entertaining to listen to them talk. You'll notice I didn't say converse because they mostly didn't. They both talked constantly, and I mean non-stop, at the same time without even listening to what the other one was saying. But they both were happy regardless. They had a great time spending time with each other, even before they opened their Mogan David wine. And they both left feeling that they were all caught up with each other I guess. We'll miss you, Aunt Jackie. It makes me feel good to think about you being back together with Granny Erna, Colie and Aunt T.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Once Upon A Time ...
... somewhere on or about February 14, 2001 -- (I know you're saying to yourself, "HFS" -- if you can't figure it out, you'll have to ask me to interpret) -- my life was suddenly not my own. That was OK with me since by that time I'd pretty much had 34 years to do what I pleased and when I pleased. On November 20, 2001, I was blessed with a baby girl, whom we named Lindsay Ellen. She turned 7 years old today. She is so much my mini-me that it scares me! There is NO DOUBT that I'll be paying for my raisin' for many years to come.
I had the pleasure of delivering birthday cupcakes to her classroom this afternoon and spending about 30 minutes in the room, and it was very interesting watching the classroom dynamics; i.e., her classmates and how they act, and how her teacher responded to their antics! He's very laid back, but when he needs to lay down the law he has no problem doing so, and the kids respond to that. My awe and respect for TEACHERS is 500 million billion times more than it was before Miss Lindsay came along.
It's very scary to think that in only 10 short years Miss Lindsay will be 17 years old!!!!!! As my best friend's mom used to say: "Ye Gads!"
I had the pleasure of delivering birthday cupcakes to her classroom this afternoon and spending about 30 minutes in the room, and it was very interesting watching the classroom dynamics; i.e., her classmates and how they act, and how her teacher responded to their antics! He's very laid back, but when he needs to lay down the law he has no problem doing so, and the kids respond to that. My awe and respect for TEACHERS is 500 million billion times more than it was before Miss Lindsay came along.
It's very scary to think that in only 10 short years Miss Lindsay will be 17 years old!!!!!! As my best friend's mom used to say: "Ye Gads!"
Monday, November 17, 2008
Birthday Party Weekend & A Tidy Tilly Visit
We had Lindsay's b-day party Saturday and I think it was a success. It was at her dance studio and I thought it was great because I just turned the 13 little 7-year-old girls over to her dance teacher and pretty much didn't have to do anything! Nice. Lily came home with us after the party because she didn't want to go watch her sister Sarah's choir performance, and then Brenda, Beth, and Neal stopped by to pick her up after watching Sarah's performance.
Now I'll admit that I'm not a housekeeper and I think I come by that naturally. I want everything picked up and not have clutter everywhere, but I just don't worry about dusting and scrubbing so much if it's not something that I'm going to be eating off of! Well, Tidy Tilly (aka my sweet sister Brenda) was very disturbed to see the condition of the drainage tray of my dish drainer. When she pointed it out to me in horror I was, like, "Yeah, I should clean that, but my dishes aren't touching it so what difference does it make?" She just shook her head in disgrace and insisted that cleaning it was not going to be good enough, that I must buy a new one immediately! Well, I've never been one to mind very well, so I did not rush out and buy a new one as ordered by T.T., but I am happy to report that it has been cleaned. I'm really glad she did not go in my bedroom and see my dust collection!
Now I'll admit that I'm not a housekeeper and I think I come by that naturally. I want everything picked up and not have clutter everywhere, but I just don't worry about dusting and scrubbing so much if it's not something that I'm going to be eating off of! Well, Tidy Tilly (aka my sweet sister Brenda) was very disturbed to see the condition of the drainage tray of my dish drainer. When she pointed it out to me in horror I was, like, "Yeah, I should clean that, but my dishes aren't touching it so what difference does it make?" She just shook her head in disgrace and insisted that cleaning it was not going to be good enough, that I must buy a new one immediately! Well, I've never been one to mind very well, so I did not rush out and buy a new one as ordered by T.T., but I am happy to report that it has been cleaned. I'm really glad she did not go in my bedroom and see my dust collection!
Friday, November 14, 2008
4 Star General
Just saw on CNN that the Army has just promoted the first female to the rank of a 4 Star General. The lady receiving that honor has only been serving her country for 33 years -- wonder what took them so long?
New Car
I got a wild hair last week and went and traded my Pacifica in for a Dodge Journey. It's basically just a smaller version of my old one but less miles and still has that new car smell!
We're getting ready for Lindsay's b-day party w/ her friends tomorrow, and then we'll have a family party for her and Lily down in Junction over the Thanksgiving holiday.
I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving, but I would just as soon put Christmas off for a while. When I was out buying Lindsay's b-day present I went ahead and started on her Christmas list. I really should have planned better and had her in June or July! Oh, well, a little late to be thinking about that now!
We're getting ready for Lindsay's b-day party w/ her friends tomorrow, and then we'll have a family party for her and Lily down in Junction over the Thanksgiving holiday.
I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving, but I would just as soon put Christmas off for a while. When I was out buying Lindsay's b-day present I went ahead and started on her Christmas list. I really should have planned better and had her in June or July! Oh, well, a little late to be thinking about that now!
Saturday, November 1, 2008
My Halloweens
When I mentioned to Mom on the phone this morning that she must not have ever taken me trick or treating because I couldn't remember it I got a "Sandra Denise Randle" in response. She quickly followed that by explaining that we always stopped by several family member's houses and then went to the Halloween Carnival that the school always held on the old high school tennis courts. If you read angelic Brenda's comment from my last post you will see that she concurs with this.
Once Mom reminded me about the Halloween Carnival some of those memories came back to me. I now can remember there was always a go-fishing booth, a cake walk, and a haunted house where we stuck our fingers in guts (cooked spaghetti) and eyeballs (grapes) and who knows what else!
When I asked Mom which one of us girls was dressed up as a devil she said probably all of us since the costumes got handed down every year!
It disturbs me a little bit that I couldn't pull those memories up on my own, but it's nice to know that they're still there in some little forgotten corner of my brain!
Once Mom reminded me about the Halloween Carnival some of those memories came back to me. I now can remember there was always a go-fishing booth, a cake walk, and a haunted house where we stuck our fingers in guts (cooked spaghetti) and eyeballs (grapes) and who knows what else!
When I asked Mom which one of us girls was dressed up as a devil she said probably all of us since the costumes got handed down every year!
It disturbs me a little bit that I couldn't pull those memories up on my own, but it's nice to know that they're still there in some little forgotten corner of my brain!
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