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

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: Halloween

This week Linda has asked us to share our childhood Halloween memories. This will be a fun one!

My flashback:
I don't remember Halloween being as big of a deal then as it seems to be now. I don't like all the scary decorations they sale in stores. I SO do not understand buying costumes for pets. Lots of houses put up all these yard decorations too which I don't get either.

Our school had Halloween carnivals. There were booths set up all around the football field--bingo, cake walk, lollipop tree, duck pond, etc. Each class or grade level was responsible for a booth. We quit having them though after blonde haired kids started getting kidnapped by people in white vans (that's what I remember at least!)



I dressed up in friendly costumes that we (meaning my Mom) usually made. One childhood costume I remember was when I was a little old lady. I looked just like my piano teacher. We have a picture of this (of course it is at my Mom's house or I'd scan it to put on here!). One year I was a clown with rainbow hair and a red nose.



In middle school we could dress up at school. My Mom made me a Hershey Kiss suit. It was my most favorite Halloween costume ever! She made my little cousin Chelcie a matching one. Another year she made me a bumble bee suit. We have a picture of Peepaw wearing the hat part with the antennae.

I don't remember ever going trick or treating up and down the street. I went to a couple houses of friends or family members to show them my costume and they'd give me candy, but I didn't just go out trick or treating random houses. Plus we lived in the country so we didn't have a lot of houses within a close walking distance.

We always had a jack o lantern. We like to carve one each year with Caleb too and take his picture with some pumpkins.

We usually take Caleb to some sort of fall festival. For his Halloweens he has been a pumpkin, puppy dog, football player, a big green truck, fireman, and clown. This year he has a police officer costume.

Have a day of blessings!

Flashback Friday

Today for Flashback Friday we are talking about our family structure.

My Flashback:
I lived with both my Mom and my Dad in the same house until I went away to college. They divorced after I graduated from college.

My Mom was a stay-at-home Mom. This is why I dreamed of being a stay-at-home Mom myself one day. She volunteered at my school. My cousin stayed with her while my aunt worked from the time she was born until she was going to kindergarten. That year I was going into 9th grade. One of my former teachers who had been named the principal of the primary school asked if she'd be interested in being her secretary. So when I started high school Mom started working. She has worked as a school secretary since then. She is really good at it and loves what she does.

My Dad was a machinist. He worked normal day hours for many years until he went to work for a large company. Then he did some shift work. He hauled junk/trash for the phone company. He took their trailers of trash to the dump. He always came home with interesting stuff and had a huge collection behind the barn of things he'd collected through the years. He could fix anything, and we still call him with questions when something messes up or breaks.

I don't recall a set list of chores I had to do. I remember making my bed every morning. For many years we had to go to the laundromat so I would help sometimes load or unload the clothes or fold them.

I am a stay-at-home Mom now and very thankful my husband supports me in this.

Have a day of blessings!

Flashback Friday

The topic for this week's Flashback Friday is childhood play/toys.

My Flashback:

I remember spending a lot of time outside. I had a swing set and tree house. My Dad also made me a basketball goal too, and it had a tether ball attached to it for many years. I also rode my bike up and down our long driveway. We had a sidewalk leading up to the front porch, and I played the "rolling ball game" with my cousin. We would pick a theme and as we rolled a ball back and forth to each other we would say something in that theme (like the theme might be cartoon characters, fruits, things that start with B, etc.)

I entertained myself a lot with pretending. I am an only child and did not have neighbor kids my age at the time. I played school in my room. I had a chalkboard and old teacher manuals that I used as well plus a grade book. I also played "officer" with my cousin (that was what she called it when she was not very old). We would set up at my desk and with a tray table for her. We'd have pretend phones and pretend customers. Sometimes we were a bank, sometimes a vet clinic. My aunt used to work at a bank so she would give me deposit slips to use. Another thing I did was play like my bedroom window was a drive-thru restaurant. I had a big old cash register and would pretend to take the orders and pass out the food to my "customers."

As far as toys from my childhood, I had a lot of Barbies. I got the collection that belonged to my Mom and aunt. Some of those Barbies were really old! (Bet they'll love to read that!) Besides the Barbies I got an airplane and motor home from them. One time another aunt made me a bunch of clothes for the Barbies. I had a bunch of other Barbie stuff too...a McDonald's, horse, four wheeler, bedroom, and beauty shop that I remember. I had multiple boxes filled with Barbies and clothes.

I also had Cabbage Patch dolls. I won a set of twin dolls one time...a newborn boy and girl. The boy was named Peter Jules. I don't remember the girls name. I had another Cabbage Patch later on that had red hair.

Other toys I remember include a Rainbow Brite doll and My Little Ponies. I had little plastic members of the Get Along Gang. I had a bunch of books on tape about these characters and got the little characters one year. (These are still in a box at my Mom's house, and Caleb has played with them.) Something funny about this is that I never had the red caboose they lived in. My husband had the caboose and not the characters.

Other toys I remember that were popular in my childhood were Pound Puppies and Care Bears.

Have a day of blessings!

Flashback Friday: I love books!

This week is a great Flashback Friday about books.

My Flashback:

Books have always been important to me. I always loved reading and always had a lot of books.

I still have the Golden Books from my childhood. I like that my Mom wrote my name in them along with the date and who gave them to me. Some of them are very worn, I can tell which were my favorites. There was one (and I can't remember the title, of course), but it had a picture of a little girl laying in a barrel. This made me want my own barrel! My Dad fixed one for me under my slide. I don't know that I really laid in it, but I thought it was neat to have one like the girl in the book. Now that I am grown these books have been a treasure to have to share with Caleb.

During school we got to do book orders. I was always so excited to look through these order forms and choose some books. This really added to my book collection and I had so many. The funny thing is I don't know how many of those I ever read! When I have gone through them over the years, many of them I don't remember reading. We went to the library in the summer, and I always participated in the summer reading program. I still remember the smell of those old library books! I loved books by Beverly Cleary and also the Babysitters Club by Ann M. Martin. I owned a ton of both and borrowed them from the library.

Because I had so many books and because I loved libraries, I categorized my books and made my own little library. I still have some of those chapter books today, and it makes me laugh to see my labels and numbers on the inside. I remember one group was comics or joke books. So I'd write Comics, #9 on the inside cover along with a stamp "From the Library of...." I was trying to keep a list of how many I had.

In high school my favorite book was To Kill a Mockingbird. I also enjoyed Huckleberry Finn my junior year and the projects we did while reading it. I found my copy of that book during our move, and it was neat to go back and look at what I had marked and written in the margins. I want to reread both of these along with The Scarlet Letter.

As an adult books continue to play an important role in my life. I've also shared my love of reading with my husband. He reads all the time now too, which he didn't do when we dated and in our earlier years of marriage. He likes to find new books on the sale rack at Mardel or at the annual library book sale. I've wanted to pass our love of books to our son and he has always had many books. It makes me sad when children don't have books at home to read and use. We went to the library story time before he started to school and still make a weekly trip to the library. It thrills my heart when he gets an idea of a topic in his mind of a book he wants to find at the library. This week it was hurricanes. I love to look through the book order forms he brings home now and can usually find one or two for him or to give as gifts.

Thanks to Linda for another great topic this week.

Have a day of blessings!

Flashback Friday....When I grow up....

I am always excited on Thursday's to read Linda's prompts that she posts for the flashback coming up on Friday. She has come up with some great ones, and I love participating and remembering memories from my childhood. Today Linda has asked us to share about what we wanted to be when we grew up. This is an easy and fun one for me (and probably long)!

My flashback:
When I was young, I talked about being a nurse. Someone said one time something about nurses giving shots and helping the doctor. Well right then I changed my mind. I didn't want to be a nurse if they only got go give the shots, I wanted to be a doctor and do the "gross stuff" I said. For many years I said I wanted to be a doctor.

I believe when I was in middle school for one of my classes we had to interview someone in the profession we would like to be one day. I talked to a pediatrician. At the moment he told me he did not always have a lot of time with his family, I immediately knew I did not want to be a doctor anymore. From then on, I no longer had that desire.

For a few years I felt unsure of what I wanted to do. One year I went to a science fair competition and they had various classes set up for us to attend. One was an occupational therapist from the West Texas Rehab. For a while I thought this might be a good career for me.

I don't know when I officially decided I wanted to be a teacher. I think it was at the beginning of high school. I say this because I remember once I made this decision my Mom started buying me Christmas gifts that were teacher related books and materials! I never changed my mind after that. I went to college knowing I wanted to be an elementary teacher and dreamed of teaching 2nd grade. That was the position I got my first year in the classroom. The next year I had 1st grade. I didn't think I would like it as much but it was great as well.

Since my Mom worked at a school I volunteered many hours at her campus in the summer months. I did all sorts of things helping her and some of the teachers. I saw the "behind-the-scenes" stuff that goes on at schools. I think being a teacher is just in my heart. I will always be a teacher. My body runs on a school calendar I think and I always know when August is coming because I have this need to start getting school supplies and planning lessons of some kind!

Through all my years I always knew that I wanted to be a Mommy and my dream was to be a stay-at-home Mom. My husband always knew this was important to me and it was important to him as well. He wanted my dream to come true. Before we had children, we were not sure how it would work, but everything did work out and God blessed me to be able to stay at home. I've been a stay at home Mom for 6 (gulp) years now and I love it. Last year when Caleb started kindergarten I had several offers for various positions. I still feel though that I need to be at home for this time and that is my profession for now.

People ask me if I will go back to teaching someday. I figure some day I will. I just don't know yet when that some day will be. I also have a feeling I "need" to write. I don't know how what that is going to look like either. We will see what God has for me and our family!

Have a day of blessings!