A Pre-Mother’s Day Hodgepodge…

Happy Hump Day!  The week is half over, and it’s time for another edition of Hodgepodge.  It’s also almost Mother’s Day, so I’m going to take this opportunity to wish all of my blog friends a “Happy Mother’s Day”.  Today happens to be our oldest son, Brett’s birthday, so I’m going to take this opportunity to wish him “Happy Birthday”, as well.  Brett was my Mother’s Day baby, and so he made Mother’s Day of 1982 quite memorable!  He was born 4 hours, 7  minutes after the day had ended at midnight! Happy Birthday, son.  I love you!

1. Share a favorite memory of your mother or share a favorite something from your own life as a mother.

Most of my favorite memories, as a mother, center around holidays or the children’s birthdays.  I always took great joy in planning for their birthdays, Easter, and Christmas.  I’d start planning well in advance, and usually went over-board in the gift giving department, but it was fun!  I wanted my own children to have better childhood memories than I have, and I think they do.  I wasn’t a perfect mother, but I gave it everything I had!

If you’re a mother (or stepmom) tell us how your experience as a mom differs from your own mother’s experience.

For most of my childhood and adult life, my mother wasn’t a very stable person.  I didn’t know it at the time, but she was bipolar, which meant lots of ‘ups and downs’.  She [and my father] struggled with alcohol, as well.  There were some good times, but, as you can imagine, there were a lot of not-so-good ones.

I was bound and determined to give my children the kind of stable, happy home life I never had, and I think Ed and I were successful in that.  We both tried to set good examples for our children, and I hope they have lots of good childhood [and adult] memories.

2. In May we celebrate teachers (May 9) and nurses (May 6) both. Most every family has at least one in their midst, so tell us something (or a few things) you appreciate about the teacher or nurse on your family tree.

Ed’s mama worked as an office nurse for many years.  She loved her job very much, and worked long hours!  She was quite dedicated, and worked until she was in her 70’s.  She’s passed away now, but we have another nurse in our family, these days.  Our youngest son, Brad, is married to a nurse!  Our DIL, Jennifer, is currently working for an orthopedist.  She, too, is quite dedicated and works long hours.  Anyone who has ever worked beside Jennifer will quickly tell  you she goes above and beyond duty.  We love and appreciate her for the difficult work she’s chosen to do.

3. Chicken salad, egg salad, tuna salad…which would you go for if all three were on the menu?  That’s a tough choice because I like all three, but I’ll go with tuna salad.

On bread or a bed of lettuce?  I prefer tuna salad on a bed of lettuce, but we usually just eat it on bread.

If you answered bread, what kind of bread would make it the perfect sandwich? Honey wheat.

4. Do you have a desk?  Yes, we have an old computer desk, but we no longer use it.

Is it organized? No, not really.  It has little spaces for organizing things, but there always seemed to be clutter on top of the desk.

If you don’t have a desk, where in your home do you take care of family paperwork and business?  These days I usually sit in my favorite chair (in the living room) and use the laptop.  Occasionally, if I have a lot of things to take care of at once, I’ll move to the kitchen table.

Where do you normally sit to blog?

I sit in my favorite chair.

5. When I was nine years old…. my parents lived across the street from the elementary school, for a short time.  I walked home for lunch each day, then walked back to school, afterward.  After school, I often walked back over to the school and played on the school playground.  Good memories!

Random:

Those of you who read my blog regularly probably know that Ed and I often visit a local assisted living facility (Alzheimer’s unit), for church services on Sundays.  We’ve had some interesting experiences while there, and last Sunday we had another one.

We’d just finished the song service, and our son was preparing to read some scripture and preach. A new resident, Barbara, who was still holding the song book, suddenly asked what page he was reading from.  He explained to her that he was now reading from the Bible.  She didn’t have a Bible of her own, and there weren’t any available, so I offered Barbara my Bible to follow along with.

Now, before I go any further, let me explain that I’m very attached to my Bible.  It’s a Creative [journaling] Bible that Ed gave me last Christmas.  It’s already filled with all kinds of notes I’ve taken, it has beautiful illustrations for coloring, and I just love it!

Well, things were rolling right along, our son was reading and preaching out of the book of Romans, and I was sharing Ed’s Bible with him…  About that time, the lady with my Bible got up and left the room–and she took my Bible with her!!!  Oh, no, I thought!

I couldn’t decide what to do, without causing a disruption, so I did nothing…and she never came back!  As soon as the service was over, and we’d said our goodbyes to those attending, I took off on a search for my beloved Bible!

As it turned out, during the service, the lady had been summoned for a phone call, but I didn’t realize this.  In fact, she was still talking on the phone when we found her–and there lay my Bible on the dining table.  Whew!  That was a close one!  However, I think I’ll make sure I carry a spare Bible from now on:)

A Mother’s Day To Remember…

Mother’s Day, 2014 will go down as a Mother’s Day to remember for several reasons.  First of all, it was the first Mother’s Day in all of our years together, that Ed and I didn’t have one or the other of our mothers to celebrate with.  My own mother passed away many years ago, but I’ve always thought of Ed’s mom as my second mother.  I really missed having her around to celebrate with us.  

Ed’s mom, celebrating her final Mother’s Day in 2013

My oldest son was a ‘Mother’s Day baby’, which means our family always gets to celebrate his birthday along with Mother’s Day each year!  Brett turned 32, the day before Mother’s Day, and we needed to celebrate!

On Saturday afternoon, Ed and I hosted a family cook out (the one we postponed from Easter).  Ed tried out his new grill–along with his old grill.  He cooked on both grills at the same time, and did a great job!  While we were at home cooking, everyone else was busy doing other things before the evening birthday celebration.

In addition to the birthday and Mother’s Day celebration, our town was hosting its annual ‘Sweet Onion Festival’.  Some of the family attended the parade and festival activities, while others in the family attended showers or visited with the elderly before arriving at our house to celebrate the birthday.  It was a busy weekend for all!

Christina prepares to light Brett’s candles, while Chase looks on

You may recall that it rained here on Easter, and we had to cancel our outdoor egg hunt.  Nothing says ‘love’  like throwing an egg hunt in with your birthday/Mother’s Day celebration, so that’s what we did!   I was impressed with how well the ‘grands’ were able to find eggs, this year, needing very little help from the adults.  Caden found the most eggs.  He also found both of the prize eggs, but he shared one with Madison’s little friend, Brooklyn, who was a guest at the egg hunt.   On Saturday, Ed and I hid 200 eggs in our yard, but the children only managed to find 190 of them, even after searching again on Mother’s Day!

Searching for eggs on Mother’s Day weekend!

Another reason Mother’s Day 2014 was so special is because it was daughter-in-law, Jennifer’s, first Mother’s Day!  Mother’s Day is special for any woman, but for those who have had to over-come huge obstacles, in the process of becoming a mother, the celebration always seems a bit more special.

Jennifer and Brad chose to commemorate her first Mother’s Day by having their son, Evan, christened on this day, which made the day all the more special.  I felt honored and blessed, as a mother, to see every member of my family sitting in the church, on Mother’s Day, for baby Evan’s christening–a baby none of us ever dreamed would be possible, three short years ago!  God is good.

our family after Evan’s christening

We listened to a sermon concerning ‘family’, and continued our celebration throughout the afternoon with family and fellowship.  I am a blessed wife, mother, and grandmother!  I received several wonderful gifts and sweet cards.  2014 must have been the year of ‘living gifts’, as I received a pink dogwood tree, and two baskets of flowers among my Mother’s Day gifts, along with an updated portrait of Evan and a gift card.  I loved each and every gift.

I hope to be around to celebrate quite a few more Mother’s Days with the family, but Mother’s Day 2014 will be always a favorite!  It will be difficult to top this one.

 

 

 

It’s Been Quite A Journey…

Thirty-one years ago, God blessed our family with the birth of a second child, a son.  Appropriately enough, I went to the hospital on Mother’s Day, but didn’t actually give birth until 4:07 the next morning.

Brett was a good baby.  He was usually smiling and happy.  Brett was an active baby, and actually began rolling over at the age of six weeks old!  However, Brett didn’t walk until after he turned a year old.  None of my babies did.

Some of my fondest memories of Brett are from when he was a small child. When he was about three, he learned how to sing “Amazing Grace”.  Occasionally, he would sing this song while we were out shopping.  This always caught people’s attention.  When he was little, he loved wearing suits to church, and used to say that he was going to be a preacher when he grew up.

As a young child, Brett learned the books of the Bible, along with the Lord’s Prayer. I was his Sunday School teacher when he requested to be baptized at age seven.  I was afraid Brett didn’t understand the meaning of what he was asking to do, but after he was questioned at length by his dad, we both agreed that Brett understood.  Brett was baptized soon afterward.  Our pastor, Brother John, used to find great delight in calling on Brett to say the Lord’s Prayer in church!

Brett is a very smart person and always did well in school, with minimal effort.  He rarely brought home any books, much to my dismay, but was always able to maintain very good grades.  One of Brett’s teachers once commented, “If I’ve ever seen a gifted child, Brett is one.”  Brett made perfect scores in reading and math on the standardized tests that year.

Time passed quickly, and before we knew it, Brett became a teenager. He lived and breathed to play basketball! All of his hard work and determination paid off when he was voted “most improved” during his sophomore year, and became a starter the following year.  For reasons I still don’t understand, Brett chose not to play ball his senior year.

Oh, what turbulent years Brett’s late teen years turned out to be!  He graduated high school with honors, and even won a full tuition scholarship for that first year of college, but some difficult times lay ahead.

Some of Brett’s friends, since childhood, had chosen the wrong path of life. Brett seemed to want to follow along.  Brett dropped out of college after his first year.  He wouldn’t hold a job.  His life seemed to be spiraling downward.  Brett became a head-strong, and at times, very disrespectful young man.  At our lowest point, I asked Brett to move out of the house, and he did.  After a few weeks, Brett briefly moved back home, but eventually asked to move in with his grandmother, who’d recently become a widow.

Brett always seemed to walk a fine line, teetering and tottering but never completely falling into deep trouble, like some of his friends.  There were many sleepless nights at our house, until Brett made his way through that dark place, and into the light on the other side.  In retrospect, I know that God was always watching over Brett.

In time, Brett took control of his life, and got back on the right path.  He credits his grandmother, with helping him, by giving him a soft place to land, while he made the transition from a boy to a man.

Brett eventually enrolled in school again, and sailed through, this time, with flying colors!  Brett impressed his instructor so much, he helped Brett get a good job after Brett finished school! While working at this job, Brett  met a young woman, who was instrumental in helping him to become the man I always knew he could be.  Brett worked hard, and when an even better job became available, the former instructor helped Brett, once again.

The past ten years have been a time continued time of growing and changing for Brett.  The change has been slow, and steady, but it’s been remarkable! It’s evident that God has been working in Brett’s life, and continues to do so.

Brett treats the people in his life with love and respect, and he’s a joy to have around!  He’s a devoted husband, and a patient, loving father to his two adorable little boys.  Brett is also a dedicated, hard-working employee, who continues to further his education, when I’m sure he’d rather be doing something else!  He’s an active Christian, who constantly strives to teach others about Jesus.

Yes, these last thirty-one years of life have taken Brett on quite a journey. I can’t wait to see what the next thirty years will bring.  I’m blessed to have been chosen to be his mom…

Happy Birthday, Brett!

Has It Really Been Thirty Years???

Thirty years ago today, I gave birth to our oldest son.

I went into labor on Mother’s Day!

I didn’t actually give birth until four hours and seven minutes after Mother’s Day had ended, but let’s just say, it was a memorable Mother’s Day!

I can’t believe it’s already been thirty years!

Happy Birthday, Brett!

Enjoy your video 🙂

 

Happy Birthday To My Number One Son…

Twenty-eight years ago today, our first son, Brett Matthew,  was born.  Labor sent me to the hospital on Mother’s Day, but little Brett waited until four hours after Mother’s Day was over to make his appearance.   I can hardly believe it’s been tweny-eight years since that exciting day… Where did the time go?

Such a sweet little baby Brett was…  He loved his little “johnny jump-up” that hung in the doorway of our home.  He was funny, energetic, and brought lots of excitement into the family.  As a toddler he loved to sing…His favorite toy was a battery-powered tractor that he learned to drive when he was just two.

I remember the years of “He-Man”, “Teenaged Mutant Ninja Turtles”, “Batman”,  “Wrestlemania”, then basketball…Lots of years of basketball…Brett was the only one of my children to play sports–and his love was–and still is–basketball! 

Brett, I hope you “have a ball” today, and I wish you many more happy birthdays.  I love you very much…This little trip down memory lane that follows is just for you…

way back in '95...age 12