BirthdayShout-Out

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO #1 DAUGHTER

 Happy 33rd Birthday!

 I love your smile

You come from a Long Line of Strong Funny Resilient Women

 You're a Great Sister and Best Friend

You definitely have better hair now!!  I thought that sweater looked so good on you!  You Hated it but wore it just to keep the Peace!  Bless Your Heart!

You're the bestest Aunt MeMe in the world!

You're a Big Part of Our Family!

One Fantastic Mommy to Sweet Baby James

You have dedicated your Life to making sure James gets every advantage he needs to be successful and Happy in Life.

James is the perfect excuse to celebrate your Favorite Holiday,

HALLOWEEN!

We Love Playing Together

 Your Favorite Place...The Beach at Gulf Shores

You Put James first and yourself LAST

Here you are wearing your Physical Therapy Hat!

All in making sure James has the Best

Here you are wearing your Equine Therapy Hat

and...

even though you're all grown up now

I am Still Your Parent, You Are Still My Child

HAPPY 33RD BIRTHDAY, MARY ELLEN

Daddy and I are so proud of the Godly young woman, Mother, and Wife  you have become.

As a Professional Photographer you use your talent to Benefit others, as a mother, you're second to none,andas a daughter you are still that little baby girl placed in my arms 33 yrs ago with two long curls on each temple, a scratch under your right eye, and the sweetest little smile that melted my heart.

WITH LOVE

YOUR MAMA

Lessons From The Geese

As Much Sense As God Gave a Goose.....

 Flying in the V

Whew, I don't know about where you live but here in my neck of the woods this summer has been nothing but

HOT, HOT, HOT

However...

It will only be a few weeks before we see flocks of geese flying overhead headed south for the winter.  For My friends in Canada,  many of your birds park their little wings right here in my back yard, local ponds and lakes.  In fact, my husband loves to go fishing in the early pre-dawn just to watch the Canadian geese and Heron take off in flight from Lake Guntersville.  He says the sight and sound is breathtaking.  I wouldn't know since I do not find any thing breath taking about getting up at the butt-crack of dawn to sit in a boat and wait for a fish to bite some slimy worm that # 1 husband put on the hook that I took out of the tackle box that pricked my finger that bled like a stuck pig all over my nice Frog Tog Jacket.  Yes, Frog Togs are for real    (Google Frog Togs)...made locally and sold globally.  

But I digress...

To say I'm anxiously awaiting Autumn would be the understatement of 2011.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE EVERYTHING about Fall, Autumn, The Autumnal Equinox, whatever you want to call it....I LOVE IT!!

While going through my Fall decorations (which so happens to consist of an enormous amount of school related decorations  considering I'm a retired teacher), I found one of those inspirational "Forwards" from that one particular friend we all have...wink  wink..you know who I'm talking about...we all have one.  Right???!!

The following FACTS are from that particular "Forward".  I used it with my faculty one Autumn afternoon.  It happened to be one of those school years when teacher egos were fragile and relationships between grade levels were a bit *strained*.  Elementary teachers can be very competitive...  who gets up the first Pumpkin to whose reading scores are the highest.  Competitiveness and egotism is not exclusive to the sports world but can be found in education, business, science, churches,and even families!

Take some time to reflect upon the Facts and Lessons learned from the lowly Geese.

FACT:  As each goose flaps its wings, it creates an "uplift" for the bird following.  By flying in a "V" formation, the whole flock adds 71% more flying range than if each bird flew alone.
LESSON:  People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they're going quicker and easier as they travel on the thrust of one another.

FACT:  Whenever a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to fly alone and quickly gets back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the birds immediately in front.
LESSON:  If we have as much sense as a goose, we will join up in formation or what I like to say "order of authority* (important to the Family structure in my opinion) with those headed in the SAME direction. Sort of like being the wind beneath each others' wings!  

FACT:  When the lead goose gets tired, it rotates back into formation and another goose flies at the point position.

LESSON:  It pays to take turns doing the hard work and sharing leadership with people, just as with geese, everyone depending, leaning, and relying on the other to get the job done or to reach a goal!

FACT:  The geese in formation honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep up their speed.

LESSON:  We need to make sure our honking from behind is ENCOURAGING...Not DISCOURAGING!

 

FACT:  When a goose gets sick or wounded or shot down, two geese drop out of formation and follow their fellow member down to help and provide protection.  They stay with this member of the flock until he or she either is able to fly again or dies.  They then launch out on their own either with another formation of geese or to catch up with their own flock.This is my favorite Fact!

LESSON:  If we have as much sense as a Goose, we'll stand by one another like they do.

A lot of common sense can be found in Nature.  I like to think God designed it that way.  After all, we are a stubborn lot and many times we go off on our own, headed in a different direction, and find out, often too late, we really can feel the "drag and resistance of flying alone".  Reaching our goals and/or destination in life is definitely made easier when we take advantage of the *lifting power* of those in front of us and the *honking* of encouragement by the person/persons behind us! 

We really DO want to have the sense that God Gave A Goose

JUST A FRIENDLY REMINDER 

TO ALL MY LOVELY FOLLOWERS

I'd be ever so appreciative if you would "FLY" on over 

to

Sew We Quilt

Make sure you say Grandmama's Stories is your Blog Sponsor

or your comment won't be eligible for the Give-Away!

We all have a better chance at winning if follow the leader, fly in the same direction, and *honk* each other on in our quilting and stitching endeavors!

BLESSINGS

I WON at Stash Manicure

What Do You Need for All This Delicious Thread, Ribbon, Floss, etc...?

A FABULOUS Pair of SCISSORS

I WON
as Blog Sponsor/TEAM GMAMA JANE
for 
Wantobe Quilting Campaign...Sew We Quilt @ Stash Manicure

Hamilton Sewing Embroidery Scissors
ALSO...

Team GMAMA JANE had our FIRST WINNER 

at 

SEW WE QUILT AT STASH MANICURE

Teresa N. from Alabama 

Teresa won some incredible thread from Aurafil and the book by Nancy Zieman
Sewing A to Z.
Teresa also won MY 1st Giveaway, The Joy of Quilting!  I promise this is all on the up and up!  Teresa must have some Good Karma to win right off the bat!  Ya know why she's a winner?  She has been Faithfully commenting on both blogs which put her chances of winning higher and higher!

YOU can WIN too 
at Stash Manicure

 I'm excited about winning those scissors!
HOWEVER...
This little Baby has my name all over it....Come to Gmama... you little piece of 
ORANGE HEAVEN...AAHH!!!
This RELIABLE IRON was the Giveaway for MONDAY!

COULD I POSSIBLY WIN AGAIN??? 
MADAME SAMM AT SEW WE QUILT says to be Greedy and keep commenting so you can keep winning.  Names are never taken out of the running for prizes
so I'll cross my fingers TONITE and pray I Win this ORANGE BEAUTY
but if I don't 
I'll just go back to this

Do you like my New Outfit??
Thanks, I made it myself to show off my *girlish* figure
TEAM GMAMA keep commenting....

I'll pick a winner of my 2nd Giveaway Tuesday.  Forgive me for being late picking a winner but I just got back from my reunion and the Ox needed to get out of the Ditch before I could attend to my Blog.
I have a Special Quilt to show you that was given to me this past weekend.  It has to do with my 40th reunion!!  I was so surprised, humbled, and Grateful...
Stay Tuned!

Blessings,

The High School Reunion That Almost Didn't Happen!

40th HIGH SCHOOL REUNION

CLASS OF 1971

     Pam H. TV Anchor         GMAMA Jane         1970 Stained Glass Windows.. Hey it was the 70's?

                     Mike G. portrays a Viet Nam Vet                          The Nativity  
                                                                                                         and  
                                                                                                  The Viet Nam War

                                                                 Ms. Moody's Choir

                                                              Check out those short skirts!!!!


This weekend I will be attending my 40th year High School Reunion...Princeton High School, Princeton West Virginia.   

This class produced  FIVE Doctors one of which is Chief of Surgery at Johns Hopkins, 1Ophthalmologist, 2 Gynecologists, 1 Heart Surgeon, numerous teachers, 1 80's Rock Star (honest, you would know her if I could tell you who she is!), 1 famous female Jazz singer, Federal Prosecuting Attorney, several lawyers, Politicians, 1 Mayor, and everything in between. Pretty successful class especially when you consider they came from a very small town in West Virginia that had only ONE fast food restaurant in 1971!

What do you say to people you haven't seen in 40 years? I moved away to college, Marshall University, in the fall of 1971 and with the exception of ONE summer after my freshman year, I never lived at home again. I met my college sweetheart (that story is for another blog) and we married in Jan. 1973. Our parents freaked, everyone thought I was probably pregnant since it happened so fast which was NOT the case, and we lived in a little rodent infested apartment for 6 months. My husband was a football player so I lived most of my life waiting for him outside of some locker room, field house, weight room, or airport .

Needless to say, I feel as though I have two lives. My life from age 1-18, and everything else is the 2nd half. My parents either moved or passed away so my reasons for returning to my hometown became Nill. I lost contact with most everyone and until Facebook, I really had very few ties to "home". Fast forward to 2007 and Facebook. I began to reconnect with High School *friends* and a desire to rekindle the home fires began to burn.

In 2010, I elected myself #1 cheerleader for getting a reunion together. I couldn't attend my10th yr. reunion because of football...by 1981 I'm now married to a Football COACH!! The 20th year rolls around and I get no invitation to a reunion and wrongfully assume we didn't have one. I didn't find out till last year that we even HAD a 20th reunion...I think a total of about 14 people attended. I won't say anything ugly about poor planning. I begin a FB campaign to get a reunion planning committee and for a few months thought I might have to plan the reunion from 600 miles away. Fear Not, my cohorts came through and we ARE having an Official 40th Year Reunion!!!

I wanted to invite other classes to go in with us but that idea was nixed. Fear Not, there's more than one way to skin a cat! I decided to co-host a luncheon with the help of an old friend who still lives in Princeton. Saturday, I will co-host a very fun luncheon for PHS Alums (Ladies only) for years 1970-1975!! I hoped for maybe 20?? The restaurant can hold 40 inside and 40 outside!! Would you believe we may run out of room for everyone who has RSVP'd???!!! I am SO EXCITED!

So...I'm still packing as we speak, have the dogs boarded, house sitter ready, car gassed up/washed, and snacks packed!Gotta run, the dryer buzzer rang and I have one more load to fold and pack.

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

BLESSINGS

GMAMA JANE

School Days School Days, Dear Old Golden Rule Days....

First Day of School Anthem

School Days, School Days,

Dear Old Golden Rule Days...

Fun with Dick and Jane

I'm still waiting to quilt this

Reading

AND

WRITING

and

'Rithmetic

Talk to the tune of a Hickory stick

You were my Queen in Calico, 

I was your bashful barefoot beau,

When we were a couple of kids...

Take a look at some old photos of Schoolhouses

from the past...

Not only have the buildings changed

but everything about the education system has changed

unfortunately, not all changes have been for the better.

One thing that has not changed is based on my firm conviction that 95% of

Teachers truly CARE about their students

and spend an enormous amount of time getting ready

for that 

First Day of School

I KNOW I DID...FOR OVER 30 YRS, 

the first day of school was met with butterflies in my tummy and a new box of 64 Crayola Crayons

on my desk.  I wore a new outfit and usually new shoes just as I had as a child.  My mother always made sure I had a new outfit for the first day of school.  

As I look at these photos of old school houses, I wonder at the stories, lessons, events, and relationships that were celebrated within these walls.

AAHHH...if Only Walls Could Talk....................

This one is in New Jersey and  still used as Administrative Offices today

Most often the School and the Church were the same Building as in this Picture above.

These look like rather well dressed children, don't they?  Wouldn't you love to know who these people are/were and what life brought into adulthood.  Did they go to war?  How many had children, grandchildren? Who became famous?  Who married who?  Who became the politician of the group, the doctor, the dentist, the miner, carpenter, store clerk, newspaper man, owner of the town diner, owner of the Blacksmith shop, who owned the first car, ....SOOO many unknowns.  I love to look at a picture like this and begin imagining 

answers to many of my questions.  Without question, these children became part of what is known as "The Greatest Generation".  What will OUR/YOUR Generation be known for??

Mine is defined by Woodstock, the Beatles, and the Vietnam War.

Food for thought as a new school year begins in some places across the country from NOW through September.

One tradition that began with my mother and has been handed down to my children and to my grandchildren is the singing of the song, "School Days".  My sweet Mama would come into my bedroom singing School Days on the first day of EVERY School Year!!!  I sang it to my children all the way through High School even into College.  I would call my college aged child on the morning I knew their classes began and whether they will admit it or not, each one anticipated that cheesy call from their mother singing,
"School Days"

and currently............

I call each Grandchild on the first day of school and sing School Days even though I usually find out their mother or Daddy has already sung the First Day of School Anthem !

I Pray that each of you will have a successful School Year with your children and/or Grandchildren whether they attend Public School, Private School or Homeschool. 

As a Reading Coach and mentor of teachers I used to challenge them to Teach Bell to Bell. For every 5 minutes wasted (out of an 8 hr. school day) 2 days of instruction are wasted by the end of the school year (based on a 185 school year calendar). I wanted each teacher to feel an URGENCY in what they were doing.  Those children DEPEND on them to TEACH them what they NEED to know so they can be productive and successful adults.

Come to Think of it, we could all ponder that little statistic as it applies to our lives outside of the classroom.  For me, retirement has meant a lot of what I call "down' time in the past 3 years. I believe it's time I get my MOJO revved back up, get more sleep so I can get more accomplished during the day!

I have many Quilts to make before I Sleep, Quilts to make Before I Sleep (to borrow a theme from the great Poet Robert Frost who said, "I have Miles to go before I sleep, Miles to go Before I sleep."

Blessings

Gmama Jane

PLEASE DON'T FORGET

TODAY , MONDAY,IS A WANTOBE QUILTER DAY

GUEST OF THE DAY IS HERE