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Happy Birthday in Heaven

Although I obviously have no proof, my personal belief is that our earthly birthdays are not celebrated in Heaven.  I’m sure that there are Bible verses to support my theory.

That said, our loved ones who have gone to Heaven are still celebrated here on earth, by the ones they’ve left behind.

My Daddy

would have been

Seventy-Four

years old today.

He may have been walking crooked (bent to the right) as he occasionally did when his back gave him trouble.

Daddy may have still been telling elephant jokes (why do elephants paint their toenails red?) and playing practical jokes  – now on his grandchildren – since his children have long since figured out his antics.

He would have LOVED his growing family

and

meeting the ones who came along after he left:

Sydney, Chynna, Emily, Levi, Lydia, Thea, Rory, Adrian, and Eden.

He would have loved them all… and they would have loved him!

I’m sure he would have enjoyed events like dancing with my Mama at the Rockabilly Prom.

I imagine he may have walked next door to enjoy old movies with his oldest daughter in her TV room.

His hair would likely have been completely grey and I’m sure his green eyes would still have an “I love You” sparkle.  I’ve mentioned him again and again in my posts:

Num Nell Knox

August 1965

Father’s Day

and

Dear Daddy

Richard A. Reid was born in Palatka, Florida on March 1, 1946.

He lived to the age of 55 and enjoyed A Wonderful Life.

He has been gone since November 23, 2001.

I am not exaggerating when I say that not a day goes by that I don’t think about him.

Happy Birthday Daddy!

I’m looking forward to seeing you again!

We are ALL looking forward to seeing you again!

Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog.

Friday Favorites

One of my coworkers came into the office today and exclaimed

“Kim, It’s FRIDAY”!

That’s all I needed to hear.

~

My Friday favorites this week start with last Saturday and a little birthday girl

 

Favorite # ONE

Little Thea

is four years old!

She wanted to celebrate her birthday by having a tea party and dressing up as a princess.

One of Thea’s best friends is Lydia, who came all the way from South Carolina just to surprise Thea on her birthday!

They had a wonderful time visiting together!

Later that evening we gathered at Mama’s house to celebrate again.

While we celebrated, I was able to enjoy

Favorite # TWO

Glammy Time

How many times has this been one of my favorites?

~

Then before I knew it, Monday had arrived and it was time to go back to work.

And if that isn’t bad enough, this week I imposed a no sugar rule on myself.  I swore off the white stuff and everything that contains it

until

I was presented with this

Favorite # THREE

A Jar of Candy

for perfect attendance in 2019.  It truly is a big deal.  There were only ten others who managed to accomplish this task.

Yes, for being at work at the expected time, every day in 2019, my company gave me a jar of candy.

Don’t be jealous.

😉

The jar is empty now.Wendy helped.

~

Last week I named five Christmas gifts that I love.  One in particular that I did not mention is my

Favorite # FOUR

This Fan

It stays close by when I’m at home and I don’t go anywhere without it!

Thank you Stephanie!

~

I’m finally on board, having watched all 8 episodes of The Mandalorian Season 1.

Favorite # FIVE

I find myself saying “awwwww” every time I see this little character.

~

Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog.

Friday Favorites

Happy New Year!

It is the FIRST week in the NEW YEAR, the FIRST Friday of the NEW YEAR, and my FIRST Friday Favorites of the NEW YEAR!

Here they are…

Favorite # ONE

Black Eyed Peas

It is essential to partake in a meal of black-eyed peas, greens, and ham/pork on New Year’s Day.

I learned today that one of my team members had no idea that Black-eyed peas were part of a traditional New Year’s Day meal.

In the Southern United States, the traditional New Years Day meal also includes collard, turnip, or mustard greens, and ham.

The black-eyed peas, since they swell when cooked, symbolize prosperity; the greens symbolize money; the pork, because pigs root forward when foraging, which represents positive motion. (source)

I made a pot of black-eyed peas on Wednesday, but put them away when I received a last minute invitation from Gina to come share a “New Year’s Feast” that Stuart had prepared.

Although pretty high carb, black-eyed peas are healthy and a good alternative to everything else that I’ve consumed in the past two weeks.

Favorite # TWO

GreensCollard Greens, Leafy Greens, Veg, Veggies, Nutrition

This isn’t a food blog, but I love turnip greens, mustard greens, collard greens, and all of them mixed.  I found out that my brother-in-law cooks them up as good as Papa or Mema could!

I HAD to include greens in my favorites today because this week my cousin Robbie told me that he would often take his Mama out to eat and she would want to know if “the greens were any good”.  Before ordering them she would ask the waitress.  I thought that was so cute!

Favorite # THREE

Yellow Roses

are associated with the sun and warmth; they are representative of warm feelings of friendship, cheerfulness and optimism.

This Yellow RoseCame home with me on Tuesday after attending a service for a family member; a special lady who also represented warm feelings of friendship, cheerfulness, and positivity.

Favorite # FOUR

This Hymn

How Deep the Father’s Love for Us

is such a beautiful hymn.

I heard it at the same service that I mentioned previously.  It was sung by my cousin Rosie in honor of her mother.  While she sang, I was silently cheering her on, worried that at any moment she may lose her composure.  She never did.

Her song was beautiful.

When I came home later that afternoon, I told LB about it then searched until I found this version to share with him:

 

Favorite # FIVE

Aunt Fran

She is the younger sister of my Mema Reid and she went to be with Jesus on the day after Christmas.  She is my Daddy’s precious aunt and my great aunt.

Aunt Fran was a bright, cheerful, very friendly lady who loved everyone who crossed her path.

I will cherish the memory of

Mary Frances [Fran] Spillane

and miss her dearly.

Thank you for taking time out of your day out of your day to stop by my blog.

 

The Year in Review: 2019

Since March 2017 I have been publishing a few blog posts each week in my WordPress blog.  “Pretty Is: My Life and Style”, is my blogging journal sharing What I see as Pretty.  Whether it is an experience, an event, a memory, a recipe, or an outfit, my hope is to keep a journal and hopefully share something that will be interesting or useful, and, of course, to make you smile.  Although I don’t always include my posts on social media, if you’d like to follow along I’ll send you an email alert.  Just enter your email address in the sidebar under “Follow by Email” and click subscribe.

On this first day of the new year, I’d like to share my ten most popular posts from 2019.

Here they are:

# 10

I Love It When We’re Crusin’ Together

# 9

Friday Favorites

Friday Favorites is a collection of my favorite happenings of the week.  If I don’t post anything else, I’ll typically post a weekly collection of my favorites like this and the next few most popular posts from 2019:

# 8

Friday Favorites

# 7

Friday Favorites

One of my most favorite photos is the header of this post:

# 6

Friday Favorites

# 5

A Bonus Mary Post

In my posts, I mention my Mama more than any other member of my family.  Before I began my blog, I used to tell her ALL THE TIME that she needed to start a blog.  She has so many funny and interesting stories.

Last year I asked her to give me an occasional story to publish on my blog.  I call her posts “Mary’s Musings“.  She isn’t cooperating much but I hope to convince her to do more this year.

I wrote “A Bonus Mary Post” in 2018, however it was still my #5 most read post in 2019:

# 4

Once Upon A Time There Was A Little Boy

# 3

Saturday Special

# 2

My Grandpa

# 1

Dear Daddy

This post may bring tears to your eyes.  It does mine!

 

Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog.

Friday Favorites: Christmas Edition

Christmas time is here
Happiness and cheer
Fun for all that children call
Their favorite time of year.
Speaking of Favorite…

Favorite # ONE

Making Memories

On Monday Lydia and Rory came to Glammy’s house with Aunt Amanda for baking and candy making.

Lydia had the opportunity to practice her egg cracking and decorating skills.Also

in contrast to our divinity ventures of the past, Amanda and I managed to pull this one off on our first attempt.  Batch # 1 was a success and no redo was necessary.

~

Favorite # TWO

Ugly Sweaters and Suits

Christmas Eve Merriment is typically held at Mama’s house.

This year there was an ugly Christmas sweater contest honoring the ugly, uglier, and ugliest outfits.Although he protested that his jacket didn’t qualify as an ugly Christmas sweater, it was unanimous that LB should win.

~

Favorite # THREE

A roomful of wrapping paper and some of my favorite people.

I

LOVE

Having My kids all to MYSELF

and watching them open presents.

Afterward we took a walk to Mema’s house for MY

Favorite # FOUR

The Christmas Morning

Gift Exchange

Instead of our usual massive gift exchange, my extended family decided to draw names.  Each person was randomly delegated as Secret Santa to one other, using this app drawnames.com – a Secret Santa generator!

On Christmas morning, the secret Santa revealed himself/herself to the person whose name had been drawn.  Beginning with the eldest recipient, we took turns opening our gifts and taking time to share what we received.It was a great idea and all the credit goes to Amanda for directing the event!

~

Favorite # FIVE

The

Holiday Treasure Hunt

it was an unexpected Christmas surprise and you can read about it here! 

I hope you will!

And if you were there, please feel free to comment and add any details that I may have neglected to include.

Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog.

Holiday Treasure Hunt

Just last week I came across this photo that was taken last year on Christmas morning.

LB and I were posing for a selfie.

Stuart and Grandpa are in the background [in the kitchen].  Stuart is likely doing the dishes, and Grandpa is probably bringing his breakfast dish to place in the sink.

Who knew that it would be our last Christmas here with Grandpa?

This year on Christmas morning I thought about him not being with us for the first time.  I miss him and his quiet and gentle spirit.  It is comforting to know that he is with Jesus now.

Recently Mama received  a gift from Grandpa.  On Christmas morning she chose to share this with us.  I would describe this as a selfless, magnanimous, and gracious gift on her part, but the manner in which she presented it could only be described as an adventure.

She stood from her chair and handed over a piece of paper containing a clue

and the Christmas Morning Treasure Hunt was on!

Clue #1

led us to Mama’s blue and white porcelain collection in her entertainment center.

Hidden inside of a little blue and white pitcher was

Clue #2

which led us to a kitchen drawer.

Under the silverware tray was

Clue #3

which directed us to a clock in which was found our next clue…

Clue #4

leading us to a decorative birdhouse.  Inside was found

Clue #5

which was challenging

however we found this one was marking the page for the song Silent Night in the hymnal resting on the piano.

Our next clue turned out to be a private joke between Mama, Kyle, and Clay.  Apparently Kyle has often been guilty of repositioning one of Mama’s knickknacks

Clue #6

Clue #6 led us to an acrylic letter “M” on a table in the living room.

The “M” was commonly turned upside down becoming a “W”

Clue #7

led us right back to the room where we began, bringing an end to our treasure hunt.  on an end table, under Mama’s cell phone was her treasure: a stack of Benjamins…

enough for each of us to have two which she proceeded to pass out

She explained that Grandpa had left it for her and she thought it only fitting to share with us on Christmas Day.

Although there are MANY happy thoughts and memories that I have of this Christmas season, this was a particular event from Christmas morning that I hope to always remember!

Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog.

Thirty-five Years of Ornaments

When I finally opened Facebook on Sunday, I found that I had missed a Facebook message from a sweet friend.  “Hope you are having a great weekend” she wrote.  Instead of replying like a normal person would:

“Thank you, I hope you are too!”

I explained what my weekend had consisted of and added a couple pictures of what I did on Saturday and Sunday.  When I started thinking about this I realized I had stayed too busy and should have been more sociable or spent some time outside with LB (it was a beautiful weekend).

Nevertheless, I did get a lot accomplished.

One such accomplishment included

Decorating a Christmas Tree

I have two Christmas trees this year.

One is purple and decorated with a matching collection of red, white, and green glass balls.  It is Elvis’ favorite.

The second one is in the front room.  It is in this unnamed room that I have a traditional (not purple) Christmas tree which is adorned with the ornaments I’ve collected over the past 30+ years.

I have a little bit of everything.

LB agrees.  He expressed his thoughts with the comment “that’s quite a mixed bag you’ve got there”.

I thought it would be a good idea to capture a few photos of these special ornaments to add to my collection of memories here in this little blog.

My collection includes the original treasures created years ago by Stephanie, Amanda, and Richard:

I’ve always loved Richard’s muddy snowman

There are ornaments from my first-born baby’s first Christmas

A couple of cutie pie ornaments

A turkey ornament that was presented to me with the note…

To Ma From a Turkey.

These ornaments from Mema and Grandpa Reid.  A closer look reveals Mema’s handwriting.

I have this gifted ornament that ‘reminded someone of me’

And a few from that period of time when I obsessed with Victorian.

This beautiful star ornament is from Mama to remember our first Christmas without Daddy

And this little tiny Lydia handprint.

Truly a diverse assortment, each representing a special time.  And each a reminder of how quickly time flies!

~

The tree is finally decorated!

It may not be Pinterest worthy, but I like it.

And although I didn’t visit much with friends or family this past weekend, spent a lot of time thinking about them.

~

Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog.

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