My Grandmother's Cast Iron Pan ♥

This cast iron belonged to my Grandma (born in 1902), my Mom's mom. 💕

From the research my sister and I did, we think it may have been made in the 1920's or 1930's, a Birmingham Stove & Range, Red Mountain.  (Cast Iron, 8G5)

Both my daughters want this pan one day... 😂

sMiLeS,

My Mom and Dad... the most amazing parents and in-laws ever...

♥ ♥ ♥

And now I'm a mother-in-law...

During my early married life, I can remember some examples of how my Dad let Travis and me make decisions for our family.  And I never remember a time when he tried to make us feel like we were making a wrong decision.
It's amazing I even remember this! I guess it's because of how he was so gracious. ♥

Once the kids and I were at Mom and Dad's, and in the extra bedroom there were stacked 2 mattresses on the floor. The kids were jumping around on them and jumping off. I told them not to do that.
Now when other kids are at your house, and they're doing something that's perfectly fine w/ you, and their parent says not to, you might be thinking that the parent said it because they thought YOU didn't like it. I'm sure that's what my Dad was thinking. He told me (not in front of the kids) that he didn't mind them jumping on the mattresses. I think I said something like, "Well... I'd rather them not anyway... and I've already told them not to..." And he just nodded his head and said, "Okay."  And that was that. 
(Have you ever had someone continually let your kids do things you didn't want them to do? So glad my kids never felt like they could disobey Travis' and my rules while at my Mom and Dad's. I never had to worry about that.)

Another time was when we needed a new washer. Our old one was totally messed up and not fixable. So Travis was looking around for a new one. 
Sometimes people give advice in a way that makes you feel like you're making a mistake if you don't do it their way, you know? Not my mom and dad.
Now growing up, we always bought used whatever we could. My dad is a handyman and could fix something up and make it work in a way you'd never dream of. It was just a common thing, and we knew Daddy could fix it. So when our washer quit on us, my dad suggested to me a place that sold used ones. I told him Travis was wanting to get a new one that would last awhile since we had 3 little kids and I would be doing lots of laundry, and a new one would have a warranty. He nodded his head and said, "Okay, yeah, a new one will last longer." And that was that.  And he probably gave me a hug. =)

Rebekah & Caleb ♥

I'm a mother-in-law now, and I only hope I can be half as good at it as my mom and dad were.  ♥♥♥

sMiLeS,

Happy Birthday, ♥Mama!

My mom♥ went to heaven in August, and one of my facebook friends said that today she's having the best birthday ever!  Another friend reminded me that I will be with her longer than I will ever be without her.
Sometimes we refer to death as losing a loved one.
But she isn't lost!  Because I know where she is!!!
So thankful that I can say this!♥

sMiLeS,

All the granddaughters sang at my Mom's funeral

They are practicing here.  My camera kept cutting off, but I got part of it.  My brother later recorded the whole song, but this one has all the granddaughters.




v. 1 When I enter Heaven's glory,
And I see my Saviour's face,
I will offer Him ten thousand years of praise.
Then I'll find that special one
In whose life I saw God's Son,
And through tears of joy with trembling lips these words I'll say:

♫ I saw Jesus in you;
I saw Jesus in you.
I could hear His voice in the words you said -
I saw Jesus in you.
In your eyes I saw His care;
I could see His Love was there;
You were faithful,
And I saw Jesus in you.

v. 2 When I stand before my Father
To receive my life's reward,
And my soul is bathed in God's eternal day;
When this race on earth is run,
And God sees the works I've done,
More than anything I long to hear my Father say:

♫ I saw Jesus in you;
I saw Jesus in you.
I could hear His voice in the words you said -
I saw Jesus in you.
In your eyes I saw His care;
I could see His Love was there;
You were faithful,
And I saw Jesus in you.

This was THE perfect song for my Mom. ♥

The next day, the remaining girls sang it again so I could at least get the full chorus.


sMiLeS,

My Favorite Block of Wood

My Dad made me this block of wood when I began homeschooling 12 years ago.
It is a very useful 8 x 5.5 x 1.5 block of wood.

This is what it can do:

For kids to copy and label.

Yes, I used a ruler.  =D

The dry erase board props up books so kids can copy & label drawings.

Isn't my Dad really smart!?!  =)

The block of wood, the clipboard, and the dry erase board all store neatly on a bookshelf.
I have a rolling bookshelf that I pull over to the table during lesson planning or during school, so it's handy to grab my block of wood at any time I need it.

In case you are interested:
►I got my dry erase board at dryerase.com.  I've had it for about 10 years, I think.  Check out the FAQ's!
►Here's how to solve that algebra problem (videos #1, 2, & 3 teach Solving by Graphing).
►The block of wood measures 8 x 5.5 inches.  It is about 1.5 inches thick.  The back of the slot is about 1.25 inches from the edge and is about 3/16 of an inch wide.  It's at a 70º angle.  (or 110º, depending on which way you look at it.) 
At the front of the slot, there is a little of the edge cut off so the top of the opening is wider, making it easier to slide in the board.

Several years before he gave me mine, my Dad had made a bunch of these blocks of wood when my Mom was teaching a computer class at the Christian school I had attended.  She used the blocks of wood and clipboards to hold a brief typing assignment the students had to do immediately upon entering class.  I think it was usually something like a verse from Proverbs and an inspirational saying.  After being typed, it had to be printed with their name on it and placed in their folder.  No goofing off; just straight to their assignment.  If all assignments (not just the initial typing one) for the week were in their folders and accounted for, on Friday there was some free time for games.
My Mom is smart, too!  =)

sMiLeS,

My Mom is Pretty Special

My Mom has for several years written a monthly paper for her church.  It's not a newsletter, but rather an uplifting paper geared toward the Seniors - those who are getting or have the gray hair and wisdom.  =)

She takes the paper to the church secretary to make copies, but there are also quite a few that get the Senior Paper by email, and Mom always includes a cover letter.

I wanted to share the cover letter from this month's issue:

January 20, 2011

Hi everyone,

Did you get much snow where you live the last few weeks? We did here and I enjoyed it a lot -- since I didn't have to get out in it. But it was also good to see the sun shine again. I do appreciate all those brave people who go out in extreme weather to serve us, helping us to stay safe and warm and making life better for us.

  

I enjoy watching the seasons come and go, knowing that only a wonderful Creator could make such beautiful things for us to enjoy, like the blazing colorful leaves in the autumn and the snow in the winter.

Our lives have seasons, too. Our springtime of youth, the summer of young adulthood, the autumn of middle age, and the winter of old age. Some of us are now in our winter season, but spring will come again one day, bringing newness of life for those who know the Creator of Life and the Author of Resurrection.

I hope you are enjoying the seasons of your own life, and I hope you enjoy this month’s senior paper as well.

 Health Update:

First of all, though I am having to rest more along and take more pain medicine now, I'm actually still doing pretty good most of the time and I am very thankful for that.  

Second, in my last update, I told you that my cancer has started growing again. I didn’t write everything in that update but that was the gist of it. The only other thing was that the doctor has given me a timeline now, a rough guess as to how long I have left. I had just found that out and hadn’t discussed it yet with my family so I didn’t tell you then. Since family and close friends now know, I will go ahead and write it here.

The doctor said that her “best guesstimate” for me is from six months to a year. She said she felt it would lean more toward a year than six months, given my circumstances and present health in other areas. However, only God knows that for sure. And only He can call me Home, and that will only be when He is ready to do so. It is in His hands and that is where it rightly should be. 

On a more practical "here and now" aspect, I was enrolled with Hospice in December. A nurse comes out every week to check me and assess my needs at that time. Others come by every several days from Hospice, and service people come in to bring supplies. I am getting so much attention now that some days I'm worn plumb out from all the attention!

Seriously, I am thankful for this organization. I never knew before how many good benefits are available to Hospice patients, many of them free, after Medicare or other insurance pays their part. And no one is turned away, regardless of ability to pay, whether you have insurance or not. Much of the equipment and many supplies are free to the patient and are delivered right to the home. 

[omitted paragraph about different Hospice services]

Living in America with Hospice available and a Hospice home just a mile or so away from my home is a big comfort and I’m very thankful I live in the age I do. 

And having the Lord by my side every second is the most wonderful comfort imaginable. I don’t even have to call him as I would for Hospice.  “And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.” Isaiah 65:24 There are times when one doesn’t even know WHAT to pray for.
Surprise! God “has an app for that, too.” It’s Romans 8:26-27: “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.”

And here’s a secret for those that glibly quote Romans 8:28 and say that “all things work together for good.”  Well…it doesn’t exactly say that, now does it? Most of you dear friends know what I am getting at here, but for those who don’t, let’s make it a mystery game and you go read it in context. And don’t forget to read “the rest of the story” in the verses that follow. All of Romans 8:28-39, if you please.

In reality, you are in the dying process just as much as I am. For that matter, you may go long before I do, so let's keep in mind that God gives us all every breath we take. Let's make every day count as much as in our power to do so. Today could be the last day we have to talk to a loved one. Or to even pray for one we love that doesn't know Christ. Or to just tell the Lord we love him and whatever is his will for us is our will, too. Believe me, being in the center of his will is the most safe, wonderful, peaceful, and fulfilling place there is!

Time is precious. Use it wisely. When you think of it, every day we live for ourselves more than for our Saviour is, in a way, wasted. Consider the poem below. It was in my files and I don’t even remember where I got it. There was no copyright with it, so I assume it is meant to be enjoyed by all.

Until next time,

My love and prayers to all,

Louise 

I LOOKED

I Looked upon a farm one day,

That once I use to own;

The barn had fallen to the ground,

The fields were overgrown.

The house in which my children grew,

Where we had lived for years -

I turned to see it broken down,

And brushed aside the tears.

I looked upon my soul one day,

To find it too had grown

With thorns and nettles everywhere,

The seeds neglect had sown.

The years had passed while I had cared

For things of lesser worth:

The things of Heaven I let go

While minding things of earth.

To Christ I turned with bitter tears,

And cried, "O Lord, forgive!

I haven't much time left for Thee,

Not many years to live."

The wasted years forever gone,

The days I can't recall;

If I could live those days again,

I'd make Him Lord of all.

          ~ Theodore W. Brennan

I think my Mom and Dad♥ are pretty special!!! 

June-July, 2010 issue of "Encouragement for Seniors"

My Mom writes this paper for her church.  (You can read my first post here.)
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Click to enlarge.

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I love my Mom and Dad! ♥♥♥

My Mom loves to write, and has been writing a newsletter for her church for over four years. Sometimes each month, other times bi-monthly, depending on her health.  She also wrote this additional one-time issue (below) to give out as her testimony.  I'm so proud of her!!!

 
She was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer in September, 2008, and had surgery to remove the tumor, but it was already in her bloodstream and spread to her lungs.  She has been wonderful through it all!  She and my Dad have stayed faithful to reading their Bibles and attending church.  Mom can't go to all the services, but she goes when she is able.  Through her cancer, she has been able to witness about Jesus Christ to many people - more than she would have otherwise.  People seem willing to accept what you want to share when you tell them you have cancer.

For a little over a year (until a few months before we learned of the cancer), she also wrote a monthly paper for our family - The Grandkidz Gazette - starting with her and my Dad, then featuring one grandchild each month.  She got to do an overview of the great-grandparents before she had to quit.  Next was to be the children and spouses.

In December of 2008, she revised the issue that was about her so she could give it out and share the gospel of salvation with as many people as she could.  That is the one I've posted here.  Over the past year and a half, she and my Dad with help from some others have put together over 2,000 packets that include this paper, a gospel tract, a bookmark, and a couple of pieces of candy.  She first handed them out to people at the cancer center, or while she sat in the car in the parking lot of the store while my Dad went in to get her medicine.  Soon, people at her church wanted to give them out as well.  Because of the chemo-related neuropathy, plus existing arthritis and fibromyalgia, she was getting to where she wasn't able to handle all the cutting, folding, and stringing the ribbon through the hole in the bookmark, etc.  My kids and I brought home some materials and put together some for her.  I know my siblings, their spouses, and other grandchildren have helped when they could, as well as some people from her church.  

 

We may never know what person may read the gospel and decide to come to Jesus Christ!  Salvation through Him is the only way to heaven!  My Mom has had some down times, yes, but mostly she's praised the Lord for letting her go through this as it has brought her closer to Him.  I'm crying as I write this.  She's so special to me.  My children love her; my husband loves her.  What a great family relationship we have!

My Dad is in the background.  A lot of people think of what my Mom is going through physically, but my Dad is hurting, too.  I can barely type this...  He has not turned back on God as some have when going through a trial.  My Mom and Dad read their Bible every morning, and I know to wait awhile before calling.  'Cause if I do, they tell me they're reading!  He loves her so much and does most of the chores around the house for her now.  My Mom said, "After 50 years, I finally have the maid I've always wanted!"  I love my Mom and Dad, and I'm so thankful my kids can know grandparents like them. 

 
She has had short breaks from chemo, and has had to skip some treatments.  She started having fewer from November thru January, and three months ago, she stopped taking any treatments.  I'm pretty sure she will not be able to go back on them.  She had scans done a couple of weeks ago, and they said there has been no further growth in the nodules on her lungs. We were so thankful to hear that.  Her health has improved a little since being off chemo, but of course it has taken its toll.  She still needs to pace herself and watch how much she does.  She makes it a priority not to do much on Saturday so she will be able to go to church on Sunday!

I just wanted to share with my readers what wonderful parents I have!  ♥♥♥

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Click images to enlarge.

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My Grandma's Pie Safe

     I remember when I was 5 or 6 years old.  We lived so near my Grandma and Grandpa that Mama would let me walk through a neighbors yard and to my grandparents' house by myself.  They lived just down the hill.  She’d call Grandma to let her know I was coming, and I’m certain she watched to make sure I’d gotten there.
     I loved to go in my Grandma’s kitchen and look into her green pie safe.  The top half had glass inserts in the doors with red designs around the edges of the glass.  There were nearly always soft, chewy, sugar cookies on the bottom right shelf.  I’d stand there and look in at them until Grandma would offer me one.  I was just the right height to look directly at those cookies.  She had molasses cookies too, but I’d only take one of those if the sugar cookies were gone.
     The pie safe was passed on to my Mama who painted it country blue, and now I have it.  It’s still blue, and holds games and books now, but when I see it I always remember my Grandma giving me cookies.  =)

quilts

Ten years ago, my Mom made all the kids and grandkids a quilt!

Here's the quilt she made for me and Travis♥.

This is the quilt my Mom made for Rebekah.  The yellow patterned print is the same as a little dress she'd made for Rebekah when she was about 3.

This is a lap quilt.  It wasn't intended for any one person, but when Bethany outgrew the baby quilt my Mom had made, she started using this one.  So it's kinda Bethany's for now.  =)


Bethany has started her own quilt. In the pic, she only has a little completed, but she now has the entire top done.

I really love these quilts!!!  They are a special keepsake, and now my girls are beginning to sew things.  =)