A Very Maney Christmas 2011

Ahhh....

Christmas has come and gone once again.

Usually I feel a sense of post-Christmas let down...

can't really say that I'm minding this year.

This was the first (and maybe last) annual Christmas at the Maneys.
Ok, Ok that may be a little dramatic..

Overall, things went well...

Of course we had our fair share of family drama...

but I suppose that's sometimes just unavoidable.

Hopefully the next 363 days will be long enough for me to 

forget about it...kind of like forgetting about the

pains of childbirth!!

Anyhoo..I'll go ahead give myself props for pulling it off.

The menu turned out great...there was more than

enough food and drinks to go around.

Everyone said the house looked pretty,

(not that they would tell me if it didn't...) and we 

got to have several family members over that hadn't been

to our house since we'd moved in.

Christmas Eve we stuck to our annual

tradition of heading over to my Aunt and Uncles house

to have Christmas with them..

I was really excited that we got to spend some

time with both of my cousins. There's only 

4 of us girls that are first cousins, and it's really

a shame that we don't see each other more often..

Kelly and I have made a pact to try and 

be better about staying in touch and reaching out..

Someday we'll be the ones organizing these

things-so we need to stick together!!

Here's a few pictures from Christmas Eve..

Kelly, mom, Ladonna, Uncle Steve and Sarah

pullin' out the old family photos...

Kel

My nuclear family

Undersheriff Jackson

Cousin Brianna...

15 years old and standing 5'10"!!

Uncle Steve and Aunt Barbara

Sisters....

I think we can finally settle the debate on who's

head is bigger....

Christmas Eve night

Mom, Dad and my Uncle Jeff all decided

to stay the night at our house instead of

driving back to Mound City.

Who wants to drive an hour only to turn

around and come back in the morning??

Better yet, who wants to live in

Mound City??

This remains a mystery....

Christmas morning we woke up and I

got busy working on breakfast.

Fortunately, I was able to prepare

most of my dishes in advance-so all I

really had to do was pop everything in the oven..

sometimes it really pays to be Type A..

The Christmas breakfast table!

You never think when you're buying your 

first dining table that you will ever need

anything that seats more than six people...

and then you host Christmas...

After breakfast we opened presents and then

spent the afternoon snacking, visiting and

watching movies while waiting until

it was time to eat again!

Passing out gifts

Clark Griswold in the flesh..

I do believe someone was about to be assaulted

with a shovel...

Dinner is served!!

And now, because I can...

some self indulgent pictures of my

favorite Christmas decorations and 

the tree I worked so hard on...

My little tree with nursing ornaments

...cheesy, right? I just can't help myself..

Our tree!

Definitely the most 'grown up' tree we've

ever had and quite the labor of love...

One of my new favorite ornaments...

my best friend made me this sweet 

ornament with a little gold "R" 

on it for my Grammy.

I will treasure this forever!

Hope you all had a blessed Christmas

with your families and friends!!

I'll be missing you

I haven't blogged in awhile.
Just been unmotivated to do it.. I had several things that I'd been thinking about blogging...Christmas decorations, Christmas traditions, our appraisal, work, my sisters birthday....

But then, on the 13th, at 3:05am my sweet, wonderful Grammy passed away.
A moment I'd been dreading for as long as I've understood the permanence of death.
And now all I want to do is pour out all this wonderful love that I have for her....My perfectionist self could easily write and re-write this post, but i'm going to try and resist the urge to do so..I'm all too aware that my novice writing ability will barely scratch the surface of who she was.
Or I suppose I could spend hours scanning and uploading a lifetime of pictures to try and show you her beauty, her spirit, her love for family and friends.....but I know that pictures (no matter how treasured) still wouldn't do her justice.
She was someone you just had to experience yourself.
I can pretty much say without a shadow of a doubt that all those who met her, loved her. As I sit here writing this I am straining my memory to try and glimpse even one instance where I saw her angry, or yelling, or speaking poorly of someone.
I can't. I honestly cannot think of one. single. time.
She didn't have the easiest life, but she was none the angrier about it....just continued to be her kind, sweet self despite having experiences some of life's hardest trials.
Oh to even start to list all of the things I love and will remember about her!
How she loved to dance.
Her laugh.
Her sense of humor.
How she hated her straight hair.
Her honesty.
Her tender heart...and her love for animals.
She made the best glazed carrots I've ever had (I could never re-create them no matter how simple she made them sound)
She was the kind of woman who would never let anyone see her without her hair done, nails painted and eyelashes curled (I'm not kidding you..she curled those lashes until they were nubs!!)...but her vanity wasn't carried out in a way that made you want to roll your eyes, but in a sweet, adorable way that made you want to laugh and give her a big hug-cause she was just so dang cute.
Grammy and I had something special.
A bond that formed from years of her watching me during the days while my parents worked.  Something that we both understood-but didn't need to say aloud. Something said only with a knowing look.
My Grammy.
People always told us how much we looked alike. And I think I speak for both of us when I say that we loved it....the same way someone might beam on the inside when they're told that they resemble a celebrity.  I wanted to look like her. To be like her. Cause she was just that great.
But I still can't help but feel like the memories I have aren't enough.
I want to remember more.
I want to remember every holiday, every family dinner, every long walk, every story, every word of advice ever offered....I want to lock it all away where it won't fade with time.

We love her. We'll miss her. But, like my mom said...we've been missing her for awhile now.
Parkinson's disease took her life, but nothing will ever take our memories with her. And my heart finds peace knowing that she was a believer. She's with Jesus at this very second. Hearing sounds and seeing colors that I can't even begin to imagine.  I can't wait until I can join her again someday.
But until then, Grammy,  I'll be missing you.

Something funny...

I mean...seriously??

I laughed...like, a lot.

"Ch-Ch-Ch-Chia!!"