Celebrating Mom

There are two times that families come together-celebrations and funerals. The last time my siblings and I were all together, it as 2005, when my dad passed away. Having spent Saturday with my family, celebrating Mom's 80th birthday, I have to say I much prefer parties to funerals! The celebration could not have gone better.

Now, when you turn 80 and have nine kids, you can expect a LOT of photos to be taken. I took more than 189, and 94 of them were keepers, that'll tell you how much time Mom spent in this swing Saturday. But she doesn't look like she's complaining, does she?And here she is with 12 of her 20 grandkids (there are also at least that many step-grandkids, and several great grandkids who live elsewhere and couldn't make it.) I can honestly say I have never seen Mom happier than I saw her on Saturday; she was the belle of the ball all day and loved every minute of it, as you can see in these pics (and those that will follow in the coming weeks :)

She loved her album very, very much, of course. She was moved, too, by the photo montage Judy made for her and set to music... I think the hit of her day, though, was when her daughters performed for her (for a change.) First, my sisters, Mary and Geri, (both in red) took the words to In My Mother's House and changed them to be uniquely about my mom, and after some arm-twisting encouragement on their parts, Judy, Michelle, and I joined them in performing the song for Mom. The result was absolutely beautiful. (Watch the video, if you like. Again; no hurt feelings if you don't watch it. I just know that some would love to.) If you do watch it, it will help to know these things:

*My mom's name is Elsie and she collects cows; there are more cows in her house and yard than at a corporate dairy farm.
*Mom lives in a tiny house that is filled to the brim with knick-nacks. At Christmas, she puts up an angel display and has a particular place for each and every one.
*That's Mom's voice (laughing, talking, and singing) you hear in the background now and then.
*This was literally the first time my sisters and I have ever sung together. Judy, Michelle, and I sang during the chorus, mainly, as we had not sung this song before. All things considered, it turned out great.

My sister Mary also wrote an incredibly beautiful, original song that had us all (including Mary) in tears and will be a treasure for a lifetime. It's called "Jimmy Strikes Gold" and is about Mom and Dad; how they met and fell in love, and their life together. It ends with these lines:

For 56 years
He was her partner in life
Now he smiles from above,
with 80 winks for his wife!

How sweet is that?!

The party was an excellent team effort. Everyone pitched in and made it a day to remember for Mom, as well as the rest of us. I'm grateful to Mom for giving us a reason to celebrate her every day, and I'm so glad we all got together in her honor. And like Mary's song reminded us, I know that Dad was with us, too--This time, with the spotlight on his "Brown-Eyed Beauty."

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Original Post on 6/27/08 at Half-Past Kissin' Time

Mom was born in 1929; a terrible year for most Americans, but a lucky one for us; she turns 79 today. I won't see her (I'll be on my way home), but I took care of her birthday gift before I left. I printed out each of the blog posts that I have written about her: Farm Girl Fun, Because Everyone Needs a Grandma, What Some Little Old Ladies Have on Their I-pods, Forever Young at Heart, and First Communion. Because each of those posts had wonderful comments directed towards Mom, I knew she would love them.

So, after I printed out each post (and its comments), I put them on some pretty paper in an album. I'm happy to say that Mom LOVED the gift. In fact, she loved it so much that she called me three times to thank me for it again and told me that the gift (and I) are very precious to her. I bought extra pages to add future posts to the the album. So, it is truly a gift that will "keep on giving." And, in honor of Mom's big day, I made this short video collage. If Mom was at all elusive to you before, her personality, charm, and spirit will be evident after viewing the video.

Happy Birthday, Mom!!

Forever Young at Heart

Original post on 5/10/08 at Half Past Kissin' Time


Came upon this photo, and it made me smile; not just because Caden is so sweet, but because of my mom's expression. She's the epitomy of "young at heart," bringing a joyful enthusisasm to every celebration, finding fun in mundane things, and always ready with a song.

For many years, on my birthday, Mom calls my house and leaves a message on the answering machine, singing "Happy Birthday" to me. (I think she just did it one time, out of the blue because I missed her call, but I loved it so much, she's done it every year since.) I absolutely love it; it's so sweet and makes my birthday truly special. My "big day" is never complete until I listen to my song.

I dread the birthdays after Mom is gone, so that's why I asked her to let me record her singing to me (cuz I'm just that morbid!) Mom cheerfully agreed!

Before you hear the result, I have to give you a little background. Believe it or not, when I was a little girl, I was a real chatterbox! By the age of 5, my dad had affectionately nicknamed me "Barbara Jean, The Talking Machine." So, here's my song: Happy Birthday to Me!

Now you know another reason why my mom is so special and deserves a happy Mother's Day!

If you lost your mom this year (or before), my heart especially goes out to you this Mother's Day, and you are in my prayers...

P.S. Here's an outake of the song, if you need to laugh. Our Cooper (dog) kept whining while Mom was singing, and it was cracking Mom up to see me giving him stern looks and getting so irritated with him.