Wednesday, June 6, 2007

Grandmother & Pop



My Grandparents, what can I say...I'm very lucky to still have these two. They are very interesting characters. They have been married over 60 years. My grandmother was just 13 years old (gasp) when they married, I know that sounds awful, but 6o years ago, 13 year olds were very different than they are today.

My grandparents are very independent, they both still drive, work in their yard, go fishing and camping, and love to travel, (although long trips require someone else driving).


Pop was in WWII and was stationed in Italy. He later worked many years as a security guard and still loves to dance. He's also very funny, he has this wonderful, dry sense of humor. In his younger days Pop had the reputation as someone you wouldn't want to make mad, he had no tolerance for idiots. I wish everyone could sit and listen to him talk about the past.

Grandmother is your typical grandmother. She loves to cook and boy,...is she good at it! If you could taste heaven, it would taste like her Coconut Cake. She gave birth to my mother when she was 14 ( almost 15) and then had 2 boys (Ray and Larry). In a time when large families were very common, they had a relatively small one. She too, can tell you stories about the past that are so enjoyable you could sit and listen forever.

My grandparents set several examples for all of us in the family.

1. Marriages can last, you just have to work at it
2. Your children are Never too old for discipline ( On my mothers wedding night she told pop that he would never be able to "whip" her again, to which he replied "why,... are you dying?"
3.You're never too old to become faithful members of the church.

If you are lucky enough to still have parents or grandparents from that generation, sit down and ask them to tell you their stories about their lives. You won't be disappointed, I promise.

Tuesday, June 5, 2007

Those Were The Days...


I am SO thankful my Mom & Dad let me be a KID! Look at all these wonderful memories we have! Wish our kids could have the same ones! Living like we did, basically all people over 30 should, by all rights, be dead.
According to today's bureaucrats, those of us who were kids in the 50's, 60's and 70's probably shouldn't have survived.
Our baby cribs were covered with bright colored lead-based paint. We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets, and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets. (Not to mention the risks we took jumping homemade ramps & curbs).
As children, we would ride in cars with no seat belts or air bags. Riding in the back of a pickup truck on a warm day was always a special treat. We even drank water from the garden hose and not from a bottle. Horrors! We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle, and no one actually died from this. We ate cupcakes, bread and butter, and drank soda pop with sugar in it, but we were never overweight because we were always outside playing. We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back for supper. No one was able to reach us all day. No cell phones. Unthinkable.
We did not have Playstations, Nintendo 64, X-Boxes, no video games at all, no 99 channels on cable, DVD's, surround sound, personal cell phones, personal computers, or Internet chat rooms. We had friends! We went outside and found them. We fell out of trees, got cut and broke bones and teeth, and there were no lawsuits from these accidents. We made up games with sticks and tennis balls and ate worms, and although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes, nor did the worms live inside us forever. We rode bikes or walked to a friend's home, knocked and just walked on in and talked to them.
The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke a law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law. Back then if you got in trouble, they would give you a "whippin", and no one called Child Protective Services on your parents for "child abuse", Imagine that!
Our generation has produced some of the best risk-takers and problem solvers and inventors, ever. The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas. We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it all!

Milestone

The Teeth!

Gabe at 6 months







June 1st Gabe was 6 months old. I am so amazed at how much he changes each time I get to see him. I had not seen him for almost a month and boy...what a difference a month makes. For starters, he no longer attempts to grab at things, he now actually grabs them. He has also acquired the ability to bite (not that he would ever be allowed to), as he now has 2 teeth. He's also showing his personality. He's not just a baby anymore, he's a little boy with a temper and an attitude! He can also be loving and "kiss" all over your face. Man!...I just left and my heart is already aching to see him again.

Picnic with a view



This memorial day my husband and I decided to pack a lunch and take a drive. We ended up on the Blue Ridge Parkway, 5000 feet up. For those of you that have never taken that drive all I can ask is "What are you waiting for?. It truly is some of the most beautiful scenery I have ever seen. We started out with no particular place to go and nothing but a tomato, mayo, mustard, salt and pepper in our bag. We quickly made a stop to get bread and a few more items.




For some reason, beanie weenies, bologna, Prairie Belt sausage, Tabasco and a tomato tastes like a gourmet meal when it's eaten with a view like this. We had a wonderful time, great meal and made some memories along the way.

Thursday, May 31, 2007

The Seersucker Suit








Some fashions never go out of style, and some do, only to come back 20 years later.(I just got my husband to throw out the bellbottoms and Bam!...they're back).


In 1980 when I was 20 years old and you told me that I had to wear styles from the 1950's or earlier, I would have thought you were crazy. But wouldn't you know it, some styles just wont stay buried. My 20 year old son has a seersucker suit that he proudly struts around in. Granted, having a seersucker suit is pretty cool and it's one of those styles that you don't mind coming back. Lets just hope and pray nobody tries to bring back the ....
Leisure Suit!! ...Then again, we probably have 1 or 2 in the closet.

Generations


5 Generations: Great Great- Grandparents (Wilburn & Ollie Mae Sutton) Great Grandmother (Inez Shubert) Granby ( Debbie Etheredge) Dad ( Jake) & Gabe

4 Generations: Great- Grandfather (James Leon Etheredge) Papa (Sam Etheredge) Dad (Jake) & Gabe