Remembering Mimmie...

Jimmy's grandmother, Mimmie, was called home Thursday, on her 94th birthday.  We said goodbye on Saturday morning in one of the most beautiful and personal graveside services I've ever attended.    

It was attended only by her immediate family and closest friends and it was just the way Mimmie would have wanted it.  There, the preacher told sweet stories, written by her 3 daughters, about her and the heritage she left behind.  Of how her unending love for the Lord saw her through raising 3 girls, 7 grandchildren, and 8 great grandchildren.  (Ironically, Jimmy's cousin Millie, found out the day Mimmie died that she will having a boy this fall, Mimmie's 9th great grandchild.)  In the service, they spoke of her many names... Etta Ruth, Mother, Mimmie, Mims, Ms. M.  She answered proudly to them all, knowing ones calling her by those names were the closest to her heart.  After hearing Ms. M for many years, her little granddaughter Kate asked her, "Mimmie, why does everyone call you 'Museum'?  Is it because you're so old?"

 She was the type of grandmother everyone deserved.  The kind of grandmother who's love for her family literally lit up her entire face.  She always managed to have enough love to go around.

Christmas 2011... with the latest blanket of all the great grands.

Mimmie's last trip to Chattanooga in January 2012.

From the first time I walked into her house in Christmas of 2001, she made me feel like I was apart of her amazing family.  Although Jimmy and I had only been dating 2 months, it was as if she knew I was there to stay and she welcomed me with open arms. Christmas at Mimmie's was like something out of a fairytale.  Everyone together in her big house, eating, laughing, and enjoying their rare time together.

The day after she died, I got a birthday card in the mail.  As I walked up my driveway sorting through the mail, my heart sank as I saw "Etta Ruth Mullendore" on the return label.  As always, there was a sweet card and a check inside.  I don't know how, but I'm pretty sure she had signed the check herself and her daughter Sheila had written the rest.  Maybe I'm crazy, I'll have to ask Sheila one day.  That card will be kept forever and that check will never be cashed.  It is precious to me, as was she.

 Mimmie was buried next to her sister, Polly (far right) who passed away 2 years ago. Their connecting headstones reads... Sisters in Life, Sisters in Christ

My 2 favorite pictures of Mimmie with our babies... PRICELESS!!!

She was the true matriarch of the family.  I loved watching Jimmy and his 2 male cousins, so sweetly and gently bending down to hug her.  They towered over her, and it was so obvious how much she adored them.  Not everyone is blessed with an exceptional, God loving grandmother.  I, was lucky enough to get 2 at birth, and another through marriage.  Believe me, I count those blessings everyday.

We love you Mimmie!   May 31,1918- May 31, 2012

A "Hairy" situation

One of my most vivid childhood memories is not so much a visual memory, but more a "smellmory".  Every few months, my mom and her girlfriends would gather to give each other perms.  There was never any question as to what was taking place inside the house if one were to walk up on the front porch or through the back door of the garage.  The sound of giggles and stench of perm solution was very evident from outside.  As I got older, my mom's friends would bring their daughters over and we were inducted into the 2nd generation Permanent Tournament. 

It was the 80's, and that was the look.  (Can we all give an AMEN that the 80's are over?)

So when my friend Becky from church approached me at Mom's Group about trying to highlight each other's hair, my mind immediately went back to my past.  We both agreed that we were TIRED of paying so much to get our hair done and hated having to find sitters to spent an entire morning at the salon.  So...  a trip to Sally's and $7.99 later, here we are in my kitchen.  Let the games begin!

I've always gotten foils, but we are complete amateurs and were advised to start easy and just buy a kit pull through the cap.  My mom, who has had a lot of practice at DIY hair came over to help chase our children and give advice.  I'm so thankful she was there.  I would have TOTALLY taken that cap off too early and had a mop of orang-y spaghetti hair.

I'll admit, I got very nervous while my head was in the sink and mom and Becky were rinsing the bleach out.  Becky very calmly began discussing who was going to drive back to Sally's to get more of the product because from the looks of things... IT WASN'T GOING WELL.  I was a little alarmed, but I've learned...it's always scarier when it's wet.

But when all was said and done, our roots were covered, we were a little blonder than before and while FAR from perfect, were pretty happy with our first attempt.

  I do miss the contrast of the highlights and lowlights the foils gave me, but for a quick and cheap fix, this will do.  I may have to alternate the high priced salons with my budget and time friendly cap and bleach kit.

I'm sure Candace, my hairstylist, will be thrilled to have to fix my "home done hair job" the next time I'm there, but I'm sure I'm not the first!  :)

Pomp and Circumstance... Pre K style

The Graduates minus sweet Cindy...

A mandatory "before we leave and you get completely disheveled and filthy" front porch picture...

I love that boy!

And this would be what I meant by disheveled... :)

Papaw and Granddaddy had the honor of keeping Keatyn happy 

(and quiet) with walks and puffs... many, many puffs.

The puffs could contain her no more.  She was dancin' in the aisles by the end.

This video montage nearly sent me over the edge. 

As if "Kindergarten, Here We Come" (sung to the tune of Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes) wasn't enough,  the slide show at the end went all the way back to when he was barely 2 and in Ms. Retta's class. 

 We have had an AMAZING 4 years here and I can't believe his time here is through.  Keatyn will start in the fall one day a week, so at least it's not totally over.

One of the teachers, Ms. Stacy said to me last week, "I'm gonna miss that boy so much, I just love him.  He's always so happy and got such a personality!"  That meant so much to hear.  I PRAY his Kindergarten teacher sees those sweet, endearing qualities in him and can appreciate his "enthusiasm" (as my mom likes to call it) as much as the teachers at HPC.  They are a special group of ladies that I've grown to love!

Trace and his buddy Coulter.  I don't think they realized this was it.  They are all going in different directions next year and it's sad.  Such a sweet group of kids.

And wonderful Ms. Jennifer.  During Trace's "pre recorded" interview that they read at graduation, one of the questions was, "What are you going to miss most about Ms. Jennifer?"  Trace's reply, "Ms. Jennifer... I'm not gonna have time to miss you, I'm gonna be having too much fun in Kindergarten!!!" 

 I sure hope so, son.

We love you so much.  Daddy and I are so proud of you!

Honor thy Mother (preferably NOT with a raging stomach virus)

Mommy and her munchkins

After church we attempted to get some pictures for Mother's Day while we still had Jesus in our hearts and before our Sunday clothes came off.  ;)  You can tell... it was a battle. We had to take it on the steps in the foyer because that was the ONLY spot in the house that didn't look like a cyclone had hit it.   This last one, I had to enlarge because it just made me laugh.  If you look closely, Trace's eyes are crossed, Keatyn is pitching one and I'm more than likely saying to Jimmy through clenched teeth my smile... "Just hurry up and take it."  What you can't see is that I'm sitting on Trace's hand held video game because I had snatched it from him a dozen times already and I'm hiding Keatyn's paci behind my back.  

Ahhh... the true picture of motherhood.  But it's by far the greatest joy of my life!   

 That afternoon Jimmy's parents came by so we could give Sisty her Mother's Day gifts before they headed back to Alabama to see Mimmie, who's been in the hospital.

Later that night we went to my mom's for our Sunday/Mother's Day dinner...

Sweet Abel is 3 months old and he's scrumptious!!!  Oh, those sweet cheeks!

All the moms...

Sadly, 48 hours after this picture was taken all of these amazing moms except me, ended up with a stomach virus.  Nothing says HaPpY MoThEr'S DaY like a puke bag and Imodium AD.  Turns out by Wednesday, 12 from this little gathering came down with some version of it.  Trace and Emily had it the week before and apparently it was VERY contagious!

Makes you want to grab the bleach, doesn't it?

Just want to tell the mom's in my life how very dear you are to me and how much I value and adore you all!!

Odds and Ends

 I'm slowly getting my blogging mojo back.  Slllooowwwlllyyy.  

As hard as it is to find time to do it sometimes, these are precious memories I want to capture for my kids to see one day so I will MAKE time.  Make it a priority.  

Summer is here so the water toys have come out to play.  Sometimes it feels like we just skipped Spring all together.  Like God went to turn the big season dial and turned once too many.  It's a little scary what August will have in store for us if this continues...

Speaking of water toys.  Granddaddy bought a little something to play with on the lake this year.

I love that when we got to their house to help put it in the water and "test" it, Jim and Sylvia were already scooting around the lake on it.  They are so much fun!

And... this is what happens when you try to pitch baseballs to your boy in the front yard from 3 feet away.  I'm a TERRIBLE pitcher so I have to get really close or a strike doesn't even stand a chance.  Jimmy said I screamed before it ever hit me and then I was down.  I'm just thankful it wasn't my head! 

Ouch... me and a frozen bag of peas were pretty tight for a couple of days.

We're beginning a new era in the Cofer Casa.  Kindergarten.  To say I'm not ready is an understatement, but time marches on and I'll have to learn to let go... a little. :(

We went to CCS for a "Kindergarten Playdate" and Trace got to meet and visit the 3 teachers and classrooms as well as got a tour of the school.  The theme "jumping into Kindergarten" so they read frog books, ate a frog snack and made a frog puppet.  It was really a sweet day.

Looking forward to a great summer!