On this day an angel was born

April 19, 2018 / kstrick7 / Leave a comment

Mama, me, & Mamaw. Obviously this was late 80s. Just putting that out there.

Today, on April 19th, would have been my Mamaw’s 98th birthday. If ever an angel walked the Earth she was one. She loved us and if you asked any of us which grandchild was her favorite, we would have confidently replied, “I am.” She just had a way of making each one of us feel that special. Not everyone has that ability. If you have one person in your life that makes you feel such chocolate gravy and biscuits good, you are truly blessed.

Mamaw & her grandgirls

Now, she loved her family but most of all she loved the Lord. She put that love for the Lord in each of her grandchildren’s hearts. All of us have done our part to pass that along to our kids. I will forever be thankful to have been loved by such a good, Godly woman.

What my Mamaw left for us

April 19, 2017April 19, 2017 / kstrick7 / 2 Comments

Today is a special day. On April 19^th, 1920 my grandmother was born to Jeff & Ella Hayes Lynch. And y’all let me tell you, if the Lord ever put an angel on this earth, she was one of them.

Mama, Me, & Mamaw 1990

She was so dedicated to her family & friends. She went to church every time the doors were open & taught her kids to do the same. She was the backbone in our family. She, along with my grandfather, were upright, righteous, salt of the earth people. When she left this walk of life, I was heartbroken. She left me pieces of her jewelry. She left me the ability to cook. She left me a Christian example to follow. The main thing she left me was the knowledge of a Godly inheritance. Her example was passed on to my mother, then to me & my brother. I am doing my best to pass the gift of the Lord’s salvation on to my children & grandchildren, too. I am going to do all I can to make sure believing in Jesus does not stop with me. I want to share the Word & what it can do for others. Especially with my family. Thankfully, Timothy had a Godly grandmother & mother that taught him about the Lord.

II Timothy 1:5

when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also.

When you think of your walk with Christ, will your believing stop with you? Will you pass the love of the Lord to your kids? Or will the wonderful thing Christ did for us just be carelessly forgotten? Please don’t let the good news of Christ stop with you. Be personally responsible for letting it go through generations of your family.

Hebrews 2:3

…how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him,

I hope you all are having a great week. Oh & by the way, that Easter weekend just flew by. We had grandkids & kids over. We had a fish fry & just enjoyed being together. My Dad came out for the fish fry. He’s doing some better. Prayers are appreciated! Sunday we went to church, per our usual, & then ate like pigs & hid Easter eggs for the grandkids. I hope you had a blessed Easter. Until next time, I have to be going because I have to be washing clothes.

And just like that, November was over & December scripture writing plan

December 1, 2016December 1, 2016 / kstrick7 / Leave a comment

Hey y’all! I hope everyone had a wonderful & blessed Thanksgiving. Ours was so good. We had family over & ate & ate & ate. But hey, it’s ok. We won’t have to do that again for another few weeks. Since I have made myself pretty scarce here lately, I will try to catch you up a bit on what’s been a happening.

Miss Neenee had a birthday. It has become more like a birthday week. It takes over & it’s hard to get rid of it.

Miss Neenee & Daddy

First we started out with Sunday lunch, for her birthday. When we said, “Eat”, of course Daddy was there!

Miss Neenee & Mr. Sweetie Pants

Mr. Sweetie Pants was so excited to give Miss Neenee her present.

He can be so sweet! No wonder I call him Mr. Sweetie Pants!

Then, on Friday night, some of her friends came for a little Escape Room fun.

Miss Neenee got one of those cute candy bar posters. Thus, this ended her birthday week. Along with Orange Danishes for breakfast on her birthday, cupcakes, presents, calls, texts, instagram messages, visits, & a sleepover.

My girls

Then, there was Thanksgiving. I just don’t know what I would do without these 2 girls in my life. As her custom, Livie spent the night with us on Thanksgiving Eve. We all had breakfast together the next morning. Which was a BLESSING. Because I love all these people to pieces, y’all.

I sure do love these faces BIG!

My nephew is in his 1st semester at Ole Miss. He’s got straight A’s, is in a fraternity, is living in the dorm, ~~is chasing girls,~~ making new friends, & did I say has straight A’s?? He’s a smarty pants alright. My sweet niece, Livie, is playing basketball, is sophomore class president, she’s active in her church, & is going to be 16 years old this month. She’s precious as the day is long. I was so glad they haven’t gotten too big to come hang out with their aunt.

My eldest daughter always makes something festive for occasions that arise throughout the year. This Thanksgiving, she made a turkey cheeseball. It was so good, too. She also made some chocolate covered pumpkin & cream cheese candy. I told her on Friday she needed to come get them, I was eating too many of them.

She said, “Eat them all, I don’t want to bring them home.”

Well, I must have taken that for some sort of commandment or something because I just about did. My middle daughter made chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter pies, & mashed potatoes. Which was also really good. Miss Neenee helped me cook everything else. She’s quite handy that way. We ate a lot & laughed a lot.

My people- JW, Livie, Bud, & Miss Neenee

Oh, I do have to tell you one more thing. You know we have these grandkids that are entertaining as the dickens. Well, not to be shown up, Daddy was in rare form at dinner. He went to a whole new level of hilarious. I promised him I wouldn’t share any pictures. But just think about this,

my 72 year old Daddy & Snapchat filters.

Could. Hardly. Contain. Myself. We laughed until we couldn’t laugh anymore. He looked like a deer in one, a panda bear in another, and I believe he had a rainbow spewing out of his mouth on the one we had to quit on. When my E.A. & him get together, there’s always trouble. And she was the one that provided the Snapchat filters for the entertainment.

Lastly, I didn’t want to forget the December scripture writing plan. Shannon at Sweet Blessings does such a wonderful job on these each month. So blessed that she lets me share these with y’all.

I hope y’all have had a great couple of weeks. We are looking forward to the next holiday, which is THIS MONTH. Miss Neenee & me put up the Christmas tree. I think it’s the earliest I have ever put it up. These grandbabies just make it so exciting! Yay Christmas!

While we were putting up the tree, Miss Neenee decided a cup of hot chocolate would be really nice. Doesn’t this look good? She fixed it all up herself & gave it to me. It was really rich & creamy & probably had no calories at all, since we were on a holiday & putting up the tree & having a good time. I hear calories don’t count at times like that.

Until next time, I have to be going, because I should be washing clothes.

photo credit: http://www.swtblessings.com

Well, better late than never – November Scripture Writing Plan & guess what day it is?

November 7, 2016November 7, 2016 / kstrick7 / Leave a comment

Well, better late than never, y’all. This is the November Scripture Writing Plan. I am sorry it’s late. I hope you are having a blessed month. Thanksgiving is this month & Christmas is right around the corner. Where has 2016 gone to? That guy has been moving like lightning here lately.

Shannon over at Sweet Blessings, lets me share this with y’all every month. I am so thankful for her sweet heart!

Also, today is Miss Neenee’s 13th birthday! Just this morning, my brother said,

“She’s a teenager now, ain’t she?”

With that, I started gasping for air & curling up in the fetal position, because y’all. This is my baby. It seems just like yesterday she was wearing pigtails to kindergarten. And now, BOOM! another teenager rallying through the ranks. Peace be still.

Until next time, I will be going, because I should be washing clothes.

Yesterday she would have been 69 & 5 things it’s changed about me

November 24, 2015November 24, 2015 / kstrick7 / Leave a comment

I texted my brother. I called my Daddy. I told Miss Neenee & my sweetie. I went by the cemetery on the way to work. Yesterday, my Mama would have been 69 years old.

Mama, Me, & Mamaw 1990

I don’t want to get all weird with this. Other than, her being gone has changed a lot about me.

It has made me appreciate life & being with my loved ones.

Me, Mama, Mamaw, & Papaw circa 1978

2. It made me realize I am not the boss of my health & it can falter at any time.

3. It lights a fire under me to accomplish & get done what I need to & want to today. I’m not promised another minute to get those things done. Mama was always mindful of the brevity of life. She would always say before we left home,

“Get this mess up. What if something was to happen & somebody was to come in this house?”

For shame that someone saw a coaster out of place on the coffee table. But, that’s just how she was. And I’m glad. I wouldn’t have wanted her any other way.

4. Family was so important to her. She loved & looked forward to all of our get togethers. I have gotten closer to my family in the past several years, as well.

Mama’s baby brother, Mamaw, Mama, Mama’s older sister, Mama’s middle brother at Christmas circa 1984

5. She always went to church. Even when Daddy had to dress her, pick her up & put her in her wheelchair & bring her. It made me know if she could go to church, in her shape, there was NO reason for me not to be there. She was a wonderful Christian example. Because of that I have grown deeper in my faith.

Me & Mama after church circa 1995

Here are a couple more pictures of her in my “Mama Shrine” today.

On the back of this picture if had,"Taken on the day we walked all over the place." She was sitting on the door step washing her feet.

On the back of this picture it had,”Taken on the day we walked all over the country.” She was sitting on the door step washing her feet.

I won’t ~~bore~~ overly inform you with more Mama stories. For that you can go here. I am just so thankful this ol’ world had her for 55 years. Now the Lord has her for the rest.

Hope you are having a great day. You know what’s Thursday! Bring on the family & turkey. My favorite. Until next time , I should be washing clothes.

Thanksgiving surprise & who I love

November 10, 2015November 10, 2015 / kstrick7 / Leave a comment

Well, apparently it’s 2 weeks until Thanksgiving & nobody bothered to tell me. Even though I have been reminding everyone how it’s so many weeks until Christmas, Thanksgiving just left me this year. And by the way, I have been getting some terrible deer in the head light looks when the mere mention of Christmas is made. I suggested to my sweetie maybe this year we should start Christmas shopping & have all our gifts bought by Thanksgiving, (which obviously I thought was at another time). He laughed & explained to me I would never be able to do that, since it is my custom to lose my hair & run around like a crazy woman the weeks & days leading up to Christmas. Well, shut the front door, he was right. However, I have had some happy things going on here of late. Mainly in the name of kids, of course. Here are some highlights of my weekend.

This is what you look like when you have “Super Speed”.

And on a very related note, as you can see, this was at a local cell phone store where I was attempting to do some business. However, was having to constantly remind Mr. Sweetie Pants that the cell phone store was NOT specifically the place to be exhibiting this said “Super Speed”. WHEW! I was one tired Grand by the time I left. Thankfully, I had a helpful Miss Neenee with me.

It was Miss Neenee’s birthday & we were going to see Disney on Ice. Mr. Sweetie Pants was being sassy, so I asked him did he not want to go see Mickey Mouse? He promptly, let me know, he did not want to see anything. Please refer to the above photo.

So, this is why we go to see Disney on Ice each year. Mesmerized & happy faces. That’s what we have here.

Next, you have this one who obviously loves Disney just as well. I mean, crown him king Mickey, hello. Or maybe EA’s Prince Charming? Awww…..

Then, you have these faces, squished up against my face. Love.These.Faces.

I’m not sure if my son has some new leg warmers & back pack or if he was attacked by munchkins. Either way, they are all cute as can be.

And it was all because of this girl. Happy birthday Miss Neenee! More to come this weekend!

I am so very thankful for all these sweet people in my life. Since this month is Thanksgiving, (who would forget that?) I ran across this 30 day scripture reading plan. I know I’m a little late, but it’s still a wonderful exercise to commit to spend your time in God’s word.

I hope you all are having a good week. Now that I’ve realized it’s time for Thanksgiving, I will be making my menu for Thanksgiving dinner. What will you be making? Until next time, I have to go, because I should be washing clothes.

photo credits: Facebook

The Willie & Waylon method of parenting

June 23, 2015June 23, 2015 / kstrick7 / 3 Comments

My brother, of whom I affectionately refer to as “Bud”.

It’s funny how everybody has opinions about how to raise kids. Some things work for this kid. Other tactics work for that one. No two kids are exactly alike. That’s for sure! My mama, being the good Southern mother she was, had an unconventional approach to parenting. It appears she used the “Willie Nelson/Waylon Jennings method”. If you ain’t quite sure what in the world that is, just follow me down this rabbit trail for a bit.

Mama loved to listen to country music. Willie & Waylon were 2 of her favorites. The song, “Mamas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys” was literally written about how to bring up your kids. The lyrics go:

Mama don’t let your babies grow up to be cowboys Don’t let ’em pick guitars and drive them old trucks Make ’em be doctors and lawyers and such

So, that’s just what mama did. She made sure my brother was raised with all the Southern graces & hospitality that a boy could be. He did not attend cotillion classes, however, was well versed in how to act right, carry on conversations with politeness, & mind his manners at the table. His learning came from being a preacher’s kid. My mama wouldn’t have her kids carrying on like a bunch of hooligans. He was to behave & “act like he had some raisins’ ”. She was the first to tell him when his behavior was less than stellar. Many times it could be a swift smack. My mama was a smacker. So you knew what was coming if you did step out of line. Daddy was more of a belt man. I saw this the other day & thought, yep, more people need to be buying & using these.

Daddy did use the occasional ping pong paddle. But, low & behold, it must not have done any permanent damage to Bud because, ya’ll, he grew up to be a lawyer. Just like Willie & Waylon used to sing about. And mama was so proud of him. She wouldn’t boast of it much, because, you know, not everybody’s boy got to be a lawyer. She didn’t want people to think for a second ANY of us had become high falootin’. (Because mama didn’t raise him to think he was better than anybody else. It must have really worked. He has passed that attribute on to his kids. Who are both a hoot & a half, but are very grounded in life.) I would say, if done right, the Willie & Waylon parenting method has some salt to it. For my brother, at least. It kept him from:

Growing up to be a cowboy. (the kind that is a self seeking wanderer & never stays in one place for long at a time. Which we did think for awhile there he was going to be a bachelor for life. But thank the LORD for my sister-in-law, who changed all that for good.) Mind you he has cleaned many a barn stalls, rode horses, tended to hogs, chickens, dogs, cats, & swam in the branch on hot summer days.
Being a truck driver. Albeit, there are worse things to be. However, he has opted for a life off the road to make his living. Although, there was the time he moved to Atlanta to work. He lived in his car, ate on the run, & didn’t shower much. That’s kinda like a truck driver.
Never staying home & always being alone. Let me say he would much rather be at home than traveling. It’s just something about sleeping in a house with all your peeps under one roof, that is good for the soul. There is always camaraderie going on with his bunch. Ne’er a dull moment.
Loving smoky ole pool rooms. Mind you, he does love a friendly game of pool. He has never been the one to let leisure & responsibility collide. Being responsible & a rock for us all to lean on has always been his specialty. This is where I need to say he is God fearing, too. Good people is what he is.
Being hard to love. If you are around my brother, for any amount of time, & do not deem him likeable & more fun than a ride at the county fair, then you need to quit being such a stick in the mud. He’s always the life of the party. He loves to laugh. And ya’ll, he is quite the dancer. Not the kind of dancer that has any rhythm, but hey, he’s out there trying. You have to LOVE that. My kids think he is the BEST & hands down, I totally agree.

I know Father’s Day has just passed, but I did want to give a shout out to a WONDERFUL brother, daddy, & friend. He is a terrific brother that has such a great sister. Dadgum, he’s lucky.

Thank you for coming by to visit with me today. I hope everybody had a good Father’s Day weekend. We had a birthday we celebrated, as well. It was outside & it was hot. But we are into June with this year, so it was just as expected. Until next time, I have to be going because I should be washing clothes.

Birthday boy in all his cuteness

Mr. Sweetie Pants enjoying the festivities.

What party is not complete without some water balloon action?

And this guy. He’s always willing to play with the kids. They are a bit smitten by him.

Sweet boys- they didn’t care it was hot.

Birthday wisdom & various photobombs & selfies

April 30, 2015April 30, 2015 / kstrick7 / Leave a comment

It was my birthday. My Daddy called to say he wanted to take me out. Well, you don’t have to tell me twice. We selected a restaurant. Then me & some of my other peeps met up with him. You should know everything we do revolves around eating. I don’t know if that’s a Southern thing or we just like to make sure we are doing our part to keep farmers in business.

There was this girl who was supposed to be taking birthday snapshots. However, sometimes she was taking pictures of herself. Which is ok. Because she is really pretty.

Then, there was this cutie. I don’t know what she was doing. Just entertaining herself with selfies I suppose.

Pure

Entertainment

There were some pictures of me & my honey by the lake. Hey, who is that standing on the picnic table?? What’s the big idea??

Here is another picture of us. Wait, do you see the little girl sticking out from behind my honey? She’s waving. This is what happens when you have silly kids. You will never have another good picture again.

That is unless you can get them both in the picture at the same time. Don’t they look like angels?

Then here we are again. Still trying to get a good picture. Not that ya’ll care, but the wind was blowing like a tornado was coming through. My hair was everywhere.

Here’s this guy again. Miss Neenee says she loves him a lot.

Pretty sure he loves them a lot, too.

He is always in the mood to give advice. I was telling EA that night that I had found a way for her to save her money & have $2 million by the time she retired. In which Daddy advised her:

“Don’t save your money. When you get that age, you won’t feel like doing anything. Do everything you want to do, while you are young. While you can. Anyways, $2 million dollars won’t be that much by the time you retire anyway.”

I think he was trying to get across to her this:

James 4:14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.

Life is short at best. We should make sure we take care of our problems the best we can & be ready always. I also think he was trying to make sure she understood money & earthly possessions are not important. They will all deteriorate in time.

Matthew 6:19- 21 says

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; ²⁰but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Daddy has always made it clear what the Bible says about what is important. I’m glad he takes the time to tell my kids about these life lessons. Pretty thankful for my Daddy. We laugh a lot when we are together. Sometimes so much it’s hard to get our picture. And by the way, this is one of my favorites right now:

I hope you have had a great week. It humbles me to know how blessed beyond measure I am. Count your blessings. They are everywhere! Until next time, I have to be going because I should be washing clothes.

Happy birthday Daddy & sometimes you just need to get your own tractor

September 3, 2014September 3, 2014 / kstrick7 / Leave a comment

Over the weekend, we had a birthday lunch for my Daddy. He only turned 70 this year! That’s a lot of birthdays for a baby that was born with a hole in his heart.

Daddy & Livie

This picture of Daddy & my niece Livie is remarkable & amazing. Mostly, because Daddy just came from a several day long stay with Livie & Jaydub whilest my brother & wife were off on vacation. Remarkable & amazing because Livie will still sit beside him & smile! Let alone speak to him. I don’t think he was too hard on them.

Some of the girls

This is my eldest daughter, Ray, & Miss Neenee. You see my daughter’s eyes? She was supervising my brother, holding my sweet little granddaughter. Mother hen.

We a pizza eatin’ bunch.

Of course there was food. We always need a reason to get together to eat. Birthdays, holidays, Sunday after church, Thursday night grilled, any reason, really. Why? Because we are just that good at it. My nephew said the prayer & we chowed down.

“Grand can you see me?”

And then there was the entertainment. We had my 5 month old granddaughter, to pass around. There was lots of ooing & ahhing over her. My sister in law just says, “I will handle the baby.” And she does. Mr. Sweetie Pants sat in his seat for approximately 1.35 minutes while he shoved a few bites of pizza in his mouth. The rest of the time it was lots of him running, doing his superhero impressions, & me silently praying, thanking the Good Lord above we had our dining area to ourselves.

Ray & Mr. Sweetie Pants

Occasionally, Mr. Sweetie Pants would stop, just long enough for one of the girls to grab him & hold him.

Time for a birthday cupcake!

And once he stopped just long enough to grab a birthday cupcake. And to say, “What about now, Grand? Do you see me?” Yes I do. Now stop it.

Bud, Jaydub, & Livie

It seems like my niece & nephew were just the size of Mr. Sweetie Pants. Now, he is 16 & she is 13. Time quit flying!!

Happy birthday to my Daddy!

There were a few other camera dodgers that were there with us. We had a wonderful afternoon. Daddy left with another birthday under his belt & I left one tired Grand.

Kids on the lawn mowers at the local Lowe’s

No trip to town would be complete without a dash into the local Lowe’s. Look. Lawn mowers.

Mr. Sweetie Pants riding the “tractor”.

He was so excited to ride the “tractor”. So excited, that when his Pap strolled by, he wanted to be sure he was going to get to ride all by himself.

Mr. Sweetie Pants directing his Pap.

“Pap, your tractor is over there.” He does like to drive by his self, ya know?

Thank you for stopping by to see me today. I hope you are having a terrific week. With the holiday, we will have a short work week. Sign me up for some more of that! I have to be going now, because I should be washing clothes.