Femininty

In 1963, Summer Magic hit the theaters. Mom took us to the Keith Albee to see it. I fell in love. I wanted to be like Nancy Carey (Hayley Mills). She became my idol. She could work in the house cleaning and repairing. She could put on an old pair of pants and work shirt and work up a sweat with the rest of them.

Or she could curl her hair and put on a lacy, frilly dress and be a feminine young lady. This picture and video are my favorites scenes from the movie. I often think she was my role model.

I am a contrast of different women. I can be the professional woman who handles business and designs new marketing campaigns to increase business. I can be the partner in helping my husband lay brick when we built our fireplace or the carpenter who helped build the deck on the back of the our first house. I can be the gardener who helped plant the potatoes and hoe the corn.

But when all is said and done, I can be the feminine woman who soaks in a bubble bath, lathers up with lotion and does her own manicures. I can be the woman who wears the silky "unmentionables" and the baby doll tops. I love my frilly night gowns right along with my flannel pants and t-shirts. I love my high heels and can't wait for winter so I can wear my Candies Hiking Boots. I can be the strength and the shoulder to lean on for my kids or I can be the the one who needs comforted by my hubby.

I can catch a 20" catfish, but I can't bait a hook or touch the fish when I reel it in. (eeeewww) I can buy auto parts or I can buy purses.

I am a contrast of personalities. But when the day is done, I'm still a girl and I still like my girlie things. I think Nancy Carey (Hayley Mills) inspired me more than I realized. I saw that movie when I was about 7 or 8. I own a copy of it and here I am 47 years later and I'm STILL watching it.  

School Days, school days....

I remember fondly the first day of school. I remember my little plaid dresses with white peter pan collars. I remember Mary Janes and bobbi sox and saddle oxfords. I remember new book bags and Barbie lunch boxes with thermos bottles for my KoolAid. I remember new crayons and school glue. I remember the thrill of getting a little carton of chocolate milk for morning break. I remember Junior High with basketball games and Pep Squard and Home Ec class. I remember high school and football games and being a Pirate with our Red & White pride. I remember lunch at Pirates Corner and Drivers Ed. Here are some photos of my school days (I'm not in them so don't try to find me.)

My first school Barboursville Elementary Grades 1-6

A typical first grade class room at B'ville Elementary

Barboursville Junior High School - Grades 7-9 (This picture was way before I went there. But it still looked the same. It was the old Morris Harvey College)

Math Class at BJHS

"To thee we sing, our gracious Alma Mater. Among the hills, her home so tranquil lies. We promise now to pledge our all allegience, to thy ideals and to thy way of life."

Barboursville High School Grades 10-12. Home of the Barboursville Pirates

Our fabulous Barboursville Majorettes, known as "The Pirettes"

My senior year, we took the AAA championship in basketball. The sign still stands in glory at the entrance to Barboursville.

Lunchtime at Barboursville High School usually meant a trip to Pirates Corner, even if you ate in the cafeteria, you still jaunted over to see and be seen. It was THE place. I can still taste their hotdogs. Best in the world.

The Barboursville High School Marching Band

Proud to be a Pirate. Always have been and always will be!!

I've been at it again.....

I just couldn't help myself. I was at Sherrie's yesterday and she mentioned a lady was having a yard sale today. Last time I went to her sale, I found some good bargains. So I told Sherrie to count me in and off we went.

I had walked around and looked at some things and next thing I know we are discussing...you guessed it, BASKETS.

I don't know why I have such a weakness for them. But I do. So I ventured to the back of her garage where she had some small baskets. And $2.75 later I was walking out with these....

They are all small baskets and I have no idea what I will do with them, but I'm sure I'll think of something. The white one is going to get spray painted for sure, but I don't know what color yet. I'll keep you posted on what happens with them.

When inspiration hits.....

I have had a wonderful day today. My wonderful husband took me to AC Moore, JoAnne's, Walmart and to Texas Roadhouse for lunch.

I love AC Moore and JoAnne's. I saw some wonderful things that inspired me with many new ideas for crafts when cooler weather starts. They had some awesome Christmas material that will make adorable little pillows to toss in a basket. I also picked up some new yarn for a Santa craft I want to do. Then there was really cute material to make a few snowmen to set around. Just came away full of Christmas crafts I want to do.

But the most inspirational idea I got today was nothing to do with crafts. There was a sweet lady in line with me named Donna at AC Moore. When it came her turn, she was asked if she had a rewards card. Now I don't know about you, but I have several I use on a regular basis. I keep them in the little holder with my credit cards, debit cards, ID's, everything. So each time I need one, I have to dig for it.

I know they all come with key chain size cards as well. But if I put them on my key chain, it is overloaded. I already have my car key, my alarm/door lock gizmo, two house keys, the PO box key. Adding my rewards cards would just make it to bulky.

But Donna solved that problem. She carries a separate key chain that has all her rewards cards in one place. She just flipped through, found the right one and that was that. Now some of you may already do that and I commend your brilliant minds. But it just never occurred to me to put them on a separate key chain. So guess what I did? That's right I came home and put them on a keyring. I have to find the rest of them, but for now I have my basic ones on there. I don't know why this impressed me so much, but it did.

When God Smiles.....

As a parent and grandparent, we love to watch the antics of our children and grandchildren. We love the silly things they do. They will run around in circles, dancing and prancing, until they fall down in a giggling heap on the floor. Then they get up and do it again. They play for hours with their favorite toys with such vivid imaginations that we can see they are truly young geniuses at work. I could sit for hours just watching them and quietly smiling at their antics. In the Bible, we are shown views of God. God the loving God, God the wrathful God, God the Creator. But don't you imagine, that as He sits on his throne, He sometimes watches us and the things we do bring a smile to His face. The simple acts of kindness that are instilled in our nature. The courtesy of holding a door open for someone else. Letting a car ahead of us in heavy traffic. Seeing someone searching frantically for an extra quarter and you handing one over to help them out. Picking up the tab at lunch when you are dining with someone you know has to watch their pennies even closer than you do. Does He look down when we are playing with our babies and does He smile that gentle smile that all parents have? We are His children and He is our Father. I'm sure as His child, we drive Him crazy at times. I'm sure He spends many a days shaking His head and saying "What were they thinking?" when we do something stupid. But I'm just as sure that He has many times that He watches our joy and our laughter and simply smiles and says "That's MY child."

Wash day....

Growing up on well water, we had to watch how much water was used each day. I remember taking baths in just an inch or two of water on wash day. Mom had to prepare the night before by filling the galvanized tub with water so she could rinse the clothes. She'd get up early the next day and sort the laundry while the old Maytag wringer washer was filling with suds. Detergent would vary. We'd use Tide, Fab, Oxydol, whatever had the special in them like wash towels (or as we called them, wash rags) or hand towels. As the loads would wash, she run them through the wringer to get the suds out as much as she could then put them in the rinse tub to slosh out more suds and run them through the wringer again. It's not like taking one load from washer to dryer. Each individual piece of laundry would go through the wringer...twice! With a family of 6, this was a lot of clothes and linens. Then she would get a basket full from each load and carry them outside to the clothesline and hang them up to dry.

Once the clothes would dry, she would bring them in to fold them. Me and Rachel had to help. I remember when Andy was a baby in cloth diapers and we would sit there and fold diaper after diaper. Once we folded what could be folded, Mom would sprinkle the rest with water from one those little sprinkler bottles and wrap them up in a tablecloth and place them on a shelf in the refrigerator overnight. The next morning, she would sit the iron and ironing board up in the living room and iron while we were glued to the Dick Van Dyke Show, Pete & Gladys, or Mr. Ed. I can remember her using Niagara spray starch on some of the dress clothes.

What for me is a fond memory was for my Mother almost a three day project. But I never ever heard her complain. Not once did she fret about her lot in life. It was her life. It was what she did. Being a mother was the most important job and she was one of the best at what she did.

I look back on everything she did and I wonder how she ever kept her sanity. We complain if the dishwasher goes on the fritz or the dryer hose needs replaced. I wonder how we would ever make it if we had to go back to those days.

Motivational Monday

Desire is the key to motivation, but it's determination and commitment

to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal - a commitment to

excellence - that will enable you to attain the

success you seek. - Mario Andretti