I'm gonna pop you!

That is what I grew up hearing from my Mama on a daily basis. I told her that she went around all the time with her hand cocked ready to pop me. The thing is, she has never stopped! Just look at that photo. As recently as two weeks ago when she was here, she threatened me numerous times. Today is her 82nd birthday and I'm 60 but she is still MAMA! My only saving grace is that she can't catch me! (Hmmmm . . . that is what Kelly says when I threaten to pop her.) For some reason I never saw her hand cocked at my brother. Wonder why? Maybe it is because he was "Buddy, the Captain" and I was as "mean as ever". Those are direct quotes from a letter she wrote to my Aunt Nell in about 1951. I think I'm damaged by that. I may need counseling. Oh well, I digress. What I really want to say is that I have been enormously blessed to have the mother I have. She taught me so many important things like always wear clean underwear in case you are in an auto accident. And you never wear white or patent leather shoes until Easter nor after Labor Day. And you can't go barefoot until the first day of May even if it is 100 degrees on April 30th. And that you can't go in the water until you can swim. And it's also okay to play practical jokes. And it isn't nice to pick your nose or to cuss. She also taught me to go to church, not to do laundry on Sunday, to keep a clean house, to love your family, and that all babies are precious. I appreciate all she has done and continues to do for me. I know she loves me and I love her. So I end with some of her famous last words--"whew, law, well I wish I may never, great day in the morning, I can't hep it, it don't make no, they say, it's new out, they're givin' out rain, I've got th' headache", etc. etc. etc. Happy Birthday, Mama, Ed, Edward, MawMaw, Mawk, LawLaw, Miz Lail, Fronie!

Great Grandmother & Great Granddaughter

Mama will soon be 82 and Jayde (our oldest granddaughter) will soon be 17, but age has not stopped them from being best buddies. As you can see from the photos, Jayde has been trying to beautify her MawMaw since she was two years old. It hasn't stopped yet and Mama loves it! Mama really wanted to get to visit Jayde while she was here visiting us in Alabama, so on Saturday we drove to Birmingham and brought Jayde down. It was a whirlwind visit, but we had a ball. I took them to out to eat, then to get spa pedicures, then shopping for Jayde's birthday. I don't know who had the most fun, but it was well worth the miles and time it took to get them together. Actually, I think I had the most fun watching the two of them!

UFO or UFG?

She is "Mother" to John, "Momma" to Jeannie, "Granny" to her 4 Grandkids and 5 Great Grandkids, but she is "Granny Panny" to me. She is my Mother-in-Law, Ruby Whaley Sutton and I love her dearly. Today is her 87th birthday and we are most blessed to still have her with us. Whether it be bumper cars, a tilt-a-whirl or a roller coaster, Granny never shied away from a wild ride. In this photo, she decided it would be fun to play on the trampoline with Kelly. We called her the "UFG" that day (Unidentified Flying Granny). That was in 1987, but I'll bet if she could, she would hop on one right now. She has been a wonderful Mother and Grandmother to us all. We wish her the happiest of birthdays with all the love we have!

Mmmmmm . . . Mama's Biscuits or Thump Molly's?

John and I always look forward to my Mama's visits and feel fortunate that she is still able to travel and spend time with us. She stays for a couple weeks each time she comes. While she is here, she spoils the pets by hand feeding them and spoils us by doing so much for us. She still likes to do things like sweeping the floors, washing the clothes, ironing, and best of all, cooking our favorite foods! John's favorite is her pinto beans or her fried chicken and gravy. My favorite is her homemade buttermilk biscuits. She makes them just like her mother did--thin, flakey, and crispy. Anyway, when Thump Molly heard that MawMaw was coming, she put on her apron, got out her dough roller and her biscuit cutter, and left a note begging Maw to let her help bake biscuits. Tonight, she got her wish and look what a beautiful pan of biscuits they produced! John was pretty happy about the fried chicken too! In a word--YUM!