The weather didn’t look or feel like Halloween, but it was another fun celebration- just a warmer one.
We missed those who couldn’t make it.
Happy trick-or-treating next weekend!
Love,
JoAnn
P.S. My costume may or may not have even been worn.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BROOKLYN!
Missed these guys, but they did go to a pumpkin farm.
Today is Mother’s Day-
a special day to remember and honor and support our mothers.
It’s a day for appreciating the many things that they taught us.
It’s a time for reflecting on all the work they did for us (and because of us?).
It is also a chance for sharing the love we feel for them.
For some of us, it is a day to really, really miss them.
(It’s been twenty-eight years since my sweet mother passed away and I still miss her so much! My wonderful mother-in-law has been gone for four years.)
What a void they leave in our lives!
I not only have a mother, but I am a mother, too.
I can’t even begin to express my gratitude for my wonderful children, their spouses, and our grandchildren.
WHAT A BLESSING MOTHERHOOD IS TO ALL OF US!
My mother was the best! She did it all. She was loving and kind. She cooked delicious food and kept our house cozy and clean. She washed our clothes, shined our shoes, and curled our hair. She saw to it that we took piano lessons and learned to cook and sew. She sacrificed for our educations. She was fun and played with us. Do I feel lucky? Yes, I’m very blessed.
My mother-in-law was an amazing woman, too! She was strong and independent during a time when women didn’t have the voice they do today. She led her family by example. She was also kind and loving. Her home was a safe place for her children, one that often was moved to different parts of the country because of her husband’s work. “Home” went with them, always providing the security they were used to. I feel blessed once again!
Today I was reminded that not all people are as fortunate when it comes to their mothers. A young man at our church shared his story of having a mother addicted to cocaine when he was born. He was later abused by a step-mother for many years. His first experience of knowing a loving mother was as an adult meeting his future mother-in-law. He wasn’t bitter, but took comfort in the knowledge that his own wife was a loving mother to their children.
So, as I wander around the house today, missing both our moms like crazy, and wishing we could spend the day together catching up on all the news , I take great comfort in the knowledge that we were truly blessed by our angel mothers!
Happy Mother’s Day!
JoAnn
P.S. Missing Aunt Mardene, too. A mother isn’t just the person who brings you into this world.
neither very good nor very bad 'What's your French like?' 'Oh, fair to middling.'
See also: fair
Mediocre, pretty good, so-so, as in I asked them how they liked their new home and John answered, "Fair to middling. This phrase, often a reply to an inquiry about one's health, business, or the like, is redundant, since fair and middling both mean "moderately good." [Mid-1800s] Also see can't complain.
See also: fair
(Thanks Free Dictionary by Farlex)
I’ve been wanting to update my post for a while now. I’ve had good intentions. Really. I even planned on blogging every single day during Spring Break to show that there is still life here at The Gathering Place. But, it just didn’t happen. I can’t even justify why because I’m not sure which excuse to use. I have a whole list if anyone really wants to know.
I’ve been pondering my blog content and the direction (or lack of) that I want it headed towards. Maybe that is my problem. I’m not a decorating blog, unless a few random before and after photos count. Even when I do have a “Fixer-upper” moment, my photography skills are less than stellar and nothing ever looks as good in print as I think it should. I consider myself a faithful “foodie”, but my dishes seldom get photographed before consumption. My travel photos are few and far between. (I teach school which might have something to do with that.) I love posting photos of my grandkids, but that is walking a fine line between showing off and would-you-like-to-to-sit-for-hours-as-I-show-you-all-my-pictures.
I enjoy writing, but shudder to think of the mistakes a true writer would find in my posts. (Thanks, Ken for catching my spelling mistake-shutter!) I truly envy those who can make their words magic, or who find clever ways to say something ordinary.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that sometimes I question why I’m a blogger, (I know, anyone can be called a blogger) but I do love the creative outlet a blog is for me, and my greatest enjoyment from blogging is in making new friends. So while this little blog barely hangs on, and my posts are anything but regular, thanks for visiting me.
I think I’ve found my niche-
“Fair to middling”,
but I’ll take it.
JoAnn
P.S. Thanks to Andrew and Irene for strongly suggesting we get some good garden mulch and then for actually helping us go get it and spread it all around!
P.P.S. The gorgeous sunset tonight was a gift I stumbled on to as I went outside for something else.
P.P.P.S. Thanks, Sue for the gentle reminder.
Is there such a thing as P.P.P.S.?
I have enjoyed reading your supportive comments about decorating our homes with things we love. I guess we all tend to want to show off our children or grandchildren, and who doesn’t want to remember a fabulous vacation? What else is one to do, but cover every available space with family memorabilia.
(I’m glad I’m not alone in doing this.)
This family portrait, drawn by daughter Katie many years ago, is one of my favorites. While none of us would be accused of being handsome, I think this rendition of my husband with his lopsided mustache, shaggy side burns, and high ears is quite endearing. He wore that mustache for many years and it is a huge part of our memories of him as a young dad! I guess my hair color is spot on for a dishwater blonde, and I’d give anything to be that trim once again. Artist Katie did a great job recreating the various outfits and other details of each family member. Yes, this picture makes me smile.
Together
we make a
f a m i l y !
While none of us is perfect, we do make wonderful memories..
And that is why my house is covered with personal memorabilia.
JoAnn
Clip art by Fiddlesticks
It’s a good thing my house isn’t on the market.
I watch enough decorating shows to know that too many personal momentos and photos do not make a house “buyer-friendly”. Neutral is the big guide for making a place sellable.
We pretty much don’t do either.
Our grand kids hang on the wall of the office. (Yes, that sounds wrong-but they really are climbers, so in a way it works.) Some day their pictures will all show them between three and four years old, but a few aren’t quite there yet.
A family mini-gallery hangs in the living room.
Some of our ancestors pictures are also hanging in the office.
(My husband just finished putting the popular shiplap on one wall.)
There are a lot more pictures throughout the house .
A LOT!
Our book shelves are adorned with more photos, Ken’s dad’s American flag, grandmother’s tea cups, inherited vases, old tools, and some antique family books and dishes. We have items brought back from vacations. We have inherited souveniers from our parents and grandparents travels. Practically everything has a personal story behind it. If we ever sell this house, we’ll have to empty it out completely before we show it.
But…
It is kind of nice walking in to a room and being reminded of people and places we love.
When asked what our decorating style is, perhaps we’ll have to create a new phrase-
“Sentimental family museum style--collected over time.”
Does any one else have this same dilemina?
JoAnn
P.S. Even my office windows are family decorated.
The scene outside my windows this morning is WHITE. Very white. Yes, it is snowing here in Utah. We haven’t been pelted like Washington and other places back east, and the airports probably aren’t in any danger of closing, but the snow is starting to accumulate on the ground and it is looking quite pretty (since I don’t have any travel plans for the day)!
Which reminds me, I didn’t ever finish posting my December/holiday photos. I realize that finding Christmas photos on a blog at the end of January is probably not on anyone’s wish list, however, I’d like it to be in my record, so here goes.
My husband and I went down town in early December to attend a Christmas concert with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. It was a beautiful, crisp evening. The Latter-day Saint Temple is a perfect back drop for all the colorful lights.
The Conference Center, which seats 21,200 people was filled to capacity. (This is a wonderful, free concert produced by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as a Christmas gift to the community. It will be available to purchase as a DVD later.) The choir and orchestra were in place, ready for sinding, dancing, bell-ringing, and wonderful narration. Laura Osnes, a broadway star, British actor Martin Jarvis, and four soloists from the Metropolitan Opera were all primed for an amazing concert-which it was!
We lingered a bit after and enjoyed the beauty and magic of snow, colored lights, and crowds of happy people.
This reflecting pond was stunning.
It was a lovely evening which we will always remember.
Even in January.
Thanks!
JoAnn
P.S. The second annuall Clegg Christmas pagaent is still a work in progress.
