I've Gone Country A blog about a city girl learning a whole new world

The vegetables are coming in….we do not even have a garden this year, but we are enjoying lots of other peoples!

This is as fresh as it gets.  That squash still has the bloom on it.  Billy and the neighbor picked this out of  their garden.

That’s the way it is here in the country.  They share.

He and Billy shucked a few ears of corn to go along with the other vegetables.

A man that works with us has been supplying me with cucumbers too….

and…..more okra

Billy loves okra anyway you fix it…..I’m just getting where I will eat it….. fried.

So I have been “putting up” veggies in various ways.  Or I guess I should say what doesn’t get consumed for dinner…..gets put up for another day.

This is squash, cucumbers, and onions.  I boil vinegar, and some spices and sugar and pour over the mixture.  It can stay in the refrigerator for weeks.  Billy likes it better than I….it is a little tart for my liking…but he loves to come home and open a cold jar.

So…he has a few ready for him.

The other day I kept out an ear or two of corn and put the others up.

I even pulled out my handy dandy vacuum food sealer….and there you go.

And I did all that before I went to work the other day.

I am beginning to think my name should be “SUZY”  as in SUZY HOMEMAKER……

Just saying…….

I did want to show you this cute little apron my neighbor just whipped up…..

Now you talking about SUZY….she is the little homemaker for sure.

She made this one night after we had a calf.    She said I had this CUTE material, so I just threw it together.

Isn’t that the cutest!!!!!!         Unbelievable….. huh?!?

And she sent down some strawberry preserves the other day.

Our neighbors are just that….neighbors.   We have enjoyed being here so much.  Everyone is your neighbor here.

They all share….they all like to feed you.   And well, who doesn’t like to be fed!

I believe the country is even rubbing off on Billy a little more than I thought…..

This morning he left me a love note….and surrounded it with hen eggs that the neighbors had also given him the other night…..

I must say….it was cute!

I have heard that the first man a little girl loves is her Daddy.

I really like that…..

This is ME and MY DADDY !!!!!

I only have a few pictures of me and him.  This one is priceless.  I have looked at it a million and one times.  I love it because we are both laughing, I love it because he was spending time with me.  I also love the fact that I am holding onto his big hands with my little hands.

This is a picture of my sister Charlotte and I.  We were spending time with Daddy.   You can’t even see his face in this picture….but that’s ok.  I know it is him….and I was sitting right beside him!

I think he is so handsome.   I always thought my sister Charlotte looked more like him than the rest of us.  I do have his eye and hair color.  I know that mostly because Mama told me….because most pictures are in black and white.    I remember Mom telling me a story about whenever he would grow a mustache…it would be auburn colored.  I had not thought of that in years, until one day my son grew a mustache and it looked auburn.  I then remembered where he must have gotten that from.  Interesting that things like that pass on from generation to generation.

Mama used to tell us about when they first married he wanted to start a family.   When she wasn’t expecting right away he thought she should go to the doctor.  Mama thought that was so cute.

It wasn’t very long…… and…… Tommy was born.  Back in those days, the father was not allowed in the delivery room.  When he found out that he had a son….he turned to my Mothers’ mother and said “Molly”  “I got my boy !” and cried.  He was so excited.

Tommy was named after my father.

Eleven months later……

Charlotte was born .  She looked like a little baby doll.   Mama always thought having them so close together was harder than having twins.  Tommy was learning to walk about the time Charlotte was born.  He would toddle by and bop Charlotte on the head with his bottle while Mom was trying to rock her.

Two years later….I was born.

Three years after that….my baby sister was born.

Camera’s and picture taking didn’t happen as much as they do now.  So we do not have pictures of  Daddy holding us as  babies.

These are my Daddy’s parents.  They  had come down for a visit.  I must have been about 2 1/2 here because Mom is expecting my little sister in this picture.

I’m not sure where Tommy and Charlotte are…..but I sure look comfortable in my Daddy’s arms.

It’s been a long time ago….pictures and stories of my daddy are few.  But I do have one tangible thing that I still have from my childhood.

This is a baby doll I had as a little girl.  She used to be pink.  Now she is….. well…..dingy, tan.  But I obviously loved her very much.  I’m not sure where she came from, but I love the story behind this doll.  Mama said that she used to have a music box in her, the kind you would wind up.  Somehow it broke, so my daddy took it out…….

and he sewed my baby back together!  I think this is one of the sweetest things in the whole wide world.  A grown man….took time to sew his little girls doll back together.  I can still see all his stitches and the little knots he made.  To some people this would not be important.  But to me….it tells me a whole lot about this man I call Daddy.  It tells me he loved me more than I can ever imagine.  He took care of me in a lot of different ways and wanted me to be happy.  He knew I loved my doll and it was important to me…and that made it important to him.  He took time to repair it, instead of throwing it away.   It was an act of kindness that still speaks to me today.

Sadly,  I do not remember my daddy.  But I love him dearly.  My mother was really good about sharing stories with us about him.  She is about the only person who did.  After she passed away, I  felt as if I had lost both parents.  It was then that I realized that she kept him alive for us all those years.  Wanting us to know him as best we could.

She didn’t dwell on things….but she also didn’t bottle up and just not talk about it.   I never would have known otherwise.  I am so thankful for that.  Most things I know about him are little things…but to me….they put a personality with the face I see in the few pictures I have.

When I would stand in the bathroom putting on my makeup…sometimes Mom would say as she passed by…my goodness, you have your fathers legs.  I also have his freckles, my sister Charlotte has his nose.  I have his hairline.  I think Tommy has his hands and his mechanical skills.  I think Debbie must have his toes.  We all have Mama’s toes…except Debbie.  I also think Debbie must have his people skills and humor.  Mom told the story that one day she was talking to dad on the phone and she asked him what he was doing.  It was his lunch break…and he told her that he and the guys in the office were measuring noses.  Now that sounds like something Debbie would do!  He also kept moon pies in his desk drawer.  Mom thought he liked them and put one in his lunch each day.  He liked them but got tired of eating them all the time…so, he started saving them….then he would use them to barter and trade with some of the other guys things they had in their lunch bag. Now that sounds like something my brother would do.

There was also a story about when he was in the Army and had forgotten his fork.  He had to go back and get it.  He had already sat down with his tray of food.  He knew if he left his tray….everything would get stolen off his tray.  So he took care of that by sticking his finger in his roll and acted as if he was spitting on his food.  Needless to say…nobody touched his food while he got his fork.

Tommy and my son have this same look and mannerism, like my daddy has in this picture.  I know anyone can sit like this…but there is something that makes them favor.   It is ironic.

My daddy was a hard worker.  He worked a regular job during the day.  He was a draftsman, there were times he even taught a drafting class after hours.  He provided well for his family.  He and Mama at one time even had borders that lived with them to help provide some extra income.

He had accomplished a whole lot for a man of just 29 years old.  He had a beautiful wife, a good job, a new home, and four healthy children.

From the things I know about my Father, I see that he was smart, fun, good looking and strong.  He was a good husband a good father and a good friend.  He seized opportunities to learn new things and provide for his family and he didn’t hesitate to help others in times of need.

I have great respect for my father, and I am very proud of him.

In my eyes he will always be forever young and I will always be my daddy’s little girl!

I truly do LOVE my Daddy.

Honor you Father and your Mother…..Ephesians 6:2

I am very proud of two other fathers in our family.

Garrett….Layla’s daddy.

and David….Riley and Andy’s daddy.

I am amazed at the love and patience they show for their children.

They spend quality time with them.

Building relationships that will last a life time.

showing kindness with their love…..through actions

that speak louder than words.

Typical days together

…..becoming priceless memories.

Making happy homes…happy kids…..and happy cousins.

There are so many things I could say about each one of these fathers.  I admire their dedication to their children.  I love to watch them.  Through the years I have seen both of them not even think twice about cutting up food into bite size pieces, while their own food got cold. They have helped with potty breaks, wiped noses, zipped up coats, pulled on hats and gloves, pushed swings, taken walks, given baths, read stories and shared lots of hugs and kisses.    It has been SWEET!

At first it is hard to imagine your kids being parents.  I think that is what is kind of strange and fun about all of it.  It shouldn’t surprise me….they are acting as I would expect them to toward their children….I am just amazed by it.

Garrett and David….I am so proud of  you.

I love you both very much, and hope you had a very Happy Fathers Day.

You know…it sure would have been nice if an instruction book would have come with the first baby.  But it didn’t and if the truth were to be known…we probably wouldn’t have read it anyway.

Oh….It might have been used as an emergency manual.  You know when you are all out of ideas and methods…then we might have resorted to that, being our last ditch effort to solve the crisis.

Billy had two daughters and I had one son, when we married.  It is hard enough to raise a family that started off all together and has the same gene pool.  Combining families certainly has it’s challenges.  Today there are even more families going through this same scenario.

We all had to work at it, we STILL do….everyone of us.  Relationships don’t just happen.  All families have to work at accepting one another and adapting to each others personalities.

I suppose some of the most important things that are taught….are often never said verbally.  Actions speak louder than words.  The kids have seen Billy do things right….and do things wrong.  They have seen his strengths and his weaknesses.

They now have households of their own.  Some of them already have started families and now it is their turn to be Mothers and Fathers.

I hope that they learned the important things Billy taught them.  He showed them the importance of putting Christ first in  their lives.  Without that cornerstone the house crumbles.

Interesting thing is….there really is an instruction book…it is the Bible.  God has given it to us…to help us along the way…..if…. we will read it.  And not just for a quick emergency answer.  As Billy has grown in the Lord he has become a better father.

He has demonstrated great work ethics and wise financial decisions.  He has demonstrated love, support and discipline.  Even now….he still works hard to be a good provider, a good  husband, father and grandfather.

But he also plays hard.

When the kids were younger we did a lot of things together.  He always set time aside for family getaways.  He exposed the kids to a lot of different things.  We have stayed in old rustic cabins, way up in the mountains, with no electricity or running water.   The kids adapted quickly and had a lot of fun with the new surroundings.  They even found a way to lock Billy in the outhouse for a while after taking the toilet tissue with them.   There were a lot of laughs that day as Billy peered through the half moon on the door.  The kids have hiked a million miles through the years.  He loved to spend Saturday’s hiking with the family.  There were canoe trips and white water rafting, amusement parks, and weekends at the lake.  Vacations taken to historical places like Washington, D.C., and carefree vacations that included an interesting tour to the lost sea, a Mayfield dairy tour where we all sported hair nets and a neat trip on a cruise ship.

Spending time with one another is what binds a family together.  Sure there were kinks along the way….even while we were doing all the fun things.   But that is how you get to know one another, and build a love for one another.  If you do not spend time with someone….you really can’t get to know them.

Billy has given of his time and energy to our kids.  That is a balancing act that is hard to do in the younger years.  Trying to attend school or social events and work too.

In the last few years, he has been at the hospital to welcome each grandchild into the world.  They all think Poo-pa is the greatest.

He gathers the family together as often as he can to celebrate birthday’s, holiday’s, cook a burger ……or ….you guessed it……just go for a hike!

He loves his family….and we really love him too!

Happy Fathers Day Billy!

We went to the beach a few weeks ago and Mabel got to go too.

Ellie travels well, but we didn’t know how Mabel would do.

She ended up sleeping almost the whole way.

She loved checking out the new surroundings.  Billy kept telling her….Mabel, I hope you like your trip to the beach…because you won’t be able to come back.  You are going to be protecting the goats before long.

Now….I just have to snicker at that one….because at this point…she RUNS AWAY from the goats.

Right now she is like a toddler that is in the terrible two’s .

She loves to pull stuff out and leave it all over the place….on this day…it was my shoes.  But she also loves Billy’s…..last night we let her come in for a few minutes…she pranced across the floor and disappeared into our room….then out she comes again…with one of Billy’s shoes in her mouth….it was as big as she was…she continued to prance right over to her pillow.  Billy and I looked at one another and did the same thing you do as parents when your toddler does something they shouldn’t, but they look so cute doing it.  You try not to smile….

I tell her NO ….in my “I’m Serious” voice….. then I take away the shoes.   I have given her stuff to play with, but of course she would rather have the stuff that isn’t allowed.

She is so much like a baby it isn’t even funny.  She will play and play and play…then she kinda walks around and lets out a whimper every once and in a while.  Then she finally plops down and goes straight to sleep.

The other night she was playing with the kids…Lindsay wanted to hold her….that’s when it turned into nap time.

She likes to curl up in your arms like a baby.  She is supposed to be a HUGE dog.  I suppose we are all just enjoying this time when we can still hold her.

Billy says that he thinks he can see her growing right before his eyes.  She really has grown quickly.

She is good about staying close to the house.  She has a great disposition and really isn’t a bad puppy.  She gets into some stuff…but so far it hasn’t been real bad….Maybe it’s my “I’m Serious” Voice.   I doubt that….

Mabel has several brothers and sisters…..I saw them and just had to take a picture….they seem to all be about the same size.

They moved around so quick it was hard to get them all still at one time.  Aren’t they the cutest!

It makes you want to take everyone of them home with you.   BUT DON’T WORRY THAT IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!!!!!!

Mabel has gotten to where she likes to go pick berries with me.  She will occasionally eat one off the bush herself….

She and Ellie took a walk with me to the lake tonight. If I stopped to take a picture of a flower or something…she would stop and wait for me.

I love that…….  So of course when we got home….it was nap time…..

She was one tired puppy.

she is up now…but just for a little one on one time with Billy.  She hasn’t seen him since this morning…

she likes to cuddle up with him every night for a little while

by the smile on Billy’s face…I think he looks forward to this too.

Now…does that really look like a dog that is going to be in the goat pen?  Just Saying……

Now Ellie….on the other hand…..

She really could care less one way or the other.

I am not sure who is in charge of making sure plants are labeled correctly.  I mean….. is there a label posting person….I have never seen that as a job title….but…somebody must do it.  I suppose he may have been sick the day he was supposed to label the blackberry bushes I bought a couple of years ago.

These were supposed to be “THORNLESS”….they are NOT….I repeat…”NOT THORNLESS”.  THEY hurt…they really, really hurt!!!

I will say that since I picked another 8 cups of blackberries today I am otherwise VERY pleased with the bushes.  It has been amazing to see so many berries this season.  And it looks as if there are more to come.

Saturday I decided to go for it….and make Blackberry Jelly.  After all how hard could it be.  I googled a little here and there.  Then I purchased my little water bath canner pot.  I got some cute little jelly jars, lids, rings, labels, pectin and a canning book…just to make sure I do it right.

I was all geared up to do this…..then I read that I needed jelly bag, or cheesecloth to strain my berries if I were going to make jelly.  Of course that is why I was making Jelly and not Jam, because I didn’t want those little seeds.

Saturday morning….I go back to another store…because the store I had bought all this other from…. didn’t have that stuff.    I finally found a package that contained cheesecloth. WOO HOO….

Back to the house….now I was ready to start.

My Canning book warns me that the canner shouldn’t be used on a glass top stove.

O.K.  so I guess people don’t can much anymore….because there are a lot of people with glass top stoves!

I decided that I could still do this….I could use the stove at the cabin.  It is a gas stove.   Now I got it….so……I start loading up my stuff.

Berries, Canning pot, jars…sterilized…trying to keep them sterilized in the move….fun….cheesecloth,pot for berries to cook in, lids for jars, rings for jars, pectin and sugar.

Almost all loaded now….as I bring the sugar out to the car….

Nooooo….. it drops….and spills all over the garage floor.  Hey, that is alright….at least it didn’t spill in the car!

So….back to the pantry…to see if there happens to be anymore sugar.  It is going to take a good bit….hopefully there is more than what is in the little sugar bowl.

Alright…I found just enough…1/2 cup to spare.  YEAH!!!!!

Back in the car….up the hill, unload the car…..

Light stove…..

huh?……doesn’t want to light on one side…

that’s  ok…..I will just light the other side.

I can use the two burners on the one side….no problem…

Canner water boiling.  Berries on the other eye and off we go.  Oh, but wait…that big ole canner is hogging the both stove eyes.

ARGH!!!!!

Finally get the canner water boiling…move it over cook my berries add all my ingredients …..and bring it to the second boil…the one they say you do for a minute, a rapid boil….where you can’t keep up with the foam that builds..and builds, and builds

It’s coming along….woo hoo it smells so good.  Oh my….it throws me back to the kitchen helping Mama as a kid.  Wow, this is GREAT.   Oh, my this is all worth it….WAIT…WHOA…WHOA….WHOA>>>>>>>

HMMMM.  Now I have a really nice spill going on …..the cook top in flooded in berry juice.

That’s ok….I got the minute of the hard boil in…so now it is time to fill the jars…..

I just have to put the canner back on the eye, because I am about to have to boil the jars in it….

Alrighty….Jars are filled….sure is a little trickier than I remember when I was helping mom.  It is like I needed another set of arms to do all that pouring and leaving a 1/4 inch head space and wiping the jars off so the lids will seal…..and ouch…ouch…ouch….those jars are HOT!!!!

MMMMMM, but it sure smells good.

I just can’t bear to look though……The canner is hot and ready for the jars…..but the sticky berry juice that has spilled all over the cook top is cooking as well.  That is why it smells heavenly.  It has that caramelized look now.

Oh….well….I am almost done….

It is at this point that I think….OH…I was going to take pictures ….

But as you can tell…..there was no room for picture taking in the midst of all my MESS!

The actual process didn’t take long at all.  It was just one of those days I probably should have stopped when I didn’t have the cheesecloth.  And especially when the sugar dropped.  You know sometimes there are RED FLAGS.

So….after about an hour of applying hot cloths onto the cooked on sugar/berry juice….to melt it off the stove top…..

I got home

I told Billy…hey, I got the Jelly made.

You did…where is it.

It’s at the cabin…setting up.  BUT….. I brought you a little bit of the foamy stuff to try!!!

great….He tried it….

it’s….. alright…

I looked at him with that….don’t go there look….

He said…I mean…… all I can taste is that wheat thin…you put it on…..!!!!

That was the end of that discussion for the night.

Much later we did discussed further things we might want to do with the berries.

Today….I made blackberry Jam.

He likes the seeds…

The process went a good bit smoother, a few snags…but nothing major.

I even got a few pictures of the process along the way.  This is really just proof that I actually made Jam and Jelly in the days to come.  Nobody is going to believe that I made it from scratch.  Including picking the berries from our very own bush!  Because by then….the scratches from all over my arms and hands will be gone.

so there it is!  A thing of beauty!  Eight Jars…..

I really do hope he will like HIS Jam.

Because I am perfectly happy with my Jelly!

I see some hot buttered biscuits coming into the VERY near future!

Today was the first day of Vacation Bible School at our Church.  I  help here and there with decorations.

This is the Great Barrier Reef wall…..I can hang things….but…..

We have a lady in our church who has amazing skills.  She can actually build props, making things that will have your chin dropping.

These planes are hanging from the ceiling….

she made about 6 of them….each one is about 5 to 6  feet long.   Incredible.

I’m sure the Kids LOVED them!

They meet here every morning before class and again for a Worship time, at the Worship Rally Hangar ….learning lots of new songs, before they dismiss each day.

There were Recreations at the Grand Canyon, Snacks at the Paricutin Volcano, Music at the Matterhorn, Crafts at the Great Barrier Reef, Bible Study at Victoria Falls and Missions under the Northern Lights.

They will see God’s power through these natural wonders.

While decorating, I have been in and out of the church a lot this week.  But this morning…it hit me….

Have you ever had your heart so full that it runs out of your eyes and down your cheeks !!!!!

Probably a female thing….I don’t know.  I just know that I was overcome with emotion  as I thought about all three of my grandchildren together….learning about Jesus….under one roof.  Seeing each other in the halls and being filled with excitement.

I have to admit…sometimes….I let task burden me and zap my enthusiasm.

Today….I was humbled….as I thought that children were on their way….teachers were in place… to train them….and love them.  Teachers that have kept the enthusiasm….the excitement and were ready to share it with the children.

I remember Vacation Bible School when I was a child.  I even remember the kind of Kool-aid and Cookies they served.  I remember making certain things that went along with the Bible story taught that day.  I remember my Mama asking me about my day….and the thrill of being able to tell her.

I remember MY children going, the songs they would memorize and sing in the car at the top of their lungs.  All three of them…in the back seat….sometimes it seemed a bit noisy…little did I know, that would be some of the most beautiful music I would remember.  And believe it or not…I still have a few of the crafts that they made for me.

The last time all our grandchildren were in Vacation Bible School together…Andy and Layla were just babies.

I drove up early one morning to get ready for registration, before the crowd arrived.  That is when I saw Ashley and Layla….ready to help.

Layla was a little over three months old.

And Andy was 9 months old.

Riley was around three and was able to do some things with her age group…she was too busy to get a picture taken.  But I remember her waving to me in the hallway, and I got a big lump in my throat then….because it was soooo sweet.

It takes a lot of dedicated people for an event like this to happen.

Today….. Layla got to ride the bus!  I was probably more excited than she was.

Just a little while ago, I got a call from her.  She wanted to tell me all about getting to ride on the WHITE bus!

I asked her if she had fun today…..she said with such excitement in her voice…”TOTALLY” !!!

I can’t wait to hear from Andy and Riley too.  It is always fun to hear what they found exciting or interesting.

The attendance for today was 463.  What a blessing.

I am sure that they will all sleep really good tonight.  And I know that the teachers will too.

Tomorrow….they do it again….WHAT FUN!

Matthew 19:14

¹⁴ Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

So we have pretty much always been a one animal family.  However, here on the land….the animal list keeps growing.

A friend of ours had a cat that kept making the rounds at her house.  The cat was expecting and around Easter she delivered.   Knowing that Billy had been wanting a cat…..we were put on the list for taking one.

The kittens have reached the age to be separated from Mama.  Billy picked up our kitten on Wednesday.

It is a girl and they already gave her a name.  We think the name is “purrrr fect”, it is Phantom due to her markings.  They resemble the mask from Phantom of the Opera.

She is used to being in a garage so that is where we started her off on Wednesday night.  Thursday morning Billy pulled the truck out and quickly closed the door so she wouldn’t run out.  He looked everywhere for her…but couldn’t find her.  Of course being as small as she is we just thought she was behind a box or curled up somewhere.  We looked and looked.  No Kitten to be found.  Well….we both said.

We made sure she had water and food and assumed she would come and get it when she got hungry enough.

Billy headed to work.  He stopped down the road and spoke to our neighbor.  Their dog went nuts at the back of the truck.  Billy decided that the cat had to be somewhere in that truck.  So he headed back home….parked in the garage and took the big truck to work.

When I went to see if I could find the kitten ….this is what I saw.  She likes that old Ranger truck too…..

That little kitten had decided to crawl up onto the spare tire under the truck.  See her little head?

Here Kitty Kitty…..

She peered back at me with a tiny little MEOW.

I contacted  Billy and let him know that he was right and thanks to SAM, the neighbors dog,…the cat was back home and safe.

Can you imagine if Billy had not stopped at the neighbors house…..Poor cat….she would have had a ride of her life.

As far as we know she didn’t come out all day.  So Thursday night Billy and I made it our mission to get the cat away from the truck.  Finally we did it.

We put her in a cat box on the back porch for Thursday night.

She will be an outside cat here.  That was our intention from the beginning and so we inched her into the outdoor surroundings.

Friday morning we let her out…she was scared, but she let Billy and I hold her a little while.  I put a collar on her that has a little bell.  Maybe this time we can find her more easily if or maybe I say when she tucks away.  Reluctantly we let her down…we were so afraid she would run off.

She checked out her territory and meowed a little.   She climbed a tree…. or two.

And decided to just hang out for a little while.

I wasn’t real crazy about it….but that is where she wanted to be.

I checked on her every little while…..she would just be looking back at me.  Eventually I had to leave for work.

When I got home….she wasn’t in the tree….and I was a little concerned.

But on the back porch, by her food bowl and her box, she left us a present.

I would have liked for it to have been a dead mouse instead….but I do appreciate the gesture.

Apparently that is her way of telling us thank you.  We now know that her Mama’s skills are paying off.

I think she is going to be just fine!

Today is my baby sister’s birthday.

I KNOW…..isn’t she beautiful!  She was our walking, talking baby doll !!!!!

My older sister Charlotte couldn’t keep her hands off her.  She has always LOVED babies.  Charlotte would be getting ready for school and Mama would say…be quiet so you don’t wake the baby.  Somehow before Charlotte would walk out the door for school she would end up with Debbie on her hip.  She would usually say….Well…look who I found!

She was our blonde headed, brown eyed barrel of fun.  And she still is!

She is always full of surprises….

This is my son Garrett and his Aunt Debbie.  He was only a few months old here and you can tell he wasn’t sure about her.  I laughed as he looked at me like “MOM…help”.

This captures a tiny bit of her quick humor.

Funny, I was only about four years old here, but I remember getting this picture made.  The photographer used one of those camera’s that is black and on a tripod and he covered his head under the cloth while taking the picture.  My arm is around my baby sister.  I can remember wanting to make sure she wasn’t going to fall.  I suppose that was the big sister in me.

I haven’t out grown that….I never like to see her hurt.

I have enjoyed her so much through the years.   Oh…. sure, we all tortured her just a little when she was younger… but that’s what siblings do.   Charlotte and I would tell her that she couldn’t play with us unless she would go and get us a glass of tea.  And so…she would.  Hey, when you are young and something like that works…well you keep doing it.  Eventually she wised up and quit.  Then of course, we still played with her.

One Christmas I got a baby doll that sat in a special high chair.  It had a little tray with a card in it.  You would put the tray in front of the doll in the high chair.  The picture would be of carrots or peas or whatever.  The baby doll would then shake her head yes or no, to tell you if she wanted it or not.  This baby was a really special baby.  This was back in the day when you cried for your babies…they didn’t make noise and wet and all that stuff like they do now.  One day Debbie wanted to take it to her friend Donna’s house.  I told her no.  I didn’t want her to break it.

Well, a little while later….here comes Debbie with my doll and it’s arm was hanging with wires everywhere.  Needless to say I wasn’t happy.

Now… I really do not remember anymore to the story than that….Debbie might.  But for years I would tease her about what she did to my baby doll.

I was about 35 years old when I opened a Christmas present from her at our family Christmas get together…YEP, she bought me the closest doll she could find that resembled the one she destroyed.  We ALL had a good laugh.

She has brought a lot of laughter to our family…seems like the baby of the family is the one who seems to do that best.

I am sure she especially brought a lot of joy to Mama.

Mom had a really hard time during that pregnancy, and then three months after Debbie was born, Daddy died.  Can you imagine….I really couldn’t until I had my own son and reflected on how young she really was at 3 months.

The good part of that is….Debbie was a blessing to Mom.  She was someone to hold and cuddle up to.  She had to make Mama smile when she started doing all the cute things babies do.  I am sure that got Mom through a lot of tough days.  She brightened all our lives.  I am so glad God sent her to our family.

She has loved and been so supportive to my children and now my grandchildren.

And she is my prayer partner.  We constantly tell one another about prayer concerns.  It is so special to have not just her but both of my sisters  join me in prayer for people that cross our lives.

She is an awesome Wife and Mother.

She was always our little coppertone girl.  She used to look just like the little girl on the ad.

She has always loved the beach.

Today she is celebrating her Birthday at the beach!

I hope you have a wonderful time!

I love you Dootles.

Happy…Happy…Happy…. Birthday!