October...really...already...

I have to say this is the month that we have been waiting on to get here! Dottie and Ada should arrive very, very soon now. I asked Amy last night ... do you have everything packed for the hospital... do you have everything you need for the girls to come home? I'm a listmaker. Ticking things off just plain feels good to me. Problem now is...I get a list started...now where did I put that thing?! What was it I needed to get done TODAY?

All in all, things are mostly in place for the BIG DAY here and in Dallas. Just gotta tweak a few things for school a little later ... A friend once told me, "If you wanna see your life flash before your eyes...teach school!" She's right. The busyness of my days make turning calendar pages look like a rush of wind came through. I want to stop, though, I want to remember these moments of anticipation. I want to remember how I felt. What we said. What we did in these days of wait.

Changing seasons. Changing leaves. Changing lives. (...and soon...changing diapers!)

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

The clock and the calendar are moving forward. Is it possible that grandmothers-to-be get the nesting instinct? Maybe it's just that I'm a teacher and KNOW that I gotta cover the bases before I leave town. As the day draws closer to the birth of these babies, I feel I must have everything done and everything in its place. Don't worry...too much pressure, you say...Ricky is here at home to help me sort through STUFF as well as the emotions involved...because here I am again at a bittersweet moment....removing Mama's belongings from the home I grew up in and anticipating Dottie's and Ada's arrival. What a transition in life! Coming to terms with the past, present and future in the form of preserving sentimental treasures; putting into the right home and hands practical, useful items; and creating a perfect place for the twins to come home to...in Dallas and in Albany...One thing I know for sure, I have been one LUCKY girl in this life. Blessed with a wonderful mother, brother, husband, two daughters and most recently, two sons-in-law and now the GRAND SLAM of all blessings...two granddaughters to dote on! Ain't life GRAND! Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock...

I remember...first...

Seems like yesterday...my family and friends showered ME with gifts and well wishes for our first baby. Jo Granberry hosted the party in her home. Mama made the dress I wore...poly/blend floral...tan with little flowers...short cuffed sleeves and decorative buttons on the front. Nell and Dot weren't called Granny and Grandma Dot then...but soon...

Yesterday...Sept. 4, 2010, yesterday...Karen hosted a shower for family and friends for Amy. I didn't make her dress, but she looked just beautiful! Granny came. And I think I saw Mama flitting by...on the hummingbird feeder. The most beautiful butterfly kept coming to the feeder right in the dining room window where we all came for food...yep, I'm pretty sure that was Grandma Dot. She was feeding right along with us.

We missed our family who were away...on the road...ill...and in heaven. But we had the most wonderful afternoon. Every gift had a WOW factor! From lotsa diapers...WOW! To hot pink "silkies" to memory books to Madonna onesies...I could go on and on...Ugg boots...coupons...pink and quilts..and flowers and shoes and bracelets and bonnets and bows and tooooo much to tell.

Each giftbearer was so thoughtful and gracious. Each were asked to write a note to Dottie and Ada...can't wait to read those!

Yeah, I remember...Amy...first...toes and bibs and booties...I remember...

Lo-o-ve whoa-oa...Love is strange yeah-eah...

...I know almost all of you are toooooo young to remember that song...I don't even remember who sang it...some "girl" group. BUT, it popped into my head after this scene. Conversation went something like this: Ricky, come look, I FINALLY got new work pants...they are just like the others... I just bought the next size up...and Ricky sez...(ooooooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhh, I love that man!) Why did you buy the next size up? Camera fades to me...laughing hysterically... I have no words... Oh yes I do! I love you Ricky Brown!

One down...

Okay, I'm knocking on wood as I write this one. First week with the kids went pretty smoothly. Now, I've said it. Please don't let next week fall apart! As always lots and lots and lots of work to do with this group, but I believe I am up to the challenge (but good Lord, not the paperwork!) Physically making it through the first week was a huge accomplishment for me...I even managed to meet friends to eat out one night...yes, I was as tired as I thought I would be...but I recovered more quickly than I thought I would. I cooked meals ahead of time last weekend. (Should be doing that this weekend!) Guess, I still have some time...hmmm...

Aaaaaahhhhhh! Kickin' my feet UP!

Teacher workdays are history now. Time to put my feet up for a bit and just exhale! I am so blessed...that's all I can really think right now...I am so blessed. With no more time than we were allotted...my room is 99% DONE! My coworkers (younger and fitter) offered to do the climbing work that needed to be done. My brother "flipped desks" and got it all started...and then...just when I was wondering how the finishing touches would appear...there stood Ricky. He was off work early today and came on up to the "schoolhouse" (as he says) and sprayed and wiped and "mechaniced" and sorted and straightened and even went back over a spot if I noticed he "missed it"! (Didn't even react to my fussiness!) Now, my job is to appreciate all the hard work others provided by gettin' in there and doin' the best job I know how...still, I will need other hands and eyes and minds and hearts to accomplish what always seems like an overwhelming task. God is Good...ALL the time. Lord, teach me to be still and let You have Your way so that I can fulfill Your purpose. Amen.

Thursday Thoughts...

Hey! Today is NOT Thursday, it's Friday. What happened to Thursday? That's when I usually post. Yesterday was a good day. OB visit with Amy and then home to put up some really pretty yellow ruffly curtains in Dottie and Ada's room. Bryan hung the rod, Amy ironed the curtains and I did my "GiGi" job...ooohed,aahed and mildly supervised...Those yellow curtains are like the sun coming up in that room...providing just the right amount of warmth and light. It's already turning into a place where you wanna sit and rock...and sing...and coo...and snuggle!

Blah, Blah, Blahgggg!

I guess I really shouldn't write while I'm in a brain fog...or that trying to wake up and get going mode...but here it goes! Reality Check! School starts for ME 2 weeks from THIS day! I must have had lotsa fun this summer because it has FLOWN! It began with a wonderful time filled with sun, sand, and friendship. Read some really, really good books (a few so-so) and spent some time sorting out feelings from the past year. OH, and did I mention that I bought the first season of Glee to view whenever I choose! I am a fan...without fail...who fell asleep at some point during each and every episode!!! All things considered though...preparing to be "GiGi" for the FIRST time; getting ready to meet Dottie and Ada is more exciting than WORDS!!! But...like any life changing event for the Brown household...that requires swapping out furniture. When I returned home from the beach this year...my house already had been dismantled. I was "keeping" Laura's furniture for her until she settled into a new place and became quite satisfied with "the look"...bye, bye armoire...bye, bye buffet and china cabinet...bye, bye coffee table...I'm missing you!!! You look good in your new home...but I miss you!!! Now, the difficult part. It's time to move my Mama's furniture and belongings. I keep telling myself when I get over there and get going it will be ok...we'll see. I know she wants us to use things and give those things we cannot use to someone who can...it's just hard...they were Mama's. I'm still waiting for that day when I can talk about her and not cry...hmmm...those who know me know that may NEVER happen! I wish she had said who to give what to...she didn't. She trusted Bubba and me to do the right thing. But it's a HARD thing. Honestly, lots of what is left has no monetary value...but sentimental value is everywhere I look. Someone said. You have lost your best friend. They were not wrong. But oh...how fortunate I am to have Ricky, Amy, Laura, Bubba and their loved ones...my life is FULL...almost...it's just that missing part. Nothing quite fits.

Primo! Lists...

Are you a listmaker? I am. I don't always follow that list. I can get sidetracked on just one item...did I really mean to take ALL those pictures out and just sit and look ... and look ... and look!?! I meant to straighten those boxes and close that cabinet UP! It's a REAL conscious effort to STAY on TASK! I keep making those lists anyway...grocery lists, reading lists, wish lists, to-do lists @ home and @ school - ya know those are never ending and items just follow each other from page to page. There's just something about making a plan...#1. create blog #2. post entries #3. ...

Primo - July!

FIRST day of July? Really?? Turning the page on June this year is a little awkward. This is my Mama's birthday month. She said the night she was born, the 25th of July 1929, it HAILED! I guess her mama and daddy KNEW then what they were facing. Red-headed, self-motivated (translated - firey!), and a daddy's girl would explain Dorothy Tomlin. She told the story of how she spent the entire first grade sittin' in the corner. That teacher must have harnessed that little red-headed force of nature because she graduated from high school as valedictorian of her class. Growing up in rural South Georgia, she picked cotton as a young girl and wrung chickens' necks for pluckin' and cookin' Go ahead, ask anyone in our family...who made the BEST chicken and dumplings? You will the same answer each and every single time. Knowing my Mama only as an adult requires me to use my mind's eye to see her as a little girl...but I'm thinkin'...very soon...I may get to SEE with my own TWO eyes what that little girl was all about. Right, Amy?

What's in a name...

...it's not about ME! Well, yes, it is about me! When I thought about communicating, I decided this would be about the BEST things!!! Primo! But just so you'll know...in Italian...it's the first course in a meal. Ok! That's the word I want...primo...soup, salad, pasta, tiramisu...you get the picture. And this blog is not intended to be about food...but it is intended to be about all GOOD things that sustain me. Whew! I did it! First Blog...one down...??? to go...