Flashback Friday: Weddings

For this week's Flashback Friday, we are talking about weddings!  Here are some questions Linda shared to think about: 
What is the earliest family wedding you remember attending? Did your family attend many weddings when you were growing up? What do you remember of them? What was typical of weddings you attended? Were you ever in a wedding as a child? As you became a young adult were you in lots of weddings? What roles did you have? Did you catch the bouquet (or garter)? What "royal" or newsmaking weddings do you remember and how old were you? For the gals, were you one who planned your wedding repeatedly as you were growing up or was it not a big deal to you? What have you noticed that is different about weddings today, and do you consider it for better or for worse?

My flashback: 
I cannot think of very many weddings I attended as a child.  I remember a few we went to of people from church.  At one wedding the couple stood on the top of the stage with the minister below on the steps.  I liked this so the audience could see them instead of just their backsides and wanted to do this in my wedding.   

I've been in a few weddings.  I was a bridesmaid for a church friend before I got married.

I always liked reading the wedding announcements in the Sunday paper, especially where they would go on their honeymoon. 
Attending weddings always got me thinking of what I'd want my wedding to be someday.  I wanted to have Steven Curtis Chapman's "I Will Be Here" sung.  I thought about the cake and colors I'd choose and who I would have as my attendants.      

A funny wedding story I remember....One day my aunt and uncle came over to my house to tell us they'd gotten married.  I was so disappointed because I thought they had not invited me to the wedding.  But really they'd gone to the courthouse. 
Have a day of blessings!
 

Flashback Friday

This week's topic is a little different. Here is the prompt:

What comes to mind when you "flashback" to that Friday almost 2000 years ago? Have you spent much time reflecting on the events of Good Friday or is it generally a regular day and Resurrection Sunday is the focus? Thinking through the events of that long night and day--the trials, the scourging, the frenzy of the crowd, the walk to Golgotha, the raising of the cross with Jesus Christ suspended from its beams, the vigil as they watched and waited for Him to die, His agony, His tender words to His mother, her grief, the darkness, the soldiers gambling for his clothes, the mocking of one thief and the repentance of the other, the finality as He said "It is finished," the grief as his disciples lowered his body and prepared it for burial--what stands out as vivid and touching to you? Where does your mind usually "park" when you reflect on the crucifixion?

My Flashback:
There are so many parts of remembering this day that are so hard for me to think about or imagine.  You can read the account in Matthew 27.  One part that always sticks out in my mind is how Jesus is mocked.  I just can't imagine how it must have been for Him to already be in such physical pain on that Cross and have those who were passing by mocking and insulting Him.  How hard this must have been for Mary and the others to witness.  .  One part that always sticks out in my mind is how Jesus is mocked.  I just can't imagine how it must have been for Him to already be in such physical pain on that Cross and have those who were passing by mocking and insulting Him.  How hard this must have been for Mary and the others to witness. 

When I read about the two criminals who were hanging on either side of Jesus, I am touched by Jesus' concern for them and His promise that the one would be with Him in paradise.

From reading these passages that tell what happened that day, I think we can learn from Jesus' example.  We haven't had to face anything to even begin to compare with what He faced in that moment, but do we even come close to acting as He did on the Cross when we are faced with minor, petty things in life?  Also, in our times of pain and hurting do we reach out to the other ones hurting around us, like Jesus did to the criminals?  Just some things I think about when I think back to His sacrifice. 

Thank you for visiting today.  Have a day of blessings!

Flashback Friday

This week's Flashback Friday is about gardening!  Fun topic!  Join us if you'd like at Mocha with Linda.

My flashback:
I remember many years that we had a garden when I was growing up.  Our house was on about one acre of land in the country, and in one fenced off area we always planted a garden.  The things I remember growing are tomatoes, peppers, squash, cucumbers, okra, and green beans. The okra I did not like to pick because it was scratchy.  One year we did carrots because my cousin wanted to see how carrots grew.

We always had so much squash, and it has always been a favorite of mine to eat, cooked any way.  My Mom made up all these random recipes using squash.  One I really liked was "squashed squash" which looks like baby food.  I could eat a whole pan of it! 

Tomatoes from the garden are my favorite.  I love cherry tomatoes especially!  One year I picked the tomatoes and put them into a little pink plastic doll carriage and got a full load.  My Mom would make quarts and quarts of tomato juice for my Peepaw.  Also, she would fix me stewed tomatoes....for breakfast!  I LOVED them!  It makes me want some today just to think about it. 

We also canned what we grew.  I still tease my Mom because she always would say how easy it is to do the canning, like of green beans.  She said you just cut them up and put them in water.  It was always funny to me because the process always seemed so long to meand not as easy as she made it sound!  I remember canning green beans, carrots, and bread and butter pickles for the county fair. 

One funny story I have about the garden was when it became a mud pit!  I don't remember if we asked to do it or my cousin just thought it would be fun when she saw the water making a puddle.  But we were both muddy messes when her Mom came to get her! 

Another random garden story to throw in.....One summer we visited my Mom's aunt and uncle in Iowa.  They had pumpkin plants growing in their back yard.  They would take off the blossoms and fry them to eat! 

My Mom had a flower bed out front.  It had a bunch of rose bushes.  Also we had a patch with irises.  She had hanging baskets on the porch and a huge trellis of honey suckle.  We also had fruit trees lining the driveway in the front yard.  The apricot trees seemed to produce a lot some years.

We did not have much success with a garden at our previous house.  My husband tried one in different spots in the yard but it never grew well.  He thought it was because of the rocky soil.  Now at our new house we are trying a garden and we're very excited about it!  I'm watching it grow and it's exciting to see the plants getting bigger.  I had Caleb take pictures earlier this week so we could see the progress it's making! 

Have a day of blessings!

Flashback Friday

This week for Flashback Friday we are talking about poetry because it is National Poetry Month. My flashback:

I remember poetry units in elementary school. One year we had to make a poetry book. It had to have a certain number of different types of poems with illustrations we drew. These were poems we just copied, not wrote ourselves. I remember other times when we learned about different types of poems and then had to write our own on special lined paper.

I had several poetry books as a child. The ones I remember are Where the Sidewalk Ends and A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein and The New Kid on the Block by Jack Prelutsky.

The poem I remember memorizing is called If by Rudyard Kipling. Every senior at my high school memorized this poem in "Mrs. H's" senior English. When I looked it up, I realized I still remember most of it today. I shared it on my blog previously.

I don't read poetry much now.

Have a day of blessings!

Flashback Friday: News

For today's flashback we are talking about news (television, radio, and newspapers).

My flashback:
We watched a local channel for the 6 o'clock news. It's fun now to be in the area and see some of the same anchors on that were on when I was a kid!

Every morning I ate my breakfast sitting on the couch with a tray table. The Today show was always on. I don't ever watch that now after Katie Couric left.

We subscribed to the local newspaper. Back then it came Sunday--Friday.

As far as specific news stories I remember from childhood, I can't say that I remember many. I looked up some online but none really stand out that I remember watching as a child.

Have a day of blessings!

Flashback Friday:

Welcome to Flashback Friday! I am happy to host today for Mocha with Linda.

This week we are remembering our childhood pets. Here are some questions you may want to consider:

Did you have any pets when you were a child? What were they? Did you have a
favorite pet? What was the pet's name? Where did you get it? Did it live inside
or outside? Whose responsibility was it to care for the pet? What special things
did you do with your pet? Did the pet go on trips with you? How long did you
have the pet? Did you ever have a pet that died? What was your reaction to
losing the pet? Did your family ever have any unusual pets? Did you ever have
class pets at school?

My flashback:
I had many pets when I was a child. I wish I had the old pictures to scan to go along with this!

One was a cat. I don't really remember much about this cat, just things from pictures and what I've been told. I would put the cat on a leash and walk it.

We had some unusual pets through my childhood. When I was very small we had ducks. They roamed around the yard and often left messes on the porch. My Mom told me one time at supper we had spinach. I said "ewwww, what did the duck do?" pointing to the spinach on my plate.

Another pet was a cow named Joey. I remember many calves we would bottle-feed and raise them for the meat when they were older. Joey was a big baby. He would always come up to the fence and slobber on us, even after he was grown. My Mom wasn't sure how I would handle it when it was time to take Joey to the butcher. She was always honest with me though and told me what was going to happen. One night we were eating supper and I had a thoughtful look on my face. My Mom said they were holding their breath, thinking I would be upset if I thought we were "eating Joey." She said I was eating and said "I wonder which part of Joey they cut this off of." We laugh about this today.

Oh and one more pet that was a big baby was a Nubian goat named George. One of my classmate's family raised raised goats. One of their goats had triplets. The momma goat wasn't taking care of George so we took him home with us. He was named George because he was born on George Washington's birthday. He lived in a box in our kitchen for a long time. As he got stronger he would stand up in his box and start making a loud baaaaing sound anytime he heard the microwave because that was the sound he associated with his warm milk. He was always very friendly to us. He'd always try to jump up on us when we were in the pen with him.

We lived out in the country and always had a bunch of cats (always outside). One was a calico named Daisy. She was always tame and would rub on our legs and let us pet her.

We had many dogs through the years. It seemed several of them died from parvo. We had a dalmatian one time. He was a stray. I think he'd been abused because he was always fearful around men. Another was a black cocker spaniel named Buffy Lynn. We had her for many years. She got old and deaf and her teeth were falling out. One day my Dad came in with a sad look on his face. He had moved his truck and accidentally run over her. She was so old she hadn't heard him and didn't get out of the way. He felt so bad. I didn't get too sad about it, I guess because she was old and I kind of expected her to die. That sounds bad to say but that is just how I felt.

My favorite, best pet ever was my dog named Bambi Taylor. She was an Eskimo Spitz. I never loved a dog like I loved Bambi and have never loved another one like I loved her. She had a round red bed she slept in beside my bed. One time she had puppies in that little bed, which was so exciting! I had a box of Lincoln Logs and one day Bambi chewed the corner of the box. I still have those and think of her when I see the chewed corner. She would sit in my little rocking chair and eat my snowcone off a spoon.

One evening we were at Peepaw's house. When we got home there was a note taped to our door from our neighbors. They had been outside and Bambi was bitten by a rattlesnake. They took her to our local vet where they kept her overnight. She died from that bite. I was heartbroken over this loss. I have never become attached to any other pet since then.

Whew, that may be my longest flashback ever! I kept thinking of more memories!

Link up below with your memories of your pets. I hope I did this linky correctly! I look forward to visiting and reading the memories you share.



Have a day of blessings!

Flashback Friday prompt

I'm excited to be hosting Flashback Friday this week while Linda is gone, I am posting the prompt today, and you can come back here tomorrow to link up with your answers. This week our topic is childhood pets. Here are some questions you may want to consider:

Did you have any pets when you were a child? What were they? Did you have a favorite pet? What was the pet's name? Where did you get it? Did it live inside or outside? Whose responsibility was it to care for the pet? What special things did you do with your pet? Did the pet go on trips with you? How long did you have the pet? Did you ever have a pet that died? What was your reaction to losing the pet? Did your family ever have any unusual pets? Did you ever have class pets at school?

Have a day of blessings! (If you are here for Thankful Thursday, that is the previous post!)

Flashback Friday

It's time for Flashback Friday again. Linda always come up with fun prompts that get me to thinking about my childhood. This week our flashback is about physical fitness. Here are some of the questions she asked us to consider:

Was physical fitness a focus in school when you were growing up? Did you have P.E. in elementary school or just recess? Was recess organized games or just free playtime? What are your memories of P.E. in junior high/middle school and high school? What did your "gym suits" or "dress out" clothes look like? Was P.E. a favorite or dreaded subject? Did your school do the Presidential Physical Fitness Program? How did you do with that? Did you take the minimum amount of P.E. required or did you take more?

My flashback:
We had both recess and PE in elementary school. For recess we just played around on the playground. I was always scared to try to hang upside down on the monkey bars. We also had a single bar that the girls would put one leg over and flip around and around. Some of them could do it so fast! I could never do that either. I remember sitting under a tree, playing "house" with some friends, during recess. The tree had these things it shed, and we would dig holes and pretend we were cooking the things that fell off the tree.

The first thing I think of when I think of elementary PE is square dancing. For several years, a couple would come to our school for a week (or maybe two) during PE class. The man was a square dancing caller and we learned how to square dance. Then we would have a program at night to square dance and the parents would come watch. I always thought it was fun! Another elementary PE activity I remember is going outside to play kick ball. Also, we had a big cement slab outside of our building. We each had a colored dot where we stood to do our stretching. I never did like running!

In middle school we could choose PE or athletics in 7th and 8th grade. I never wanted to play sports so I would want to be in PE. However, the time period slot for PE conflicted with another class I was in, my language arts class. So one year I was forced to be in athletics. I did some of the workouts with them, and I remember going to the nurse with a girl one time because her blood sugar got too low.

In high school I believe we had to have a 1.5 PE credits. I took PE class for part of that. Then I ended up doing tennis to get the other half of my credit. It makes us laugh today because I didn't have any skill or knowledge of the game (and still don't). But I got my credit for it!

One fond memory I have from college is PE for Elementary Teachers class. We learned to juggle and taught some school children how to juggle with scarves. And now Caleb came home this week telling me he is learning to juggle in PE. We have some scarves and bean bags for him to practice with at home.

Have a day of blessings!

Flashback Friday

Today's flashback is about fads from our childhood. Let me think back to the 80s and 90s....

My flashback:
~ stirrup pants--I had some of these. I remember the strap making the bottom of my foot hurt after I wore them!

~ tight-rolled pants--I don't think I ever had the right brand of jeans to do this with. I remember one girl who would roll her jeans and then have on a couple pairs of socks sticking out too.

~ slap bracelets--I had some of these, all colors. I guess these are like the "silly band" fad now.


~ charm necklaces--These were plastic chain necklaces that you could attach clip-on charms. There were a bunch for sale on eBay, if you want to see a picture of some! I had a TON of little charms and I think a couple necklaces. I don't remember where we bought the charms or who gave them to me though. I wonder if my Mom still has these!

~ Beanie Babies--This was a huge craze in the late 90s and everyone was buying them. I don't think I had any of the regular ones but we bought several for my cousin. Also, McDonald's would give them away in Happy Meals. People would fight over them, throw away the food and just keep the miniature Beanies. My cousin and I got a lot of these.

~ big bangs--I never had bangs so I never had poofy hair! I remember being in the restroom (in middle school I guess or late elementary) and I'd see the girls add more hairspray to their bangs and then lift them up from the front. They'd always stay in place perfectly.

~ hair bows--I always seemed to wear bows. My Mom made a lot of them.

~ legwarmers--I remember a picture of myself posing in my little rocking chair. I had on a red sweater (probably over another shirt with the collor sticking out) with jeans and red leg warmers.

~ friendship bracelets-- I never learned how to make these myself. Some of my friends could make some really pretty ones. Some people wore them until they fell off. I probably had some but don't remember wearing them all the time.

This was a fun flashback this week! I had fun looking at a list of ideas on a site called Crazy Fads.

Have a day of blessings!

Flashback Friday

For this week's Flashback Friday we are remembering dental memories from childhood. When I read the prompt, I knew this one was going to be a fun one with lots of memories for me!

My flashback:
It was important to my Mom that I not be afraid to go to the dentist due to a very bad experience she had as a child. I loved my dentist when I was a kid...Dr. Cox. We drove out of town to him. I don't know how my Mom found him, but he was a very good dentist. I remember how he let me hold my doll as I sat in the chair. In later years I had another dentist who was local who I also liked very much. I had a dentist visit very consistently every 6 months.

I had to get crowns put on some teeth when I was young, I don't remember how old. Because of my age though, they wanted to put me to sleep to do it so it was done at the hospital. I remember them telling me to blow up the red balloon using my nose when they were putting me to sleep.

As far as losing teeth, I don't recall any traumatic experiences. I would let the tooth hang in till it was dangling by a thread. In elementary school we had an aide who was known for pulling teeth. If you had a loose tooth, you always raised your hand at lunch for Mrs. Armstrong to come pull it. We didn't do the tooth fairy; I just put the tooth in a dish on the stove and in the morning there would be money. I don't recall how much!

Over spring break in high school, I think my sophomore year maybe, I had my wisdom teeth extracted. I had chipmunk cheeks for a couple days. I remember feeling the stitches with my tongue and being ready to go eat Chinese food by Thursday that week.

I never had braces, my teeth have always been pretty straight. I always thought it was cool when my friends with braces would have patterns of color on their teeth!

As far as false teeth...Peepaw would always slide his teeth in and out and chomp them at us. It was always funny to me that he did that and makes me laugh to think about it.

Thanks for stopping by today! Have a great weekend.

Have a day of blessings!

Flashback Friday

Hooray for Friday and the 3 day weekend we have coming up! This week our flashback topic is car accidents.

My Flashback:
My Mom told me that one time when I was probably 3 or 4 a car came through a red light and hit her back bumper. There were not serious injuries from that. I don't recall any other accidents.

I was involved in a fender bender a few years back. I was backing out of my friend's driveway. Caleb was in the car with me and my husband was at the deer lease for the weekend. Her neighbor's car was sitting directly behind my friend's driveway and I didn't see it and backed into it. It was rather embarrassing and the girl whose car it was acted so dramatic about the whole thing.

As far as tickets....I have never received one. Growing up my Dad used to get stopped for driving too slowly or swerving on the road. They probably thought he was drinking; however, he was just tired and swerved around.

My husband and I have talked about how we used to sit in the front seats when we were little. He remembers sitting on the fold down arm rest in the middle of the front seat as they were driving.

Those are my driving/accident memories!

Have a day of blessings!

Flashback Friday

For this week's Flashback Friday we are remembering Valentine's Day! This will be an easy, fun one for me!

My flashback:
Valentine's Day was always a fun holiday for me.

I always looked forward to choosing my box of Valentine cards to give to my classmates. They were little cards that had a cartoon on the front and a silly little saying with a blank back where you wrote the name of the recipient. Then you put the little card into a little white envelope. They don't even have the little envelopes any more that I've seen since buying them for Caleb! I loved choosing a card from my box for each person, finding the one I thought the person would like because of the saying or picture on it.

We always had a Valentine's party at school. I don't remember much about them, but I remember one year we decorated little pouches with two paper plates stapled together to collect our cards.

In middle school the NJHS (National Junior Honor Society) sold singing telegrams for a fund raiser. We had fun little songs that we would sing like "Skidda Marinky Rinka Dink" (or however you spell it!).

I do have another Valentine's memory that is kind of funny for me. Several years there was this boy who would give me a big chocolate candy heart. He would leave it in my locker. It was always so awkward for me because I did not want to be his girlfriend but he always had a note asking me if I would be. I don't remember how many years he did this, but it was several!

My Dad would give me a Valentine. It was usually some candy and heart stickers. One year I got a little pointed stick thingy (I don't know what it's called!) to sit on my desk to use when I was playing office or store to poke my receipts on. The metal base of it was bright red.

Also, Peepaw always gave me a Valentine. I remember him bringing me a box with a chocolate I Heart U. At Caleb's first Valentine Peepaw gave me some flowers and a little box of chocolates to Caleb.

And now I love Valentine's Day because in 1998 a cute boy gave me a card he made on February 13 that said Will you be my Valentine? And I still have that same Valentine today.

As for Valentine candy, I never liked boxes of chocolate because I didn't like the surprise factor of not knowing if I was going to like what I was biting into. I do like conversation hearts...the Sweet Tart kind, not those chalky ones as much.

Happy Valentine's Day!
Have a day of blessings!

Flashback Friday

We have a really fun Flashback Friday today! Linda has asked us about commercials and ads we associate with childhood. When I first read the prompt nothing particular came to mind. However, last night i looked at some websites of old commercials. It was so fun. My husband and I laughed and laughed Seeing one would make me think of another one and I'd look it up. Then he'd think of one and say "remember the....." It was fun to reminisce together! Here are some I found that were familiar to me!

McDonald's....I remember trying to say this song, I never learned much past the few lines.


Coca Cola....


Honey Nut Cheerios.....I always thought this little bee was cute!


Lucky Charms....I remember wanting a box of these when they added a new shape ( maybe the red balloon?).


My Child....I wanted one of these and got one at some point.


My Buddy (and I remember this ABC jingle that shows at the beginning too)....I loved the song on this commercial. I never had a "Kid Sister" or "My Buddy."


Popples... I had one of these too. I don't remember which one. The tail was a rattle.


PSA...Remember these dummies?


This was a really fun flashback! I may have to look at those websites again sometime! It was great for a laugh.

Have a day of blessings!

Flashback Friday: Olympics

This week for Flashback Friday we are talking about the Olympics.

My flashback:
I remember watching the Olympics when I was growing up. My favorites were ice skating in winter and all of the gymnastics in summer. I would try to copy what I saw on television in our living room. haha!

As far as specific Olympic events I remember, I can recall the big issue with ice skaters Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding. I remember the excitement of watching the US gymnastic team of 1996.

I guess the specific Olympic games I remember the most was Summer 2004. We watched the opening ceremonies while I was in the hospital after Caleb was born.

Today is the last day to enter my giveaway for the Valentine card made by my friend. Click to this post to enter.

Have a day of blessings!

Flashback Friday

This week's flashback is about new inventions or technology that came along while we were growing up.

My flashback:
One thing that sticks out in my mind is the microwave. I don't remember actually getting it, but my Dad didn't think we'd use it very much. My Mom wanted one for a while and Dad wasn't sure we'd ever use it. Then finally he agreed to get one. Of course we ended up using it all the time. It was very large and took up so much counter space!

Another thing I remember is our phones always having cords. The phone in the kitchen was attached to the wall, and I remember how my Mom would swing the really long cord around her arm while she was talking.

It is odd to me to think back to the days before internet and how for much of my days at home we didn't even have a computer. I don't remember how old I was when we got the first computer. It was a gift my parents got me, I think for Christmas. We did have internet at some point too.

Have a day of blessings!

Flashback Friday: School Discipline

This week's flashback is about discipline at school.

My flashback:
I never got in "big trouble" at school. In kindergarten our name was written on the board for misbehavior. I remember how devastated I was when I got my name on the board. I don't remember what I did but remember being devastated by it! I don't remember what we had in 1st grade, but in 2nd grade we had an apple tree. Every child had their name on a red paper apple on the tree. For misbehavior the "worm" would take a bite out of your apple (worm = a hole punch).

In the cafeteria they tried many different methods to try to maintain order. One I remember was "being taped." If you were talking too loudly, the lunchroom monitors would come put a piece of masking tape on your shoulder or back of the shirt. This makes me laugh now. I think they switched to something else when some kids started taking their tape off before they got to the classroom. We also had yellow and red cups. Yellow meant we could talk quietly, red meant no talking.

I remember when the teacher would take a student out into the hall and another teacher would come out to witness while spats were given. This is much different than what is allowed in schools today!

Have a day of blessings!

Flashback Friday: Discipline Part 1

This week for Flashback Friday Linda has asked us to share about discipline.

My flashback:
I had a couple of memories as soon as I read the topic for this week. (And I'm sure one of these will come to mind for my Mom too when she reads this!)

As a child I received spankings for misbehavior. My parents told me they wanted me to learn and gave me the spanking so I'd remember the next time. I remember trying to think in my head how long I had gone without getting a spanking.

One night I got out of bed and went to the living room when my parents were still up. I am not sure why, I guess I wanted to see what they were doing. I remember my Mom sitting in her chair crocheting. I got ouf of bed multiple times. After a few times Mom said if you get up again you will be grounded from watching Little House tomorrow. Well for some reason, I got up again! And the next day I could not watch Little House. "Little House on the Prairie" was my very favorite show that I watched daily. I don't remember any other time I was grounded.

Another time I remember the neighbors asking if I could come ride horses or maybe 4-Wheelers. I was told I couldn't. I don't remember details but I guess I went because I remember getting a spanking for that.

Have a day of blessings!

Flashback Friday

The Flashback Friday today is about our traditions for New Years.

My flashback:
I don't remember any yearly traditions for New Years. Sometimes we did go to our church to meet up with others and I remember playing games and eating. Mostly I think we stayed home.

My Dad was a New Year's baby so we always had cake and presents for him.

I think this is my shortest flashback ever!

Happy 2011! Have a day of blessings!

Flashback Friday

I missed Flashback Friday last week as we are without a computer right now. I wanted to participate with last week's questions today since I have so many Christmas memories! Linda asked us about Christmas gifts.

My Flashback:
We would open our gifts at home on Christmas morning. I remember one year we went to Meemaw's house and we took the gifts with us. The gifts were always from my parents, they always told me the truth about santa. My gifts were always wrapped. Once we put up our tree there would always be some gifts under it, and a couple would be for me. Then on Christmas morning there would be more under the tree with my name on them along with a full stocking. The stocking had pens, candy, and stickers. I'd go shopping with my Dad to help pick out gifts for my Mom.

One Christmas that I remember was when Peepaw came over to watch me open my gifts. There was one box that was so big. I told him I thought it was an elephant. I don't know how old I was but my perception was that it was a very large box. It turned out to be a baby doll cradle.

I never peeked, I didn't want the surprise to be ruined! I did look to find which ones had my name on them though! One year I saw one long box and said I bet that's a gun. It was a BB gun when I opened it.

We'd go to have Christmas with extended family. One year Peepaw had me come behind the couch with my eyes closed. He had made me a hope chest. It was a very special gift because he had made it for me. He had had some health problems that year and was worried he'd be unable to finish the hope chest. The hope chest is a treasure to me. He had a little engraved label on the top that says To My Sweetheart. I love the picture of me seeing the hope chest for the first time and hugging Peepaw.

Have a day of blessings!

Flashback Friday

What was Christmas like at school when you were growing up? Were there parties, programs or other activities? Did students exchange gifts? Did you have a part in a Christmas play? Did teachers decorate their rooms? Was it permissible to refer to the holiday as Christmas? If you attended church, what special things did your church do? Were you or your family involved in any of those programs, cantatas, or activities? Have you ever gone caroling? Did your parents ever host Christmas parties?

Our Christmas topic for Flashback Friday continues this week. We are remembering Christmas at school and church.

My Flashback:
We always had a Christmas party at school. I do not remember any specific party. My Mom was always a room mother. She or one of the other mothers would give us all a plastic apple ornament with our name, the year, and our grade on it. I have a whole box of little apple ornaments!

In third grade we did a Christmas play of the Nativity (in public school). I have a picture of myself standing on a chair dressed as an angel. I don't remember anything about it!

In middle school and high school we would have Christmas choir concerts. These always seemed to last so long!

At church we usually put on a Christmas play. There was a different one each year. One time we were singing a song and shaking some bells that were sewn onto a small ribbon. Some of the bells flew off as we were singing and rolled down the steps. It was hard to sing and not laugh!

Have a day of blessings!