I haven't blogged for a while so I thought I would post this list along with updates. Isn't it wonderful how life doesn't stand still? Sometimes, I wish someone would turn off the fast forward button of life for just a little while though, don't you?:)
Anyway, here they are.
1. I am one of seven siblings --5 boys, 2 girls. I was the only girl for 15 years.
2. Our family lived in an old farm house, no indoor plumbing until I was a teenager. It really wasn’t so bad. We had a little red pump by the sink – the water came from a cistern- you didn’t drink that water. We had a water bucket, for drinking water, that was refilled from the pump on the porch. So in a way, we had indoor pumping. My dad added running water and a bathroom. That old farmhouse was bulldozed into a big hole about 12 years ago. It is sad to know that I can never see it again. Our childhoods lived in that house.
3. I know this for sure…to grow up without much money, but with a lot of love is better than the reverse. ( I want to give honor here to my parents, who made a wonderful life for our family. They were models of hard - working, loving parents who raised us in the church and lived out their faith in front of us. Of course,not perfection, but with God's grace --always pointing us to Him. Thanks Mom and Dad for laying down a foundation of faith for generations to come.) ( Dad passed on into Heaven in 2006, and Mom is still a steady prayer warrior for her family and friends.)
4. I am a cable news junky. (Actually have cut way back on this)
5. My husband and I would probably win the “Stay Calm, We Have This Under Control” award—if there was one. One time, a fire started in a skillet on the stove—I was startled, but put a lid over it and put it out. I said-“ whoa I just about had a fire here”….my husband who was sitting at the table reading the paper with his back to me, and without turning around, said, “I thought I smelled something”, and went on reading.
The other time I started a grease fire, Lon and the boys weren’t home and I called the fire department after I put it out- to make sure I had it out. Never leave the stove with a wok of oil on the heat “for just a second” just to get a crying baby out of her crib- especially when you realize she has a fever and you forget about the wok getting hot and start to change her diaper. I forwarded an email the other day regarding kitchen fire safety and my sister questioned my authority to give advice on that subject…
6. I am amazed at and grateful for the sacrifice of the adults in my life when I was growing up. Their time was a precious thing that they gave to me, to enrich my life, and I didn’t realize it back then.
7. I have prayed for my daughters-in- law since they were little girls. I heard from Dr. Dobson on Focus on the Family in the early 80’s to start praying for your children’s future spouses and I did. Oh..my.. goodness –my sons have married wonderful young women.
8. There are still three more young people out there that I am praying for…(update: make that two- we've had a wedding since then- and yes another wonderful young woman came into our family:)
9. I won the Betty Crocker award in home economics (and it was a trophy!) my senior year in high school. The teacher decided who received it.
I wish I still had that. I would have set it on the shelf in my kitchen and said to my kids, “What do you mean you don’t like it? I have won an award for my cooking! See?”
10. I am so thankful for the love that my sister has showered on my family all these years. For my kids, she has done everything from sewing Superman capes to making Jell-O jigglers to spell out their names –back when their names had not been shortened- and with the cousins visiting that day -seven kids! She has stayed up into the night talking with them about everything under the sun. She introduced us to the funniest movies. Princess Bride etc. She has come to my home and run my household with six kids, (including home schooling) when I had surgery or broke my ankle and cooked lovely dinners every night—better that I would have in good health!--this was before she was married or had kids of her own!
I could fill up the rest of the 25 things right here.
11. I love my brothers. It was fun growing up with them. I wish we all lived closer so we could visit more often. They all still crack me up and I love spending time with them!
12. I have lived near state capitals in all three states that I have lived in and yet, have never been to a state fair.
13. I was in a church singing group called The Lamplighters when I was in high school. I played tambourine. Six teens from our church youth group made up the group- my two brothers and three close friends and me. We girls had matching long skirts. We were semi-well known in our area churches. We were invited to sing at several church revival meetings- one was a week long. We once sang at our high school assembly- I mean we were the program for the assembly-can you imagine. And then in the summer, we also sang at the Concord Burgoo (our annual small town community celebration). My son Jonathan now uses that tambourine in recording his music.
14. One food that I hate is sweet potatoes- in any recipe. I just don’t like them. (update: my dil Jess introduced me to sweet potato fries and dil Brooke added them to a baked, spiced veggie mix- and they are great! You CAN teach thisold mature grammy new tricks!)
15. During my senior year of college, I worked at a very small taco “restaurant” with 5 seats at the counter--that was the total number of seats in the place. It was owned by a really old man called “Pop”. He paid his employees (3 college girls) in cash. One person at a time worked a shift. It was called “The Rocket”—there was a big rocket pointing toward the sky on top of the building. My kitchen is larger than that building was.
16. I can’t believe my own age—I don’t feel this old in my head.
17. But I love being a grammy!! (We have 3 grand babies on the way in May, August and December!:)))
18. Amanda and I could hold our own in a Gilmore Girls trivia game. I would also want Jess on my team.
( I would have Jess as captain of our team- she "schooled" Amanda and I with her GG references last summer on a vacation weekend .:)
19. I don’t care what you say, --I love puns. Like: I’m ironing out the chaos in my laundry room. Come on…
20. I am a big believer (and receiver) of God’s mercy and grace—I don’t deserve it, but He gives it. I am still learning to give both like I should…to make it my first action and reaction.
21. I didn’t think I would enjoy Facebook like I do. ( I still enjoy FB- a great way to keep up with family and friends.)
22. When we were raising our kids, there wasn’t a community of mothers to laugh and cry and rant with like on blogs and facebook. I think my generation felt like we were the only ones going through it most of the time. Two people who helped me the most were Dr. James Dobson (and the guests on his radio program)… Also Erma Bombeck’s humor of imperfection got me through a lot of days. I have an autographed copy of one of her books that my husband gave me for Christmas in 1984. Godly teaching and laugh out loud giggles—a good combination.
23. I love blogging and the community of really cool ladies that I have met there. Nothing to update here- just a hearty AMEN to what I said back then- Bloggy friends are some of the most amazing women I've "met"!:)
24. I wish we had a dog. A really lazy dog.
25. Or a cat – one that was allergen free.—goes without saying that the cat would naturally be lazy.
Below, I've included comments from my kids, because I was touched by them and it made me realize how it is important to tell your life story to your kids-- I thought I had, but there were some details and things from my heart that were new to them.
So I encourage you, dear bloggy friends to tell your story- especially your journey with Jesus.-- But also your growing up years with your children. It helps them to get to know you even better.
I heard this the other day and I want to pass it along. "God is always up to something good." No matter how our lives are going, God will take the bad days and make something good from them and help us grow and bless us so we can praise him...He takes the good days, draws our attention to his Goodness and Mercy so that we can praise him, too. It's about giving Glory to God.
Have a blessed week, dear friends.
FaceBook Comments:
2. Our family lived in an old farm house, no indoor plumbing until I was a teenager. It really wasn’t so bad. We had a little red pump by the sink – the water came from a cistern- you didn’t drink that water. We had a water bucket, for drinking water, that was refilled from the pump on the porch. So in a way, we had indoor pumping. My dad added running water and a bathroom. That old farmhouse was bulldozed into a big hole about 12 years ago. It is sad to know that I can never see it again. Our childhoods lived in that house.
3. I know this for sure…to grow up without much money, but with a lot of love is better than the reverse. ( I want to give honor here to my parents, who made a wonderful life for our family. They were models of hard - working, loving parents who raised us in the church and lived out their faith in front of us. Of course,not perfection, but with God's grace --always pointing us to Him. Thanks Mom and Dad for laying down a foundation of faith for generations to come.) ( Dad passed on into Heaven in 2006, and Mom is still a steady prayer warrior for her family and friends.)
4. I am a cable news junky. (Actually have cut way back on this)
5. My husband and I would probably win the “Stay Calm, We Have This Under Control” award—if there was one. One time, a fire started in a skillet on the stove—I was startled, but put a lid over it and put it out. I said-“ whoa I just about had a fire here”….my husband who was sitting at the table reading the paper with his back to me, and without turning around, said, “I thought I smelled something”, and went on reading.
The other time I started a grease fire, Lon and the boys weren’t home and I called the fire department after I put it out- to make sure I had it out. Never leave the stove with a wok of oil on the heat “for just a second” just to get a crying baby out of her crib- especially when you realize she has a fever and you forget about the wok getting hot and start to change her diaper. I forwarded an email the other day regarding kitchen fire safety and my sister questioned my authority to give advice on that subject…
6. I am amazed at and grateful for the sacrifice of the adults in my life when I was growing up. Their time was a precious thing that they gave to me, to enrich my life, and I didn’t realize it back then.
7. I have prayed for my daughters-in- law since they were little girls. I heard from Dr. Dobson on Focus on the Family in the early 80’s to start praying for your children’s future spouses and I did. Oh..my.. goodness –my sons have married wonderful young women.
8. There are still three more young people out there that I am praying for…(update: make that two- we've had a wedding since then- and yes another wonderful young woman came into our family:)
9. I won the Betty Crocker award in home economics (and it was a trophy!) my senior year in high school. The teacher decided who received it.
I wish I still had that. I would have set it on the shelf in my kitchen and said to my kids, “What do you mean you don’t like it? I have won an award for my cooking! See?”
10. I am so thankful for the love that my sister has showered on my family all these years. For my kids, she has done everything from sewing Superman capes to making Jell-O jigglers to spell out their names –back when their names had not been shortened- and with the cousins visiting that day -seven kids! She has stayed up into the night talking with them about everything under the sun. She introduced us to the funniest movies. Princess Bride etc. She has come to my home and run my household with six kids, (including home schooling) when I had surgery or broke my ankle and cooked lovely dinners every night—better that I would have in good health!--this was before she was married or had kids of her own!
I could fill up the rest of the 25 things right here.
11. I love my brothers. It was fun growing up with them. I wish we all lived closer so we could visit more often. They all still crack me up and I love spending time with them!
12. I have lived near state capitals in all three states that I have lived in and yet, have never been to a state fair.
13. I was in a church singing group called The Lamplighters when I was in high school. I played tambourine. Six teens from our church youth group made up the group- my two brothers and three close friends and me. We girls had matching long skirts. We were semi-well known in our area churches. We were invited to sing at several church revival meetings- one was a week long. We once sang at our high school assembly- I mean we were the program for the assembly-can you imagine. And then in the summer, we also sang at the Concord Burgoo (our annual small town community celebration). My son Jonathan now uses that tambourine in recording his music.
14. One food that I hate is sweet potatoes- in any recipe. I just don’t like them. (update: my dil Jess introduced me to sweet potato fries and dil Brooke added them to a baked, spiced veggie mix- and they are great! You CAN teach this
15. During my senior year of college, I worked at a very small taco “restaurant” with 5 seats at the counter--that was the total number of seats in the place. It was owned by a really old man called “Pop”. He paid his employees (3 college girls) in cash. One person at a time worked a shift. It was called “The Rocket”—there was a big rocket pointing toward the sky on top of the building. My kitchen is larger than that building was.
16. I can’t believe my own age—I don’t feel this old in my head.
17. But I love being a grammy!! (We have 3 grand babies on the way in May, August and December!:)))
18. Amanda and I could hold our own in a Gilmore Girls trivia game. I would also want Jess on my team.
( I would have Jess as captain of our team- she "schooled" Amanda and I with her GG references last summer on a vacation weekend .:)
19. I don’t care what you say, --I love puns. Like: I’m ironing out the chaos in my laundry room. Come on…
20. I am a big believer (and receiver) of God’s mercy and grace—I don’t deserve it, but He gives it. I am still learning to give both like I should…to make it my first action and reaction.
21. I didn’t think I would enjoy Facebook like I do. ( I still enjoy FB- a great way to keep up with family and friends.)
22. When we were raising our kids, there wasn’t a community of mothers to laugh and cry and rant with like on blogs and facebook. I think my generation felt like we were the only ones going through it most of the time. Two people who helped me the most were Dr. James Dobson (and the guests on his radio program)… Also Erma Bombeck’s humor of imperfection got me through a lot of days. I have an autographed copy of one of her books that my husband gave me for Christmas in 1984. Godly teaching and laugh out loud giggles—a good combination.
23. I love blogging and the community of really cool ladies that I have met there. Nothing to update here- just a hearty AMEN to what I said back then- Bloggy friends are some of the most amazing women I've "met"!:)
24. I wish we had a dog. A really lazy dog.
25. Or a cat – one that was allergen free.—goes without saying that the cat would naturally be lazy.
Below, I've included comments from my kids, because I was touched by them and it made me realize how it is important to tell your life story to your kids-- I thought I had, but there were some details and things from my heart that were new to them.
So I encourage you, dear bloggy friends to tell your story- especially your journey with Jesus.-- But also your growing up years with your children. It helps them to get to know you even better.
I heard this the other day and I want to pass it along. "God is always up to something good." No matter how our lives are going, God will take the bad days and make something good from them and help us grow and bless us so we can praise him...He takes the good days, draws our attention to his Goodness and Mercy so that we can praise him, too. It's about giving Glory to God.
Have a blessed week, dear friends.
FaceBook Comments:
Amanda Collier1-25. i love you!
more specifically...
2. and you have no fear of spiders!
...4. not me! haha
8. whoa!
10. where would we be without missy? and zoolander?
16. in my mind ive been 17 for the past four or five years, so when im 18 (in a month!) i wonder how ill feel.
18. maybe i could invite emily, allie, and hilary over and we could battle... colliers vs. others!
im so glad we understand each other!
24-25. me too :( especially 25)
February 8, 2009 at 10:04pm ·
Jess Collier just saw #18... i would definitely want you both on my team too. we would absolutely kick some gilmore girl butt!
February 9, 2009 at 8:02am ·
4 comments:
i didn't know you when you posted this the first time around. and i'm still learning who you are. this 25 Things post certainly gives me new insight into some of the intricacies of you. and i like that. a lot.
thank you for praying for me all those years.
I loved reading every thing about you in this post! #9 made me laugh. Wish I had a trophy too so I could point to every time I heard ewww... even before it was tasted.
You sister is amazing. Maybe because God waited so long to send little girls to the family he made them extra special!
I so loved reading this.
#9 made me laugh and I wish I had one also. I heard a lot of ewwww even before it was tasted also.
Have a great day.
Aww, that was so great to read Linda. So interesting, funny and inspiriting. Thank you for sharing part of your life!
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