Button Love

My last couple of posts have been about
things from my past and this post is
no different.    My maternal Grandmother
known as Mamaw Mary was an wonderful
seamtress.   Mary Ellen Walker Grubbs
raised 4 children by sewing for the public.
She loved buttons, ric rac, lace, etc.

When I found  the blog Northern Cottage and
saw the necklaces and braclets made from
buttons, I thought I want to make one of these!!

So grab her button...THE TOP ONE on my
blog and go look!  You will love it!  And
keep your fingers crossed for me...I would
love to win the button braclet!!!

~Janis

                                                      Valentine's Day 
                                    Thru the Years

Today's post is a walk thru my past Valentine's Days.

How many of you remember making these?
And how about these?

Anyone else willing to confess looking thru
your shoebox to see if your "boyfriend" had
put a Valentine in your box.  Or better yet
a special Valentine in your box. 
Anyone else willing to confess looking thru
your box over and over and over and making
sure everyone gave you a Valentine? 
Great Memories!!!!

How about this?

This was a MUST for Valentine's Day!!!
Looking thru the box finding just the right HEART
to give to your friends.

And of course at my house Valentine's Day
always meant one of these from my Daddy.

Another great memory.  You know, I still
love those little boxes of Valentine chocolates!

Then the teenage years.....
Some Valentine's Days were wonderful...
others not so much :(.
Gosh, glad those years are far, far behind me.

Then the years of Flowers and Chocolates....

David never forgot.  I loved them all.
He still would but I insist NO!
This year with both ourselves a new bird feeder!
Funny!  But we love it!!!

Valentine's Day is a good day to celebrate with
the ones with love.  And I'm definitely not bashing
Valentine's Day but I read something this morning
that made me think differently about Valentine's Day.


THE BEST VALENTINE'S GIFT

John 3:16 KJV



For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

~Janis

Give Away a French Buttons


Click on the French Buttons Button
on my side bar and enter the drawing
for this Beatiful necklace and braclet.
If you win will you share?
~Janis
And read her blog ...you'll love it!!

                           Remembering My Daddy
                    Also know as PAPAW

The anniversary of my Daddy's death known to many as Papaw is
coming up on February 18th.   It has been 8 years and not a day
goes by that I don't see something or someone that brings back a
memory of him.

If your Dad is still living make sure you spend every minute
you can with him.  You are blessed to have him.

To everyone that is reading this that knew my Daddy or Papaw
please know if he knew you, he loved you.  That's just the kind
of guy he was.  And if you had children...He LOVED your children.
He loved being Papaw to soo many kids.  They brought such
joy to him.

He was a great Daddy.  He taught me so much about everything.

And I mean everything...you see I was a "surprise".  I have
two older brothers they were 9 and 6 when I was born. So you
guessed it I was  SPOILED but not in a bratty way.
I was spoiled with his time and attention and you will
understand this when you keep reading.

Yep, I was Daddy's little girl and I'm still Daddy's little girl
54 years later.

Just want to name some of things my Daddy taught me while
he was SPOILING me.

Hope some of them will make you smile....

Daddy taught me to:

Fish...but no way was I putting the worm on the hook or
taking the fish off the hook.  And cleaning the fish.
NO WAY but he made me watch.

Frog gigging...I think that is how you spell it. Went once
and was scared to death!!!

How to have fun camping and sleeping in sandy
sleeping bags and swimming in cold spring feed
streams.

How to make compost including shoveling horse and sheep
poop! How to hold a pitchfork and not throw it when you
throw the hay.  Yes, I was dangerous with a pitchfork.

The difference between a water mocassin, a copperhead, and
a rattlesnake.  YIKES!!!  Scared to death of them but I know what
they look like!

How to find the perfect cedar tree in the woods to cut and
bring home for our Christmas tree.

How to tell if an apple, peach, pear, strawberry etc. was
ripe enough to pick.

How to shell blackeyed peas, snap green beans, and "thump"
a watermelon to see if it was ripe.

How to shake the limbs on a pecan tree to make the pecans
fall and how to tell a "green" pecan from a ripe pecan.  (Taught
me this after a terrible stomach ache from eating green pecans!)

How to shell pecans, how to graft native pecan trees with papershell
pecan saplings.

Names of trees, plants, flowers....he knew them all!

How to grow just about anything!  He had a super green thumb and
mine is getting greener every growing season.  You know I think he tends
to my flowerbeds from Heaven. 

How to deliver presents and food baskets to the needy at
Christmas.

How to drive a riding lawnmower and how to drive
a stick shift three speed on the column.

Birds, birds, birds.  The man knew them all and what they
like to eat and where they nest.  He use to drive me crazy
with all the facts...but today I know my birds.

AND MUSIC....he loved Country music.  He had the
radio on all the time in the car and the stereo on all
the time in the house.

So tonight in his honor you are listening to one of his favorites.

And if you knew my Daddy aka Papaw send a hug towards
heaven tonight to him.  He is smiling down on you.

Love you and still miss you Daddy,

~Janis

******Yes, she was a BEAUTIFUL Baby******

All mothers think their babies are beautiful, and they are, but
some are just more beautiful than others.

Yes, Ashley was a beautiful baby and yes the most beautiful
of all as far as I'm concerned!

We waited for her almost 6 years so we were very ready!

She was tiny so her delivery was no big deal.   REALLY!!!
I was so drugged they had to wake me up to tell me
I was having a contraction and wake me up to
tell me to push. 

She was a little peanut 5 lbs. 14 1/2 ounces so no
pointy head , smashed nose, or red marks.  Just a
tiny, perfect, beautiful baby girl with a LOUD unending
cry...oh wait...that can be a whole other post!
Let's not talk about those unending days and
nights of crying.


Let's just concentrate on BEAUTIFUL  because she was and
is!!!

Happy Birthday Ashley aka Sissy we love you!!

Ashley and her BEAUTIFUL baby boy Hartmann at 6 months.
Hartmann is now almost 15 months and on the move!!

Happy Birthday Ashley.........

A dream is a wish your heart makes


When you're fast asleep

In dreams you lose your heartaches

Whatever you wish for, you keep

Have faith in your dreams and someday

Your rainbow will come smiling thru

No matter how your heart is grieving

If you keep on believing

the dream that you wish will come true


What little girl does not grow up loving Cinderella?
Well Ashley loved Cinderella more and more as she
got older.   We purchased every Cinderella doll,
book, albumn, snowglobe, etc.......
AND OF COURSE WE WATCHED CINDERELLA
TO MANY TIMES TO COUNT!!!

In fact, her husband took her to a Cinderella production
and then proposed to her at his apartment with a
banner stating  "Will you be my Cinderella?"

JUST HOW MUCH MORE CINDERELLA CAN
YOU BE?

Well, there is more.  As the words state in the
song "A dream is a wish your heart makes..."
Read all the words again and you will understand.

Ashley is our (Mom and Dad's) Cinderella.
After a long time (almost seven years) a little surgery
and some fertile drugs...our Cinderella arrived on
Feb 4, 1983...all 5 lbs and 14 1/2 ounces ....YEP!!!
CINDERELLA  she is!!!!!

                                          


SO TURN UP THE VOLUME AND LISTEN
WE GIRLS ALL LOVE CINDERELLA.....

~Janis

                                 Celebrating HER Birthday


This is the first of three posts I'll be making to wish our daughter

               Ashley L. Fletcher Gurski

Happy Birthday on Friday, February 4, 2011.

Just a simple post so she will know we love her!

I'm hoping she and YOU will listen the first two songs before
you move on the next blog, email, or wherever you might go.

Two songs that are powerful and meaningful if you take the
time to listen.

Okay, this post would not be complete without a picture of
Ashley.  I have hundreds (maybe thousands) but I have none
of her when she was a baby scanned into my computer.  I
know, I know I need to get busy on that but for now..here
are a couple of her.

Love you bunches......MOM & Dad aka GrandMommy & Papa