Wickedly Warm Wonderful Weekend

The reason we were all together was to offer our love and support to my dear nephew Dane and his new wife Callie.  They were married this past Saturday, in temperatures reaching 106 degrees.  A beautiful wedding which was reflective of  Dane and Callie.  A ceremony outside, in the woods, next to a creek, surrounded by the people who love them the most.  My mom would have loved  how beautiful and simple it all was. 

It was the first time many of us had met any of Callie's family but it sure didn't seem that way.  I think the extreme heat made everyone just a little bit easier to get to know.  We were all sweating terribly and joking about the heat which seemed to just relax everyone a bit.  Southern Hospitality was at an all time high as Callie's parents opened up their home to all of us..  A beautiful home in the woods, with gorgeous gardens, a wonderful wrap around front porch, and my favorite, SHEEP!!! 

Spending time with my brother and sister-in-law was extra special.  They had prepared a lovely brunch for us once we had made the 3 1/2 hour drive to their home, before the wedding.  Country Ham biscuits, fresh fruit salad, cinnamon buns and of course sweet tea.  There was such a difference in the stress levels between my brother Stephen and my brother Danny, whose daughter was married in April.  I have decided I am truly the lucky one to have 4 sons and not any daughters.  The parents of the groom have it much easier that's for certain.  Mary and Stephen were so calm and just needed to make sure they showed up on time and that was it.  Quite a contrast to Danny who had a house full of girls trying to get ready minutes before the wedding, at his house in April.  However, both of my brothers handled their situations with grace and style.

One of the best parts of this wedding weekend was that my niece, Kristina, came to stay for the weekend so she could go to the wedding with us.  She arrived on Friday and the fun began.  It is a well known fact that I have 4 sons, no sisters and not a lot of female friends around.  So when I get a girl in the house with me for a weekend, it is promising to be a stellar weekend.  We cooked, we crafted, we sewed, we played with baby calves and we did some chicken therapy.  It was a PERFECT visit.  I taught Kristina to make my version of Lemonade, Shrimp Scampi, Cucumber Salad and homemade laundry detergent.  She in turn taught me how to make Milk Chocolate brownies with Cream Cheese Frosting and Envelope Pillow Covers and gave me a few other sewing secrets which will make my future projects much easier to accomplish.  She also has promised to teach me how to make my unruly curly hair straight, by just using a blow dryer and a brush rather than a flat iron.  If she can manage that, I owe her my life.  This week, when I am not in the veggie garden trying to salvage what the lack of rain and record breaking heat has not destroyed, I will be making pillow covers over and over again until I have it completely mastered.  I have an entire bolt of fabric I paid a ridiculously high price for 20 some years ago which I no longer like, so I will use that to perfect my skills.  Then I will go buy material I DO like, and start sewing pillow covers for my sofa, chairs and anything else that would look better with a  new pillow on it.



I hope you all had a great weekend and that the week ahead brings everyone cooler temps and maybe some rain:)  Enjoy these snapshots of the wonderful weekend we had.

Time to feed the Mamas and the Papa

Sylvester and Kristina bonding.

  Kristina letting Limpy nurse on her fingers.

Yes, calves need binkies too.

The reason the young always look so gorgeous.

They grab beauty sleep at every opportunity.

Our 3 1/2 hour drive to North Carolina for the wedding.

A last minute family snap shot before Dane leaves to go get dressed for the wedding.

One last hug before he is a married man:)

Beanie and I trying to stay cool on our way to the wedding..

My dream front porch.

This is Callie's parents home and it is amazing.

So homey and comfy and welcoming.

My new niece and my handsome nephew.

What was left of the Milk Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting Brownies.

Homemade Laundry Detergent

Our crafting weekend.

My pillow I made, the Cricut and the homemade card I made.

Beaning copying down my recipes and  next to her,

another 15 quarts of green beans Robby canned.

Oh how I hate goodbyes. 

We both agreed to have our picture taken even though we have

messy up-do hair.

I LOVE this kid!!!!!!!!!





Mother's Day Pity Party

No nice way to say it.....today sucks!!!!!  For all of you moms who are celebrating your mother's day with your kids, I am so happy for you.  For all of you kids who have a mom to celebrate Mother's Day with, I am so jealous of you.  Me?  Today I don't have either and I am sulking in a BIG way!!!!!

Yesterday, this is how I got to celebrate Mother's Day with my mom.

My dad, one of my brother's and one of my dad's nurses from dialysis and I went to put flowers on my mom's marker.  Happy day, wooo hoooo!!!!!!!  It's a crock of poo that this is how I have to celebrate Mother's Day with my mom now.  It sucks!!!!!!  Even if my flowers from my garden made her marker look pretty, it still sucks.

Last year I bought her a really pretty hand painted glass candle holder for Mother's Day and went to Richmond to see her.  I took her flowers that day too and left her gift here in Edinburg by mistake, duh!!!!  When she went to dialysis that following Monday with my dad, the patients there asked her what all of her children had given her for Mother's Day and she said i gave her some cut flowers.  They all asked her if that was all I had really given her and she said yes.  Boy did i feel like a rotten daughter.  I had told her I had a gift for her that I had actually bought back at the beginning of April  but had forgotten to bring it with me, but I think she didn't really believe me.  I took it to her the next time I went home to visit she and my dad, and that is when she told me about what the patients had said to her at dialysis.  I told her to make sure she told them I had brought her belated gift to her so they wouldn't think I was such an awful daughter.  What I would do to have her here this year to do something dumb like that again.  I like to think she and her mom, my grandmother, are having a great day spending Mother's Day together for the first time in a long time.  And I do hope she saw the flowers I brought for her this year too.

My kids are with their dad and their brand new step-mom.  Their dad got remarried yesterday so I guess they are celebrating Step-Mom's day with the new step mom.  Do I sound bitter?  Yes, of course I do.  Planning a wedding on Mother's Day weekend so your kids can't see their mom for mother's day is mean.  Okay, I will give him the fact that when he set the date, he didn't know my mom wouldn't be alive on this Mother's Day and that it may be an extra tough day for me, but still.  He could have given them the car keys and told them to drive here for the day and surprise me, couldn't he have?  I'm sorry, I am being childish and selfish, but it's my blog and this is why I have it...so I can write what is really bothering me.  If I say all of this out loud, I just start crying hysterically and feel even more crappy afterwards.  This way I can pound on the keyboard as i type all of this out and it gives me a little bit of satisfaction. 

My Mother's Day post was going to be a really sweet post about how wonderful my mom is, was.  I was going to go down memory lane and tell about the funniest, happiest moments I remember with my mom.  I was going to talk about how she had the patience of a saint with me because I was really a difficult daughter for her at times.  I never let a year go by that i did not disappoint her in some way or another but yet, she was always there for me.  It's no wonder her hair turned gray so fast after she had me.  If I didn't agree with something she said, I never kept my mouth shut about it like my brother's did when they were younger. NO, I had to just get right up in her face and tell her I was right and she was wrong.  (know what?  she was actually always right, but at the time I couldn't see the forest for the trees)  This post was going to be a tribute to my mom, but in all of my selfish misery today, I can't seem to sit down and write gushy sweet stuff.  I feel it in my heart, and I have written the gushy, sweet stuff in other posts.  But today, just bitter, foul nastiness is all that I feel.

So there you have it, my Mother's Day Pity Party.  I am now going to conclude my party and try to make something positive come from the rest of my day.  I am going outside to play with my chickens, find where Ebony disappears too everyday, hope she has a nest filled with eggs she is almost ready to sit on, and later on cook a yummy steak on the grill with my loving and very patient Robby.  I really do wish all of you moms a super Mother's Day and please forgive my ranting and raging.

Debbie



Home Sweet Home

Tails up, heads down.  Happy Chooks!!!!

We had a wonderful weekend at my niece's wedding.  It was such a beautiful weekend, filled with loving wonderful people, lots of laughter and much, much love.  Jessica is my very first niece and the very first girl to ever be a part of my family.  I never had any sisters and Jess's mom is like a sister to me.  She has been a part of my life for nearly 30 years, if not more. I can't really remember when Viv actually came into my life.  When she and my brother had Jessica, it was such a wonderful time in my life.  I was so  happy to have a baby girl in the family that I could love and spoil.  Unfortunately, they didn't always live close by, as my brother's job called for them to move often.  But Jessica always has held a special place in my heart. 

Being a part of her wedding and being there to show love and support to she and Joe, as they vow to spend the rest of their lives together, was such a special day for us.  The whole weekend was just wonderful.  Two of my 4 sons were able to come with Robby and I and they made the weekend that much more special for me.






Reed, me and Trevor relaxing at the Marina before the wedding.


The day was perfect.  The weather could not have been any better and everyone was ready for a great day and night.  My dad had finally gotten into the spirit of being at the wedding and was even looking forward to it.  The ceremony would be at my brother's house in their backyard, overlooking the river.  It was so perfect.  Danny and my Dad shared a few poignant moments before the wedding together and I know that thoughts of my mom were running through both of their minds.  All I could think about is how much mom would have loved the day and how beautiful it all was turning out to be.  I vowed to myself to be strong for my dad, and I think I did a really good job.  But in all honesty, my dad did a really good job and stayed strong throughout the day.

My brother Dan and I before the ceremony.
I love this guy so much.

Reed, Trevor me and Robby. 
We clean up pretty good, don't you think?

The ceremony was so beautiful.  It truly was the most beautiful wedding I have ever been to.  My niece and nephew to be looked perfect.  Jessica looked like a bride straight out of a fairytale book.  The bridesmaids were gorgeous, and Joe looked like a Prince.  The sun shone brightly, the spirits of those we have loved and lost, blew gently around us and two eagles sored above us during the ceremony.  God most definitely was letting us all know, this was a marriage he has blessed and was a part of.

The beautiful bride, Jessica, Henry the ring bearer, and my beautiful Kristina, Maid of Honor.











After the wedding, the party began.  It was a wonderful reception.  The meal was amazing and then we all danced the night away.  My daddy even stayed on the dance floor for the entire night.  I had him dancing with me and he danced with lots of other ladies, young and old.  It was soooooo good to see him having a good time and smiling. 

A very special picture.
Viv, my dad and my brother Dan.

Daddy and Dan, sharing a very special moment.

Dad got to wear "Cowboys" hat at the end of the night.
He was just that cool!!!!!!

So the weekend ended and we set off back home.  I stopped at the cemetery on my way back to give mom a few of the flowers that were from the wedding.  Sunflowers have always been her favorite, and a few roses from the bridal bouquet were thrown in for fun.  They don't really go together, but the meaning behind them is all that matters.  I think she would approve.

When we finally got home, my chickens were SOOOOO HAPPPPYYYY.  They all came running out for us to feed them and spend some quality time with them:)  They really missed us.  They kept following us everywhere we went and they blessed us with 17 eggs in the nesting boxes upon our return.  We are now in the egg business.  Never again shall I buy a store bought egg!!!!!

The spring veggie garden has also been so happy with these cooler temps.  The baby spinach has gone wild and so we picked a lot of it tonight, which was then used for homemade 3 Cheese, Spinach and Bacon Pizza with fresh chopped garden herbs!!!!  Yummmooooooo!!!!!!



It is always great to go away for a bit, but i REALLY love coming back home to my little piece of heaven.  I am ready to stay put for quite a while now and not have to go anywhere.  Having to go to work everyday is bad enough, I don't want to have to stray any farther from home for a while.

Now, I am going to go eat my pizza and have a glass of wine.  Have a great night everyone:)

Happily Ever After

Guestbook that Jessica asked me to make for the wedding.

Today is the day that these two beautiful, loving and blessed people

start the beginning of their "Happily Ever After."

In just about 2 1/2 hours they will become

Mr. and Mrs. Joe Irwin.

Ahead of them lies a lifetime of memories, adventures,

achievements and disappointments.

Tears and laughter, joy and pain,

highs and lows,

good times and bad times,

firsts and lasts.

Watching my beautiful niece grow into the amazing woman she is,

has been such a joy for me.

Her spirit soars and shines brightly,

her heart overflows with love,

and her laughter fills a room.

Joe, my soon to be nephew,

is strong and able,

loyal and true,

kind and sincere,

gentle and caring.

I wish them all of the happiness the world has to offer,

the courage to go after their dreams,

the strength to overcome life's trials and tribulations,

the faith that all will be as it should be,

the ability to laugh at life's adversities

and the love to endure all things ahead.

NOW, to go get my face on

and LOT'S of waterproof mascara

so I don't look like poo in their wedding album:)

I hope to have lots of pictures tomorrow!!!!!

Two of the boys and I took a walk to the marina this morning. 
Perfect start to a perfect day:)

Pitted Pots and Pans, Chanel and Pearls

This weekend I went back to my childhood home to help my dad pack up some of my mom's clothes.  Some people say it is too soon, others say it isn't.  My daddy is the one who has to live with the constant reminders of my mom, and if he was ready for me to pack up and donate her many pieces of clothing and shoes, then who am I to argue.  Let me start by saying, why my mom ever encouraged me to buy her more clothes for Christmas presents and birthday presents is beyond me.  Clearly, she just couldn't say no thank you or tell me no.  That little lady had so many clothes and some still had the tags on them.  Really pretty dresses that she bought on sale for an amazing amount that she was saving to wear for the perfect occasion.  Finding the receipts to some of those clothes and seeing that she had just purchased them a month or so ago, only proves to me she never intended to leave this world so soon.  What I would do to be a size 4 so I could have kept some of those beauties and worn them for myself.



In one drawer of her dresser, I came across some clothing that had been carefully wrapped in tissue paper.  I carefully removed them from the drawer and laid them down on one of the beds.  I began to unwrap them and suddenly realized what I had come across.  About 27 years ago when my daddy's mom died, my mom went with my dad to close up my grandmother's apartment and go through her belongings.  My mom found these two, amazing sequined and beaded tops that belonged to my grandmother.  Mom brought them home with her and I never saw my mom wear them.  I guess she just thought they were too beautiful to get rid of.  I was so happily surprised to find that she still had them after all these years.  I don't know that they will fit me, or if this country girl will ever have reason to wear them, but like my mom, I will keep them safe and cherish them always.



Black sequined and beaded top.



Beautiful pale blue top with gorgeous beading.

After discovering these, I needed a mental break from what I was doing.  I had promised my dad to make him some lemon bars while I was home.  So I went to the kitchen and decided to do just that.  Cooking soothes my soul and always makes me feel better.  My mom had cooked her entire life.  Almost everything was made from scratch and she did not have all the modern day conveniences in her kitchen.  Her pots and pans were OLD!!!  Some were her mom's pots and pans.  Long before the day of Teflon coated and stick free pans, were pots and pans that became stick free from years and years of use.  Taking out her pots and pans to cook with made me feel like no matter what I cooked or baked, it would come out perfect.  Her bowls and pans have dings and scratches in them, some of them are pitted and have dents in them.  Does not matter, the food always came out of them perfect every time.  And to think I have always thought I needed the newest and improved everything in my kitchen in order to do my best.  Mom just proved, if you have love in your heart for what you are doing, it will always turn out perfect.  

Her square pan I used for the lemon bars. Many dinner rolls have risen in this pan
to feed to us kids when we were growing up.



Thought this was so cute.  Didn't even realize they had half a dozen eggs to
buy in the grocery stores.  I have never needed less than a dozen, hahaha.



The white bowl was the bowl that came with my moms very first "Mix Master" and the
other two pots were her moms.  Years of loved have been cooked in those pots.



Love all the character this pot has. I remember mom making spaghetti sauce and
chilli in this pot.






















So after I was done baking and taking my nostalgic trip down memory lane, I went back to my task at hand.  More packing.  When I opened the drawer my mom had her lingerie in, I immediately was hit by a very familiar scent. A scent that took me back to my childhood.  Tucked in the back of her drawer, in a beautiful antique lace sachet, was a bar of soap I believe my mom has had since she got married.  Is it even possible for a bar of soap to last for 58 1/2 years?  I remember as a child, finding this in her drawer and asking her why she had soap in her drawer.  She explained to me it was to keep her pretty underclothes smelling pretty.  The soap was a beautiful shade of green and had what I thought to be a bride carved into the soap and writing on the back.  It was the prettiest bar of soap I had ever seen.  I took the sachet out of the drawer and slipped the bar of soap out and held it to my nose.  I took in the sent and was instantly with my mom again.  It was her smell.  It was her scent when she had not put any other perfume on.  I cannot explain how soothing that was to my soul and I am sure some of you think I have truly lost it by now.  But that soap was my mom.  I tucked it back into the sachet and placed it in my bag to bring home and place in my drawer.

If my mom did not smell like that soap, there was only one other thing she would smell like, Chanel No. 5.  This was her signature, dressing up scent.  A bottle would last her forever, but when it got low, it was immediately replaced, from her children or by my dad as a Christmas gift or birthday present.  I brought her bottle home with me when I came home after she passed away, and every moring, I put just a drop right under my nose, so that I can be calmed by that scent every day.  Perhaps now that I have her soap, I can save the Chanel No. 5 for special occasions, like my mom did.



My mom summed up by 3 items.
Her soap for her drawer, her Chanel No. 5, and the pearls my daddy gave her
on their wedding day.  This was my mom, classic, elegant and understated.

In the same drawer where I found her soap, were several pair of gloves.  Most of them were gloves to wear in colder weather or the very common, Isotoner Gloves.  But at the very bottom of the pile of gloves, I found these white gloves.  So very soft from years of wear, with just the slightest bit of detail on the front.  I remember back when my mom would wear white gloves with suits and even when she wore long, elbow length white gloves for special occasions.  But those gloves were not in the drawer.  Suddenly my attention was drawn to a favorite picture of my mom, her wedding picture.  She and my dad did not have a regular wedding and  my mom could not afford a wedding dress.  What she wore was a beautiful navy blue wool suit.  She still has the suit but I have not found it as of yet.  Years ago, I was in a fashion show featuring Vintage clothing, and my mom lent me her wedding suit to wear in the fashion show.  I was so honored and amazed that I was able to fit into that dress.  I felt so beautiful when I was in that show.  When I saw that picture, I instantly realized why she had kept these gloves.


My beautiful mama on her wedding day.  Notice the pearls around her neck
and the gloves on her hands.



Now I know where I get my hopless romantic side from.  It was the little things in life,
that meant the most to my mom and touched her heart the most.
These are the gloves that I found, the same ones she wore on her wedding day.

I didn't keep much of what I found in my mom's closets and drawers.  But the things I did bring home, mean the world to me, and I know they meant the world to my mom too.  Without even telling me what she wanted me to have of hers, she managed to leave me clues so I would know.  I would give back every little thing to have one more day with her, but I know that will never happen.  So it is with a heavy heart, that I carefully put away the things I brought home, so that at special little times, I will get little peaks back into her life and have my little reminders of a life lived with love.

I love you mama and love the true lady that you are.  Miss you more than you know.
XXOO




worries, wonders and weddings

So, today is the first day of this blog. Don't really know what I am doing, but I journal so I guess I will just do that here. My oldest son totaled his car this past Tuesday afternoon and I have been a bundle of nerves since. Tonight he drove to his old hometown to see friends that are home from college for Springbreak. I am waiting to get a text message from him saying he arrived safely now that I will worry everytime he gets into a car.
The sun was amazingly warm today and tried desperately to melt away the last of the snow. As luck would have it, old man winter won and there is still some snow here. But what a glorious day none the less. So many signs of Spring including tulips and daffodils bursting through the ground, birds waking me in the morning and the slightest hint of peonies and bledding hearts peeking through the dirt. Makes me believe that maybe by my wedding date of May 22nd, the ground will truly be dry and the sun warm.