A Daughter Is A Daughter For The Rest Of (Our) Lives

You all have heard the saying, "A son leaves his parents when he takes a wife, but a daughter is a daughter for the rest of her life."  I'm so thankful that for us that didn't materialize, for Jeremy , our son, still calls us almost every day and Paige our daugter in-law, feels as much at home with us then anywhere else.  We didn't lose a son, be gained a daughter, and what a uniqic daughter she is!  She can cook with the best of them, then head to the basement with her fatherin-law to cut her own lumber to build a coffee table, and all the while never messing up her makeup or hair.  Try that Martha Stewart!

Recently I have witnessed our daughter growing into a mature young woman as she faces problems and fears that all adults must face, whether teaching a new concept to her school students, or holding her little one when he has a fever to laughing and visiting with  her sweet Grandmother, who she adores.  She has done this with grace and humor. 

I have grown close to her in recent months and have so enjoyed our quiet talks the way a mother and daughter do.  After all we have so much in common.  We both share the same last name, we both love the same man and we both have two sons.  She makes my son so happy that I could  love her for that alone, but there is so much more to her then that.  I expect to see more of her strengths and personality change over the years as she continues to love and treasure the people around her.  I am so thankful that I am among the ones she calls family.  I realize as I see my grandsons Noah and Joe running around our little house filling it's walls with giggles and  laughter that I owe her so much for what she has given us.  Happy Birthday Paige, may your day be filled with joy , gifts and laughter for you are truly treasured and loved.
Momma T   

The Sucess Of Our Children

     It all starts with their first finger painting that lands on the most prestious display ever sought after...the front of our refrigerator. With all the talent of a Moishe, it dazzles all that gaze on it, especially parents and grandparents, who ohh and ahh over it so much that the child artist can not help but beam with pride and accomplishment. This is the first stone of your child's success. Soon other stones will be added from learning skills like first words, reading, knowing what is right from wrong to physical skills of balance, walking and of course sports. These stones when applied with love, understanding, patience and guidance builds such a strong foundation on a child's character that he or she can not help but succeed on.
     A child needs to know how it feels to lose to better understand and appreciate how it feels to win...another stone has been laid. The more stones the broader the confidence of the child. This child will be willing to take a risk, see a broader picture, think outside the box. This is where moral values come into play, after all this as parents is one of our most important duties is to teach our children to put value in helping others. If this was practiced ny all parents the act of bullying would be obsolete, for bullying is a learned act, made possible from observing others. We are taught at an early age to share what we have but for many of us that concept flies out the window when we become adults. The greed and selfishness we display is right there for little minds to mimic.
     If we continue to build strong and positive character stones for our children we will see a firm foundation of a very successful individual, filled with accomplishment, morals, and confidence. Isn't that what all parents want for their child. The joy of watching my sons grow into adulthood and parenthood with all the confidence that seems to push them more and more into discovering new talents and interest is only second to watching them embrace the daily task of laying each stone of character building in their own children. A foundation built with love, commitment, laughter and faith in God. On this October 30th I want to wish my youngest son Jeremy a wonderful 31st Birthday. May your children bring you as much happiness and laughter that you and your brother have brought to me and your Dad. For all you parents out there just remember every child's success starts with that first stone. Have a great day Jer! Aunt Onie

See you in September

Ahhhh, September. The most uneventful, hassle free month on the whole calendar! Excluding Labor Day which doesn’t count since it’s at the very first of the month. The month of September is a breather month. The restaurants are less nosy since school is back in session. The roadways are less crowded except for those long RV’s that seem to show up after school goes back. You don’t have to stand in long lines at the mall or theme parks and apples are absolutely everywhere!!!

The summer frenzy has slowed way down and the turkey has months to show up on your shopping list. It’s a laid back time where we get to enjoy the fall harvest of produce from our farmer’s long summer of labor. It’s the month where the last of the hay is put up for the harsh winter ahead and where our spring flowers have given their last efforts to bloom and begin to fade away.

In September the grass is still green and the trees begin to show hints of the beautiful array of colors yet to come. It’s a month in limbo, if you will. Not summer anymore and yet too soon to be fall. The perfect month!!!! The perfect month for traveling, vacationing and eating! All around you just can’t beat September!

September is an unappreciated month that lays quietly in wait for October where the air will be electrified with energy for the up coming holidays and change in weather. September is a transitional month. A month where the children have settled into a school routine and parents start living by schedules again.

The weather is highly unpredictable in September where you can enjoy a pleasant 75 degree Monday and experience the all too familiar fall crisp air on Tuesday. It can be a month of surprises where you get just a sample of all the four seasons rolled up in one. September is a fickle month that holds summer in one hand and fall in the other. She seems to be pulled into two directions not knowing which one to let go of.

We should not take September for granted. It is a month to be enjoyed, cherished and inhaled for all it has to offer. Take it for what it was meant to be, a breather month. Let the month of September rejuvenate you and restore your sprit for life.

So from now on I’m going to look forward to September and the entire uneventful ness it has to offer. Embrace it for all that it is and isn’t. Ahhhh September!!!

Growing up in the 70’s I saw the family unit as a place to find shelter, comfort, good and nourishing food and solace from the outside world. Our mother never ate till everyone in her small yellow kitchen had their fill. The kitchen table was the center of our lives. With a freshly ironed tablecloth it was where we sat down as a family for Sunday dinner. It was where all homework was done with a cold glass of milk and a few cookies. Unfortunately it was also the place where your report card was read by your father while you stood by his chair and waited for his approval or disapproval. It was where you found Mom to talk about your life and the place where she sat you straight when you messed up.

Sadly there is something missing from our families now. Mom has now been replaced by a woman that is stretched into too many directions. Her demands at work and her need to succeed are followed closely by her anxiety and guilt of not always being there for her children. Many professionals now state that even with the modern mother having to reach these limits our children are actually thriving. Statistics tell us different. More children then ever are in therapy or on medications for behavioral problems. More children then ever suffer from neglect, abuse and abandonment. The development of grandparents taking over the role of parenting and care giving has taken a steady raise in recent years.

The family table now sits in dust while the family rarely eats at the same time and conversation dwindles into saying hello and goodbye at the front door. There is a way to rectify this and all it takes is a little change on the parent’s part.

Children need guidelines at home. Simply said there should be rules to your home that must be followed or obeyed. No matter what they say a child wants to know that he is not in total control of your home. They want to feel secure in the knowledge that their guardian is in control of their surroundings.

Make time for meals. The most important clues you will get about what’s happening in your child’s life will be revealed at the kitchen table. Set the mood with good and nourishing food and let the conversation begin. I have never met a child that didn’t want to have someone just listen to them. Your time is what a child really wants. Give it to them and watch them thrive.

Let your child know that home is where they will and should feel safe. No matter what happens to their outside world home is where they will find the peace and unity they need. A homelife where they will find unconditional love and support and laughter.

A close family starts with one person willing to give of her or his time and devotion. This person or couple must be willing to become the caretaker of the family unit. The person or couple that will set the standards that your children will come to respect, follow and appreciate. If you do these small things you will see a big difference in your family life. It’s never too late to start. Gather your family tonight at the kitchen table.

My mother taught me well when it came to feeding a large family of seven. How she was able to take one chicken, a few potatoes plus a few left overs and whip it all up to be one of the best tasting, nutritious meals I'll never know. She often told us how hard it was growing up in the depression in St. Louis and how she would stand for hours in a soup line to bring her sick mother something to eat. For many of us it seems like we are going through the same thing. There is hope out there in stretching your grocery dollar and at the same time making meals that will appease you pickiest eater.
My mother's steadfast was beans (twice a week). Penny for penny you will not find a cheaper meal or a tastier one. Chalked full of fiber ounce for ounce, bowl for bowl you just can't lose with a piping hot bowl of bean soup. Served with a box of cornbread or our family favorite, homemade corn pone you can actually feed a family of 4 for $1.85! Try to get that at McDonalds! For a dollar more you can make some fresh coleslaw to go with it. In these hard economy times you have to get creative. You also have to do some ground work. For instance, I use a local market for my meat cuts. I got to know the butcher and remembered to call him by his name and asked for his opinion on meal ideas and cuts of meat. He remembered me and would often let me know if he was cutting a certain type that day and if it was on sale. Having a friend and ally behind the meat counter can be a big plus for you.
Chicken has now become the new hamburger, meaning it's cheaper to buy chicken then it is to buy hamburger. Sloppy Joes, meatloaf, and tacos were the foundation of my meals when my children were in school. Now it's all about the chicken. It pays to shop around, don't throw your money away by buying at the nearest store. There can be sufficient savings at one store for meats and another store for produce.
Always keep your stables in stock. I have found after a long and stressful day a hot grill cheese and a piping hot bowl of tomato soup will fill anyone up and just for pennies on the dollar. Learn to make large meals and freeze leftovers to be used when you are in a pinch for time and money. They will be your best investment of your time in the kitchen.
Remember that your cooking is like the seasons. There will be times where you will be able to create time consuming elaborate meals and times where a sandwich and a cup of soup will suffice. No matter what you bring to the table with a little time and presentation it won’t break the bank and your family will reap the benefits of a nourtish meal.

April Fools Day!

Good morning fellow bloggers! This is it, the spring day in the year we all dread....April 1 (April Fools Day) This special day where everyone tries to fool everyone else by either scaring the tar out of them or surprising them with something so wonderful it can't be true and usually isn't. I think I hate those the worse. Let me explain where this special day originated from. You see April Fools' Day is observed throughout the Western world. Practices include sending someone on a "fool's errand," looking for things that don't exist; playing pranks; and trying to get people to believe ridiculous things, but no one really knows where it originated from. Some say it started when we switched the start of the new calendar year from April 1 to January 1. Others believe it was a way to celebrate the new spring season after a long cold winter. Either way when spring comes all God's creatures act a little "foolish". I call it "Twitter Love".

April 1st is also a wonderful day to be born on. Those born on April Fools Day are carefree, light hearted and good natured. Our next door neighbor growing up was Lloyd Kelly. A carefree boy trapped inside a full gown mans body. Lloyd could jump a fence like a gazelle and could let out the most wild animal yell when playing sports. He was a free spirit and his enthusiasm was contagious!

My dear daughter in-law Emily was also born on this crazy day. She is grade school teacher that is very outgoing and has a wonderful sense of humor. Being around her is like always being at a party. She's that much fun! I know her students adore her. Happy Birthday EM!!!

So get out and have fun today but don't buy anything anyone tells you, it just might be the biggest prank of all! So if the "Clearing House van drives up and announces you are the grand prize winner make sure you see the check is real and not from Elmer Fuds Bank, before you go jumping down the street like a "fool". Happy Birthday Em....Happy Birthday Lloyd......Happy April Fools Day everybody!!!! Aunt Onie

Ahh Sweet Spring

March 4th, 1976. February had been a mild month and now March entered like a lamb hitting temperatures in the balmy 70's. Everywhere you looked daffodils were in full bloom. Their beautiful yellow petals and brilliant green stems signaled to the world that spring had come!

It was on this particular morning (2 AM)when I calmly woke my husband telling him it was time to go to the hospital to have our first child. The look of terror filled poor Larry's face as he scrambled to get dressed, forgetting where his shoes and pants were. We had practiced this departure for two weeks and finally when my water broke that morning nothing was ready. Larry had parked the car in backwards for weeks so we could just take off from the driveway. Now it sat forward. There were towels all over the bathroom floor and my suitcase was empty.

"Go get your mother!" I screamed at a wide eyed Larry. This, he was eager to do and vanished out the back door, running through the fruit orchard that separated our homes. Men never share their feelings but I often wondered what thoughts went through his mind as he ran through that moonlit field. Did he ponder that he was about to become a father for the first time and what it would mean to guide and love a small male child? Did he think of the awesome responsibility it would mean to shape a young man's life? Since he never shares his feelings I'll never know but odds were he was just trying to run like the wind to get his mother.

Mother Thornhill arrived minutes later out of breath and gave me a brief reassuring hug and quickly organized the two of us so we could get to the hospital to become a family. She was good because before I knew it I was dressed and in the car. As we were backing away from our little home I stared at it as we pulled away. It hit me that when I saw it again I would be a mother......Mother, Mommy, Momma. A real, live breathing mother of a child. The hospital was actually going to let Larry and me take a real live breathing, crying, pooping baby home! Thank heavens for the labor pains that soon took my mind way off of that!

I had a wonderful German nurse when I got to the labor room of the small country hospital and I felt like I was in very good experienced hands. Then she calmly tells me that she is ready to go off shift but will come to see me and my baby when she comes back on. If I knew then what I know now I would have never let her leave me!

During the following hours my labor pains started in and my very pregnant younger sister Beverly shows up at my door with her hands full of bright yellow daffodils. She and her husband had been out on their motorcycle (7 months pregnant!) and stopped to pick me flowers.

A new nursing crew came on shift and it looked like they were all fresh out of nursing school. One young nurse had me breathing hard just hours after my labor started. Within 8 hours of this I was exhausted. Each long hour they would check me and tell me it would be any time now. As the endless hours of labor continued a spring storm blew up outside and I could hear the lighting, wind and rain as it beat against the roof of the hospital. What a storm it was! I later found out that the wind had picked up our mobile home and sat it off it's foundation!

March 4th, 1 AM....Twenty four hours later, and still no baby. I was starting to think I just wanted to get up and go home when there she was standing in my labor room doorway....my German Nurse! She quickly accessed the situation and determined I was nowhere near ready to have my baby and called the doctor for a real evaluation. Within twenty minutes a rain soaked Doc Nickels stood over my bed.

"Sorry little lady but it looks like this little guy is going to need some help getting born, I'm going to stop your labor and take him by C-section." My poor Larry looked as tired as I was as he kissed me goodbye as they wheeled me away to surgery. The shot Doc gave me eased up my contractions as I felt myself drifting away on a dream cloud. As I slowly came to, my wonderful nurse was standing there and asked in her strong German accent if I was ready to hold the most gorgeous boy she had ever seen. Yes, Yes, Yes I told her as I struggled to sit up. She gently placed him in my arms as I stared down at his sweet sleeping face. He was mine, I mean ours as Larry stared down at our sleeping son.

That was 34 years ago today.....34 years ago I became a Mom for the first time. I remember every little scratch, bump and cut he ever got. I remember the "why" questions and "watch this Mom". That little boy and the man you have become, filled our lives with so much happiness that can not be measured. So "Happy 34th Birthday Adam Joseph! I hope you have a great one. Dad and I are so proud of you and all your accomplishments. I know you will spend this day with your own little family and I hope you have as much fun with your own son as I did with mine.
Happy Birthday Son......Momma Onie