Birthday Eve: A bday interview & Contest at the End

So, this is my BIRTHDAY EVE & I think it's only fitting to pay tribute to, um, eh, I guess myself, with a birthday interview.

I interviewed my mom last year, so I will interview someone who looks like her. None other than my BF & sis.

Some of this will be boresville to some of you, but this blog is all about documenting memories for the sake of my children & their children. I thought these questions would not only make me laugh to hear Angie's replies but would also be neat for my kiddos to read someday.

• Do you remember when M & D told you they were pregnant? I remember when Mom & Dad sat us down at the kitchen table to tell us the news that you were on the way. They had us start guessing what we thought they were going to tell us.....I think we were saying things like, "a new refrigerator, washer/dryer, new car, etc." I am pretty sure we were extremely surprised and happy that we had a baby brother or 'stister' on the way. And yes, Gabe, Aunt Gi had problems saying a couple of words too....so don't worry.

• Do you remember where you stayed when mom was in hosp delivering me? I think, but am not sure, that Alice came and stayed with us. We had school, and of course, we didn't get to miss. I was and still am a worrier by trade, so my entire 7 and 8 yr old time span was filled with worries if Momma and you were going to be okay and healthy.
  
• Do you remember the day they brought me home from hospital? I remember you were dressed in a pretty little yellow outfit...I think it was a dress set. You were SO cute.....tiny, petite, looked like a little doll. And I couldn't wait to get to hold you.
  
• I can't not think about the memory of me eating/destroying your Geo Washing bio creation you worked so hard on. Do you remember that? Okay, that has been a sore-spot for many years now. haha I worked SO hard and LONG, you see I was the slow-poke that Zitzman yelled at in art. Anyway, I was so proud of the George Picture....but I was also so excited to run to the bedroom and see you, that when I got to you, I carelessly laid it down too close to your exploring, 6 mo old fingers and mouth. When Mom discovered you, the picture had been sucked on, crinkled, and was beyond recognition!
  
• When did I cross the bridge from annoying sissy to friend? (or have I not crossed the bridge yet? ;) Hmm, let me see.....we actually fought right up until I married. That seems hard to comprehend, doesn't it? However, those times were kinda when we got too rough with wrestling and picking at each other, and then one of us would get mad and it would escalate into a fight. I would say you gradually quit irritating me when you saw I was 'cool' and you wanted me to drive your little self to the pool, to the mall, and let you borrow clothes and accessories. So probably age-wise I was 20 and you were 12.
  
• Do you remember how many kleenexes I used at your wedding? Are we counting boxes or individual tissues? :-)
  
• Did it get on your nerves to have a sibling so much younger? Let's see....I guess you want me to be honest....yes you got on my nerves at times! Especially when I was in the 7th grade and into boys! You would get on the other phone line while I was chatting with guys and would spy. I would threaten you to hang up and of course you wouldn't listen. Then it would heat up and I would say something mean, you would then get off and go tattle. And then Mom would make me get off the phone and sometimes ground me.
  
• Do you remember when you threw that bowl of (baby) cereal at me? Who? Me?
  
• Do either of my kids remind you of me when I was little? Actually both of your kiddos remind me of you in certain ways. Flynn looks like you and her actions are very similar to your's. I heard all about the drama production she wrote and produced last month....and it reminded me of you and how you and Jeremy would put on dramas/circuses, etc. Gabe has always reminded me of you....I know his skin & hair color is different, but he has a look in his eyes that resembles you.
  
• What's your fondest memory of growing up w/ a sister? There are SO many wonderful memories...a sister is one of the best things Mom & Dad ever did for me. It's really tough to narrow down the places in my heart that mean so much when I reflect. I think back to all the fun times we had 'tormenting' Dad with our physical and verbal tauntings, emotionally abusing the ice cream man (you were cynical even at such a young age). I remember taking you to get your license (Mom got mad if I remember correctly); that was exciting. Honing in on a particular memory, I would say my favorite one is decorating the Christmas tree each year with you. We loved digging out the old handmaid ornaments, stringing real popcorn to make garland, while listening to the holiday albums on the old stereo.
  
• Do you remember when you dared me to run around the house (in front of John Robertson, who in my memory, somewhat resembled Trey Ames), IN MY SUPERWOMAN UNDEROOS? YES, I remember. Why did I do that? Especially since he & I liked each other....why would I do that to him and you? I'd probably be thrown in juvie hall today if I did that. Not to mention, I would be so mad at Mattie if she made KK do that.

• Would you please come home...Forever? Well, I will be home for Christmas.....and I doubt I will live in California forever! Maybe when we retire we will be neighbors.....we can go to garage sales and buy for our grandkids! I miss you too Sis. You are the best sister and friend anyone could have. And of course you win the world's "BEST AUNT" award hands-down. My girls are so blessed to have Aunt MeMe. Happy Birthday....we love you!

Now, since it's my party & I can give away prizes if I want to....well, that's what I'll do.

And since I get lots of compliments on the MUSIC I have on my blog. That's what I will give away.

I think I'll go random drawing again. So, leave a comment & tell me your favorite color. That will be your entry. Whomever gets chosen by random integer will receive, via mail, a CD compiled by DJ Jazzy Mix'Amy. And I promise you will likey.

Now, it's time to go get my paintin' duds on again. Happy Friday!

*Contest Ends Sunday!*

Big Al's 60th

Remember a year or so ago, when I asked you to pray for my aunt Alice? And then I was pleased to inform you about a year ago, that she was declared cancer-free.

Well, I think it's pretty cool that today she turns 60 & has outstanding health. That's a thanks to God, that's for sure.

My aunt is well known for being creative & being an excellent story-teller.
When I was young, not only did she built great forts & decorate cakes like nobody's business, she could spin a tale better than a spider.

I figured she'd think it was fun if I interviewed her on her big day. I know I'm happy to preserve some of these memories...

How did you get the idea for your MAGGIE & BAGGIE stories?

I can’t remember how I got started telling the Maggie/Baggie Stories but it was when we lived on Drewel Court and you, Jeremy, Chris and Jason were small children. I had plenty of time to make up stories for all of you and I did too. All of you loved my stores. Daddy dated a woman named Maggie who we all loved. She was so sweet and also treated us good. She was playing with Jason one day and he was in his swing and she was down on her knees in front of him making him laugh. That is how I got the name Maggie for the story. But I am not sure when the story actually began or how I got the idea . But in my memories of Maggie, she was so sweet and that is why I named the good little girl Maggie. The name Baggie fit the bratty, mean little girl perfectly. I couldn’t think of another name for the mean girl, so I gave her the name Baggie.

Have you ever considered publishing children's stories?
No. But I wish I had at least written the stories down.

What was the wildest thing we did, as kids,that stands out in your mind?
So much fun was had sliding down our steep hill in the back yard on Drewel Court . We’d take boxes and flatten them out and slid down the hill and we could really go fast. But one day you took Jason part way up the hill on a bicycle and he got on and you gave him a push and he learned to ride a bicycle with no training wheels. He was only four. But we had fun playing hide and seek in the house and I used to act like a Tiger and you all would be so excited because you’d be hid and I’d be growling real loud and looking for you. Do you remember this? We had a lot of fun also at Drewel Park , but I can’t say it was wild.


What is your best memory of growing up w/ mom?
We would play for hours outside and never get tired. We made a house one day in the edge of the woods by our house and it had a wooden floor but no walls. We spent a lot of time with our favorite cousins, Jack and Bill and they were like brothers to us. Some of our best memories were walking to our little two room school in Sherman and the fun times spent there. It was about a mile. Sometimes on the way home, we would just strike out walking through the woods, never knowing where we’d end up. We just walked in the direction we thought our house was. Somehow, we always ended up pretty close to our house.

Do you have any memories of your mom?
Yes, I remember my mom and have several memories, although I was not quite four when she died. I remember one day back in Portageville when she was picking cotton and they took all the cotton and put it in the back of a truck. They told me that I rode the back of Mama’s cotton sack, but I can’t remember that. But I do remember the cotton all piled up real high in the back of the big truck and your mom and I jumped in the cotton. I remember Mama drove a truck in the cotton field one day and a man on the back of the truck fell off when she let out on the clutch too fast and made the truck jerk. I remember her laughing real hard over it. The man didn’t get hurt when he fell off. And I remember she was sick and in bed for a long time. One day your mom and I were arguing and getting rowdy and she told one of us to get a switch and she threatened to give us a spanking with the switch, but she didn’t. One day she was cutting up a chicken in a big dish pan and I was standing in a chair watching her. The chicken was a fresh chicken (one that you wring the neck and take feathers off yourself) anyway, there was blood in the water as she was cleaning and cutting the chicken up. I started crying because I thought she cut her hand and she explained to me that she didn’t cut her hand but it was chicken blood. I remember the day she died and everyone was crying. That is about all I can remember about Mama, wish I could think of more.

What is the best thing you remember about Grandpa?
Your Grandpa was quiet, kind and humble and would never argue with anyone. And he was above all honest. One of the best things he did was to make sure his family was always in church. We went real often (four times week) and we loved going.

Thank you for the answers... and the memories... hope your day is as special as you!

Reasons I Should Not Supervise Children, Installment #2

We had to wake Flynn from her nap, which typically means damage control for about the next hour or baby prozac, one of the two.
I joined Jeff who was bedside, doing his darndest to make her smile.

I laid next to her & instantly my crazy took over. I started to cry like a baby (have I mentioned what a fabulous baby voice I have?) & she kinda laughed but asked what I was doing.

"How about I be the baby & you can be my momma?" I proposed.

She was happy to oblige & I started to cry for a cup. My legs went flailing up & so did my arms... I cried for a cup & cried for my momma.
She hopped up & started toward the kitchen & that's when I gave her the idea of pretending her bookshelf was a refrigerator & she could give me a "pretend cup." She did & I gulped that right down & started crying for another.
She was a quick & obedient mother; but was still not quite as amused as I thought (hoped) she'd be.

That's when my legs went up again & I'm almost ashamed to admit this, but I made a 'noise' (you know what I'm getting at here) & told her, "Waa, waa, change my diaper."

Her already-large eyes, got even bigger & she stood frozen in the middle of her room, very much deer in the headlights. I said it again, "Baby go poo-poo!! Waa, waa, change baby's diaper!!!!"

By this point, she was edging toward her doorway & had a look in her eyes that I possibly have never seen.

"I don't think I want to play this anymore."

And out the door she went.

An Interview With My Mom

1. Was I as energetically obnoxious in utero as I am today?
You were very active, especially in my 8th and 9th month of pregnancy. I didn't mind though. I came close to losing you when I was 2 months pregnant; so, it was reassuring to have you kicking around.

2. What were you doing 34 years ago today?
At my last Dr appointment, he decided that I should be induced. So, on August 29th, I was getting ready for my trip to the hospital and getting loose ends tied up for your older siblings while I would be gone. I left very early for the hospital on August 30th. I was to be induced starting at 7:00 AM. Everyone was so excited that you were coming soon. All I had to do was wait for the labor pains to do their job and wonder if I was going to get a boy or a girl.

3. What name would I have, had I been a boy?
It was Christopher Daniel. Everyone in the delivery room thought you were going to be a boy because the heart beat was slower than a girl. As soon as they put you in my arms, you peed all over me. Loren rode through town on his bike telling everyone that.

4. What was the most memorable thing I said or did as a toddler?
Gee I can't remember specifics about one thing you said or did as a toddler. I wish I had kept a journal of you. Just like you are doing with your blog. You and I had such fun everyday with the little record player and your favorite tunes. You would put on something silly to wear and we would dance and have so much fun. We didn't know in addition to the fun it was also good exercise.

5. What makes me different from my sibs?
If a mom had a dozen kids each one would be different. One thing that makes you different than your brother or sister is you are honest with everyone and you speak your mind.

6. When I was 5, what did you think I would be as an adult?
At 5 years of age I don't think I wondered what you would be as an adult. I was concentrating on getting you through kindergarten. I was so concerned about the long bus ride (about 15 or 20 miles each way) to the temporary school that you had to attend all year because of Eureka Elementary burning down. Especially since you had motion sickness everyday on the bus.

7. Did you think I'd be a good mom?
I always knew my children would be great parents. You were shown so much love by all of us. You had the advantage of your dad and I being older and more mature when you came along. I remember the evening I came home from the doctor and we sat down with Loren and Angie at the kitchen table. We told them we had a surprise and would they like to guess what it was. Loren guessed a new car and Angie guessed a washing machine. They were so excited to know they were getting a new baby. They competed constantly for any opportunity to help take care of or play with you. The first thing they did when they got home from school everyday was run to greet you. It was always my prayer that you would be a nurturing and Godly mother.

8. How is my life different from how you'd expected it would be?
Your life is sort of what I expected it to be. Especially what I was hoping it would be. You do an amazing job with your family.

Thanks Mom, for your hard 'work' 34 years ago!