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December 1, 2010.

  

Take the Time

This is a photo of my mama and me. I am so happy that I still have her, yet I write this blog with a heavy heart.
My dear sister-in-law lost her mother this week to a heartwrenching battle with Alzheimer's. It was so hard for their family to watch their mom slowly fade away, but I know that it must have been even harder to say that final goodbye. I cannot pretend to know what she is going through, but I know in my heart it cannot be easy. A mom is one that meets our every need when we are born, she teaches us, she care for us, and she sacrifices for us. She puts her own needs and wants aside for her child.
No matter how old we get, we are never truly ready to lose our mother. Who will we call when we have those questions only she can answer? We can't share the cute story of what our child or grandchild just said with her. We can't call her for that old favorite recipe. We will always think, she would have loved that. Life will have to go on without her, even though there will always be an empty place in the heart of her child.
So, make a call or visit, and spend some time with your mom today if you still have her. Cherish the moments you have. Listen to her speak, hear the wisdom in her voice, the experience of her life. Hold on to all that you can, while you can.
I'm going to call my mama again tomorrow. Just because she is there.

Till next time,
Mamacooker

Dedicated to Patricia Morrison
A loving wife, mother, grandmother, homemaker and crafter.
She will be greatly missed.

The Truth About Being Mom...

...It's not all fun and games to the mom!

First of all, I only do this because my mama does not have a computer and can't see this photo. She would kill me! That's what she wanted to do to the teenager that took this picture and thought it was sooooo funny. Now, "mama's rear in the air" will be forever in the family photo album and now all over the world thanks to me and the www ! At least I have a reason for spreading it. There is a lesson to be learned from it.

When we bring those little darlings into this world, we just love them and enjoy all the warm and fuzzy feeling we have. We don't know all that is yet to come. It's a good thing. God allows us to be naive and blind to the future for a good reason. There are some things in life that we are better off not knowing until they hit. Being surprised can cause two reactions, one, we over-react and say and do things we shouldn't, or two, we are just stunned or don't even know it happened and are speechless. The later reaction gives us a chance to think about it and may be our saving grace. It's best this way because we can then have the right reaction after we think it through. God's timing can tame our reaction! Now, my mama would have never posed for that photo. She would have probably taken that camera and thrown it away. She was a true lady! At that time ladies didn't laugh at things like that. But, (no pun intended!), after the fact, when the film was developed weeks later, what could she do. Everyone else was having a good ole laugh at mama's expense, and after she got over wanting to strangle the kid that did it, she let it go and now we all have a good laugh over it, including her.

Life can hit moms with surprises sometimes. Some funny like this photo, some not so funny. It's not always a light hearted thing. Mom can often be the "butt" of the jokes, she can be mis-understood, un-appreciated, taken for granted, and sometimes it's not funny, it's very hurtful. This is especially true as your children get older. You know, during that time when they are so much smarter than you? When we give it time, we can have the right reaction. We take it in, see that it wasn't meant to hurt us and then react correctly. Our kids often don't think with adult minds. In fact, the Bible talks about it in I Corinthians 13:11, it says "When when I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child:". Wisdom comes from God and with age, and we are all still growing older and wiser everyday. Even our children.

So moms, when you're caught with your rear in the air and it's not funny, just take a minute to see what develops. It may not be as bad as you think. It may just mean that they saw things differently than you did. A little patience can go a long way in dealing with your family!

Still Cookin,

Mamacooker

P.S. I was just reminded that the other victim in this photo was my moms dear sister-in-law. She had to be dear to be out in that hot garden helping to pick peas, or butter beans. She was and still is one of the best! Sorry Aunt _ _ _ _! I just had to do it!

Inspirations for Moms

This is mama with her first baby. See the love in her. She was in her glory. I was reminded of this photo after I found such a nice blog today. It's called Nursery Love. You can find it at http://www.nurseryloveblog.blogspot.com/ From one mom to another this hit me right in the heart. This woman has a passion for her family, one of the greatest earthly gifts from God only second to our salvation. Strong families are a gift to this world. The next generation is in our hands, so it's up to us to give them what they need, to be the best they can be. I am reaping the blessings of my labor now. I'm still a mom to two children at home, two married daughters one of which has made me a NANA to three adorable grandsons! Double the fun and blessings of having your children! And no, I don't wish that I had them first! I wouldn't have been the same person I am now anyway. It is great being a mom, just even better being a nana! Like a double dip of ice cream is always better than a single! More sweetness, more love, more hugs and kisses! Someone once said to my daughter, my what a big task you have been entrusted with raising sons. Three men, for the next generation. That is a huge responsibility and challenge. Leaders, providers, father's of the next generation. I have faith in God and in them that they will do their job well. They have the Lord, they have each other, and they have God's Word. By the way, children do come with an instruction book. I look forward to the years ahead, watching them grow into little men. I feel the same for little girls. I'm am so blessed watching my daughter be a mom. What a reward. Also, my mama, ma-maw to my children and now grandchildren is reaping her blessings when talking to her great grandson almost every week. Jack loves to talk to "the ma-maw" and tell her what he has been up to. You see, she lives over 1200 miles away from Jack and he's only seen her once, but he adores her. His mom is doing something right!

So, I'm excited to meet more moms doing wonderful things and loving their children and husbands. I love this little give-a-way on Nursery Love's site and hope I win because I want that little crayon roll up from http://www.babysewpretty.etsy.com/ for my oldest grandson Jackson. He will love using it with the new write and sketch journal that we make for our etsy shop at http://www.javagirls.etsy.com/ . Also, for you ladies that just love your husbands you may want to check out our journals themed "Letter's for My Husband". We are currently out because of the Valentines Day rush, but we will be posting another one very soon!
Until next time,
Mamacooker

I HAVE ARRIVED! Or, at least I know where I'm going now.

Yes, that's me. At the kitchen table by the coffee cup! I may think I have arrived, yet I have not gone very far. You will still most likely find me at the kitchen table with a coffee cup, or at my scrapbook table with a coffee cup, or at the computer, you guessed it, with a coffee cup .

A couple of years ago I was in the process of making a Heritage Scrapbook for my family, and when creating the page for each of the four children as adults, I hit a road block. One brother was retired from the military. My other brother owned his own construction company. My sister ran her own piano studio with 60 students, and I, the baby of the family, had no real career. I didn't know what to put on my page. What was I? As I contemplated what to put on my page, I began to realize that I had fulfilled my childhood dream. I had been married 25 years, and I had four children. I worked at my children's school and at our church. I had survived one daughter's wedding and had one grandchild. Through it all, I had learned to do so much, and I had skills I never thought I would have. I was very happy and fulfilled. I didn't need to have a title. It was a good thing to have a career, but not a bad thing to not have one. I remembered what my mama had told me long ago. She said when I was a little girl I always said ,"I want to be a mamacooker when I grow up". Mamacooker? In my child's mind I must have been really impressed with my mama. She was a good one! She loved her family, took care of us, and loved every minute of her time spent with us, and she loved to cook. One word, mamacooker, summed it up for me I guess!


I now know that I am a "mamacooker". I love being a mom and count it a privilege, and yes, I love to cook too. God has blessed me, and I know my job is very important. It is what God wanted me to do. It's a high, humbling and scary calling to be the influence and caregiver of the next generation. I have been entrusted with three girls and one boy, and now three grandson's. I just hope that I do as well as my mama did.

Mamacooker
http://www.javagirls.etsy.com/
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/Java-Girls/150557509169?ref=ts