The Saga of the Name....

When my Dad was getting ready to retire from McDonnell Aircraft he had to also submit information about my Mom. Well... they wrote to Little Rock for Mom's birth certificate and low and behold one did not exist for Fleta Alleen Powell born in 1917. So, since Grandpa had written in Mom's Bible that he gave them in 1947 that she was born in 1916...they sent away for that birth certificate with the same results. Since all her other brothers and sisters had birth certificates, Mom really couldn't understand why she didn't have one, but then decided since it was so close to Christmas it just must not have been recorded.
For those of you that remember Dad, he was a follow the rules kind of guy. He went about proving Mom's birthdate with three other documents showing her age and name being Fleta Alleen Powell, born December 27, 1917. This statisfied the retirement people and he thought...all is well.
One night, just before they went to sleep... Mom sat up in bed and exclaimed...."I know why we can't find my birth certificate... my name is not Fleta Alleen it is Trellamae." She went on to explain that she remembered being told along time ago that when she was born the doctor came to the farm and when she was born she was given the name Trellamae. Well...as the story goes, Great Grandmother Powell was there to help (our Grandma was not very found of her) and every time she went to change Mom's diaper, she would make a comment that it was time to change "Trell's" diaper again. When she left, Grandma and Grandpa changed Mom's name to Fleta Alleen, but obviously never did it officially.
The next time Mom and Dad were down to visit at Uncle Cotton's home, Mom asked if he remembered ever hearing that story and Uncle Cotton confirmed the story.......Dad's response, "I just know it could not be true, because I would never have slept with a Trellamae."
Dad would never let us send for a copy of a Trellamae's birth certificate.....some how he was afraid it would mess of Mom's benefits. After all....Mom graduated from High School, was married, gave birth to me, had a Social Security Card and Driver license all under the name of Fleta Alleen. The best part of the story is that every year after that, there was a gift under the tree from Skip and Jim marked to Trellamae. Also, note the spelling.......all one word and this led to many, many giggle times.

Let the New Year Begin!

This editorial cartoon was in the KC paper today~I can not think of a better tribute to my Mom's Birthday remembrance than to post a picture of the President she actually hated the most. I can't imagine what my Mom would have thought of "Bushie", but I'm sure she would have gotten a kick out of this on her 90th birthday. It's hard to believe that my best friend would be 90 tomorrow, or it could be 91 depending on which version of birth years you use. There has always been a dispute as to Mom's birth year and Dad would never let us write for her birth certificate. You see - Fleta wasn't her real name.

Waiting Patiently!!!

My three boys waiting to open gifts. I call this their "Angel Look" - they could hardly wait and I certainly didn't blame them. Our rule is that you have to wait for everyone to be ready to open gifts - youngest goes first. Guess who got to go last?

Sam is one happy boy!

Sam loves to push the button on the Santa and hear, "let's jump for Christmas", I always try to get him to take this one home, but his mom says that it is a "Grandma thing" and it need to stay at my house.

What a Joyous Time!

Everyone had a fantastic Christmas - it is so enjoyable to see the boys really old enough to enjoy, and yet still believe in Santa. This year no one was "crabby" or "whinning"~ everyone laughed and had a great time. My favorite line was from Cindy when she told me she took Sam to see Santa on Saturday, he took one look at the line and said, "no thanks, I will just go home and email Santa". That is exactly what Sam did.

Chocolate~Chocolate!

Tanner and Sam loved the big bear and rocker outside the Chocolate store. They were really all smiles this afternoon and they were so good~I think Grandma and Grandpa will have to take the three on more outings.

Boys and Trains:

It was so much fun to here theme talking about each of the train layout areas. This particular corner was called the junkyard.

Grandpa with boys!

This afternoon the boys were off school, so we took them down to Union Station in Kansas City to see the huge train layout. We really had a great afternoon with the boys.

The Candle of Hope

This candle has been circulating around with so many of my friends. I think and pray for each of you that this cancer has touched, may the strength of our Lord surround you. The percentage of my friends that have had Breast Cancer is almost overwhelming ~ I pray that in '08 they find a cure and then maybe our daughters, grand daughters , nieces and friends may never have to deal with this disease.

Merry Christmas

This Christmas Card reflects warm and beautiful thoughts for each of you that I hold so dear. Reflections of a time of our youth, with memories I hold so dear. I pray that '08 brings you each the peace of our Lord, good health and the enjoyment of family and friends. Each of you have touched my heart and you bring me such joy each and every day through your blogs. May the Lord bless and keep you through these holidays.

Jimmy and Katie

Finally, I have their pictures to post -

Paxton and Tanner

This is the best I could do~ they just kept moving because they wanted to be with their friends. You do have to admit that I can claim these two guys. Paxton looks just like his Dad at this age - I have no idea where Tanner got the redish hair.

Tanner and His Best Bud!

Here is a picture of Tanner and his best bud, Cadin. These two are inseparable and it was fun to see them being so angelic.

Paul's Family

Tonight my grandson's, Paxton and Tanner had their Church Christmas program. I am so thrilled that Paul's family is now very active in their church. The program was darling~ especially the 2 year olds that came in on their Dad's shoulders and were dressed in white robes with red bows and they were flapping their wings. Tanner's group is led by Dawn ( my daughter-in-law) and they sang "Away in the Manger" and Paxton's group(3rd Graders) sang "Joy to the World". It was a really enjoyable, fun evening.

Mike with Santa in 1948

My Mother-in-law gave me this picture of Mike right after we got married. Here is Mike with the same Santa, the same year. It looks like we were about 1,000 children apart, but I guess this was just fate that we would be there the same day. You will notice, that Santa looks so much more pleased with Mike and of course, his mouth is shut!

1948 visit to Santa

When I was 6 years old, a visit to Santa at Famous and Barr was a really big deal. Mom and I rode the Street Car to downtown St.Louis and waited in a very long line to see Santa. Also, it was a very big deal to buy a picture of me sitting on Santa's lap. I remember when the picture came, Mom was really upset because I had my mouth open so big, and I told her~ "well, Mom, I had to tell him everything on my list"! This was the last time I had my picture taken with Santa.

Our mantle - '07

The big Santa picture is new this year. I found him down in St.Louis and put him up right when we got home. The stockings are hung by the chimney with care (Sam put them up for me and arranged them the way he wanted them).

Our Christmas Tree - '07

I haven't got the hang of cropping yet, but I will get better. I have collected Santa's for a very long time, and my tree is filled with Santa's. This is the tree that Mom bought for us back in "82. I just love it because it is a pre-lit tree. Now I have the tradition of my daughter helping me renew the tree each year - we usually end of laughing so hard that we have to stop to catch our breath. Betty - you said you were a visual learner - so, finally, here it is.

Skip and LouAnn

We spent the evening with Skip and LouAnn enjoying pizza and laughter! You will have to notice the picture of Laura and George on the refigerator (which was for my benefit)! I just ignored it and they didn't say a word.

Jimmy and Katie

Katie and Jimmy are growing up so much. Katie is in the 5th Grade and Jimmy is a 7th Grader. I am so happy that they are family!

Snow, Snow and More Snow

I have just finished cleaning off our double wide, steep driveway for the second time today~have I told you all how much I would love living in Florida. I love to walk on the beach and collect shells~ I do not like shoveling snow and chipping ice!
I'm hoping with our new 4 wheel drive that we can make it to church tomorrow morning and then attend Paxton and Tanner's Christmas program in the evening. There have been so many things cancelled over the last week, but my family really can count there blessings because we have all continued to have our power on. I have several friends up in St.Joseph, MO that have not had power for a week. I think I heard something about winter starting on the 22nd - I don't think Old Man Winter has looked at the calendar.
I hope all my family and friends are warm and safe this December night!

I'm thinking a Miracle!

This new program surely has a mind of it's own - maybe while I am iced in I will be able to figure it out, it sure likes to block everything and this old dog is not smart enought to jump over the firewalls. The kids are all out of school today and so many programs cancelled today~ I just hope it all clears out before the Christmas break.
I just enjoy all of my cousin's pictures so much - I am determined to master this. Right now everything I scan to blog comes up as wallpaper, so I am enjoying the pictures of Jimmy and Katie - just can't get them to you all.
Hope you are staying warm, we have dogged the big bullet like Oklahoma and right now it is just raining and melting away the 1/2 " of ice. The temp is staying above freezing right now and should drop back down this afternoon - it is really pretty outside right now ( you just have to take my word for it)!

Welcome to my 2nd Retirement!!!

I finished my long term sub. job just before Thanksgiving. We had a wonderful family gathering here at the house - just our kids and grandkids. Then on Friday we headed down to St.Louis for a great visit with family and friends. We did go over to Skip and LouAnn's house for one evening. I just can't get over how their kids have grown and we sure enjoyed our evening with them.
I have a new computer and at this point I'm not greatly impressed with the new Vista program. It is really giving me fits, but I will try to post this and a couple of pictures of Skip and his family.

Today is dedicated to my special Cousins!

ATTITUDE IS EVERTHING

There once was a woman who woke up one morning, looked in the mirror and noticed she had only there hairs on her head.
Well, she said, "I think I'll braid my hair today", so she did and had a wonderful day!
The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed she had two hairs on her head.
"H-M-M" she said, "I think I'll part my hair down the middle." -so she did and had a grand day!
The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed she had only one hair on her head.
"Well" she said, "today I'm going to wear my hair in a pony tail." So she did and had a fun, fun day!
The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed that there wasn't a single hair on her head.
"Yeah!" she explained, "I don't have to fix my hair today!"
ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING
Be kinder than necessary for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.
Live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly~
Leave the rest to God!

I'm Still with the 5th Graders!

My long term sub has been extended to November 20th - then I will consider that I am retiring for the 2nd time. I really think this is God's way of telling me..."Winnie, your really do not miss teaching!"
Thanks to each and every one of you for your blogs - I do read them daily at school and they are the highlight of my day....I love each and every one of you cousins, and I really appreciate your humor. Please bear with me while I try to finish this teaching commitment...I will be back to blogging when I can stay up later.

Smarter than a 5th Grader?

This is my second full day with 31 5th Graders. They have started a new math series and I can tell you all that I AM NOT SMARTER THAN A 5th Grader!! Mike taught Math for years and this new series uses terms that he has never heard. Would you believe ~ I had to "google" for some definitions of math terms - oh give me strength!

Oh Happy Day!

I guess until this morning on Patsy's post I didn't realize that a very special cousin was a Virgo with me. Happy Birthday Helen!!!!

Early Time with Prayer:

I awoke early to pray for friends and family that are going through so many things this day.
May God give them strength and hold them tightly and uplift them at the moment there is a need. Through him I can do all things because no matter what "I know that God Loves Me!" Of course you know that he loves you too!

41 Years Today!

Today is our 41st anniversary - that almost seems impossible. It looks like we are going to have a beautiful day today, much nicer than the heat we had 41 years ago. The fun part is that I can truly say our love has grown and we are learning to communicate better this last year - God is just awesome when you ask for help. He has truly blessed our marriage and our family.

Just a Little UPDATE:

Last week I loved the cooler weather and decided to work out in the back yard pulling weeds, killing poison ivy and just doing some general upkeep of the bird feeders and bird bath. Well - my foot and knee stayed in one position and I moved in another which caused immediate pain and a "POP" which is not a good thing at my age.
So...... I've had my turn at the Dr. thing, knee brace and a cane. They haven't decided exactly what is wrong yet through x-rays and a MRI. I should hear about all this tomorrow.
Today involved a test called an EMG to see if they can figure out why my feet hurt so bad and are always numb. The test was truly not pleasant but I survived and now know for sure that I do not have nerve damage to my feet and legs.
Monday I saw the vampire lady and I will get those results some time this week - honestly, you go for one little thing and the next thing you know you are having every test they can think of. I really don't think they want to believe I am cancer free -

Here are some great ways to deal with the burdens of Life:

*Accept that some days you're the pigeon, and some days you're the statue.
*Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it.
*Drive carefully~ it's not only cars that can be recalled by their maker.
*It may be your sole purpose in life to simply be kind to others.
*Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance!
*Since it is the early worm that gets eaten by the bird~sleep late!
*The second mouse get the cheese.
*You may be only one person in the world, but you may also be the world to one person.
*A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.
FINALLY:
*We could learn a lot from crayons~Some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull. Some have weird names, and all are different colors, but they all have to live in the same box.
Have an awesome day and know that someone has thought about you today.....I did!

Friendship is an AWESOME thing!

Being with friends that have known you almost all your life is an AWESOME thing. Laughter really heals the soul and refreshes you. Below are some of my dearest friends ~ Becky, Ruthie and Pat.
We all gathered after a year of planning and we had a fantastic time - I use to think my parents were old at this age - but most here are over 65 and they are not old physically or mentally. God has been good to each of us!

Happy Father's Day!

To each any every one of you wonderful fathers - Happy Father's Day!
I think my husband treasures being "Pop-Pop" more than words can ever
say - he is so giving and loving to this family. It is wonderful to see the children
light up when he comes into a room - I think part of his secret is that he usually
has some type of treat in his pocket!

We all came throught the ordeal!

Tanner is doing well - not too much bruising. We are so thankful that this sweet little guy is really handling his injury and does not seem any worse for the wear. I think things like this incident are much harder on grandparents.

Sam and Tanner are true buddies!

What a Day this Saturday has been!

We came back from the camper on Thursday because of severe storm warnings and I have no desire to be in a tin can if a tornado passes through!
Our Cindy is taking her Missouri Praxis test today and Kris is taking a huge auditor/computer tech test ~ so we had Sam last night to spend the night.
Cindy had punched in the wrong code for the test when she signed up, then had to wait and see if she could get into the test this afternoon on stand by. Kris took his 5 hour tests and came away very discouraged - he had been given the wrong practice information from his company.
Next - I went to Tanner's T Ball game with Sam trying to show him how much fun his cousin was having - then Tanner (age 4) was catching and got hit in the nose with a bat. To say the least, there was blood everywhere and Tanner was screaming in pain. Bottom line, Tanner's nose was x-rayed at the emergency room and it is not broken. Sam basically says right now when asked if he wants to play T Ball - NO Thanks!

Anna Mae and Her Arrowheads:

I finally figured out how to post pictures again - HOORAY!
Below is a photo of Anna Mae showing Mike some of her collection and explaining where she got each and every arrowhead. She is 78 years young and this Sunday we are going down to the Methodist College in Fayette, Mo and view her art exhibit at the college library.
Actually, I have adopted Anna Mae as my Mother now - she is just the most gracious, enthusiastic little person you would ever want to meet and she is as much of a "spit-fire" as my Mother use to be. Mom and Anna Mae would have been great friends.

Today is finally the last day of School!

Today I finished my last day as a long term-sub in 1st Grade. It actually was fun and I had a wonderful class. I just hated coming back from the camper to finish 3 hours this morning to make up for a snow day.
Sam lost his third tooth yesterday and he was all smiles for his last day of Kindergarten. No surprise, he has "mastered" all his Kindergarten objectives and was marked for being above grade level in Math and Reading - wonder what he would have accomplished if he had had a teacher that was willing to work with him. We survived his Kindergarten year and we have certainly put in a request for a better match for him for 1st Grade.
Happy Summer Break Sam, Paxton and Tanner~ I look forward to being with my grandsons and having a wonderful summer.

Sam is now a 1st Grader

America Needs a Sigh of Relief:

I had an outstanding Saturday afternoon - I went to hear Obama speak in KC yesterday. He is a charismatic speaker and one of the most profound things he said was - "America will sigh with relief when this man leaves the Presidency of America." If he is our candidate, I certainly won't have any problem voting for him - WOW. Edwards is still my first choice - we will certainly see how all this plays out.
Happy Mother's Day to each and every one of you!

Following in the foot steps:

I have taken up a new meaningful task that I think would make Grandma, Mom and Aunt Winnie proud. I have always enjoyed doing some simple craft sewing like cross stitch and applique - but here at this age I have taken up a new hobby. I have learned to do basic knitting and am now part of a small group at church called "Threads of Love". We are making prayer shawl's for those that are facing illness in our congregation and altho' mine may take a while to complete, it is one of the most satisfying things I have done in a long while. Today our Pastor blessed our work - no matter what the stage of our shawl. I think this is going to be a wonderful ministry.

I'm feeling my age:

I just thought I would post and let you all know that I am once again doing a long-term subbing job in 1st grade ~ thus the title, "I'm really feeling my age!"
Not sure when I will post in the near future, but I read all my cousin's blog's each day - you all keep me connected. I love each of you!

A Fun Day Planned:

We have been invited to lunch today to visit a dear friend and her husband. We are so honored to be asked to join them for lunch in their home because there is an added special bonus. The wife, 83 years young, has collected arrowheads her entire married life of 60 years and she is going to share her findings with us. Most of her valued collection is on loan to the Arrowrock Historical Society in Arrowrock Missouri - however her prized possessions are in her home. Mike is so excited he can hardly contain himself - he loves history so, and Missouri Native American History is a bonus plus!

Tonight My Man Spoke:

I hope each and everyone of you heard my candidate, John Edwards, speak on 60 minutes. Elizabeth was at his side and they spoke about the cancer and why they will continue to run for the Presidency of the great country. Together they have a message that I believe this bruised nation neeeds to hear. I pray for their strength, healing and courage!

Just Take My Word for it:

You will just have to take my word that spring is beginning to spring in KC!
Today it is 74 degrees outside and I have been working all day in the yard to clear away all the winter limb and sweet gum droppings ~ it has been wonderful.
Many birds have returned - I can't wait for the finches. I know the finches will be down at the camper when we go to open it up this weekend.
You have to take my word for all this ~ I have found posting pictures to be difficult and I just can't seem to get r' done!

Tribute to Valence

Patsy just posted that Valence Powell passed last week and that really makes me sad.
Valance was such an upbeat person and really had found happiness in Nevada with Steve Jones after the love of her life Gene passed away.
She always kept in touch and loved all of the Powell's so much ~ I was always told that Mom and Gene were the same age and they really use to have fun as kids.

March is an Interesting Month:

So many different things have happened to me in March. It is a season for change~the strong winds can attest to that today and yesterday.
When I taught Pre-school, I always taught a color of the month and March ended up being "black" month. I have faced family deaths in March and I also faced cancer in March.
So..... what has turned March around for me?
My grandson Samuel born on March 7th!
Today we went to the Autistic Specialist and we visited and talked with him for 2 hours.
He made us feel so good - he actually understands our special guy and gave us a great direction for Sam. We felt so good that he sees the same child we know and understand, and not the child that his teacher tries to make everyone believe that he is.
By the time we finished our visit we were uplifted and actually excited that the Dr. is going to write the principal and tell him about his upset with the teacher - we didn't have to say a word about the teacher, she hung herself with her report to the Dr. So - maybe I should just paint March with a rainbow now!

I'm Dreaming of Florida Again!

Just finished shoveling 5" of snow out of the driveway - the "SnowPlow Man" came by and gave me the dirtest look - oh my gosh, I was throwing snow out into the street!
I wanted to shout at him - "look buster, this is not what I normally do for a living --I have to get my husband to therapy today - what do you want me to do with the snow that is down by the street - I sure as heck can't carry it away".
Have I told all of you that Trout Season starts March 1st - now for that I wouldn't mind chopping the ice.
I have just been in too long, but oh how I appreciate the Dogwood picture Betty and the fact that our precious Patsy is home!

Sunshine all around.....

Today was a day of good news. We went to the Wound Specialist, and he said that Mike's knee looks really good and that we should just continue being careful and using the immobilizer. The wound is healing and we are going to be careful and not have any set backs......
The other fabulous news is that Patsy is scheduled to come home on Thursday....
Isn't prayer fabulous!!!!
The next news is that I really think the American People are going to stand up and say "No" to Bush... we do not need to lose one more American life in a civil war struggle. His arrogance is absolutely unbelievable!

For My Dearest Patsy....

I received word last night that my dear cousin Patsy is gravely ill.....please, if you are reading my blog lift a prayer for Patsy. I believe God hears our prayers and that God know what is best for each of his children.
A suggested prayer:
Loving God, we pray that Patsy may be comforted in her
suffering and made whole.
When she is afraid, give her courage;
When she feels weak, grant her your strength;
When she is afflicted, give her patience;
When she feels pain, provide her your peace.
In the name of Jesus Christ we pray.
Amen

Welcome to the Gladstone Snow Palace...

Our snow started yesterday around two in the afternoon and finished this morning around 9am. It is a beautiful snow and also a wet snow that is great for making snowmen.
Our son Paul has already been over and cleared the driveway and front steps....
I thought there might be some of you that hadn't seen a pretty snowfall for awhile.....so here it is in all it's glory. The tree you see by the railing is our beautiful Chinese Maple that I shared earlier on the blog in it's beautiful red splendor.