Pictures taken so far of my christmas trip
December 28, 2007 | Uncategorized | Comments [1]
in order, 1. looking off my balcony in the winter across the valley over to red mountain. 2. Flint River, albany Ga. sunrise 3. It speaks for itself, albany , ga.
Thinking of Times Past
December 28, 2007 | Nostalgia | Comments [1]
Our house was dressed to the hilt with Christmas decorations from one end to the other, and no one to see them but us….and then came Lainie….and then today came Tony, Lauren, and Austin. We were so happy that they came. Luis made some chili, and nobody seemed in a hurry to go. Of course, the kids (meaning Lauren, Austin, and Jordan headed off to the living room, and grabbed remotes, and started whacking away at new games that jordan got for Christmas (I guess) Jordan went home with Tony. If only we could have snuck Teyla in the back seat, we would have done it.
Lainie made the mistake of playing with Teyla for five minutes, and now she hounds Lainie for hours. Lainie wore her out this afternoon. She took her to the park, and then strolled her for an hour, until she fell asleep. (Teyla, not Lainie).
I am so happy that Lainie is here. I hope she’ll be comfortable enough to stay for awhile, but she just can’t sleep well at night, and being away from home may be really tough on her, and she may decide that she has to go back home.
Buddy, I went to your “My Space” photos for the first time tonight. Lainie showed Carmen and me how to get there. I wish I had all of those photos for your book. But you can add them when I send you your Album. If I can get your album ready for Lainie to take back with her – I will.
I hope everything went well and all of you enjoyed your Christmas. I loved Christmas when all of you were little. By the way, Bud, did you get your Christmas ornament? Tony was here today, and inasmuch as Brenda snatched up the green mouse (bought at the same time as the blue velvet clock, and both being forty years old), and I gave Ben and Julie the ornament that I made in Relief Society either in 1974, the year Ben was born, or 1975. Tony went off today with the little clown, which is approximately between fifteen or twenty years old.
Bill, there is a ragged plastic ornament that was bought when we lived on Jefferson Avenue. Since it isn’t in such great shape, I’m sending you that one, and another one. It was bought at the same time as Tony’s clown. It’s a little stocking with a candy cane, two presents, and a doll head, hanging out of it. It’s getting a little dingy, but it has to be at least 39 years old.
Now, let’s see. That takes care of everybody but Beth. I have two very pretty bells left from a set that I must have bought twenty years ago. Or maybe the little deer?? He’s old. Brenda had the right idea. She bought a Christmas ornament representative of each year since she and Darrell married. Or…maybe she said since Crystal’s first Christmas.
Take a lesson from this, and put your ornaments in order.
I’m feeling the old letdown “after Christmas blues” now, so it’s time to begin removing all remnants of Christmas, beginning tomorrow.
new orson scott card book
December 27, 2007 | Uncategorized | Comments [4]
Well, I sort of got the new OSC book (A War of Gifts) for Christmas. It should be here any day. I know that it isn’t a very big book and should be finished with it soon. I think Maria already got it from the library, so if anyone wants it when I am finished, I can send it to them. Or, I guess you could get it from the library or buy yourself. I just hate spending so much money on a little book. I DO LOVE THE LIBRARY, THOUGH.
“Angels We Have Heard On High”
December 27, 2007 | Uncategorized | Comments [7]
Well, I didn’t get nobody nuttin’ for Christmas – just felt like “Scroogin’ it” this year, I guess. So here’s my modest Christmas offering: My first “home recording” of me playing an arrangement of the Christmas carol on one of my many guitars.
I make a few fumbling mistakes, but it did come out sounding O.K.
Enjoy.
And Merry Christmas to All!
December 24, 2007 | Uncategorized | No Comments
We just ate a whopping Christmas Eve dinner, and opened one gift. Only Maria is here with our family unit. Teyla and Luis are in the kitchen doing the dishes.
I just wanted to let all of you know that Jani went back home to her Dad and stepmother, Esther, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She was in doubt about her bio Dad being dead, and Esther went to work helping her find her Burpo family in Birmingham. They found them, and discovered her grandmother (Barbara), Daryl’s mother, and Derrick (his brother). She found that Daryl was dead, just as we said. Her grandmother was overwhelmed with happiness to hear from her. She is her only grandchild.
Apparently, Daryl had straightened up his life, was attending church, and was mistakened for a cop. He was shot and robbed. His birthday was on December 3rd, and this time of year is always especially difficult for his mother. Finding Jani has been a miracle for her.
I only hope it works out for the best.
Love to you all, and it was about 80 degrees here in the sunny, sunny south today.
Lainie, we’re looking forward to having you with us, and if you don’t already know, Tony has said he’ll be here to visit with us on Wednesday. Luis called and asked him to come, and told him that you will be here. He said that was fine, and he doesn’t know who else will come with him. I’m praying that he will really come.
I hope that all of you are having a Merry Christmas, and I miss you so much. It was so lonely tonight, with just seven people sitting around the Christmas tree, and opening one gift each. We’ll open the rest of our presents tomorrow morning, and our Christmas stockings.
Love
MOM
Merry early christmas
December 24, 2007 | Uncategorized | Comments [3]
Oh I miss you all so much! You guys have no idea! and if you doubt that i miss you all and love you all then something has gone wrong in your head! I wanted to Give and Early merry christmas because I doubt i will even be able to get on the computer tomarrow (to busy with family) I will think of all of you tomarrow I send My love and My hugs and kisses to each and everyone of you! Have a merry christmas and happy new year…
Just Remembering
December 24, 2007 | Nostalgia | No Comments
The House is silent now, at 21:22 AM on Monday Morning (Christmas Evening just beginning). I have just finished making the expected cornbread dressing and cleaning up with Maria’s help. She got out her air mattress, and I went to get sheets and found two pairs of pajamas and a shirt that I had stashed away for somebody for Christmas and couldn’t remember anything about it. She pounced on one pair. She’s diddling in the kitchen, and I’m in here. I was in the livingroom, checking out the old Christmas ornaments,and who to give them to. First come first serve. Buddy should have his by now. Maria chose the twin to Buddy’s. Carmen gets the little blue velvet clock. The little green mouse is unclaimed. It was bought in 1968, along with the grandfather clock, but I’m giving that one to Tony. He’s coming Wednesday. He was six months old, crawling around on the floors of that small, matchbox house that we lived in on Jefferson Avenue.
The ornament that I made in relief society is about 32 years old and in mint condition. I took it to Enrichment Meeting the other night, and pulled it out, and showed it to the sisters seated at my table, and they expressed a yawning interest, until I told them that it was thirty-two years old, and then it was “WOW.” I’m thinking Lainie will like that one. She will have been about twelve years old at the time. There’s an old clown and a tiny, stuffed stocking that are at least twenty years old in pretty good condition still. Otherwise, there are various works of this and that and that and this. fhings that have come, served their time,and vanished forever. Has anyone seen the last of the pretty little candy candy canes. They should have made it for at least three Christmases. Nope.
Past history, before they evengot to be history
Fruit Basket, Ben?
December 22, 2007 | Uncategorized | No Comments
Let me get this straight. Did Julie, herself, INTRODUCE, the game of fruit basket to the Enrichment meeting? Or was it already a topic being discussed. In other words, was it known to the group that was there, or did it emerge from our little family group, who played it over and over and over and over…..and over? And I have no idea where we got the idea. 
Fruity Goodness Spreads Across the Missouri Plains
December 21, 2007 | Uncategorized | No Comments
Julie had enrichment last night where the topic was “Home Evening Activities.” And you guessed it, Fruit Basket Turn Over made the cut! So now all the mothers in Joplin 1st ward have the Pagan game of choice for FHE night activities. It appears that Fruit Basket Turn Over is destined to spread throughout the great plains of Missouri faster than a Monkey virus with a bus pass.
On another note, I had a dream about mom and dad. They lived on a boat/yacht out on the ocean and were very happy speeding from island to island delivering mail into bamboo mailboxes. I guess Julie had told me I needed to call dad and tell him about the damage in the back yard before bed last night so, there you go. Oh, and also the Price is Right was on the boat and I won $2,000 dollars.
I’m thinking, not a dream of consequence.
I’ve also written up another column at silver bullet, if anyone would care to torture themselves, by all mean, go and read it.
Beth and Paul-If you can read this
December 20, 2007 | Uncategorized | No Comments
Thank you so much for the good stuff that you sent! I’ll leave everyone trying to guess what it was.
SOS-to Bill
December 20, 2007 | Uncategorized | No Comments
I just realized that I told you to watch for a package from us, and I hoped it would reach you before Christmas. Luis informed me that he refused to stand in line to mail anything before Christmas. He will mail your package AFTER Christmas. Oh, brave soul. So, the kiddies will wait for their goodies after. I wish we could send to all. Buddy, you and Melissa make plans to come next year. Plan right now, and then your clan will receive all of the dollar store fantastic, wonderful, stupendous, mind-boggling, terrific thingamagiigs that all kids who were going to come and couldn’t will receive, or those who planned to come, and did come, etc. Lainie is coming, and we can send back some cheap little doo-hickies to the Birmingham crowd.
Allie and susannahs Creative ability!
December 20, 2007 | Kid Brag | Comments [4]
Me and one of my besties Susannah who is like my sister along with Madison (who is not in what i am about to present) Made a little Music video by a song i think most of you will recognize
We used to susannahs Video recorder since i do not have one. I put it together and thought of alot of the strange idea’s! Enjoy
A Birthday to be Remembered
December 19, 2007 | Nostalgia | Comments [3]
It was difficult to pick a category. But….HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BUDDY! Your Dad and I were invited to eat Christmas dinner with the Westcotts. I had a one week old son, and was barely out of the hospital. Doris Westcott decorated our apartment, and your Dad bought the funniest Christmas tree I ever saw. The two branches on top of the tree looked like they were waving at us. He had bought a new set of ornaments for the tree. Nothing special. They were shaped like large teardrops. There were twelve of them. Colors of pink and green; blue, purple, and that’s all I remember.
The Westcotts never ceased to amaze me. Bill Westcott stood up and cut the turkey at the table. He sliced the pieces so paper -thin that you could see through them. And Doris’s Yankee bread stuffing was out of this world. Those two were well-bred and well brought up. He was a West Point graduate, and I forget what university she attended, but I was the poor “just a high school graduate” in the foursome, and I never could play “bridge” worth a shoot. It bothered your Dad something awful that I was poorly educated, and didn’t seem to excel at anything. But….I THINK this was about YOU. And at the time, I was holding my brand new baby boy, and I thought I was on top of the world. It was a wonderful Christmas. I had my little baby, and Mary had her baby, although she had her baby on April 6th, as I learned much later.
Your’s is still a birthday to be remembered. I started writing this post on December 18th, but I heard the cuckoo clock strike twelve-0-clock. Oops.
love eternally,
your mother, Elaine
Well Mom
December 17, 2007 | Uncategorized | Comments [1]
I actually already had something for (you and Dad) and Maria and (Carmen and Jason). (Perks at working in a christmas/plant retail store.) I just have to get something for Jordan and Tayla. I know what I am getting Jordan. I got one for Bailey and she loved!!!it. As for Tayla, even if its small, I can’t resist a 3 year old. If their is anyone else gonna be their let me know, I am sure I can come up with something small, but thoughtful. Thank you so much !!!!for the book. I run out of things to read and having extra time their for a few days I can read the book. YOu and Dad always know what to send me and know what I will love. Church books are always my favorite.
Bud-Surprise Gift on the Way
December 17, 2007 | Birthdays | Comments [2]
It’s going to cost 100 times more to mail it than the little item itself cost. I could send it back by Lainie, but there is a reason why I must get it to you as soon as possible. You must take excellent care of it. It must stay with you, and no one else….always. Until you are ready to pass it on. Love MOM PS I held it in my hand a long time before I finally realized I must let it go.
Jason’s Performance
December 17, 2007 | Kudos | No Comments
I didn’t finish my post about our Christmas Pageant last night at the Stake center (meaning our Ward, and in the Cultural Hall). Jason was the main character. He did the part of Samuel the Lamanite, and then the Angel Gabriel who appeared to Mary, and told her she was to bear the Christ Child. He did all of this in song, and he was absolutely magnificent. The man has an incredible voice, and I didn’t know until last night that he can ACT too. It takes me back to the good old days of watching Buddy and Bill. Anyway, Kudos to Jason. He really put in a superb performance.
And the Cultural Hall was decorated so beautifully. You would have to have been there. I can’t find words good enough to describe it.
And to think I almost didn’t go.
Merry Christmas to All!
December 16, 2007 | Uncategorized | No Comments
Lainie…I’m so happy that you’re coming down! It really helps take the sting out of the disappointment of Bill and company not coming. You have no need to bring presents. Just having you with us for a few days is presents enough! Besides, it will cost a fortune in gas. We will send some gifts back to Bailey and Casey.
We can’t send gifts to everyone. It’s times like at Christmas that I wish I was wealthy, more than at any other time. It would be so much fun to load your truck down with goodies for all of my Birmingham children.
Bill, you can expect a package. We’ll mail some small, very inexpensive gifts that we had already bought for your little ones to you on Monday. I hope it gets there in time for Christmas.
Buddy….Since Lainie is coming down…..I’ll be able to send to you your usual BIRTHDAY PRESENT that I haven’t given to you since we’ve moved down here.
We received a surprise present in the mail yesterday. It was a FRUIT CAKE from GUESS WHO? No one else but our neighbors…..the Maxwells. A good kind of fruit cake, with lots and lots of pecans in it. Luis sent them some steaks a while back for all of Tom’s help in the sale of our house, and we suppose that was a sort of pay back.
We went up to the church tonight for a Christmas presentation that was absolutely magnificent. Our Ward and one other put it together.