Spread the Word!

I'M SO GLAD I FOUND OUT ABOUT THIS!

The correct way to weigh yourself...I can't believe I was doing it wrong all these years.

WE MUST SPREAD THE WORD!

Missing Daddy

My father's name was Hobert, but most of his friends called him Hobe. He was a likeable fellow with a sunny disposition and personality. Dad worked a 6 day week but I never heard him complain, he left me with many memories that I try to pass along to Great-Grandsons who never knew him. He was generous, kind, funny and unfailingly honest.

Daddy loved to hunt and fish, it was an obsession. His persistence to catch “The Big One” was almost too much, more work than fun… at least from a kid’s perspective. Yet somehow, he injected the love of fishing into my brother and me. My guess is that my Dad brought us fishing without a thought that it would leave an indelible imprint. I never forgot the thrill of holding a wriggling fish.

Daddy and his brothers and sister came from a very musical family. His Mom and Dad played a mandolin, fiddle and guitar. When we were kids Daddy used to set and play that guitar he bought when he was 16 years old. I remember him playing The Church in the Wildwood so many times.

His garden was another passion. Dad looked so forward to this time of year and planting his potatoes. He would plant them on his birthday, the 27th of February and then tend to them like they were children. Patience and care yielded perfectly formed, sturdy potatoes in the end...just like kids they needed someone to nurture and watch over them.

Daddy also loved to fix breakfast and Mom allowed him to do this despite the mess he would make! His real “claim-to-fame" was his dressing! He took such great pride in fixing it every year for the holidays and the family reunion. He would use the Crockpot to transport this secret concoction to church potlucks, giving specific instructions to whoever was holding it of it’s worth! When Daddy would be lucky enough to get a wild turkey we would have fried turkey breast for breakfast. You might think it wouldn’t be so good first thing in the morning, but if you were in that kitchen and could smell how good it was!

My Dad would have been 89 today, he’s been gone 16 years now. He would have taken so much pride in his Great-Grandsons Jackson, Gavin and Ewan…seeing them out on the boat enjoying themselves and fishing for “The Big One!”

Pastor's Business Card

A new pastor was visiting in the homes of his parishioners. At one
house it seemed obvious that someone was at home, but no answer came
to his repeated knocks at the door.

Therefore, he took out a business card and wrote 'Revelation 3:20' on
the back of it and stuck it in the door.

When the offering was processed the following Sunday, he found that
his card had been returned. Added to it was this cryptic message,
'Genesis 3:10..'

Reaching for his Bible to check out the citation,

he broke up in gales of laughter.

Revelation 3:20 begins 'Behold, I stand at the door and knock.'

Genesis 3:10 reads, 'I heard your voice in the garden and I was afraid for I was naked.'

Last Piece of Pie...

I've written about Dan Hentschel before, on SCHOOL DAYS. He's a local celebrity, a morning DJ on US94. His bio at their website says,

"I've been waking people up on this planet for over 36 years!"

When I catch his morning show, it just cracks me up! He has a way of reaching his audience with humor that just makes the day start off right. I see he has a list of Basic Truths that he's learned over the years.

BIG DAN'S BASIC TRUTHS

1. You are NOT the center of your family - Your FAMILY is the CENTER of YOU.

2. HARD WORK pays off.

3. DAD was right.
4. The stuff they tell you on TV ain't necessarily so.
5. Your DOG loves you NO MATTER WHAT.
6. NEW isn't always better.

7. LESS isn't MORE - LESS is LESS - MORE is MORE.

8. Talk to people - don't send so many emails - and occassionally WRITE A LETTER!
9. Get up early and enjoy a sun rise...
10. Go to bed at a decent hour.
11. Look people in the eye when you speak.
12. Do things for other people who aren't expecting it.
13. Stop whining.
14. Don't listen to gossip.
15. Be the solution - not the problem.
16. You know what is RIGHT & WRONG...so just do WHAT'S RIGHT.
17. Leave the last piece of pie for someone else.

So, what do you think??? Maybe he's onto something!

Snowing in Texas!

We just returned from a visit with our kids in Texas. Amy and family live at Denton, about 6 hours away from us. GRANDson Ewan has just turned 3 and he is just the cutest, most lovable little boy! He was glued to us for the weekend and we loved every minute!

The distance, work and obligations to aging parents keep us apart. I need my grandchildren in my life to feel happy, that's just the way I am!

We stayed at Hidden Oak Cabins on Lake Texoma.

The first night we had a fire in the pit and set outside after a balmy 60 degree Texas day.
Trails led down to Lake Texoma with woods all around. We hiked down to the lake on Saturday afternoon and after the long winter in Arkansas, it sure was great to get outside and enjoy the nice weather. But in the night a cold front sneaked in with thunderstorms that shook the cabin and made a muddy mess outside, keeping us cooped inside with just videos.
How many times can you watch a SpongeBob video? Well, if you are 3 you can watch it over and over...it's funny everytime!
We did have a wonderful visit though and it was down time for our busy kids.
It's snowing at Denton today, this has been a CRAZY winter!

*If you are headed to the Lake Texoma area near Pottsboro for a getaway, visit Hidden Oak Cabins website HERE! Owner Cort Henderson made our stay very enjoyable. If the weather had cooperated we would really have taken advantage of all of the outdoor activities. Thanks Cort!

Gas Station Food

You heard me right, and I'm not talking about Fritos and a Slushie. I'm talking about real food that's fixed in the small kitchens on site by someone who looks like your Mom or Grandma. Most of us pull into the gas stations, swipe our debit cards and fill our tanks, then drive away without ever going in these days. But in Arkansas, especially rural Arkansas you would be missing out on some killer fried chicken if you pass up Country Mart at Lead Hill. If you are there early in the morning all of the seats are full serving the locals homemade cinnamon rolls as big as a hubcap!

In rural Madison County, near Huntsville, Arkansas is a Phillips 66. Inside they have the best sausage egg biscuits you ever put in your mouth. Home-made buttermilk biscuits, old fashioned sage-y sausage patty and a light smear of mustard just like Mom would have done to to tide you over till lunch.

Also on Highway 412 near Marble is a White Oak Station (many of these in Arkansas)that boasts a sit down area serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. The menu offers favorites like cheeseburgers and chili dogs, but they also fry up a mean catfish dinner! I have sampled their tater planks or fried okra many times when I was coming home from Mom's!

I imagine all across America if you keep your eyes peeled you are going to be able to find these Quik Stops, EZmarts and Gas N Go's. Sometimes you have to stand at the counter for your food, but your nose is telling you already that the food is good. There are tipoffs of a good place...

1. The parking lot is full of hunters and farmers.
2. Someone that looks like your Grandma is back in the kitchen.
3. Inspection notices are posted and anything above a 93 should be assurance that this place is clean!

You're already there getting your tank filled so why not try out the food? You just might be in for a tasty snack that won't cost you and arm and a leg!

Attention Foodies!

I want to tell you about an amazing project that was started by Julie Van Rosendaal (visit her blog Dinner With Julie. After Haiti's devastating earthquake, Julie committed herself to helping with the relief effort. Her dedication and hard work debuted in the form of an absolutely stunning cookbook.

BlogAid-Recipes for Haiti is a compilation of recipes and photographs from twenty-seven fabulous, talented and generous food writers. All of the proceeds from BlogAid-Recipes for Haiti will go straight to Haitian relief via the Red Cross and Doctors without Borders. That’s not all though! Both West Canadian AND Blurb are matching the dollar amount of the proceeds raised up to $10,000 and until February 12th, the Canadian government will match that amount.

The cookbook is printed using a POD (print-on-demand) system, meaning the books are printed and shipped as they’re ordered and arrive at your doorstep in about 8 days.

Printing partners West Canadian Graphics and Blurb.com in San Francisco were instrumental in supporting the efforts of the designers, artists and contributors as they brought the book to life. Graphic designer Cathryn Ironside spent hundreds of hours on the layout and design; the book is 7”x7”, 110 pages and full colour with a soft-cover ($25) as well as a hard-cover ($50) option.

Look for this wonderful cookbook at Blog Aid's Bookstore.

Nothin' Says Lovin'

...like somethin' from the oven!

Homesick Texan Twittered this recipe the other day. If you didn't make something special for your Man on Valentine's, here's the perfect recipe!

Hungry Man's Lard Cake
Source: Farm Journal's Timesaving Country Cookbook (1961)
"A big cake to carry in pan to picnic or lunch in the field--made by Grandma's creaming method"
1 1/4 cups lard
2 1/2 cups sugar
6 eggs
5 1/2 cups sifted flour
8 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups milk
1 Tablespoon vanilla

Cream lard 1 minute; add sugar; cream until light and fluffy.
Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Sift together dry ingredients. Add to creamed mixture alternately with milk and vanilla; beat until well mixed.
Pour into greased and floured pan (10" x 14").
Bake in moderate oven (375*) about 35 minutes. When cool, spread with caramel or chocolate-fudge frosting made from a packaged mix.

Wash Day

When I was a kid, my Mom had an old Maytag wringer washer to do the family laundry. If you don't have a clue what I'm talking about, here's a picture. I would beg to help her on washday but she rarely said yes. It wasn't that I was a perfect kid, it was summer and I was bored with having "Nothing to Do!" They were a bit dangerous, I can remember having my fingers pinched in the rollers if I didn't watch carefully as I passed the clothing through. It did a good job of washing clothes though. Mom used Fab detergent and bleach on practically everything...no dirty clothes allowed on Mom's watch! That washing machine lasted a long time. In fact it's still in storage at the farm, waiting for someone to restore it's beauty. I don't think anyone would ever choose it over a modern hi efficiency washer with digital controls that add detergent, pre-wash, cleaning boosters, and have a zillion cycles, even steam. But for Mom, it worked just great.

She did wash on Monday, only Monday. It would be two or three loads and we were a family of four. Mom would hang the clothes out year-round. That meant snowy winters in Missouri, she would put on her snow boots, gloves and wool headscarf and brave the cold temperatures to hang out clothes. When she'd bring the wash in at the end of the day, the shirts and pants would be frozen stiff. She'd stand them by the wall and in a few minutes they would "slump" to the floor and she'd laugh and say Old Man Winter slipped out of them! No complaining about her cold hands and feet, not to mention the extra work required to put out that big wash.

It's just the two of us, my washer holds twice as much and I wash practically every day. Can you explain that to me?

Twinkling...

We can't all be stars, but we can all twinkle....

When we lived in Texas, we enjoyed our pool after the sun went down (it's "boil-yer-brains-hot" during the day)! Our GRANDson Jackson spent Friday nights with us and he was part fish! I used to tell him, "Look up Jackson, God's put those stars up there just for us to enjoy!" We'd swim around and set outside till bedtime. It was special Nana and Papa time. We didn't have to do anything, just listen and be there. But it was magic all the same...

American Ingenuity!

There's a Recession going on right now but you'd like to build a new house. Something very modern, perhaps like something you'd see in a swanky highrise condo or townhome near the city, right?

Something compact but classy...

All of the creature comforts of Home...

A little elegance throw in...

A great master bathroom is a must...

Two sinks, no waiting...

The big surprise is that this 1 bedroom loft apartment was built inside a 1940's grain bin!

It was renovated into this upscale unit after it was purchased and relocated to the grounds of the Gruene Homestead Inn in New Braunfels, Texas.

If that's not creative craftsmanship, then I don't know what is!

Thanks for sharing this Aunt B.!

Tired of Winter???

Love at First Sight

Do you believe in it...love at first sight? I do because it's lasted 40 years! When we first met, there was immediate attraction. He was smiling and looked straight into my eyes. I was hooked like a big fish!


Researchers will tell you that love at first sight is rare. In an interview study on this phenomenon, psychology professor Ayala Malach Pines, author of "Falling in Love," found that only one-tenth (or 11 percent) of her participants had fallen in love at first glance. When love at first sight does happen, men tend to get hit with Cupid’s arrow more often than women. But the symptoms of being love stuck are the same in both men and women...

— Focus all our attention on this person

— Become obsessive in thinking about the love object

— Suffer from sleeplessness and a loss of appetite

— Practice possessiveness over our mates

— Show physical affection, such as nuzzling

— Channel all of our energies to win over this particular beloved

I didn't really need researchers to tell me all this, I kinda knew it already!

Sweethearts

Mom and Dad started their married life in Santa Cruz, California in 1946. My Dad had just got out of the Army and they took off on the adventure of a lifetime, some people just call it "Marriage!" Wages were low in Arkansas and there weren't a lot of jobs, so when they married they decided that their best chance of a new life should start 1900 miles away in California. They were young and in love, and you just need each other and a little food to survive!

It must have been difficult for their parents. My Dad's mother was a widow and had just welcomed her son home from the war. Mom's parent's had only her to dote on, she was an only child. But if you are a good parent you realize that this is meant to be. The time has come for your child to spread his wings and fly. It would be wrong to expect anything less. You celebrate their accomplishments, you revel in their victories and you cry when they hurt.

They were a good team, always pulling together instead of apart. They loved being on that first adventure together and seeing new things. Years later when they would talk about California, there was a sparkle in their eyes. It was hard for me to understand then, now I do.

Young Love

I know this would embarrass the pants off our oldest GRANDson, but I can't help myself....these pictures are so sweet! This being Valentine's week and all, remembering that first crush when you felt all silly and giddy...

You just can't help it, you are goofy love-sick. You can't hide how you feel, it's written all over your face. You love everything about them; the way they eat, the way they talk, the way they have that cute little laugh.

Ahh, but paradise is usually short lived!

Dirty Boy

A little soap & water never killed anybody...

My daughter was telling me the other day that Ewan doesn't like bath time. That's probably not that strange, little boys have an aversion to being clean I hear. I wouldn't really know since we had girls and they practically lived in the bathtub from the time they were babies! Bubble baths, giving their dolls a bath, shaving cream artwork, tea parties in the tub...all good reasons to get into a hot soapy tub.

I was thinking about all of the things we worry about raising our kids. From the very first we fret if they don't sleep through the night pretty quick. Then that stage finally solves itself and it's onto potty training. You think that is never going to end, you change a million diapers and then one day they just start using the toilet. You now have all that extra money to spend that had been earmarked for Huggies! Pacifier's are another worry, our oldest GRANDson was 4 when he gave his up. Since he doesn't read this I feel comfortable sharing that information. It might scar him if it got around high school now that paci was his bestest friend! My point is, they don't stay little for long. And in a relatively short time they are little adults that sleep through the night, don't pee their pants and move onto other bad habits that make the baby years seem like nuttin.'

Uphill

Have you noticed how hard life is these days? I mean with the economy the way it is and trying to make ends meet. Lord help us if we have doctor bills or prescriptions to buy. I shouldn't complain, I'm grateful that my husband has a job. We live a very comfortable life with few big worries. By "Big Worries" I mean health or money problems. But it's still hard. In fact, bargains are as

"Scarce as Hen's teeth!"

I was talking to our GRANDson Gavin the other day. His birthday is coming up and we are having some in depth conversations about a remote control helicopter he saw on an infomercial. I told him I'd check it out, but that "Money didn't grow on trees." I told him that Papa and I have to stretch our dollars these days. He told me maybe someone needs to invent rubber money, the kind that stretches. He's 9, but he's sharp!

If you find a path with no obstacles...it probably doesn't lead anywhere.

Happy Birthday Ewan!

We did it, we blinked and Ewan Theodore is now 3 years old! How can that be, how can time fly like that? For us it seems like his Mom should still be little but she's grown with a little boy of her own now!



It wasn't long until Ewan's personality began to emerge...


Adventuresome from the start...


A little bit of a clown...


Cute as a button...

Easy going...

Loves bells and whistles (just like his Dad!)

The things we do to our kids!

Lots of new experiences along the way...

First teeth...

First Halloween...

It's amazing how much he looked like Amy as a baby!

He's just a fun kid!

Did I mention he is a cutie-pie???

But everyday he's growing up...

Watch out, he's getting older...

He can do lot's of things by himself now...

There's a whole world out there just waiting for Ewan to explore!

He's going to add some attitude...

He's going to inspect and decipher and study all the angles...

He's gonna have a lot of fun...

Cause now he's 3!!!

Happy Birthday Big Boy!!!

Love, Nana and Papa