May Flowers Bring...

...an Anniversary!

31 years today!

Jackie and I have been married for 31 whole years

and have known each other for 35!

WOW!

As most of you know, Jackie had been gone helping in north Alabama to restore electrical power to the tornado victims.  His company has had crews working since April 27, the day the tornados ripped through the north section of our state leaving miles and miles of devastation.  After 10 days of working 5-9 each day (that's backwards) he is finally home, being replaced by another crew.

After seeing him for 2 days...I left to go to New Orleans to help Holly and Richard with their packing for their BIG move to Jacksonville, FL.  I guess we'll get to see each other one day! 

He did call me this morning at 6:00 to wish me a Happy Anniversary!

Holly and I have been a little lazy due to lack of sleep...so we are slow in the packing department!

We went thrifting yesterday...no major finds except some good books and an old PassWord game complete in the original box with all the pieces, dated 1963, for 95 whole cents! 

Too cute!  Do you remember playing PassWord?

We then went to TGI Fridays to get a bite to eat and the Parmesan-Crusted Crab topped Flounder was to die for....it was delicious with jasmine rice pilaf and steamed green beans on the side!

Yep...I recommend this dish for sure!

We are going back out today to hit the other thrift stores...

the packing will just have to wait a while because the fun comes first!

I hope your week is fun too!

Take care and I will visit with you all soon!

Cora

~Google image for PassWord game

Jumping Rainbows, Lassoing Dreams, and Wishing On Stars

...so says Cinderella.
Without my dreams and hopes, life seems rather dull. It’s like total boredom, never reaching for anything, never stepping out on that limb but always sitting at home on the couch…waiting.  Waiting for what?  Different desires come with age. My dreams are not the same as they used to be as some of those dreams have been fulfilled throughout the years.  I’ve strattled a few fences along the way…do I do this or do I do that, this way or that way?  I’ve fallen off only to get back up, put on my big girl panties, the pretty lacey ones, and move on again.
Standing at the intersection of life with 3 other ways to go, has been a test. Do I go straight ahead or turn to the left or to the right? As long as I didn’t come to a dead end, I was usually OK.
Looking ahead now the dream is looking at 59½.  I know there are those of you who know exactly what I am referring to and can relate…but for those of you who are way too young, let me explain: Retirement age…not that you cannot retire before then…but you cannot draw on your retirement funds you worked hard for until that age. Its part of that government control stuff you know. Oh they give you ways that you can get to your money with penalties and taxes, that way they still control your money while getting a chunk of it for themselves. So unlike Cinderella with her fairy godmother who is always watching out for her, I think I will just wait it out.

It sounds like I’m wishing my life away to get to that age…not so; it’s just the dream, brewing in its early stages that I cannot reach yet.
In the mean time I will jump a few rainbows, climb one or two and slide down the curve hoping to land softly in that pile of gold at the bottom. I will stand in the dark night gazing into the starry sky making wishes on every twinkle.  I will lasso the moon because I know that I can reach that far.  I will dance in the rain with my tongue hanging out to catch the sweet drops and taste the present moment. I will live in that moment; I will live in the right now.

My dreams come true

 Growing up

Dating

Being an artist…starving one but still one

Graduating high school

Going to college

Getting married

Working

Buying a house

Buying some land

Having a child

Being a Mama

Watching her walk and talk

Selling the house

Building our new home

Raising our child right

Still working

Building a nest egg

Watching her grow up

Sending her to college

Watching her walk the aisle to her love

Being happy and blessed

Retiring

Living well and comfortable, not money rich

My dreams of hope

Being a Grammie

Living long enough

Hubby retiring

Living in each moment

Traveling

Being healthy

Living easy

Spending that money I waited for

Helping and giving

Living in eternity one day

My dreams were/are pretty simple really…nothing fancy or wild, nothing out of the ordinary, just plain simple everyday typical things of life. I have been blessed.
I have made it through the rain…thus far. Sometimes I got drenched and caught a cold, sometimes I fell in the mud puddle instead of jumping over it or sometimes I simply enjoyed the coolness of it and sometimes I danced. And I know that it will continue to rain every now and then on my parade but it is up to me to decide if I will keep on dancing.

Notice how my future dream list is shorter….what’s up with that!?

Cinderella and I need to chat or either she needs to share her fairy godmother!

"Dreams are illustrations... from the book your soul is writing about you."

~Marsha Norman~

I hope that all your dreams come true!

Loving me some Adele on the playlist….

Being A Mama

I could have made this post about the 4 1/2 ft Timber Rattler that my hubby killed yesterday in our front yard...but I will spare you the details and the photos. 
Just thinking about it gives my the hibbie jibbies again.
Or I could make it about the storms last week again by letting you know that
Jackie and his crew from Pea River Electric Co-op made their way to north Alabama today to help with rebuilding power lines and restoring power to those who have been without since last week's tornados ravaged our state. 
We are slowly recovering with God's blessings and by helping each other.
But this is more like what my post should be about:
Mothers
 I’m feeling the spirit of Mother’s Day which is upon us. It is a special honor just to be called Mama, Momma, Mom, Mother…not everyone gets that miracle.  When doctor’s told me that I would never get pregnant…God gave me that special honor and privilege.  Without having had my daughter, I might not have ever been called Mama.  He trusted Holly into my care, my love, my teaching, and my nurturing...for me to raise His child.  This is probably the highest blessing He could have given me;

to feel and know a love like no other.
The love only a mother knows for a child.

Holly

I hope and pray that I did a good job as a Mother in His eyes and that He looks down on us and smiles.  I know I made mistakes, screwed up and did not make the right choices sometimes; there are times I wish I could go back and have a redo…but through it all He pulled me out of the ditch, wiped the slate clean and we started fresh from there each time.

 Holly and her love for kitties....

Baby Holly

 I look at Holly now, as an adult, and I see a beautiful child…I am pleased.  She makes me smile with joy.  It is my hope now that through her eyes she sees me as a good Mama, one who loves her unconditionally, one that she can be proud of, one that she respects, one that she can turn to at anytime and know that I will be there.  One that will not judge her.  
She told me once that I loved her too much…

Bahahaha….how can you love someone too much?

Holly and my Mama in New Orleans

And even though my own Mama and I do not see eye to eye sometimes… I still love her too.  I know that she is there for me.  Our disagreements allow me to challenge myself, to rethink things and situations.  Our differences allow me to look at my own life and reevaluate my choices, values, and morals.  I am more like my daddy, although we have our own differences and beliefs too.  Sometimes I think that maybe I was adopted!! Haha…just kidding.  I got my talents from Daddy and my Christian values from my Mama.  So for that…I thank them and the good Lord!

Holly and her hubby love~Richard

Holly's 25th Birthday

with her Daddy, his Mama, and My Mama

Holly and her grands!

Holly at the Hoover Dam Lake

Holly's most recent self portrait and a new hair cut!

Soooo cute!!

My Mama and one of my nieces

Mama

  

Holly gets her talents from me and her athletic abilities from her daddy.  What a mix!  A perfect one to me… *smiling*  I’m proud to be a Mama!  I’m proud to have had the chance to mother a child and in doing so I became a different person myself.  When you can give more to your child, always putting them before yourself, you begin to reconsider what is important in your life. Certain things do not matter anymore; other things get put on the back burner for later.  A child’s young years are fleeting; they escape us quickly, in the blink of our eyes. BUT…now that Holly is an adult child…I have a best friend, a buddy, and someone that can take me for what I truly am.  We understand each other; love the same things, places to go, and things to do.  

And we love to have fun!

She’s a little chunk of me! 

I’m a lucky blessed Mama!

Celebrating my Mama, my Mother-n-law, and being a Mama myself!
I hope and pray that Holly will have a chance to know and become a Mama herself one day...and we all know what that means...I'll be a Grammie!

Psst....I get to see Holly next week end!! YaY!