A Time To Rest...Yeah Right!

Well, Christmas day is behind us and my family has celebrated another special birthday. We are anticipating ringing in the new year and, well, we have two more special birthdays we are looking forward to. But, thankfully, there are about five days in between all the celebrations that we get to rest. Rest a little bit anyway.

This is going to be a short post but felt like I was slacking since I hadn't posted in three days. After posting daily for a month, I kind of needed a break. I will post again soon with pictures of all the celebrations.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Z...

Z - Zero... Zero letters left to be thankful for! We have made it through all twentysix lettes of the alphabet. This was a lot of fun, but some of these letters have been hard. Thanks to all of those (Trina) that played along on a daily basis. And thanks to all who lurked but didn't comment. Even though I didn't get comments, I love you anyway.

Also, zero days until Christmas. Happy Birthday Jesus. I look forward to the day when we all celebrate together at the foot of the throne.

Y...

Y - Yandell... Cousin Traci, my sister in Christ, my cousin by chance, and my friend by choice. How lucky can an only child be, blessed with someone that is always there when she needs her no matter what. To my daughter she has been an aunt, a friend and a tutor (ooo, math).

Also, Tim. Without him, the Yandell would not be part of our family. He's a pretty neat guy too.

X...

X - Xerophytes... Without these, those of us living in normally dry West Texas, might not have any plants at all. Pecan trees, marigolds and St. Augustine. We might not have any green at all!

(OK, I had to look this one up! Let me see what you found for "X")

W...

W - Winter... Oh yes, I love winter. It brings with it cooler weather, snow (sometimes), Christmas, a new year and my birhtday. But also, because I was a Winter once and several near and dear to my heart still are!
Wise Men... Some of Jesus' first visitors. They followed a star and brought gifts (a tradition I think has gotten out of hand) and, as Mattie May will tell you, they rode camels. She thinks that is so cool.

V...

V - Vick's Vapor Rub...

Vick's helps me breath and when I rub it on Mattie May's feet, she quits coughing. It smells good too!

(V is hard, leave a comment and let me see what you come up with!)

U...

U - Uniqueness... This is something that we all are. Each and everyone of us are unique, even if you are a twin or any other multiple, you are unique. God planned it that way, but yet he loves us all the same. We may share characteristics of each other but we are not identical. Isn't that so cool?


I am also thankful for umbrellas and underwear but I think those need no explanation!

T...

T - Tales... Stories of my ancestry relayed to me through my grandmother. Without her stories, we would never have known when Mother Ray was a little girl, her mom walked six or seven miles to school because she had forgotten one of her nine petty coats, or that when Mother Ray broke her left arm cranking the Model T, that Mattie B took all the seams out of the right arms of all her dresses. Tales of my growing up that I get to relay to Mattie May so that she can pass those down to her grandchildren.

Also fairy tales, not just the ones that we all grew up with, but also the ones Mattie B changed to fit her ideas: the story of the Seven Little Billy Goats whose mom went to town to buy beef, buffalo and beer.

And finally, but most importantly, the tales in the Bible; Adam & Eve, Noah's Ark, the story of the birth, death and Resurrection of Jesus that gives us the faith that there is something so much better to look forward to.

S...

S - Song... Songs of joy, songs of praise, songs of thanksgiving and right now, lots of songs of Christmas. There are songs Mattie May is learning to sing and songs that she recognizes that her favorite show is coming on. I love the accapella singing at church. Sunday mornings are beautiful, but Wednesday night HIP, well, I just can't think of any words to describe it.

I am also thankful for God's songs that we often neglect: birds singing, water lapping at the edge of the lake or up against the boat, trees rustling in the wind.

R...

R - Rain...
Something we rarely get enough of! Our area had been in a drought for almost ten years and the water supply was getting extremely low. But the Lord blessed us this year with a very unusual wet summer. We received rain every week between May and August. This was enough to get most of the lake levels up to or over where they should be. Being from West Texas, we will always pray for rain, but we are so thankful for all that we received this year.

Q...

Q - I became queasy when I came to the letter"Q". What word would I choose? I had a quandary. I had a query. Would there be a quantum of words to choose from? I was so afraid of becoming a quean. I was quivering because I did not want to have a quest writer! But I was not going to quit even if I had to gather a quorum and give them a quiz. So I quickly grabbed my queenly thinking cap, chewed on my quid, and picked up my quill to begin writing. In the quiet of my office , I finally decided on a word...

Q - Quilt... We have several quilts in our house. Most are hand made and they all keep us warm. But when I think about quilts, there are three that quickly come to mind -

The blue, cross stitched bell quilt that Mattie B gave to Katie when she was little, because "all the other cousins had one and she didn't".

The red baby quilt. Frank's grandmother made Katie seven quilts when she was born, but for some reason this bright red quilt was always the one Katie wanted. She took it with her everywhere, even when she was in high school. She said no one would ever get this quilt from her! But, then she had Mattie May. She ,too, is taken by this quilt and must be covered by it every night, no matter how hot it is, or she won't go to sleep. This has been hard on Katie, but she has agreed to let her "borrow" it until she is grown, Yeah, right - we'll see, Katie.

And finally , my grandma's flower garden quilt, even though it is not at my house. Mattie B handmade (really, there is no machine stitching, period) a double wedding ring for Trina and two grandma's flower garden, one each for Traci and me. They are the most beautiful quilts in my eyes because I know how many hours and sore fingers it took for her to make these three quilts. So now you wonder why I do not have possession of my quilt. Well, cousin Traci decorates with quilts and in her front room she needed a quilt that matched hers so her twin beds would match. What a better place for this quilt. There are more people that get to see it there and I know it is in very caring hands. How do we tell them apart? When Mattie B was making the quilts, Katie wanted to learn how. So on one quilt piece on one of the grandma's flower garden quilts are some very long and awkward stitches made by my baby when she was about five years old. See if you can find them next time you are at T&T's house!

Now, wasn't this a quip?!?!

P...

P - Poppa... My big ol' teddy bear daddy!

One of the very few times we were both not behind the camera.

The first man I ever loved! Like any true Southern girl, my daddy and I have a special bond. And of course he is the one that taught me how to hunt and fish. He is a wonderful grandfather and a supper great grandfather (Mattie May likes him better if he doesn't have the beard - that Santa Clause thing!).

Showing Mattie May the ropes on her first hunting trip.

Always the protector, there is nothing he wouldn't do for his family. I love you Poppa!

O...

O - Ostlien... Trina Ostlien, and her children, Makaley and Kauy. Not only my sister in Christ but my cousin. She is really more like a sister here on earth and I hope her kids think of me as more like an aunt. I am an only child, but Trina and Traci have always been there, just like sisters. I know a lot of people say "Oh, she is just like my sister" but really I don't think we knew the difference when we were growing up. We were always together.

Trina, thank you for always being there.

N...

N - Nation, Nature, Namesake... This one was hard for me, trying to find something that started with "N" and then trying to choose between the things I thought of, so I narrowed it down to three.

I am thankful I live in a in a democratic nation where my voice can be heard whether it by voting each election day, making a speech or writing a letter. I also have the freedom to worship when and where I please and to whom I choose. We forget there are still places where this can not be done. I am thankful this nation was founded with God even though so many people have forgotten that and want me to forget to.

I am thankful for nature, the beautiful creation of God. I always feel sorrow for people that miss the things I see from being out fishing or hunting. When I am out early in the morning and it is so quiet, it is easy to reflect on how much God has given us to enjoy.

And I am thankful for namesakes. There are so many in our family that have been named after an older relative or ancestor. It is fun to go the names and remember so many people. Here is a run down of aunts - Fonda Mae, Fonda Lou, Trina Lou, Katie Katrina Lynn (the Lynn is also for Traci Lyn) Mattie May. And for those of you that know my family, you can see some other namesakes in that list too. Shh, don't tell Katie that Trina and Traci aren't her aunts, we haven't told her yet!

Five Generations on Mom's side.

M...

M- Mattie... You really didn't think this was going to be anything else did you? I am so thankful for Mattie May. There are no words that can describe how she makes me feel. I am so lucky that I get to be with her almost everyday. She is such a silly little thing, but her mind is like a sponge. She has such a love for learning at such an early age.

She does not like the snow at all!

But there is another Mattie, Mattie B. I am so thankful she is my grandmother. The matriarch of our family. I hope I am as good a grandmother as she is. She has taught me how to laugh at myself when I feel like crying. I am thankful she is around to teach me all the secrets to being a grandmother, you know the ones I mean - It's OK to eat cake for any meal of the day, Get up at 2AM to make a hungry child "oats", You always have time for the grand baby.

I love you Mattie B.

Can you believe that we are already half way through the alphabet?

L...

L - Laughter...What a beautiful sound. It is a pleasant sound to hear anyone laughing, but you can be having your worst day ever and then you hear a child laugh! That always melts my heart and makes by day brighter. My family laughs a lot and when we are all together, no matter what the occasion, you can bet there will be lots of laughter (even if there are tears involved). Laughter is understood in any language, just look at the video and tell me it doesn't bring a smile to your face!

K...

K - Katie OK, so this is another one that was easy. My baby girl, though she is not much of a baby any more. She will aways be my baby! Even though she makes me cry sometimes (and empties my wallet always), I love her so very much. She fills my heart with love. She has given me my greatest joy ever in Mattie May. She has grown into a beautiful young woman and has become a great mother.

Katie, thank you for being you.

She is the one in the orange shirt.

J...

J - Jesus & journey... I am so thankful for Jesus and his journey to the cross and to rise again so that I may have eternal life through Him. His journey has become my journey, to teach about him to Katie and to Mattie and to share him with others that are on this same journey or want to learn and know him if they don't already. Because of Jesus, my life is a wonderful journey that I am able to write about and share in this journal that we call blogging!

I...

I - Imagination... I have always had a very vivid imagination. For the most part this has been a blessing. As an only child, I was always able to entertain myself when I needed to. I have always enjoyed watching the clouds and finding shapes in them (this activity is also enjoyed by Katie, but
it drives Frank crazy!). But my imagination has gotten the better of me at times, it works overtime when I am home alone. Man the things I come up with from the noises I hear! I have seen Mattie May's imagination start to take shape over the past year (that girl can make a hat out of anything!) and I look forward to watching it expand as she grows.

Kauy & Mattie and their 1st birthday together

H...

H - Husband I know a lot of you think you have the best husband in the world, and I really hate to be the one to tell you this, but you don't. The best husband in the world belongs to me! He makes me laugh, is there to hold me when I cry. He cooks, cleans, and wakes up at 3:00 AM on Black Friday to go shopping with me! He has a caring and loving heart and is really just a grown up little boy.


Thank you Frank for all the years past and all the years I have to look forward to.

G...

G - God I just can't imagine this being anything else. Everything I am, everything I have, I have because of God. I am his child. He is my family and my life.

What more needs to be said?

F...

F - Fonda Lou Yes I am thankful for my mother (I have something else for the M). It is impossible to remember all the things she has done for me, but I will try.

She taught me how to have fun, how to be a lady, how to be a wife, a mom and a grandmom. Short list, but it completely sums her up.





Thanks Mom, I love you.

E...

E - Electricity I know, I really come up with some weird things but this does make sense. I am thankful for electricity because, I worked for the electric company for almost 20 years. This job helped me to support my family, gave me great benefits and above all that, life long friends that I still hold deep in my heart.

Frank has worked for the same company for over 10 years. It is a very different from when I worked there, but still a very stable job although extremely dangerous. We have friends he has made on the job also.

And lastly, with out electricity, I would not be able to have all my email and blogger buddies!

D...

D - Dwelling Frank and I have an old house with lots of problems, but it is our house.

There were some years we struggled to make the payments we had, but now that we own it and we are both in our middle forties, we know it was worth those struggles. It has leaky windows and doors, only one bathroom, and needs new carpet, but it is our home that we have raised our family in and now helping to raise our granddaughter in. Isn't that what makes a house a HOME?

C...

C- Camera... Yes, I know this is a weird one, but I am, I am thankful for my camera. I have always enjoyed taking pictures and in the past few years I have had the cutest subject to snap. Of course I like taking pictures of every thing. I have one picture taken just a year ago of a deer feeder in an empty field. Most people look at this picture and think "OK, why?" But I look at it and think of a great hunting trip Frank and I had. Even though there were no deer ( and I mean none) we had a great time. So to me, my camera is my memories.