DecemBRRRR

yes i know. It's not December anymore. And its not even cold out here today. (44 degrees). But I really had my heart set on naming a blog post Decembrrr so here it it.

my year in review

{go here to see it bigger}
made with Amy Jaz's super cute Fresh Start kit.

a few things I forgot to blog about in December

Ugly Christmas Sweaters. Mine had a wreath and a cat and puffy paint. I wore it home on Christmas day and got absolutely no reaction from my mom and dad. I guess they're used to me dressing a little "quirky".

Ford Escapes don't recognize me as a person in the front seat. it's weird. maybe i should get a car seat...

scout is extra adorable with her cindy lou who / i love Christmas headband on.

my favorite man in the whole world turned 60 the day after Christmas.

so of course I woke him up with cinnamin rolls and my horrible singing.

happy Birthday Dad :) You're the youngest 60 year old i know!

next post I'll act like its 2012...

random whimsy

today is Veterans Day.

I am Proud of both of my Grandpa's for fighting in WWII.

Yesterday was my Mammie's 80th birthday.

I sent her 29 red roses and gerber daisies.

1 for every year of MY life. 

1 for every year I have had the world's greatest Grandma.

She still doesn't think of herself as an "old person". 

I hope I'm like that in 50 or 60 years. 

new link to my Flickr stream on the sidebar.

that was my Dad's Dad's Ford decorated for the 4th of July parade

on our town square in 1966. They drove it in the parade for the K. of P. Lodge (Knights of Pythias). My Dad recounted the whole day to me last night on the phone. He remembers everything, even that he had a toothache that day. He was 14. His Dad died 6 short years later in 1972. I'm glad he has this vivid memory of a happy day spent with his dad.

1st photo-- supplies: The Tattered Pear template; Storymappers 1 {cropped}  and papers from Sahlin Studio

Small town

You know why I love being from a small town?

Accountability

Everyone knows your parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and probably share a few cousins with you.

You can't do ANYthing without your mom finding out. No changing into slutty clothes after you get somewhere, no smoking cigarettes on your way to school (I saw a high school kid doing this on my way to work today.)

Even if someone doesn't know your name, they know your face. I still hear "you must be Donnie's daughter, because you're put'near the spitting image of him.". And as much as no little girl wants to hear that she looks like her bearded dad, I knew if I did something wrong my dad would inevitably find out. He always told me before I left the house to Remember my last name. How could I forget, walking around with that tell tale inherited face and red hair he passed on to me? 

me in 1st grade. 

that's my dad on the left ,with his mom and brother. not sure what they were drinking
but they were sure pumped about it. (and yes my family is as country as this photo would lead you to believe).

dad's senior picture. pre-beard.

You can't make up excuses about where you were because the whole town knows your car, and where you live. They know there wasn't a wreck on your way to work because there are only 2 main roads. If you're "sick" you can't leave the house or the clerk at the gas station will tell her uncle who will tell his sister in law and your boss will most likely know you were playing hookie.

It may seem bothersome to some people but I love that the whole county is intricately intertwined through out the decades. I love that my mom finds out I'm home to visit before I get there because someone saw my car at the gas station. I love that when we had my Grandpa's funeral someone made us breakfast every morning and dropped it off on the kitchen table whether we were awake or not. I love that so many people came to share funny stories with us about Pappy (i.e. him picking them up by their belt loops and shirt collar and throwing them out of his bar.) I really love that people knew him for 80 years and they remembered the strong, healthy, I-will-kick-you-ass, Pappy, more than the stroke victim Pappy. I love that they think of him as  the Pap that back in the day would load all the neighborhood kids up in the back of his pick up and take them to football games. 

Accountability. I think its an important virtue we all need to have. And I am blessed that I grew up where I did and how I did.

Thank you Mom and Dad for making me be accountable. In life, in school, at church, to old ladies at the grocery store;  just in general.

weekend adventures

I definitely get my ocd from my dad.

Last time I was home I took a few pictures of his shop in the bottom of the barn.

 I'm trying to convince him to turn this old tractor seat into a wall sconce for me.

that homemade wood frame is my favorite

Its the cleanest old barn you have ever seen.
I swear he sweeps the floors more than most people do in their houses.

Have you watched Coal on Spike yet?

Since dad is a coal miner I was afraid to watch it at 1st but now I love it.

my parents met at a bar

my parents met at my grandparents bar.

mom was helping dad's brother put faux fur on the dash of his van.

(true story.)

today is their 32nd wedding anniversary.

so to everyone that says you can't find your soulmate in a bar
up your ziggy with a wawa brush. 
(what movie?)

yep. her wedding colors were blue and green. 

awesome hat mom.

then they had 3 amazing kids

michael.me.wynter dawn.

and a scary scary Indian.

on a side note-

my dad without a beard.

everyone says I look just like him.

correction {had} the same tooth gap.

why my Dad rocks like granite.

A few reasons why my dad is awesome.

(besides the fact he produced me).

for my 5th birthday everyone signed this baseball tee for me.

my momma ironed on the letters.

you can see the fuzzy ones are completely worn off.

Loved it! Wore it everyday. Now its on my "birthday bear".

The Easter Bunny even wrote on it.

I was a very important 5 year old.

This is how Dad signed my shirt.

So when i looked down I would always

 be able to see his name.

My birthday is on July 3rd.

He told me the whole town had fireworks for me.

I inherit all of my redneck-ness from him.

"A redneck girl got a name on the back of her belt"

he saves wire baskets like this for me so I can have scarf storage.

he enables my thrifting addiction.

he looks like Uncle Jesse from the Dukes.

Once when I was little I wanted to see his face. He shaved off his

beard and I cried everyday till it grew back.

with a house full of 3 very outspoken females my dad 

and  brother don't say much.

When they do, you listen, it's probably something important.

He is the biggest smart ass i know.

And the hardest worker. He has worked at the coalmine for 30 years

(yes that is still a profession )

and works twice as hard on the farm.

He constantly reminds me that I never have to get married .

He used to pretend his favorite color was purple for me.

and let me eat ice cream for breakfast.

Him & Mom took us kids to see country greats like

Ronnie Milsap and Alabama on the weekends.

We were so little we didn't even need tickets to get in the show.

We go auctioning together. And eat coney dogs.

That is a short short list of greatness

but it made me happy to write it :)