Tea Party with My Grand Daughter

I'm not sure whether it is the freedom that comes with age, or the realization of how precious time is as we watch our grandchildren grow, but I find being a grandmother (Mimi is what my grand daughter has named me) is the role that has set my spirit free.  Some days I find myself dancing to the 60's rock and roll music with her, other days, we act out the characters in the books we read together, and last week, we dressed up and had a proper tea party.  Taylor, who is all of two years old, took the concept of dressing up for our tea party very seriously and one would have thought she had spent her life playing hostess at such events.  As pictures often tell a story better than the written word, I think you'll see what I mean as I share pictures of our special, grown up tea party.

Summer Flowers

Every time I sit down at my computer to blog about something, I sit....and I think....and I wonder....what should I blog about today?  That little voice in my head tells me that surely I have much wisdom to share....after all, there aren't very many people who has experienced life quite as fully as what I have.  Yes....but where does one start?  The life lesson that I learned at age seventeen, that if you are in a careening vehicle going down a gravel hill, that you should think to pull your arm in the window before the car hits a bank and rolls over?  Naw...I think most people know that already......Well, then, I could go way back and talk about the advantages of being the first daughter born, after having three older brothers born before me.  I am thinking...what exactly were those advantages....other than learning how to fight like a boy with my fists and winning spitting contests?  Perhaps that I learned vocabulary that had me sitting in the time out chair more than I care to remember...Surely I could fill pages of what it was like to grow up in the 60's and having the distinction of being labeled as one of the first hippies (note...word pronounced as if it was a bad word) in our small high school.  On the other hand, my parents could have written the book on how to raise a rebellious daughter, who stood up for what she believed in and snubbed her nose at what she didn't.  In fact, if I could ask my precious Dad one thing, I've always wondered why he made the statement that he would raise those three boys all over again rather than raise one Brendy through her teenage years.

So you see my dilemma when I sit down in front of my blog, trying to decide what I should write about.  Really......where does one start?  One of these days, I'll  figure that out and share those delightful stories with you.  In the meantime, I'll be safe and share some pictures of my SUMMER flowers......

Yea....spring has sprung!

Is is just me or does it seems like this past winter lasted forever?  Maybe it has been because I have been cooped up most of the winter, but I feel like a bear who has been hibernating in a cave for the last six months! 

But, I am so happy to say that I think that Spring has finally arrived.  I always look forward to saying good bye to the cold Ohio winters.  I admit to suffering from the Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and spring fills me with a sense of renewal and energy.  I think I can best share with you what spring means to me through some pictures I recently took.  The first one is a picture of a painting that I just completed for my Mom.  Working in her flower beds gives me such pleasure and I wanted to paint a Happy Flower Picture to share with her the joy I feel when I am spending time with her.

The next two pictures show you my  biggest source of joy, my two year old granddaughter, Taylor.  She loves helping MiMi in my own flower beds and she is helping me dig up dirt in the first picture.  The second picture is a favorite of mine so I'm sharing it with you too.

The last pictures are my spring flowers in bloom.  When they begin blooming, I know for sure that spring is finally here!

 
Yep!  I love spring.....for so many reasons!

Missing my Little Store - SisterBrendy's Antiques and Novelties

It is hard to believe that it has almost been three years since I closed my store in the historic district of Nelsonville.  I enjoyed the camaraderie of close by store owners, namely Susan and her dear mother at The Nelsonville Quilt Company http://www.nelsonvillequilts.com/ and  Jenn at Nelsonville Pottery http://www.nelsonvillepottery.com/.  They were located just across the street from me and were such a big help after I bought my store on a whim while picking up a piece of furniture that I had previously bought.  That's right......I walked into the store to pick something up and left, becoming the official store owner the very next day.  Need I say that my husband was not pleased?  In fact, it was due to his illnesses that I decided to give up my store and focus on him and his health.  Little did I know that it would be me that would suffer the next years from kidney stone disease, of which I am still dealing with.

Back to SisterBrendy's.......It didn't take me long to figure out that being the proprietor of a small store also meant that you are the clerk, decorator, buyer, bookkeeper and janitor.  There were nights when I worked so late into the night that I would pull an old quilt and pillow off the shelf and sleep on the floor.  I never dreamed that I would have the energy to devote that kind of commitment to a business, but when it is something you love doing, it doesn't seem so bad.

Here are a few pictures of SisterBrendy's that I pull out and reminisce over when I need to bring back those great memories.


       DOUBLE CLICK ON PHOTOS TO ENLARGE

For those of you who are are still able to maintain a brick and mortal store, I hope the stories that your customers share with you and the many kindnesses shown to you by those customers who keep returning, fill your heart with joy.  Are you or have you ever been a store owner?  I would love to hear about the kind of stores that are out there.  Do you have any advice for new store owners?
If you will be in Southeast Ohio on Friday,  March 25, 2011, don't forget that it is Final Friday in Nelsonville  and the stores will be bursting with new items, new displays and lots of people to meet.  Maybe I will see you there!    Don't forget to stop in the Nelsonville Quilt Company and Nelsonville Pottery and be sure to tell Susan and Jenn that SisterBrendy said Hi!  Follow this link for more information about Nelsonville's Final Friday Event.  http://www.athensohio.com/whattodo/final-fridays-on-the-square

I'M BACK...WANT TO SEE WHAT HAS KEPT ME BUSY?



Copyright 2010 - Please do not copy or use on any website without this author's permission.

 I believe that I've already mentioned that I am a Piddler of All Things and a Master of Nothing. You might also want to make note of the fact that I am easily distracted and tend to jump from one type of project to another. I'm not sure what sparked my interest in wanting to draw and paint, especially since I could not even draw a stick man to look like a stick man. But because I've had a lot of down time after the wedding of my daughter due to illness, I decided to pursue this media of drawing with colored pencils and then progressing to paints. I am still very much a piddler at this and don't expect to master this hobby any better than I have my hobbies of the past. But I do have to tell you, the act of being focused on transferring something I see or feel within me...to paper ....has been far more rewarding than I would have ever guessed. That is why I am putting my "piddle work" out there for you all to see. I thought I should share what has occupied my hands and mind these past months while I have suffered from kidney stone disease. (To tell you about that would take many blog pages, so I will just say that the words frustration and pain does not give a clue to what I've been through!) Thankfully I had pencils and paper handy to pick up and play with when nothing else would hold any interest. I tell you this because I believe my "piddling" kept me from nose diving into a depression when I missed countless family gatherings and get togethers with my friends. So my message in sharing my very amateur drawings is to never be afraid to try something new. By keeping my hands and mind busy, I was not able to dwell upon my physical and mental health brought on by my illness. In closing this post, I will add one more drawing to share with you. It is of a young woman, not anyone I know or have seen, just someone who appeared upon my paper. I hope you have enjoyed a small part of me that I have chosen to share with

Jenna’s Wedding

On April 3, 2010, my lovely daughter was married to the Man of Her Dreams, Jon David George. All of her wedding plans came together so beautifully and this mother of the bride was awed by her daughter’s ability to create her wedding just as she wanted it to be. She had everything planned right down to the last detail! First of all, I need to tell you that she was the most beautiful bride I had ever seen. This picture captures her personality so beautifully.

The reception decor blew me away when it all came together…the little flower pots were filled with perennial flower seeds to be planted in honor of Jenna’s beloved Grandma Thompson, who underwent her second mastectomy last year due to breast cancer. The entire theme of the wedding was to honor her grandma and all women affected by breast cancer. Note the picture of her wedding cake with breast cancer ribbons adorning it.

Last, but certainly not least, is a picture of Jenna with her grandma….

An Uplifting Letter From My Sister

In response to my below post, my sister sent me the following email.  She wasn’t sure how to add it to my blog, so I told her I would add it here.  She has always known just what to say to make me feel better.  Indeed, the help she and my sister Trisha so lovingly provided to Jenna, along with their lovely daughters, added so much to the wedding and reception.  I will post more on the wedding as soon as we get the pictures back from the photographer.  Let me just say, it was everything that Jenna dreamed that it would be.

Dear "Mother-of-the-Bride,
I marvel as I watch Jenna prepare for her wedding.  She's a girl who does indeed know what she wants after all.  She has made her own decisions and is making this wedding a statement of the incredible young lady she has grown into. 
She didn't get there by herself, you know.  It was her mother who very carefully molded her into the beautiful soul that she is.  It was the delicate and devoted love and labor, the "lead by example", the ability to step back and be that "hidden" angel who has expected nothing in return for the million and one things you have done for her.  That was your part in this wedding, dear sister.  You did the hard part....now this is your chance to sit back and marvel at "a job  well done".  Enjoy the beauty of the moment and feel the pleasure of watching this precious young lady walk into a new life of love with the little package you have been preparing for the last 23 years, neatly tucked away in her heart. She will unfold that package each and every single day for the rest of her life...when it comes to decorating her house, her style may be different, but she will draw on her mother's ability to make a home "cozy".  When she entertains, she will draw upon her mother's warmth and hospitality, making each and every person that enters her home feel welcome.  When it comes to loving her husband, she will draw upon the same passion and devotion that she saw you give to Sonny through the years and she will know that when the "honeymoon" wears off and the real life begins and at times feels difficult, that its the stamina and ability to ride the storm that she so often watched her mother do, that will get her through the tough times.  She will know how to balance work and home with time management skills that only a loving mother can do, because there will be years when it would be impossible to "do it all" without that super power in the depth of a mother's soul that develops from shear love and devotion. 
Okay, I'm not sure if she will ever be able to fold laundry like you...who could?!  There are so many things about filling your shoes that will be difficult to attain.  I know.....believe me, as your younger sister, I have tried...always.  I have learned to take all the special qualities of you that I admired and make them my own.  You taught me so many things that I never could have been without your guidance...
Yes, Jenna is doing this wedding her way.  But you gave her the priceless gift of "independence" and because of that, she has the ability to plan a wedding and walk into a whole new life of happiness.  She's doing a "breast cancer" theme because you taught her that its not "all about her" and shared with her your incredible unselfishness and the ability to give to others in a unbelievable way.
My prayer for you is that you are able to sit back and ENJOY THE MOMENT and relish in A JOB WELL DONE and savor the beauty and wonder of this precious girl growing up.  This is not losing a daughter, but gaining the joy of watching her develop a new life of her own. 
And thereafter.... I pray that you welcome every new day as a fresh beginning in God's grace and allow your own world to be made new.
You and Jenna are so, so, dear to me!!!!  What a pleasure it is for me to share in this most special event.
Love you, SisterBrendy,
Jeannie