The House, Shop and My Babies

This is Pearl Jean.

This is our new Shop.
This is Madelyn Marie.

This is the house.

Country Living

When I was growing up, the neighborhood where we lived was considered “the country.” My dad often referred to us as “hillbillies.” On Saturday evenings he would load us all up in the Galaxy 500 and drive “in to town” to Terry Lynn’s drive in for a burger. It was a real treat.

I remember every Saturday, Momma would get us all dressed up and we would go “to town.” Which meant driving all the way down Highway 10 to Cantrell road to downtown. We always went in to Sterlings or Penny’s. I remember being small enough to hide in the clothes racks; and I remember the elevators had a cage to open after the doors opened.

We were true and proud hillbillies. In the summer we went barefoot; just because we could. We rode our bicycles on the road, even took a couple of trips all the way around the loop to Rainey’s to buy candy. We caught fireflies in the evenings. We would hike all the way over to the “railroad dump” and played on the deep slopes off Chenal Mountain, it was really fun in the winter when it snowed.

Everyone on the loop knew everyone else - most all of us were related. My cousins were my best friends and we spent many hours together planning our futures. We played and fought like sisters. We all played softball in the summer. Lynn was a pitcher, Mimisu was a second base or short stop and I played on 3rd base or as catcher. Just about every weekend we had slumber parties (when slumber parties weren‘t even heard of.)

We always checked in with Grandma, she would be doing one of her puzzles or watching her soap. Sometimes we helped her peel the potatoes or pick the bad beans from the good beans. Grandma B. was so pretty. She had long fingernails and beautiful red hair. She loved Chihuahuas. Her sister, Aunt Lillian lived right across the street. She and Grandma went to town every week for groceries. Neither one drove so Dub took them. Grandma liked to plant flowers, but with all her grandkids underfoot; I don’t think she got to tend to them as much as she would’ve liked to.

Every 4th of July we had a huge picnic and all the family would be there. Daddy would always round up hickory wood for the fire-pit and Uncle Pat made an awesome contraption that would BBQ all kinds of savory meats. It was a huge pot-luck so there was a lot of food. The bigger kids even stayed out all night and slept on the lawn chairs under the stars.

So much has changed since those days of innocence. Some of the family still lives in the area, but the big city is closing in fast. Our old Highway 10 is now referred to as Cantrell and it’s a five lane thoroughfare. Even the loop is not the same; with its huge homes popping up all over.

I love the memories I have. We were all so close. Now we all have grown up, we live all over the city, state and country. We still have our annual 4th of July picnic and we all get together once a month at a local restaurant; and I enjoy visiting with everyone every time. Some of them even get together every Friday for lunch, which I try to get to when I can get away from work.

Yes, like the saying goes: We were Country, when Country wasn’t Cool - but We Were Cool.

A Wonderful Holiday Meal

As I’ve stated numerous times throughout my postings, the Holiday Season is my most favorite time of the year. Not just because I enjoy giving and getting gifts, but because of the wonderful food.

This past Thanksgiving, I made Chicken & Dressing for the first time in my life… and it turned out GREAT! I am so proud of myself. I’m not one to keep secrets so I will share some of my recipes with you.

Chicken and Cornbread Dressing:
The recipe I have is just for corn bread dressing, my grandmother would always have chicken and boiled eggs in hers so I added these to my recipe.

First, get a whole chicken and a big dutch (a really big pan) oven. Wash, salt and pepper your chicken and place it (whole or cut up) into the dutch oven. Cover it with water. Place on stove top on high heat and “boil the meat off the bones.” When the meat falls off the bone when you try to pick it up with a fork, you know it’s done. Remove the chicken meat from the pot.
Carefully pick your meat clean, remove any gristle, bone, or other “yuky” looking stuff. You want only the best part of the chicken in your dressing and you don’t want "Uncle Tim" breaking a tooth on bone in your dressing. Set this all aside for later.

Now the ingredients needed for your cornbread dressing:

JUST FYI: This mixture will look really soupy; which is okay for a moist dressing. If you like your dressing dryer, just cut back on your chicken broth.

1 cup butter or margarine; divided
3 cups white cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
7 large eggs (and 4 or 5 more hard boiled)
3 cups buttermilk
3 cups soft breadcrumbs
2 medium onions, diced (2 cups)
1 large bunch celery, diced (3 cups)
½ cup finely chopped fresh sage (or one tablespoon dried rubbed sage)
6 (10 ½-ounce) cans condensed chicken broth, undiluted
1 tablespoon pepper
First you make a pan of cornbread:
Place ½ cup butter in a 13 x 9 inch pan; heat in oven at 425 for 4 minutes.
Combine cornmeal and next 5 ingredients; whisk in 3 eggs and buttermilk.
Pour hot butter into batter, stirring until blended. Pour batter into pan.
Bake at 425 for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool.
After cornbread has cooled. Get a really extra large bowl. Crumble cornbread into bowl; stir in breadcrumbs, and set aside.

Melt remaining ½ cup of butter in a large skillet over medium heat; add onions and celery, and sauté until tender. Stir in sage and sauté one more minute.

Stir sauteed vegetables, 4 eggs, chicken broth, and pepper into the cornbread mixture.
This is where I add my cut up cleaned chicken pieces and 4 or 5 diced up hard boiled eggs. Mix everything up really well.

After everything is all mixed up:
Pour it evenly into two lightly greased 13 X 9 inch baking dishes. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 8 hours.

When ready to cook, bake at 375 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden brown. Both dishes will serve 16 - 18 servings.

I made my dressing on Sunday before Thanksgiving. I put it into the freezer until Tuesday night, then put it into the fridge and let it thaw until Thursday morning when I cooked it.

Everyone just loved my dressing, but that’s not the only thing that makes a Thanksgiving Dinner. Below you’ll find a couple more recipes I love to make for my family.

Dressing is always great to have, but everyone knows Giblet Gravy is a must for the table. Again, I sort of made this my own. Grandma always had boiled eggs in her gravy, but my recipe didn’t call for it so I just boiled about 3 or 4 eggs, chopped them up and added them at the end. My husband loved it.

Giblet Gravy
You’ll need:
Giblets and neck from 1 turkey
4 cups of water
½ cup butter or margarine
1 small onion, chopped
1 celery rib, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
¼ cup all-purpose flour
2 egg yolks
½ cup half and half
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon poultry seasoning
Bring giblets, neck and 4 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 45 minutes or until tender. Drain, reserving broth. Chop giblets and neck meat, set aside.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat; add chopped vegetables, and sauté 5 minutes. Add flour, stirring until smooth. Add the reserved broth; cook, stirring constantly, 10 minutes or until thickened. Reduce heat to low. Remove most of the vegetables using a handheld, wire mesh strainer, and discard, leaving gravy in the skillet.

Whisk together egg yolks and half-and-half. Gradually stir about one-fourth of hot gravy into yolk mixture; when mixed well, add this into your pan of hot gravy. Add chopped giblets and meat; cook, stirring constantly, 4 to 5 minutes or until a thermometer registers 160 degrees. Stir in salt, pepper, seasoning and chopped hard-boiled eggs. Serve immediately. Makes about 4 cups of gravy.

Another family favorite I have made - Green Bean Wraps. It’s a great dish anytime of the year but my brother-in-law thinks we have to have it at every holiday meal.

Green Bean Wraps

You will need:
Toothpicks
4 - 5 cans whole cut green beans
1 package thin - sliced bacon
1 cup butter or margarine
1 cup brown sugar
1 ½ tablespoons garlic
Salt
Pepper
First open and drain all cans of green beans. Take package of bacon and cut strips in half. Gather up a handful of beans and align them all the same in your palm, take the ½ bacon strip and wrap it around your beans; fasten it with a toothpick. Wrap up all your beans. You will have many “stacks” of green beans.

In a saucepan, melt butter. Add brown sugar, garlic, salt and pepper. When mixture is fluid remove from heat - do not boil.

Spoon mixture over each stack. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 -35 minutes. Then uncover and bake another 15 minutes.

I hope you enjoy the Holiday Season. I know I will…my tummy’s rumbling right now.

Eureka Springs

(Click on the links below to see my favorite places.)

Every year in March my best friend, Pam, and I make the trek North to Eureka. We have been doing it for about 15 years now. We have stayed in multiple Bed & Breakfast Inns, the Crescent Hotel - 3 or 4 times, the Flatiron Flats suites, and the Super 8.

We have been to every Spa in Eureka at least once, and our favorite is the "Suchness Spa" located in the New Orleans Hotel on Spring Street. http://www.suchnessspa.com/ Cat, the owner is a beautiful and gifted lady. Pam and I love to visit with her.

The first time we went, we stayed at the Ben Tweedy House. It is a beautiful B&B on Kingshighway, not far from the Crescent. Our suite was awesome with all the antiques and fine linens, and we had our own little balcony. There was also a sun room at the back of the house that we could sit, drink our coffee and watch any of the million movies that were available. That year it had snowed just before we went and it was still white all over - just beautiful. The owners of this B&B were also gourmet cooks. We were treated to delightful desserts in the evening and a delicious breakfast each morning.

http://www.ridgewayhouse.com/ This is another B&B where we have stayed. With wonderful hosts, They make your stay so comfortable and fun.

We also enjoyed our stay at Flatiron Flats. http://www.eureka-net.com/flatiron/ This another great B&B to stay. It's located right in the middle of downtown, so once you get there you really don't have to drive again. It has balconies on both Spring and Main Streets - the main drag in town. We got to see the St. Patrick's day parade from our balcony - prime seats.

Other great places to stay in Eureka are the Cresent Hotel or the Basin Park Hotel. They are both rich with history - meaning they are very old. But they are cool places, especially the Basin http://www.basinpark.com/photogallery/basindisplay/main.html - room 102 (photo left); where we stayed last year. I liked it the best. It's located on Spring Street, just across from Flatiron Flats. It has been renovated; the suite we had was luxurious and the best ever. (I really like to find chocolates on my pillow every day.)

In June, when we take our husbands and ride the motorcycles, we stay at the Super 8. Mannie and his family know us all by name and reserves one side of the motel just for our party. Last year he even posted pictures of us on his web site: http://www.super8eurekasprings.com/Photos/friends-patrons/

We haven't planned our next trip. There's no telling where we will end up staying. But I am looking forward to it.

I am a Breast Cancer Survivor

In 1996, I found a lump in my left breast. It scared me to death. I was 36 years old. I had never had a mammogram.

In school, our health class taught us to do the “wagon wheel” breast – self – exam. They told us to stand in front of the mirror and envision each breast as a wagon wheel and use our hand as the spokes to feel for abnormalities. Then we were to lie on the bed and repeat the process while lying down.

The lesson taught us to be aware of ourselves…to know our bodies. This is a very important lesson and should be taught to every girl and boy. Yes, boys too.

You and you alone know your own body. A doctor cannot help you if you don’t keep track of anything that changes. This goes for women and men (the prostate.) If you aren’t in “touch” with yourself you won’t know if something you find is supposed to be there or not.

Every woman should get a mammogram by the age of 45. (I totally believe this should be 35, since I was diagnosed with my cancer at 37. ) Your first mammogram is called the “baseline.” This is the test that your doctor will refer to when you go get your other mammograms throughout the years. It gives your doctor an idea of what your breast should look like. Then, if anything changes they will be able to determine if you have problems or not.

I never had a “baseline mammogram,” so when I went to get my lump checked out the doctor couldn’t find anything on the picture. So I had to have a sonogram; which showed us where the lump was but not anything else. So the next step was a lumpectomy. That was the only way they could find out if my lump was a threat or not. It was.

In January 1997, I had a mastectomy. Fortunately, I found the lump early and only had the Left breast removed. They also took 12 -13 lymph nodes, which were found to be clear - the cancer had not spread.

I started 6 weeks of chemo. I lost my hair. I started "chemo induced menopause." I thought I would never make it through.

If not for my support group, my husband and my family, I would not be here today.

So I'm living proof that breast cancer is survivable. It will sure knock you down - for while - but you can beat it. Just be smart and know your body.

Have you voted yet?

Everyone has the right to their vote. Unfortunately, not everyone uses their right. This is very disturbing.

With all the turmoil in this world these days; everyone should be exercising their vote. If you are unhappy with the way our political leaders are handling our affairs, the only way you can change it is to VOTE.

It's true, even if you go vote, your candidates may not be elected. But by the fact that you did vote gives you the right to be dissatisfied with the elected officials and voice your opinion at public forums.

If you DO NOT VOTE - you have no right to be angry about anything our government does. It doesn't matter that you are a citizen of the US. If you don't participate as a citizen you don't have a say. YOU are forfeiting that voice and that right.

I’m not here to tell you how to vote. This is a private, personal privilege. I will tell you that I will be voting today. I have voted in every election that I could since I turned 18 years old. It was a very big thing for me to be eligible to cast my vote and I look forward to it every time.

So, GO VOTE.

SCUBA - It's for the birds.

We were certified to SCUBA in 1993. It was pretty cool; you get to watch videos of the “beautiful deep blue sea” with all the colorful fishes and creatures of the deep. Then you get to don the gear; BC (Buoy Vest,) the “skins,” the regulator (your breathing apparatus,) the flippers and the tank. Then you learn how to get in and out of the YMCA’s pool. After you become accustomed to the gear and the breathing they let you go to the lake and actually dive deep.

They make it sound so easy. You can’t wait to get to the ocean and see the wonderful, beautiful sites….

After our classes ended, we played all summer at Lake Ouachita. We had a houseboat and went out every weekend. Diving all around the dam and the cliffs, all over the lake. I thought I was doing pretty well and started looking forward to diving in the ocean.

We planned our trip for January, right after Christmas. We headed off to the Keys and warm weather. I love Florida. If I had to live anywhere else I’d choose Florida. The Keys were awesome. We drove the long highway stretching from island to island; all the way to end of the US Hwy 1.

The day we went diving was sort of blustery. We arrived at the boat, met the captain, loaded our gear and set out to sea. I should have known better – the swells that day were “eight feet,” according to the captain. But no, I was determined to dive.

We rode into the Atlantic for about an hour or so, when we stopped you couldn’t see land in any direction that you looked.

I geared up; careful to ensure my gauges were within reach, my mask was snug, my weight-belt the proper weight, etc. I was the first one on the boat that was ready to hit the “drink.” But then that fear hit me. I wanted to go, but I didn’t want to be first. So I unzipped my “BC” and acted like I was still getting ready.

Finally the others began to disembark. When I stood up to enter the water, you’d a thought I was a pro. I kicked out my left leg forward and jumped with my right leg backward. I held my weight-belt and my regulator. Everything was going swimmingly.
My buddy (my husband) was right behind me and we began our descent to about 90 feet.

Remember, this was my first time. I was “so very” a novice. I was looking for blue water and bright colored fish.

What I saw was murky, dirty, sandy water. I couldn’t even see my buddy beside me, let alone any fish. A shark could be swimming right next to me and I’d a never known. Down we kept going. It seemed like we were kicking and going down, I could barely see our friend, Les, just ahead of me.

I went to grab my gauges to see how deep we were. Reaching all around, reaching to the other side, NO GAUGES! I thought to myself where could they be? And I remembered. I had unzipped my BC to stall when I was on the boat. I had forgotten to ensure the gauges were secure when I re-zipped and inadvertently zipped them up inside my BC.

I still couldn’t see my husband/buddy. So I stopped kicking. Then he came in closer to me; I made the sign to ascend. He looked at me and shook his head “NO.” So I started to go up without him. I could feel him grabbing at my fins; trying to keep me from going up. I still went up.

Then the adventure goes berserk.

When I surfaced I looked for our boat. I turned all around and didn’t see anything. My buddy surfaced and I yelled, “Where’s the boat?” He looked all around and pointed to this very small dot on the horizon. Yes A DOT. The current had carried us so far from the boat that you could barely tell it was a boat.

That’s when my panic went out of control.

You see there is a reason why you must be a very good swimmer to dive the ocean. It’s not like a lake where the water is still and calm. There are currents like rivers all over. If you get caught in one it will carry you miles away in just seconds. And, at the time of year that we went, it was probably the worst time for any novice.

So let’s recap. I’m in the ocean looking for the beautiful blue water with all the colorful fishes. The only thing I found was dark, murky, fast moving water – everything was the color of sand. I decide I’m not going to do this and surface only to find myself halfway to Bermuda.

I go ballistic. “My Buddy” is trying to soothe my fears. He’s talking calmly to me and steadily kicking to the little dot on the horizon. I’m dog-tired, praying to God, and yelling HELP! (What he should have done is knock me out and drag me – which I told him he should have done.)

Finally, the captain of the boat realizes our plight. He begins to let out these buoys with a long line of rope. But we still have to swim to meet the buoy. I’m so exhausted by now that I can hardly kick my fins.

I feel someone unlatch my weight-belt and it falls away. After that I feel a little lighter and get enough energy to help kick to the buoys. We slowly reach the first buoy and captain begins reeling us in.

I finally make it to the boat. I climb aboard and fall into a heap. I am so exhausted. I want to go home.

Tim gets on board. I tell him that it was a good idea to release my belt because after it fell away it was easier to maneuver in the water. He said he didn’t touch my belt and didn’t know what I was talking about. I know I felt someone’s hand at my belt. So I guess my guardian angel was swimming the Atlantic that day.

Man, I’m getting exhausted just by writing all this down. We make it back to shore and do the tourist thing for the rest of our stay. It was an adventure for sure, but I will NEVER jump off a boat in the ocean again.

Maybe we’ll try sky-diving next.

To Grandma & Grandpa's house we go...

(Click the button on right to see the family) My mom’s family is huge. She had seven brothers and sisters: Juanita, Alvin, Elvis, Mom, David, Charlene, Orville, and Troy.

The first three and the last four were spread apart, so Mom was kinda like the oldest – like me, to her younger siblings.

I remember every Sunday, we would go to church and then to Grandma and Grandpa’s house for Sunday dinner. Many of Mom’s family would also be there.

All the kids, Uncle Orville and Uncle Troy – who wasn’t much older than us grandkids – would all play football, or scale the barn roof, or swing in the tire swing. Aunt Juanita and Uncle Johnny made homemade ice-cream. Dad, Uncle Alvin and Uncle Troy were shade-tree mechanics.

We always looked forward to letters from Uncle David and Uncle Elvis, who were in the service. Everyone got a chance to read them.

I also remember standing around a piano, listening to my Mom and Aunts sing gospel songs. Sometimes Uncle Troy and Uncle Orville (with his deep bass voice) would sing too.

Grandma was an excellent cook. She made THE BEST chicken dressing. It would delight your taste-buds like you just can’t believe. Everything was always fresh; all the vegetables came from Grandpa’s garden. And, Grandma made this wonderful chocolate cake dripping with icing that tasted like hot cocoa.

Even the water from the well, that Grandpa witched himself, tasted like ambrosia. It was the best well water I've ever tasted.

Grandpa had a huge garden. We would watch him work it. It was amazing to see everything grow. Unfortunately, I didn’t inherit his green thumb. I can’t grow anything and every plant I adopt turns brown.

Grandma was a very independent woman – like me. She wasn’t afraid to tell it like it is. (I got that from her.) She used to call me up, just to say hi and see what I was doing. (I miss those calls now.)

She usually drove when she and grandpa went anywhere. Some even said she had a lead foot. She lived to be 85 years old; and until then she never let anything get her down.

Grandpa drove too, but it was kinda scary when he did. I went fishing with him a couple of times. As we were on our way to the fishing hole, he would drive sorta in the center of the road. If a car was coming to us, he would move the car way over toward the ditch. He never had any accidents that I could recall, but it was an adventure to go with him.

He was such a big soft-hearted man. He was very sensitive to others and I've even seen him cry at times when he heard something that was sad. He was a very smart man too. He use to teach Agriculture at Joe T. - way before I went there.

I will always remember our family and all the wonderful times we had at Grandma and Grandpa’s. These are cherished memories.

Picture of mom and dad

Thanks for the wuppin's

Children are wonderful. I’ve been blessed many times – just never with children. It’s probably a good thing that I don’t have children. I firmly believe in discipline and with today’s politically correctness – I wouldn’t be – politically correct.

When I was growing up, discipline was firm and swift. My daddy never flinched if he had to use a belt on my behind. My grandma would have me go out and cut off my own switch from her “switchin’ bush” then promptly use it to give me a pair of “striped stockings.” And, my mom never hesitated to whop me if she thought I was sassin’ her.

From those experiences I don’t believe I’ve been warped, deranged, or psychologically harmed in any way. As a matter of fact, I believe I grew from them. I learned right from wrong – sometimes it may have taken two or three lessons – but I learned.

I’m no expert on child rearing; but I do believe that this is what’s wrong with today’s kids. A “time out” or sitting them in a corner for 30 minutes only teaches them to bide their time. A good licking teaches the lesson.

I remember running from my mom – one time. I think I was about 11 or 12 years old. It was so silly, and it would have been over immediately, if I had just taken the initial punishment. But no, not me. Momma was on crutches from a bad knee. She was hobbling around the kitchen and I was sitting up on the kitchen table. Momma said, “Get off the table.” I didn’t. She came at me to spat my leg, telling me again to get off the table. I jumped back when she swung at me and I ran away. She hobbled toward me and I made my getaway out the door. Then she got mad. She (on crutches) chased me around the house. Of course she couldn’t catch me. And I knew she was spitting mad.

I think I stayed outside for hours. Which really was a good thing – it gave her time to cool off. However, she had not forgotten. When I finally came in she was ready. She had the belt in her hand and NO CRUTCHES. She beat my rear for a good five minutes (I thought.) And every aim hit the mark. She had a hold of my arm and we just went in circles. Me – screaming and she – screaming at me.

When it was over she sent me to bed. Of course I was crying but, I could also hear her crying. She was so sad. She came in after about 30 minutes and hugged and kissed me. She told me she was so sorry. She looked at my legs to make sure I wasn’t hurt. And explained to me that if only I had just done what she had asked none of this would have happened.

I never ran from my momma again. I believe I was lucky to have only got a good whipping and sent to bed for my actions. I still got punished on occasion, I even got more whippings. But I learned that if you’ve done something wrong you don’t run from it. You stay and take the punishment – don’t make it worse – just take it.

I love my momma so much. The fact that she disciplined me when I needed it made me love her that much more. It showed me that she cared about me. She wanted me to be good, to make her proud but also she wanted me to be proud of myself. She wanted me to know that I understand the right and the wrong. I could be a good person throughout my lifetime. I am a good person – thanks to my mom, my dad and my grandma.

My "Ode to Billy Joe"

My dad was born on March 4. His name was Billy Joe. He was the second son born and had four brothers, LeRoy – the eldest, Frank, Pat and Butch.

My dad was the most handsome man in the world – to me. His skin was dark from working in the sun all day and he had black hair. When he dressed up he smelled so good!

He worked hard and he would come home in the afternoon very dirty; he always smelled like fresh dug up dirt. He ran a loader and dump truck with his small excavation company. He was an outlaw with his equipment but he always made it work. He cleared lots for contractors to build homes and he was the best in the business.

We lived a very comfortable life – at least I was always comfortable. I know that he and mom often worried about the money, but I don’t remember ever missing a meal and we always had clothes and shoes. We even had many luxuries over the years.

While I was growing up, we lived two houses over from grandma’s house; his family is very close knit. Daddy would stop by his momma’s every morning for coffee before he went to work and usually at least one or another brother was there too.

The brothers would sit around the kitchen table with their mom, drinking strong coffee and talk about days gone by. My cousins and I would love to listen to their stories about their lives while growing up.

He loved his kids and played with us all the time. He would get down in the floor and romp around. He would tickle us until we cried. Every birthday we got birthday licks – how many depended on how old we were.

He taught me a lot. He taught me to drive; he even said I was a real good driver because I never missed a pot hole during my lessons. He taught me to whistle – he was always whistling or humming something. He was real smart about mechanics, and could fix anything that was broke – even if he had to rig it together with whatever he could find (which was most all the time.)

He loved country music and his favorite tune was “Our Last Date.” He would always have the piano player play it when we went to “Shakey’s Pizza” down off Cantrell road. He was also a very big fan of George Jones, Tammy Wynette and all the old country music.

I miss him a lot. After I moved out of mom and dad’s house, he would stop and see me at my house. He’d just drop by every time he was in the neighborhood. He had a good heart and was kind to everyone he met.

My dad died in 1985 of cancer. Way too early his life was cut short. He’s missed so much that I know he would have loved to see. He did get to see his first grandchild, Bonnie, and he doted on her like she hung the moon – he was a great grandpa. But he missed meeting his first grandson and namesake, Billy Joe, as well as Zack, Dylan, Mason, Walker, Lessie, Leigh Ann, April and Kitty. He also missed seeing Tim get his racing trophy when he raced at I-30. I know Daddy would have loved to have been a part of Tim’s pit crew and to have watched the races.

Now I only see him in my dreams. I dream about him often and he seems so real. I guess it's his way of dropping by for a cup of coffee, just making sure that I'm okay. I love you daddy and we are okay - but we still miss you...

Happy Birthday Sis!

My sister's birthday is today. She is three years younger than me. My mom has told me that when I was three or four and sis came along - I was not a happy camper. I had been an only child for three years. I loved the affection that I received as an only child. So when she came along, that old "green monster" hit me up side the head - hard. Mom said I even wanted to throw her away. She had taken my spot on momma's lap and I did not like it.

And boy did we fight over the years. I was the elder and I believed she should show me that respect. But not her. She is THE MOST stubborn, hard-headed, "we live in her world" kinda soul. We had some of the most unbelievable knock-down, drag-out fights with teeth-nashing, hair-pulling, and screaming-murder.

I couldn't go anywhere that my mom said, "Take your sister with you." I cringed when I heard those words. Especially after I started driving.

But that was then. Now she is my BEST FRIEND. After we both got married (and each seperated by our own homes) we were inseparable. For many years we lived right next door to one another and saw each other every day and night. We never fought like that again. We still have our disagreements, but never are we physical and we always hug and tell each other we love each other everytime we are together.

We have both had major health issues -me with breast cancer and she with heart problems. When she had her heart attack she lived 100 miles out of town, but I still went and stayed with her after her surgery and supported her recovery. Then after my mastecomy, she came and stayed with me and took care of me.

She's still the same stubborn, hard-headed, "we live in her world" soul, but I love her so much. I will always be there for her and I know I can depend on her anytime.

So here's a Big Birthday Hug and a Birthday Wish to my Sissy. I love you!!

Words of Wisdom...

I received this in an e-mail today. It is so true. So enjoy!

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE...
A set of screwdrivers,
A cordless drill, and
A black lace bra and a black nightie...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE...
One friend who always makes her laugh...
And one who lets her cry...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE...
A good piece of furniture not previously owned by anyone else in her family...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE
Eight matching plates,
Wine glasses with stems,
And a recipe for a meal that will make her guests feel honored.

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE...
A feeling of control over her destiny...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
How to fall in love without losing herself...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
How to quit a job.
How to break up with lover.
How to confront a friend without ruining the friendship

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
When to try harder...
And when to walk away...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
That she can't change
The length of her calves,
The width of her hips, or
The nature of her parents...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
That her childhood may not have been perfect...but; it’s over...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
What she would and wouldn’t do for love or money...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
How to live alone... Even if she doesn't like it...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
Whom she can trust, Whom she can't,
And why she shouldn't take it personally...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
Where to go…
Be it to her best friend's kitchen table…
Or a charming inn in the woods...
When her soul needs soothing...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
What she can and can't accomplish
In a day...
A month...
And a year...

Author: Unknown

I love my job!

I enjoy my job. You know that saying; "If you want to be happy, find something you enjoy and do it for a living." I'm doing that. I don't make a lot of money, but i love being a leader. Everyday my team -"the pickers" - picks orders for people and companies from all over the world. Our orders have been sent all over the US and to London, China, Canada, Mexico, and Brazil; just to name a few. We have a wide range of books that we distribute and my team picks them for the customer. You can get cookbooks, how-to-build books, how-to-quilt books, how-to-crochet, knit, or plastic canvas books, how-to-decorate your home books, how-to-decorate your cake books, how-to-scrapbook books. Some days our work is heavy and very tiring - we have no problem getting to sleep at night. Our job starts early, so we get off work early - which is another thing I like about it. We also get to wear casual dress - no fancy clothes or shoes are necessary. My team consists of 18 ladies, some of them have been at this company for over 15 years and a few are lifers with 20 years under their belt. We use radio frequency scanners to pick our orders. Our warehouse is beautiful. It's huge, it's air-conditioned, it's huge, it's real close to my home, it's huge, and really big. It is a really great place to work.

Tim's Canvas - Now OPEN.

My honey's in business. Last year we built a new shop on on our property. It's really huge, 30 x 70. My husband uses it for his "hobby" (and to store his baby - the Harley.) By trade he is an upholsterer. He works in his dad's shop with his brother and my youngest brother. They only work on automobile, marine and aircraft - NO Furniture. So now with our new shop, he has set up "Tim's Canvas." He will work on big boats (yachts) making the canvas covers and screens they use to cover the windows and patio areas. He also has a friend that restores old jaguars. Tim will do the interior for him. He had one delivered last night. WOW. It's a really cool old car. He said this type of jag was the first car to go at the speed of 140 mph. It's almost restored fully, it just needs a new convertible top - that Tim has to make piece by piece by hand. Tim is very talented in many areas, he's been doing upholstery for over 30 years. He pretty much knows his way around a sewing machine, a glue gun and your car. I've seen some beautiful cars restored at his dad's shop over the years. Many of them have won awards at car competitions for their uphosltery. When I get this blog thing really figured out I'll post some pictures of his work.

Did you miss the Reunion?

Saturday was the Annual Family Reunion (dad's family.) We had a pretty good turn out - but we were missing quite a few too. Mom, Daddy-Bill, Me, Sis and her boyfriend; as well as my two nephews- Billy and Dillon represented our family. For some reason, my two brothers were a no show. Bonnie had to work. Uncle Pat was there but Aunt Leeny was missing due to illness, Kera was with her mom and we missed Brett and Teresa. Aunt Kathleen, Cecil and Chris were there; we missed Lynn and Marnita. Aunt Liz, Kim and Robert made it, but we missed Mike, Cheryl, and Pam. Uncle Butch, Aunt Edith and Tim were there as well as Aunt Edith's brothers and sisters, but we missed Bart and Stacy. Uncle Joe and Aunt Syble, Aunt Margaret (who made a homemade coconut pie) and Uncle Buck came. Aunt Earline, Carol (who made homemade sugarfree coconut and chocolate pies - that everyone was happy to see) and Bob. Aunt Babe and Uncle Harvery were there. Barbara and Mitchell came. Judy and Noble were there, as well as Stephanie, Taylor and Peanut. June and James, with her boys. Aunt Jean and Dianne, and many of our neighbors, the Lucky's. I didn't stay all day so some may have showed later and I know I'm missing someone, but after all these years - some of my kin I couldn't tell ya their names. But it was good that they came. Our reunion is held about the same time every year. For those of you who didn't make it - MARK YOUR CALENDARS and plan to go next year. I'll let you know later the exact date. It's always at Maumelle Park - everyone knows where that is.

It's good to be #1.

As you can tell by my postings, I am the eldest. I am the eldest child, daughter and grandchild (on my dad's side.) Now that's a pretty big responsibilty. I have to set the example. I have to take care of the little ones. I am #1. At least that is what my mom has deemed me to be. It's kind of cute, when I call her at work and leave a message I say, "Tell her that her #1 called." And she always knows who it is.

I don't have children so I don't have a "number one" to pass the torch to. But I do have an abundance of neices and nephews. And they are all number one in some fashion, but alas there can only be one "number one." So I have decided to pass that torch to my Bon. She is the eldest grandchild, my sister's daughter. She has also made me so proud. She is so smart. So together. So beautiful. She is well worthy of such a title.

So Bon, here's to you. I deem you the next generation "Number One." I know you'll do me proud.
I love you. Aunt M.

Guardian Angel on Duty.

When I was going through my chemo I was blessed by the fact that I did not have to go to work. My wonderful husband supported me and took care of me. So I was at home everyday. I was bald from the chemo and very uncomfortable in public. But one day, at home, I heard my dogs barking like crazy... I looked out the window and saw that they were near the front fence carrying on like there was a strange creature about to enter their kingdom. I opened the door and ventured out further to see this creature. But, to my amazement, there walking up the road, jabbering away, was a small boy and a dog.

Now I live in a very rural area. In every direction you cannot see the neighbors for the trees. So I was very curious about this babe and dog. And he was a babe, he was so young that he couldn't even tell me his name. I didn't know what to think. Had he come down the hill from that neighbors house? or from the nieghbor that's closer to the main road? He couldn't tell me, the dog couldn't tell me. So I grabbed him up and walked to both neighbors - neither were at home.

So I took him into the house to call my husband. You should have heard that conversation:
"Hi honey. I found a baby. " "A baby what?" "It's a boy." "A boy what?" It's a baby boy child."
"Yeah, right." "No, really. He was walking up the road." "Where's his parents?" "I don't know, he didn't bring them. - Can we keep him?" "NO! You alreadly have two dogs!" Or something like that.

Anyway, I sat with him for what seemed like hours. My dogs loved him, licked him, and he liked them too. I gave him some water and crackers. I also found that he was covered from head to toe with ticks. So I went about cleaning him up - as best as I could with no experience in child - anything.

After a while I called my friend Kathi, who lives on the main road. To see if she knew of anyone missing a little boy. (Another weird conversation.) She didn't know of anyone, but would keep her eyes open.

Well after so long I was going to call the police. It was getting dark and I couldn't believe someone wasn't looking for this beautiful child.

Then the phone rings. It's Kathi, she says a truckload of people were driving up and down the road. She sent her husband, Stan, to find them.

Sure enough, it was Blaine's mom and dad. They had a whole bunch of people scouring the area for him. They live off another road nearby and all were outside. Blaine had followed his dog off. He had traveled through the woods about a mile - which is why he was covered with ticks.

His mom was crying and you could see the worry on his daddy's face. But everything turned out okay. I even got some chocolate cookies as a reward.

During a time of my life that seemed so bleak, Blaine and his family really brighten my outlook.

You have to appreciate the trees in the Autumn.

My favorite time of the year-Autumn. It's been so hot this summer and the cool morning today made me feel so alive. I LOVE IT! Now is the time for raking leaves, for home cooking - to keep the house warm, football, pumpkins, the harvest moon. So many things come to mind. When I was younger, my dad's family would load up every year to drive up to the north in our state. We had about four to five different vehicles convoying to Pea Ridge for an annual picnic. And, I must say that you have never seen God's beauty like you'll see in North Arkansas. I love it. The autumns are so vibrant. It's like a painted canvas if your timing just right. If you drive the "pig trail" around mid- to - late October you'll see sights that would compare to the first time you saw the grand canyon. I can't wait for this year's show of color. Last year my husband and I went with my family to Branson. As we were driving I went on and on about the colors of the trees, "Honey, look at the trees! Aren't they beautiful?" He said,"It's just a tree." A bit later my mom who's in the car behind us, calls on the cell phone and says, "Look at the trees, aren't they beautiful?" My husband, rolled his eyes. Then we arrive at the hotel in Branson and my aunt pipes up and say's, "Did you see the trees? Oh, so pretty!" I thought my husband was going to go back home. After twenty-six years you'd think he understood me.