Reflections

 

 

 

One day, when I was a little girl, I decided to take my box of crayons and scribble all over the walls of my parents' home.

 

I got in HUGE trouble. After my spanking, I lost my crayons and coloring books for the summer.  I was so sad.

 

Thankfully that little girl with the slightly rebellious and artistic spirit lives on inside me as I am still coloring those walls.

 

;-)

Kim

 

P.S.  I would be honored if you shared a childhood memory with me and how it might have affected YOU today.

Comments

[Barbara F.]

I remember one summer my friends and I were playing a game called "bridesmaids" - we would walk around in our mother's old high heeled shoes with the pointy toes, and we would spritz on perfume......one day I decided we needed to do something about our lack of bouquets. So I went into my mom's newly planted flower pots and snipped away! Made four pretty little nosegays!!! Unfortunately my mother didn't appreciate my floral artistry at the time!
xo,

[Suzy Miller]

Funny you should ask. I would oftentimes spend Summer's with my Granny. I loved my Granny so. She was wheel chair bound but nothing could stop her! My Granny had a very neat and tidy house. To this day, I like neat and tiday. My Granny had open windows with billowing white shears that blew with every hint of breeze. To this day, I have the same. My Granny used Ivory dish soap. To this day, I love the smell of Ivory dish soap. My Granny owned and drove, although in a wheel chair, I might add, an aqua and cream 57 Chevy. To this day Aqua is my favorite color and guess what? I love 57 Chevy's! I think it's safe to say: My Granny affected ME :)-

[Missy]

I had the perfect Southern mother any one could have had. She never really did much to punish me and when she did, it was in a loving way. One day she had gotten a brand new wallet. I had to have been in elementary school, but I seemed to think that taking her old wallet and putting all of her things in the new wallet for her would be a wonderful surprise. It wasn't and while my memory is blurry as to what happened, she really fussed at me and it hurt my feelings so much since this wasn't in her personality. I don't have her any more to laugh with about this, but had to share it with y'all. I miss her so very much. Thanks for letting me share it with you!!!

[Carrie Merth]

I spent most of my growing up time with my grandparents. They gardened, my grandmother cooked and baked and kept a cozy house. Even after going to college and getting a fancy degree, I love being a homemaker just like my grandma. I cook her recipes, I love to work in the garden and enjoy making my house pretty. I love doing all the things my grandmother taught me. The fancy degree doesn't compare to the "life skills" my grandmother gave me.

[Daisy Cottage]

YOU and what YOU share is the BEST and most precious part of this blog.

THANK YOU.... I so love your hearts.

Me

[Oma]

On hot summery day...I invited all my neighborhood buddies to a party in my garage..everyone took a crayola and we were able to color up quite a mural all around the garage..oh yes we had a great time!!!...until mom and dad saw what we had done...

I think that might have motivated my mom and dad to turn the garage into an extra bedroom...lol..

Well, rumor is that my drawings are still there under all that rennovation..I would love to see all those stick figures again...where my mind was at the age of 5...

And yes, I just finished embellishing my bathroom doors with a paintbrush and some very artistic flourishes..lol..

Love you always
Oma
in Texas...
Remember that, Oma in Texas, because should we ever meet..that is going to be how you will know me!!..lol...

[Gloria]

You remind me of my niece...I was 13 at the time and she was 3. She was like my shadow. One day I came home and found her in my bedroom....those cute little rosy cheeks and that blond hair shining......just wanted to eat her up......until I realized that the little stinker had decided that the interior of my jewelry box would be much prettier in a deep shade of red....She used my mother's lipstick to make that transformation.

[karen]

My childhood was greatly influenced by my 2 grandmothers - and my great-grandmother. All three were very crafty - always doing needlework, knitting or crocheting, sewing, etc. One grandmother in particular always had projects going - decorating projects, sewing, making dollhouses from large boxes with furniture, wallpaper, rugs, etc. She in particular had a huge influence on my life - and the "craftiness" I learned from her led me to own a gift shop for 12 years where I made much of what I sold. It was a dream come true. I have since closed my shop but the encouragement I had growing up from my grantdmothers to be creative is a part of my life everyday!

[Stephanie]

I always tried to make little forts and hide away spots anywhere that I could. I would hang cloth as a door, and fill the space with pillows, trinkets and books. I made one in my closet one time, and one in the giant oak tree in my back yard. I had a neighbor boy help me tie fabric from tree limb to tree limb. It gave way and one of the neighborkids fell out of it ( didn't get seriously injured) but I got in trouble for it. I still do this today. I make forts with my boys in the living room. My bedroom is in the process of becoming a little fabric haven :) It's because of all the practice that I had as a kid! :D

[Ricki Jill Treleaven]

My Irish grandmother used to always tell me stories. Most of them were about local folktales in Alabama, like the wampus cat and the sack man, and she also told me tales about Ireland...the fairies, selkies, fear dorcha (Ireland's version of the sack man), etc. I majored in English Literature in college, and I used to share my love of stories by teaching high school literature. Although I no longer teach, I still love a great story, and I enjoy reading. I have passed this love on to my children, and my oldest daughter has completed her first novel and plans on writing after earning her BA and MFA in literature and language.

[Marianne]

Oh Kim ~ you have made me chuckle ;-) I remember doing the same thing with crayons. My mother gave me a bucket and some water and made me scrub the walls clean. I was five years old...and still today I love cleaning and fluffing my nest

[Bernie]

On one of my early birthdays (5 or 6) my dad walked into the kitchen with a stuffed dog that had a bell in its ear. Dad was making barking noises, while shaking the dog and pretending the dog was biting my ear. I giggled myself silly. To this day, (more than 50 years later), the memory of that 20 second encounter brings a smile to my face.

[Jean]

My family lived in an old farm house when I was little, around kindergarden age. Our front bedroom had wallpaper with rows and rows of tiny roses. My two older sisters and I had a box of purple dot stickers and we asked Mom if we could put them over the roses. Much to our amazement she let us!

How has that affected me? I realise that sometimes you just have to say yes to something crazy that the kids want to do.

[Cindy]

Hi Kim,
I was a very curious little girl, and am now a very curious grown-up. But one day, I decided I just had to see what went on inside the local community centre, so I climbed up on a garbage can, (with no lid) putting my little feet on either side of the rim, to look in the window. In doing so I fell and my knee came down on the lip of the garbage can and I still have the scar from hitting it. I limped home and did not tell my folks, I knew what they thought of little girls peeking into windows. Now, when I want to see what is going on, I either just go inside a place, where and when allowed, or I ask enough questions that I know what I think I need to know. Yes, I am still very curious, just carefully so.
Love and hugs, Cindy

[linda moczan]

at one point in time my parents and 2 sisters and i lived with my granparents for a short while when i was very little.
at easter time my granmas neighor would bake us a "lambie cake" out of a lamb mold. it had coconut on the white icing with a pink nose and chocolate chips for the eyes. and she would always tie a pink ribbon around the lambs neck.
each easter we would have this little cake on my granmas dining room table waiting for us all to eat...although it was too cute to cut!
i dont have the original mold but i do have a rabbit and lamb mold . and i am going to attempt to make a lambie cake for our grandchildren to carry on the memory !

[Carol Adams]

Such a sweet story.. you little free spirit, you..
I don't have memories of doing something like this but we were just laughing about an incident with my now 21 yr old daughter, Jill. She was a little artsy thing in her toddler days and got angry with me, we think.I had her napping in our bed and found her drawing on the wall above the bed on my side, with a neon pink marker. The pic appeared to be a pig face... at least to us.. ha ha She vaguely remembers it but doesn't think it was supposed to be a pig.. ha ha I left it there for quite a while bc it was her masterpiece and it made me smile.. May sound strange to some but no one else really saw my br and I kinda liked it... Funny. She may have been mad that I had put her down for a nap but we still aren't sure about that... It was fun to laugh about now that she is 21...Fun to compare memories of events... Thanks Kim!!!

[Debra]

Ok, here is my embarrassing moment. When I was old enough to know better(about 12), my family was on a trip in the summer in the california desert. My Dad stopped for milkshakes and since I was never able to finish one I decided I didn't want to hang on to it so as I was sitting in the front seat(don't ask me why the front seat I never remember any other time doing that) I threw it out the window and unfortunately it traveled into the back window and all over the seat and everyone. Let's just say my Dad was not too happy:(. My lesson which I have yet to master was "think before acting".

[Donna Rae Barrow]

I loved your story!

I spent much of my childhood in the hospital... I was diagnosed with kidney cancer at age 4 and, after having one of my kidneys removed, had a long road of chemotherapy and radiation.

My mother would stay at the Children's Hospital with me during the week while Daddy worked, and on the weekends Daddy would call and ask me what I might like him to bring me. I could have asked for the moon and he would have found a way to get the glowing orb to me! I always asked for a variety of paper and pencils and paints and scissors, and he faithfully showed up with a bag filled with these items. It was bliss!

My time at Children's Hospital, and the other diagnoses and surgeries over the years of my life, taught me that our time is so very brief. Make the most of it. Love one another. Seek beauty. Laugh. Don't play games... unless they involve jumping in puddles and running through green grass.

Thank you for your spot of beauty on the web. It is a great example of what I hold dear, written above.

[Terri Morse]

I was in kindergarten. Miss Ryan (yes, I still remember her name)gave each of us a sheet of blank paper and told us to take out our crayons. My little heart was beating fast. Then she told us to draw a tree HERE. Next we were to draw grass, HERE. After a few minutes of this, I'd had enough. This was MY picture and I was going to draw what I wanted. I decided this picture needed a beautiful princess in a gorgeous gown. When the lesson was finished, I was so proud of my art work. Apparently, Miss Ryan wasn't. She scolded me for not following directions. Little Terri hasn't changed much since she supposedly grew up. She's still making art the way she wants to and she still doesn't always follow directions. I hear that's what makes a good artist, Miss Ryan :)

[Tammy B's Knees]

When I was younger I would visit my Gram at in her "farm"...she didnt have animals, only a small vegetable garden with weeds and flowers. I remember my Gram and I talking when I got older and she was talking about flowers...I remember saying to her how I loved the colors of these weeds that grew on the side of the road...my Gramma looked at me and said "all flowers were weeds until someone called them a flower!" I often think of that when I find myself worrying about my looks and what others think of them, all to often we think we are a weed in a garden of wildflowers, but it is our responsibility to ourselves to bloom into something beautiful...

[Mary Lou]

When I was in my early teens, I wanted my bedroom painted a very vibrant shade of blue. My dad said he would work with me, and we'd get it done. I had never painted a wall before. Well, somehow we got silly together, and our very first go at the white walls with the blue paint ended up being stick figures and houses! - drips included! We admired our work, and then thought we had better get down to business, but not before my mom paid us a visit. We got in trouble - together. We painted over our artwork, but the drips from the stick figures remained as a remembrance. I think on what fun we had together often, especially now that my dad is no longer here. I think it reminds me that I do have a little fun, creative streak when I forget.
Thanks, Kim, for bringing it back to my mind today!

[Pat]

One Christmas Eve my father took my older brother and sister and I to see Santa Claus. We came home with the little boxes of candy and were so happy. My mother came home after closing the store where she worked and put gifts under the Christmas tree.
As we looked in the big picture window it was decorated so pretty. My mother was so disappointed we arrived back to the house so soon. She thru the little panties on the tree. It was actually very pretty and what a memory it left me. It was done that way only because she ran out of time.

[lesliad]

When I was 5, my mom was an Avon lady. I got into her lipstick samples and colored my bedroom walls with them. To this day, I'm always changing the color of my walls.

[Kirsten]

I too colored on my walls as a child. I remember it perfectly. I had Holly Hobby wallpaper...I was so proud...it wasn't even something I thought of as bad.Sometimes when you're little you know you're bad and you do it anyway...this wasn't like that. I was proud of my art and ran and got my Mom to show her my masterpiece. She was not impressed. She gave me a way out though...told me that "yes it was lovely...just not so lovely on the wall and that perhaps paper would be better since now we'd have to clean it and my art would disappear." Now when my children color on the wall...I try to look for the good in it (as my Mom did for me)...before I whip out the Mr.Clean magic eraser to banish it forever...

[Lynn Paterson]

Yes, the little girl in us is always there! When I was 4-5yrs old I discovered mirrors.....my Mother's beautiful front hall mirror to be exact. But when I looked in it I couldn't see all of me in it....only the top half. So I stood on my Mom's coffee table with my sneakers on, so I could see all of me in the mirror. Apparently, I must have had a pressing social engagement and needed to check out my outfit. The next day when my parents asked me if I was standing on the coffee table, of course I said "NO". But what I didn't realize is that I left evidence....my footprint! Well, needless to say, I got a good spanking.....but I still love mirrors!

[Debbie from Texas]

Kim, my most precious memory is of my grandmother and how she comforted me to sleep. She always rubbed and scratched my back to settle me down. I remember all the stories she told me about "little workers" inside my body who did their work to repair my skinned knee or my scratched arm...if I wasn't still and quite, then they couldn't fix me!! I do that to my little granddaughter now and she expects it when she is here........I love it!!!

[Cindy lane]

At only a few years of age my best friend Donna from next door and I decided that our trikes needed a new coat of red paint. We decided to use my mom's red fingernail polish ANd to paint our tricycles on top of my mom's bed that had a white chenille bedspread on it. Yes, the red nail polish got on the spread more than the trikes...then I had a brilliant idea...I would cut the spots of red nail polish out of the white spread and then momma would never know what we had done! She knew :) I don't remember being punished but I'm sure something happened! I certainly tried to remember when my own kids did something that seemed so crazy, that it made sense to them and afterall, they were just kids!

[LaTeaDah]

I had been told that putting things in electrical outlets was not safe, but one time I simply couldn't resist! I put a piece of coat hanger wire into the electrical outlet. The result? Fireworks! I learned that there were reasons to obey! I was probably about five years old.

I hope your mom knew that WD-40 takes crayon marks off of walls!

Enjoy a happy week-end!

[JolieAnne]

Hi Kim,

Great idea to ask us to share our memories. My memories are from being raised by my grandma & Grandpa as both my parents worked a lot, my grandma taught me so much. She was my idea of Martha Stewart before Martha was introduced to all of us.
Grandma could do anything; cooked from scratch, crafted,
and even made my clothes for school-just beautiful work!
My favorite memory was when she made her own sugar eggs
for Easter and made the little animals that went inside
them-bunnies and chicks, etc....they were breath taking!
She always gave them away and I am sorry I don't have one
to look at anymore. Of course they cannot be preserved for
very long! She is gone but not forgotten. I bet there
are many of us who can relate to that kind of special grandma!
Have a beautiful weekend. It is starting to get hot here in FLORIDA!

[Tracy]

As a child ( and even now) I loved birds. For my 10th birthday, Mama decorated my cake to look like a Red Maccaw....it was gorgeous! Mama has never took a cake decorating class - or any other class for that matter, but that never stopped her from crocheting, sewing, woodworking, or anything else she set her mind to! :)

[erica]

Hi Kim,
My fave and ones I didnt realize shaped me when young were those when my grandmother, Aunt Mom and I would hop in the car and go on a fabric run. We would come home and there wouldnt be enough room for me to "sit". I actually had to lie on top of the piles of fabric in the back of the Puso ( no seatbelts back when). Now my mother and I design and have wool fabric made! = There is no textile that I cant love :)

[Debbleedo]

Seems like a lot of us have spent countless hours with our grandma's. I too had a wonderful grandma who I have so many cherished memories of. She would let me sit on the counter while she baked...I would take pie dough and make into cookies which we would eat after baking, we would go down to the milk stand together to bring the milk and cream pail to the farmhouse, she would dress me up for town and let me wear her lovely carved ivory rose necklace...she was so jolly and cheery. When I was eight, she suffered a stroke and never was the same again. I miss her everyday and wish that I could have just one more moment with her to tell her how much I love her and how much the little things we did gave me so much pleasure! xo Grandma Lott

[Lei]

During my private preschool days I remember that I felt out of sorts being from a upper middle class child in a posh upper class private school. The other kids had fancy colorful clothes to wear while I had pants and skirts with plain white t-shirts. This was in the early 60's when most people wore dull unexciting colors. So, I decided that I would take my fathers red & black El Marko pens and make my own designs on my boring plain white t-shirts. Stick figure family, house and dog complete with a tree and a big sun adorned my t-shirt. The only problem was that I was too quiet and I drew the design while I was still wearing the t-shirt. Yes, spanking ensued and the pens were forbidden. Albeit, I got colored clothes after that incident.

[Renee]

Today when I was signing a card for my granddaughter's birthday it made me think about my grandmother. We lived away from here a lot of my growing up years, but I still remember how excited we were when my grandmother would come to visit. She always came on a bus (she never learned to drive). I still have some cards she sent me through the years. The other day I found one with a little note she wrote to my daughter. I think I'm going to put it in a frame and give it to my daughter.

[Briana from Texas]

My mom was a stay-at-home mother. She enjoyed baking, cooking, sewing and gardening. She was a very loving and affectionate woman. There was always something on the stove or in the oven that made our home smell heavenly. I always felt so loved and protected. When I became an adult I tried to become the kind of woman that society told me I was supposed to be. I wore suits and heels, worked long hours, received raises, promotions and recognition. Those things never fulfilled me. There was an emptiness there that no amount of professional accomplishments could fill. Then I met my husband-to-be. Then I had a son. I gave away my suits and heels and never looked back. Now our home is full of wonderful aromas, flowers, laughter, love, coziness and comfort. Instead of suits I have a collection of pretty aprons and lots of colorful flip-flops. We don't have very much money, but we feel so rich and blessed. I am grateful to and for my mother. She showed me the way.

[Julie Harward]

Once I had a really bad sore throat, as mom left, she told me to not be chewing on that package of gum because it would make my throat more sore. I didn't believe her and chewed it up, by the time she got home I was in tears my throat hurt so much, I now never chew gum when I have a sore throat! ;D

[Mary Lou]

My granddaugher, now age 11, has always liked to draw. When she was about 6, she drew a nice photo of her mom on the wall in her room. "Mommy had BIG red lips" which she never does! When we went to paint the room, noone had the heart to cover up the drawing, so grandpa built a frame around it and it's still there. She did get in trouble when she did it but she still loves it and so do we.
I love all the stories.

[Trish Rowley]

When I was in 6th class in what we call primary school(I was 11 at the time) my sister booked me in for swimming lessons. The teacher was getting us to jump in and swim to the middle of the pool from the side which I was Ok with the water was about 4'6" deep. Then out of the blue the teacher took me up to the 6' end and told me to jump in, I said no she said you will and pushed me in...well I nearly drowned I could not believe what she had done. Since then I hate the water that's saying something for an Aussie I'll go in but only to the waist, when I have a shower my face must be out of the water or I panic I have had several lots of swimming lessons as an adult and I still can't swim thank God that my children are both very good swimmers when they were little I would never take them to the beach because I was soooo scared that something would happen to them and I couldn't help them. I remember going to a beach with my son to watch him surf, he was about 20 at the time I spent the whole time pacing up and down the beach like some mad women yelling at him to come into the shore. By the time that he came in I was beside my self and never went to watch him surf again till this day. This has affected me my whole life, one day I hope to overcome it after all it's only water. Trish xox ;)

[ana roat]

When I was little we lived in a neighborhood that had grass adjacent to the side walk in front of each house. One summer our neighbor decided to remove the grass and fill the spot with cement. This made it easier for guest when they parked in front of their house. no need to step out onto grass...turns out the creative little bug in me decided that newly laid cement, a jumbo black crayon and one beautiful summer day made for the perfect canvas for 100 or so hop-scotch squares in a variety of sizes. By the time I was done the sun had baked the black crayon into the cement and their was no getting it out. Needless to say, my dad had to foot the bill for new cement and I was banned from playing out front for the remainder of the summer. Funniest part...I can still hear my brother saying..."you're gonna get it...you're gonna get it!!". ha,ha,ha. I turned out to be pretty creative and have even taught a few scrapbook classes along the way.

[Cindy]

Never colored on the walls, but can remember my sister doing it. If I remember correctly, my first spanking was from telling a lie. Took my sand pail and walked down to the pasture under the huge old pecan tree and played. When I got back to the porch, found a old sack full of pecans and got handfulls out of it & put in my pail, opened the old back screen door and told my grandmother look how many pecans I picked up today. Of course they could here the pecans falling into my metal bucket and knew where I had gotten them. Received a couple of little slaps on the rear.
Love from OK, Cindy

[Kat]

Hi sweet friend!

I ALWAYS love to visit you and see how you are "coloring our world"!

Gosh, I've had fun catching up with you tonight. It seems like FOREVER since I've had time to just read blogs and enjoy myself. Between our two weeks in California and then having two grandsons here for Spring Break, I seem to have gotten myself behind. Not anymore though. I'm BAAAACK!

Hugs,
Kat

[melesa garrison]

My youngest daughter colored all over the back door once and she is now an artist...Funny how that happens ;)

Thanks for sharing!

[Connie]

My sister and I would catch jelly fish, we lived on a bay, and because they were so dangerous and their presence kept us from swimming, we decided to chop them up. We put them in my moms old mayo bottles and decided to stand at the top of our driveway and sell "Jellyfish Jelly". Of course no one bought any, they probably thought, there goes those cooky sisters again. I am still an entrepreneur, and I love to cook, of course I make sure that my ingredients are safe and edible...LOL!

[Sandi ~ A Cottage Muse]

This is an easy one...I remember going to estate sales with my Mom and my Aunt and loving every minute!!

They planted the seed for this treasure hunter and am so thankful!

[Dena L]

Don't have any memories of my childhood to speak of , but have many with my daughter, she loved to draw and color, and yes ,on the walls one time, So i gave her that one wall , she could draw on, she was carefull to make them pretty for all to see, AS she got older and redid her room , we painted over it, Now today she is a graffic artist, with her own at home business , (after the kids) designing cards and invitations for people and companies. And she is a great and understanding mom. Hope i influenced that.

[mary]

Hi, Kim. Loved your story about coloring on the wall... kind of a predictor of your adult passions : ) Adorable.
here is a story from my childhood---I can't exactly say that it was a hint of what my adult life would become, but it certainly is something I'll never forget. It also shows how different things are today in contrast with how things were in the early 1960's!
I think I was about 4 or 5 years old. My mom was going to take me downtown shopping. She got me all ready --dressed and looking nice. While she was getting ready ( I knew it would take forever-or seem like forever) I asked her could I please go outside to play while I waited. She said sure-as long as you don't leave our yard. Of course I did leave the yard, I went down the street to my girlfriends house to play and totally forgot about going downtown with my mom. After a while, I remembered and frantically ran back home to be greeted by a locked door! I knocked and knocked, and finally the door came open a crack---just wide enough to send my child sized suitcase through the door. My mom handed it to me and said --Here you go. Little girls who don't listen to their mother's are not welcome at this house. I took the bag and ran back to my friends house, wailing all the way. I remember lying on my friend's kitchen floor (it was that spotty retro flooring!) crying and feeling so upset. In the suitcase was a cardigan sweater, a doll and a blanket. My mom knew the whole time where I went. She waited about 45 minutes and then called my friend's mom (who also knew what was going on) to tell her to send me home. Oh, the crying that went on that day!!!!! It was 50 years ago and I still remember it like it was yesterday. In this day and age, it would be on CNN. LOL
She sure did teach me a good lesson that day.

[Deborah]

Oh Kim, you sweet thing! I love your story and it brought so many memories to mind. Like you, I adored my dad. When I was about 4 years old, I asked, "Daddy, will I always be your baby?"
"Yes, you will always be my baby."
"Even when I'm a hundred years old?"
"Yes, even when you're a hundred years old."
He was right.

[maria]

well kim, i remember my parents would put up a line of rope in the living room and drap a blanket or sheet over it and that would make my hiding place a place to play at with my toys, i felt so secure knowing i was in my secret place and they were just in the other room - i grew up feeling a sense of security. i've since let my son and nephews, grandson do the same thing and they love it - except i drap the dining table with blankets and sheets - such beautiful memories, thanks for those memories to come back and share - God Bless -

love ya, maria - cottage feel-
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

[vivian roberts]

The summer of 1960 my cousin and I was visiting our Grandmother and Grandfather. I was 7 and she was 6, my Grandmother always had old pots and spoons she would let us have to go under the big oak tree and make our mud pies or whatever we was cooking that day, leaves off the tree or a few berrries off the vines along the fence row. So on this one day we decided we wanted eggs to cook, so we went in the hen house and got two eggs ( which we was not suppose to do)so when we cracked the eggs open one was a rotten egg which was the nesting egg. Taught us a lesson, you dont steal eggs .....

[Adrienne]

I wrote on walls, too! My bedroom had a big walk-in closet that was much too big for my little girl dresses. My father built some nice shelves on one wall and I set up a little table and chair in there so I could play school. I was the teacher. My father mounted a wonderful chalkboard on the wall and I was set! But one day I decided not to write the spelling words on the chalkboard - instead I wrote them on the wall all around the chalkboard. My punishment? When I begged to have my closet wall repainted my mom and dad said no - I had to live with what I had done for awhile. Did I get embarrassed? Yes, when I gave 'tours' of my room and closet to people who visited my family I was very embarrassed. Lesson learned? Yes. Ever do it again? Nope. Never!
~Adrienne~

[Dbird]

My mom was a wonderful seamsress, but she didn't really like to cook. As a teenager I'd promise to cook for the family if she'd do some sewing for me. What a win - win for all of us! Fifty years later I'm still cooking, now for my own children/grandkids. I told my husband the other day that my obituary will read: "She fed a lot of people". . .