Cole's Little Miners

Those check out stand displays really work, I buy more stupid magazines and gum than I can stand.  While waiting to check out at Home Depot this week I saw something "cute".  Little head bands with a light attached to it, these were made for children, Tinker Bell and Cars logo.  Latter that day as I was loading my trunk with some other purchases Cross spies these treasures.  He ask what they are and I tell him, of course he wants it as does sister Cannan.  You know I can't say no.  So now they are both walking around with miner lights on their foreheads.  I got a text message that night from their Dad saying that it looked like a light saber match in progress in their bedroom, about an hour after than I got a second text saying they were still up and he was just hoping the F&%$#ng batteries would run out. Good thing it was late and he was to tired to drive over and beat me up.  Hee hee, the joys of being a granny.

I went to Tatum's school today to surprise her and have lunch together.  I came armed with a small cheese pizza some fruit and apple juice.  She was happy to see me but wanted to go thru the line and get her lunch, I had heard from her Mommy that she was eating a lot of baked potatoes and sure enough that was her choice.  She looked so grown up with the other kindergartners.  Even if she wasn't interested in the pizza some of her classmates were, she made a lot of friends with several of the little boys.  We held hands and walked out of lunch with the others in her class and I left her to go to her next class......to big, to soon too sad.

I have started packing my house for the sale, there are some things I wish I couldn't do and unfortunately I am a pretty good packer, I have had plenty of practice and I am to cheap to hire a mover to do what I am capable of doing myself.  A lot of my things are going to The Last Resort and other than some clothes and personals the rest of my things are going to storage.  I am also giving away "stuff" that the Resort doesn't need and I don't want.  Feels good to lighten the load.

While I was going thru some furniture I came across my Grandmothers obituary.  It made me smile and I want to share it.

On April 28th at 10 a.m. family and friends gathered to celebrate a life.  Jennie Lorenen McBride Tatum passed from this earth on April 26, 2007 at Green Acres Nursing Home.  She was born in Davis, Oklahoma on August 18, 1909 to Jim and Ida Mae Mcbride.

She was sister to Jessie, Dellar, Myrtle and Lillie.  She was Mother to Bobbie Jo and monster-in-law to Vandell Oler and Douglas Fenter.  Along the way she mothered four grand kids: Jeannette, Johnny, Jackie and Jeannine; three step-grands: Judy, Susie and Danny; 13 great-grands, 15 great-great-grands and two great-great-great-grands.  WOW!  There may be more, if you were left out, contact us.

Jennie lived a full life that was filled with joy and abundance.  At  97 she all used up and slid into her grave with a smile on her face saying, "Wow, what a ride!"

We know not one soul that had the love of life and pure day-to-day joy that Granny did.  She made every day count.  She might not have been the best housekeeper, buy you were always welcome, the best cook, but you always left the table full or the best seamstress in the county but here quilts would keep you warm.   Outside was always more fun than inside and the garden was more fun than washing dishes, the cows and chickens were more fun than washing clothes but nothing was more important than family.

Granny had a wonderful style all her own.  She wore shorts when grandmothers didn't but she was the coolest granny because she knew when and where to wear them.  Granny was never considered prim and proper, but who wants prim and proper when you can have a "Fatty" as Grandpa called her. Buster loved Fatty and Fatty loved Buster.  Bobbie Joe didn't have just a mother, she had a best friend and someone to help raise her four young'ns. "I love you" was a phase reserved for Buster and Bobbie, and although we knew we were loved by her, she never singled us out by telling us so.  Her response was "And I think a lot of you kids, too."

This was not a sad passing of a loved one - it was a celebration of a life well lived.

Everyone will miss Jennie, but after a brief sense of loss all the memories will flood over us and they will be relived and passed on for many years to come.  No sorrow, only joy in the knowledge that we were able to share her amazing life's journey.

We loved you Granny, and we know you thought a lot of us kids too.

R.I.P.  Granny Jennie   You were loved

Good nigh to all