Happy Birthday Mother in Heaven

Mother Judy
1940 - 2013

  I am going to be a great mother-in-law. How do I know? I learned from my own mother-in-love. She was always encouraging and never interfered. She asked me to call her mother years before her son proposed to me! She just loved and spoke me right into the family! I love her, and I miss her.

Judith Ann Benson Lane,
may her name be blessed forever!

Simple little reminders of Mother...
~ Sonic's Happy Hour diet cherry limeade
~ Poinsettias
~ Geraniums
~ Homemade potato salad
~ drawing kittens
~ coloring books and crayons
~ cats and kittens
~ cards and letters
~ McDonald's chicken nuggets
~ introducing her family to everyone
~ pewter cat statues
~ dangle earrings
~ venison
~ talking to strangers
~ praying for everyone
~ "Calm it, Lowell!"
~ "Well..." Long and drawn out
~ Christmas time
~ journaling
~ Beautiful Christian young lady
~ Special Christian young man
~ chili
~ chicken and dumplings
~ "I almost had a conniption!"
~ Baby's Boogie Box Band (Listen on Spotify!)
~ "super deluxe"
~ "diabetic snack"
~ "Lowell! Take a chill pill!"
~ "Oh yeah!"
~ the phone ringing during Michael's math lesson

Her last words to me...

"Laura Diane Lane, you will always and forever be my daughter-in-love." .

She Saved Everything!

My Grandma Bern grew up in the depression. 

She saved e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g! 

She put cookies in a saved ice cream container. She kept them in what we called "the cold room". It was my Uncle Ed's bedroom. It was a very small room off the dining room. I don't think it was heated. My brother and I used to sneak in there and get a cookie now and then. Grandma didn't like us to have treats between meals. That's a rule I should have kept with!

She saved margarine containers, milk cartons, and any other thing she could pack food in and freeze or put in the refrigerator. She canned a lot of food and had a very large garden. 

She kept years of magazines stacked against the wall in one of the bedrooms. That was fun for us as kids. We'd spend time thumbing through them when we visited. 

Sometimes, when we've been through hard times, we even save things we don't need to save. I've been guilty of that. I still am, I suppose. I still have "clutter" to "declutter". But, not saving is not always bad. Sometimes, I find that I have saved just the thing I need to work on a project or to fix something. The key is keeping it organized so that I can find it. 

Warm regards,

Laura

Strawberry Jam Time!

I bought nine boxes of strawberries from our local grocery and spent this afternoon Jamming with my little kiddles. We had a nice little assembly line going. Amy and Michael helped to cut and smash the strawberries. Emily helped prepare the jars, rings, and lids; then, helped to fill the jars and wipe the rims. We ended up with 10 half-pints and 10 half-cup jars. The little ones will no doubt be for gift giving. I just love the little ping when the jars seal. The jars just look so homey all lined up in a row on the counter. It makes me feel like I'm living in my grandmother's days.

Laura of Harvest Lane