Piracy, Rocking Amadeus, and Missing Red Sweaters.

   

Ripsy

 As fate would have it, or better known as "God's great planning", I am the lucky kin of 2 incredible Sisters!  I, of course, am the eldest, or so they keep reminding me!  The Middle Sis, who I lovingly refer to as "Ripsy", thanks solely to my cell phone's attempt at auto-correcting "Sissy", has recently been the target of a red sweater heist. The thief, commonly referred to in our family as the "Pirate", refuses to step forward to turn themselves, and the red sweater in to proper authorities. Which at this time would be Ripsy!  Of course I was immediately blamed. Accused of Piracy in the highest degree!

 I'd like to take a moment to step back, a little bit in time, to yesterday.  Imagine if you will, my niece and I making a day of it, all gathering at my Mother's church for a Holy Spirit "refill". My niece and I arrive inside the building just in time to see my Ripsy coming in with her new dress and my nieces silver shoes adorning her feet!  Well, you can imagine the look of horror on my nieces face, who at the ripe old age of 15 3/4, immediately begins her teen-age ranting, "MOM HAS GOT to stop wearing my clothes!"  Then she states that when they move into their new house, she is making her mother a plaque with the Ten Commandments on it, only she is adding an 11th, which will read:

11. Thou shalt not wear thy daughters clothes!

I wasn't sure whether to laugh or scold. Funny, yet at the same time..to add to the Ten Commandments?   Then I remembered, God in his perfect wisdom, has an incredible sense of humor. Why else would he have created Menopause, tiddly-winks, and Male Pattern Baldness?

Ripsy, who is now sweater less, is also dealing with another issue. Seems as though the local oldies station is now playing 80's music. She is not thrilled that her Rocking Amadeus days are now considered "old". I decided not to remind her that technically I rocked Amadeus, therefore, I should be the one offended.  So in 5 years when her group is running around chillin' to the ever classic sound of 'Ice-Ice Baby", I'll try and be supportive!

Back to Piracy, which in our family runs rampant! Ripsy, usually the first one we turn to, as she is the numero-uno Pirate, can kidnap your favorite garden figurine in no time flat. Slip that new Keurig into her overnight bag, along with every last Keurig coffee sample you own, out the door, like a boss!  Piracy, it turns out, is contagious. So, to whoever, in our family has had the need to wear red recently, PLEASE return that sweater to Ripsy. Ripsy has promised no retaliation. There will be no Pirate backlash, or walking the plank, and to keep the anonymity of the Pirate, she's promised to name no names. (GRANDMA!)

So, whether you are Rocking Amadeus, into a little red sweater pirating of your own, or are just out surfing the web, smile....and have a blessed week people!  


 

Happy Mother's Day!

 "She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: Many woman do noble things, but you surpass them all." Charm is deceptive , and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate. "       Proverbs 31:26-31

Mom's are special aren't they.  God give's them each a special gift. US!  Mother's are givin' God's precious little miracles both to care for and love. I suppose you could say we are on loan. They nurture and protect us, teach us and wipe away tears. They bandage our boo-boo's and laugh with us when we are just too hysterically funny for words.  Then when we are grown and are blessed with babies of our own, we too get to experience the same miracle as our Mom's.    These tiny little bundles of joy that work their way right into our hearts, with just a look. Time goes by so fast, that soon you realize your child is grown, and has a child of their own. Motherhood. That short space of time in our lives that slips by before we know it. Unforgettable.

Today I received a call from both my baby girls. Neither one a baby anymore, but they like to fight over the title still. My youngest, who is the singer, the sparkle and glitz of the family. Working hard in school, learning about boys, drivers permits, and which side to take her best photo from, all while balancing musical theater, friends, and which shade of eye shadow shows off her blue eyes best. One day she will get to experience the joy I've come to know as her Mother.  Then my oldest called. The cowgirl, cattle loving, collector of dogs, beautiful in all her 4 foot 10'ness. Also a very capable balancer of life, work, family, a souped up 3 year old son, and too many animals to count.  She is spending her Mother's Day in bed, due to a difficult wisdom tooth that by no means is making her any smarter, but rather just "smarts"!  She put my Grandson on the phone, who quickly offered up a wonderful "Happy Mother's Day YaYa!", followed by news of a new swing set, telling me he was going to be a Dr., saying I Love you, and then... "OK, I'm done!"   Motherhood may have its awe inspiring moments, but being a Grandmother... words cannot express.

I pray you each have a special Mother's Day. Here's to remembering good times with your Mom, and hopefully making many more memories down the road.  If you are unable to be with your Mother today, or maybe your Mom has gone on, I pray you will take time out today to just hug a Mom somewhere and wish them well, share a smile, and let them know they are loved and appreciated.

God Bless You All, dear Mommies everywhere!
Auntie Aimes

Easter, Grilled Cheese, and The Green Tea Slip

Easter is quickly approaching and I've gotten no eggs dyed, not the first thing baked, and my house.. bleeehhh....   However, my procrastinating ends TODAY!

I've dusted off the old bunny ears, and relocated my long lost muffin tin. (don't ask where I found it)  Today at 4 I leave for my Mom's. My Middle Sis is already there, (no doubt planning something for us to get into) and My little Sis will be headed there tomorrow ( along with my daughter ) WOOHOO!   A lot of girl's in one house = harassment on my poor Step-Dad. Being out numbered on a daily basis anyway, I am sure by now he is used to our LOVING way of making him feel.. well.. like the ONLY man in the house. Girls rule, Boys drool. Can I put that on a sign to hang at Mom's this week? Of course he knows we love him. 

I'd been working on a new recipe to cook and share, but got hung up on an idea I saw on Pinterest. Grilled Mac-n-cheese Sandwiches. (I will include website of original grilled mac with my pics) I was not so sure about them at first, but played around with it for several days, and finally came up with the ultimate dinner sandwich, ( or so my hubby says) Grilled Mac-n-cheese with sauteed onion, and sweet ham.  Oh My..it was GOOOOD!  Will post pics as quickly as possible. I also ran out of tea bags, and needing to make tea just before eating these cheesy-gooey delights, I opted for green tea. I usually reserve it for cold days when I just want a cup of hot tea, but on this particular day.. I decided "What the heck".. It was wonderful, but I forgot to tell my sweet hubby, who almost spewed it across the room.  (oops) He was OK with it after I explained "just what that was" in his favorite drinking glass.  My Bad.

Happy Easter dear friends. Enjoy the food, family, and laughter. Go to Sunday morning sunrise service and thank the good Lord for loving us so much that he died on that cross and rose again on the third day!  Don't forget to bake "empty tomb" cookies
found here> http://www.food.com/recipe/empty-tomb-cookies-220621 , with your kids the night before, and remember this....

      "Easter says you can put truth in a grave, but it won't stay there". ~ Clarence Hall.

Camelot Ends

We grew up in Camelot. My sisters and I. Today I recall lazy summer days spent lying beneath pecan trees or chasing the occasional butterfly. Sweet East Texas sized iced teas that Mom would lovingly pour into either our regular dinner glasses (mason jars) or our outdoor set, that stack of old plastic yogurt cups, in any color of our choosing. Lunches of peanut butter and jelly, cut into shapes from Mom's cookie cutters, eaten on blankets under large trees, and kool-aid, there was always kool-aid. Stray dogs that became life long pets, mostly mutts that we never taught to do anything more than be there when we called. Cats from the barn, lots of them. All with fluffs of baby in tow. The occasional curse from Dad, who just smashed a finger. All you could see of him were blue jean clad legs, and that plaid shirt tail, as he was waist deep inside the hood of car. A line of fence posts, lining the family farm. An occasional scrape from getting too close and hung up in its barbed wire. Bicycles and baby toys, strewn about the yard. The laughter of children, and the groaning sound of oil trucks coming up the road. Mom always had flowers planted. Roses from Nanny's yard, and light blue philodendron from Great Grandmother. Back then ladies shared seeds, and sprout-lings. They gave you cuttings from plants you admired from their yards, with specific instructions for getting them to grow roots from nothing. Magic in water!  Doodlebugs were our best babysitter. Summer nights brought lightning bugs twinkling inside mason jars, and left over sparklers from fourth of July. Bonfire smells with burnt marshmallows and roasted hot dogs filled the air. Church on Sundays, only to return home to a big roast that Mom had put in the pot early that morning. Summer meant church picnics, bringing people together you'd not seen since last year. It also meant pinched cheeks and being called "precious". The happy news of weddings and births, and sad news of those having gone home to meet the Lord. Occasionally family would come in from Dallas, sharing stories of the latest happenings. Guests meant good food, singing, and sad goodbyes. The end of summer brought the sounds of school buses. Hearing them coming for miles, the sounds bouncing off the hills. School time meant Halloween was not far behind. There'd be candy and festivals, homemade costumes, imaginations running wild. Cooler night air and the shortening of days brought brilliant Texas sunsets into view. Time to take out the mothball smelling barrels from the attic. Stocked full of sweaters and winter clothing. Now was when you'd see how much you'd grown. Thanksgiving and Christmas could only mean one thing, you'd be able to get out of going to school, if only temporary. It also meant trekking to Dallas to see family. More eating, more singing, more time to talk of family long gone, and reminisce.  Our home was one of books, and music, art and nature. Plays put on by little ones excited to share what they'd written, and two sisters close in age who got into anything they thought they could without getting caught.  Winter time brought icicles, red noses, and indoor activities assigned by a very ingenious mother. Our Peter Pan. Mom's pots became our helmets. The kitchen tablecloth our capes. Our shield was made of cardboard and tin foil, and our swords were Dad's wrenches, borrowed lovingly from his tool box. Our home was old and full of history. Our yard was big, it was our stage, our "new lands" and adventure.  It was our shelter, our refuge. It was where we grew into the people we are today. It was our Camelot.
 Dad called today and said he had sold our place of dreams, our Camelot. Camelot Ends here, but thank you Lord that our stories don't.

House Cleaning, Weddings, 80's Aerobic Gear, and Other Half Truths

UGHHH.. I've put off cleaning for 2 weeks now. Actually I can't blame it all on my laziness, it's all the Flu's fault!  So today... I clean, I organize, I try and make some sense of the madhouse that has formed around me.
I'm reminded of my Mother, who we joke came out of the womb cleaning! Not a trait I inherited. I came out of the womb, blissfully unaware that things get dirty around me until i fall over it, shouting "IT WILL BE OK"! Which as you know, my Sister's with all their pent up humor, will most likely carve this very thing on  my tomb-stone.. along with "Not the Baby"!  Which of course will make me haunt them... which in itself should be enough to make them play nice, and leave my tombstone saying "Best Sister, EVER!" Whatever... I need to clean.........

My Oldest daughter has informed me she is getting married. I have one year to lose all the weight I need to lose, so I can look like the "hot" mom. Well, I don't wanna go in there being the "fat" mom! So.. I had hubby dust off the stationary bike, and bring down the Nordic-Trac from the attic.  NOW... Where did I hide all my 80's inspired aerobic work-out clothes? (I picture myself looking like the girl from flashdance, or maybe like Olivia Newton-John in "Let's get Physical". When really.. I am just.. well.. "Fat Amy") Headband.. check   Leg-warmers...check....wrist bands.. check check. What are those for anyway? If the head band is already keeping the sweat from dripping in my eyes, what purpose do they serve? OH.. They look cool... I see.. sigh..   Maybe back in the Spring of 1986, which is probably when I last wore them.  Or exercised for that matter. OK, that is just a half truth... I have exercised since 1986, just not as much as I used to. Like these pounds I've gained over the years are going to go away by themselves. If I just think about eating a piece of cake and gain ten pounds, then why can't just thinking about exercising for 45 minutes take that weight off?  Just sayin'    Well, whatever the case, I want to look my best for this wedding. Would love to hear comments like, "man she has hardly aged at all" or "she looks better than she ever has" or even just a nice "Wow" would suffice. So anyway, my Ski-machine awaits. Here's to a smaller butt in 2013!

Birthday Wishes, Funny Nicknames, and The Stronger of the Two

Today is my youngest Sister's birthday.  Happy Birthday Nora!  My little Sis, although starting out life as the quiet one ( or so we thought), has in her time done some quite remarkable things.  Getting stuck with the cutest of nicknames, which I refuse to share at this time, for fear of retaliation, on her part. All the same... It was cute. I can tell you it was due to the fact that my Sis spent the first 2 years of her life... well... upside down, actually.  She was fascinated more with the world as it looked bent over, butt in the air, looking through her legs, which must have been incredible. I could often picture her seeing fairies on the ceiling, or maybe she thought if she bent over and looked at the world from this vantage, she could walk on the ceiling?

Nora seen here dive bombing the bean bag

Nora and my middle sister, Joylyn, were inseparable. Very close in age, they would often go on adventures together. Once I saw my very tiny Nora tell Joylyn to climb on her shoulders, because she was sure the cookies, just out of reach, could be snatched from the cupboard with a little sweat and ingenuity. Whose Idea we may never know, but it worked. Wish I'd been able to take a picture of them, I always wondered why tiny little Nora thought it was a good idea to have Joylyn on HER shoulders, when it made much more sense the other way around. I suppose as long as it worked in their minds... it would work period. Guess Nora thought she was the stronger of the two.

Nora and Joylyn Cruisin' The Block

My Nora is grown now, married, with a baby of her own, who is not so baby anymore. She still has that same beautiful smile she had as a youngin', and still gets into mischeviousness with Joylyn... EVERY chance they get!  I'm sure our Mother never knows what will take place when we are all together, for as we've grown older, the age gaps have disappeared, and now we are just 3 adults, up for anything that will bring a smile to someones face, all the time hoping we dont get busted for it. Which usually happens when Mom walks in the room a little too early.

I love you Nora, your sense of humor, your love of the Lord, and seeing you be a Mom. It's been a blessed thing to watch.  I will NOT remind you that things will start falling apart, and heading south, as youth fades and gravity takes over. Ughhh..  I will remind you that I love you, that I am so happy to have you as my Sister, and that next time you are down I've got a great one we can pull on Joylyn!

Nora trying out for American Idol  YES She sings!

                             Happy Birthday, Sweet Cheeks!

                    All My Love, Auntie Aimes/AKA Your Big Sis

An Early Valentine's Day Has Gone To The Dogs

Here are my Babies. Not very happy with their new Valentine Hanky's, although I am thrilled! Chilli still looks at me like he did something wrong, and Harley is like "Yo... MA... NOT very many dude!" Oh well... I love them anyway.

                                          Chilli and Harley

Plastic Bubbles, Butter/Sugar Sandwiches, and Tardis

Busy is an understatement of what my life has been like these past few weeks. Seems it is taking its toll on my blog life. So I promised myself I would get something posted TODAY! My middle Sis recommended several options, one of which was Plastic Bubbles and butter sugar sandwiches. It is always amazing to have a memory pop into your head you've not thought of for years. Sweet to have a Sister bring it to mind.

Raised in a small community in East Texas, no stop light, One Baptist Church and one Southern Baptist Church. ( I always joked was "one church for the people that liked to dance, and one church for the ones that didn't") I suppose I fell into the "not sure" category, for I attended both churches.  Our town had one tiny post office, almost so small you had to take turns going in to get your mail. One general store, ( Newly built back in the 80's because someone had driven into the old general store and knocked it off of it's foundation into the pasture behind the structure) Which was BIG news in our tiny little community. Everyone knew everyone. Everyone knew about everyone. The local men met at the store for cards, checkers, and of course an enormous amount of Texas size tales. The ones you never knew if they were true, or just well invented stories to get snared into and then at the end rewarded with a rather hilarious punch line.  We'd walk to that store for candy, or an old glass bottle of Dr. Pepper.  We thought we had it made.

Times were tight for everyone back then. Jobs were scarce in our area, as well as the rest of the country. Neighbors helped out neighbors, and families were there for one another. My sister reminded me that no matter how rough things got in our household our Mother always had a special treat for us.  If we wanted dessert, but there weren't enough groceries to invent even the skimpiest of cookie, Mom made us butter-sugar sandwiches. To this day I can remember the taste of this delicious treat, but don't think I could eat one. There was also special occasions when Mom had made a little extra that week at work and she would bring home the ultimate in kids play things.... Colored Plastic Bubbles.  They smelled funny, but once you got past the odor, you had hours of bubble fun! Squeeze a dab out of the tube onto a straw and blow. The bubbles were red, blue, green, or yellow. They could be held, bounced, and sometimes popped and re-blown ( if done fast enough) The drawback was they dried up quick if you lost the lid to the tube.  Even when I got older and Mom brought them for my smaller Sisters I couldn't wait until they went to bed, just so I could blow up one or two. Which Mom must have figured out, because she later started buying them for me again.

Those times are long gone. Most of the men that filled the local store have gone on to their heavenly homes. The newer group isn't the same for us, but they do still know how to spin a tale. You can still pick up that old Dr. Pepper in the bottle, and a chick-o-stick to go with it if you feel the need. Now, as my Sister said.... "If we could just borrow the Tardis, and go back in time to when we blew those bubbles, ate those sandwiches, and enjoyed tales of Texas sized proportion", we'd have it made.

I'm Turning Into My Mother

Yes, I know, we've all been there. We vow as children, no matter what may come our way, we will NEVER turn into our mothers. NEVER!  I've written on this subject before, but yesterday, this topic became a WHOLE LOT MORE INTERESTING!



I received a call from my first born daughter. (Now a full grown 24 years old) Who starting telling me about this wonderful t-shirt she had found. It was white with lettering on the front. Although the letters were sort of out of order and a bit jumbled, you could still read that the shirt said "I'm turning into my Mother".   We had a good laugh, but I couldn't help but feel there was more to this. She finally started with.... "and.... that's not all."  ......

While at work in a local grocery store, she was behind the customer service desk, as usual, and just beyond the desk was a display.  There were people standing in line. Waiting their turn to discuss whatever had brought them in that day. She couldn't help but notice a gentleman standing in the back, close to the display, who kept stepping back to let people go by. Busy with something in his hands, unaware of the rack just behind him.  My daughter would take care of the next customer, all the time eyeing the man and his rather uncomfortable closeness to the display at this point. Finally, he began to take one more step back, she saw just in time to point and yell out.... "OH! OH! OH! OH!! OH! OH!"   Which of course immediatley stopped everyone in their tracks.

 >>>> Let's stop right there; For at this point in the story I am so overcome by fits of hilarity, my legs are crossed, for fear that the laughter will soon be running down my leg like the tears streaming down my painfully red and dampened face.   We will go back in time, oh say.. 15 years... to a house in Florida, where I am standing near the open dining room window. Close to dusk, on a quiet  Saturday evening, as I notice movement and see a young man leaving our garage with my daughter's ( who was 12 at the time ) bicycle. He was stealing it from our opened garage. Right in front of me, and all I could do was point my finger, and yell.. "OH! OH! OH! OH! OH!"<<<<<

Back to NOW.... My daughter finishes the story by saying that all was quiet until she apologized to the man, and explained he was fixing to fall over the display rack.  He answered, " It's quite alright, and I would have stopped myself sooner, but I was trying to figure out what  OH! OH! OH! OH! OH! meant!"   Which brought on much laughter from surrounding customers who where there to witness the event.

So my precious family, friends, and readers.  NEVER say NEVER!

God Bless You All,
Auntie Aimes

NCIS Head Slappers, Yard Brawlers....Sisters

Sisters............. Three of them. Trouble makers? YES!... Instigators?? YOU BET!  Yard Brawls? Oh, HECK YEAH!

Sisters, you love them, and sometimes want to punch them in the face. You occasionally disagree with one another, but come together. You can say anything you want about each other, but better NOT hear anyone else say a thing about one of them.. or it's on!

We grew up in the back woods of East Texas. Me.. the oldest, but like to be referred to as "The Jokester".  Actually Mom calls me "The Baby". No, Mom doesn't have a favorite, but it is great for jabbin' my Sisters with occasionally. I joke that when I am dead and gone the next Sis in line can fight over the title. The middle child.. who Is referred to as the "Smart One", which is an inside joke. YES, she is smart... but our Grandmother, God bless her, said the youngest was beautiful, and I was artistic. To which my middle sister replied, "Dang Grandma, what does that make me?" Grandma commented to her, "Well, you can spell!"  Of course we remind her of this often! So now the youngest Sis is referred to as "The Pretty One".

We've had our share of incidents. I once came over to visit. Newly married, I didn't get by often. When I happened to notice feet, or an occasional arm, fly past the front window. When I went to investigate I found two kids, sprawled out in the dirt, then dust flying and fists everywhere as they beat the mess out of one another. I called Mom to the window to ask if she was aware of the fight that ensued in the front yard. She remarked  "They do that about once every few months, and then they get along just fine." If she wasn't concerned, then why should I be. Then there was the time I'd been over for the day, and upon returning home I received a phone call from my mother, who was laughing so hysterically I couldn't understand her. After getting her to BREATHE, she explained that my baby sister wanted to know who the girl was that used to stay with them. Mom, curious at this point, asked "Which Girl?". The youngest added that she was talking about the girl that had just left.  Mom answered" You mean YOUR SISTER?"  Turns out after 12 years of her young life, she thought I was just someone who lived with them.  Which is still talked about to this day.

We are all grown up now. We each have children of our own. They are learning the same things we did, in a much different world. We've loved and lost, sang, rejoiced, and mourned a time or two.  We've enjoyed remembering funny things that have happened as sisters in our tiny Texas town. We've been there for one another, laughed, cried, and shared. We've done stupid things and laughed at one another. There have even been a few NCIS head slap moments, but one thing remains the same....

 We are Sisters.