A RING REBORN

According to the date on an old Pamela photo, my mother received her engagement ring somewhere between December 1 - 9, 1944. I remember hearing that the stone fell out soon after she received her engagement ring from Daddy. It was never replaced. I don't know exactly why, but knowing my mother's frugal ways and the fact that it was during WWII and Daddy was a poor sailor in the Navy - it became an event indefinitely deferred. I am sure at the time they thought they would replace it, but life jumped in with beginning careers and babies and homes to buy and it just never happened.

In July while visiting CiCi - my sister and I found ourselves sitting on her living room floor looking through old jewelry boxes and the modest treasures that had belonged to Pamela and Mommas. My generous sister started giving me items that I ooh'd and aah'd over and I went home with a pendant from South America with 2 sides of pictures carefully formed from butterfly wings, my favorite bead necklace of Mommas' and our mother's engagement ring with it's sad and empty setting.

I kept finding myself wearing it - somehow comforted by a sweet emotion when I looked at it. I couldn't entirely explain it. The engagement ring to a marriage that ended in divorce could be sad and represent something that couldn't weather the inevitable storms of life, but I found that when I looked at it, I thought about my parent's love when it began and when it was hopeful.

Uncle R. knew that I had a wish to someday have the ring restored and so for our 20th anniversary this month, he had the ring cleaned and the stone replaced. I love it so much and love the man's heart that would want to do that... who would understand a sentimental treasure like that little nearly forgotten ring.

How kind is the Lord to give me a man who loves Him most of all and gives me the next, very best part of his love. I have seen throughout my marriage the precious comforts given and securities felt with a man who loves the Lord with all his heart and I wouldn’t trade that for anything. Uncle R. makes me laugh, entertains me, encourages my creative bents, holds my hand when I am frightened and prays for me with a quiet, strong ease that I thank the Lord for every day. I wish so much that Pamela could have met him, but rejoice to think that one day at the end of our lives, she will.

Happy New Years Pamela’s Girls!

Love,
Auntie J.

Baby B's 1st Christmas

We had such a wonderful time celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ with our loved ones at Christmas. (The only thing missing was Aunt J!!!)Boyd had so much fun spending time with Cici, SS and SanFran S.
They all came to church with us Sunday as we participated in the lighting of the Advent candle. As soon as SanFran S walked up, Baby B had the biggest grin on his face. She spent the night with us and spent lots of time playing with and taking care of Baby B. At one point, they were in his room and I heard him laughing louder and harder than he's ever laughed. He definitely loves his Tia. SanFran S also had the fun experience of going to lunch with me and Baby B and two of my friends and their babies (one 5 months and one 11 months). It was definitely nice to have an extra helping hand:) Baby B and I spent a few days in Darlington, and then we came back to prepare the house for Christmas day.
Although Christmas with a 11 month old is pretty hectic, Baby B and my family made it such a special and memorable celebration. They are my most precious gift!

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord...

Psalm 127:3
~Mommy M

MERRY CHRISTMAS PAMELA’S GIRLS!

Thanksgiving is a time to be thankful for all of God’s gracious and overflowing gifts, but at Christmas we find that our hearts become quiet and specifically grateful for the gift of Life granted to us in the glorious Savior, Jesus.

At various times in my life, I have enjoyed working through one of the Year-Through-The-Bible studies. I love reading all of my favorite stories – Joseph and his tenacious, unwavering commitment to be Godly, David and his mix of rashness yet tender open heart before God with his ability to cry out to the Lord through any trial, Daniel & his 3 friends patterning their footsteps after God’s Word, unwilling to compromise & unafraid of death, Esther and Ruth’s examples of placing all of our choices in His loving hands. And there are always the surprising stories, the ones you NEVER heard in Sunday School. The first year that I did a Bible read through I was shocked at some of the bleak places that God’s people found themselves as they strayed far from His path.

This past year I have been following a plan that is laid out chronologically and I am once again awed as each month has passed at watching His promises unfold from Creation & man’s fall through the gift of a Promised Land, the kings that came and went, truth proclaimed by the prophets and the birth of our Messiah. Jesus could have chosen to leave us where we lay – lost and hopeless – but He not only gave Himself, but His words lovingly recorded as a roadmap…. All we need to do is follow and we can live abundantly.

The two photos that I have included in my Christmas posting are 2 favorites from the “old family photos” category. In one I am waiting unseen to make an appearance a month later. In the second CiCi, our dog Coco and I look like we are barely able to contain the Christmas cheer (hee-hee), but I love it because it was so obviously staged.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO MY BELOVED PAMELA’S GIRLS!

Auntie J.

Tree Trimming At The Office

Recently we decorated the office for Christmas. There is a beautiful tree downstairs, wreathes on all of our outside doors and second story deck and a garland draped with lights around our upstairs railing looking down into the lobby.

The tree trimming afternoon is always a festive one for our office. Work customarily ceases on that day at around 3pm and cookie baking starts in the kitchen while muscled song pluggers troop upstairs to our attic to haul down the boxes of lights, ornaments, garlands, bows and wreaths. Somebody starts Christmas music in an office and we all fall into our decorating niches. My job has generally fallen to the task of hanging the upstairs garland and draping the lights with my office friend T-lou. We seem to forget each year how in the world we managed to unwind the greenery from the box and find a way to extend it in graceful, even loops from one side of the upstairs to the other… and then there are the lights…. But somehow it all seems to end up looking nice anyway.

On cold days we frequently have our fireplace turned on and the outside wreath-hangers rush back in to warm their hands and look at the tree ornaments. Office tradition holds that any new employee has to make their own ornament to contribute to the tree. That’s MAKE your own ornament. Then there is a presentation ceremony where the person is forced,... I mean, requested... to explain their ornament design.

I really admire the way our head of office manages to run a highly successful & motivated office and yet always encourages a sense of fun. That is someone who is a pleasure to work for!

Auntie J.

I would like to thank all of Pamela's Girls for a wonderful birthday! Such sweet cards, calls, presents, good wishes - it has been a wonderful two days. I got a beautiful new necklace from my sweet and thoughtful SS, had a lobster dinner with friends Friday night, and went to Columbia to have a joint birthday dinner with Daddy L, Mommy M and Baby B Saturday.We met at Rockaway's to have our favorite, heart-threatening lunch of pimento cheeseburgers, french fries, and fried onion rings. The highlight was watching little Baby B taste his first pickle.

It was so much fun being with them and sharing in the joy of watching Baby B's little personality developing.

Then Mommy M and I whisked him off to go shopping, while the older guys pursued the manly activity of going to a gun show. We know it probably won't be long, before Baby B will be going with them, so we savor the time we can keep him with us. After hitting the Mall for about an hour it was time to leave, but it was a wonderful day for me spent with those I love. I am eagerly anticipating next week, when SanFran S will be able to join us in the fun. I feel very blessed to have reached another birthday in good health and in the company of those I love.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CICI!

Sisters are different flowers from the same garden. ~Author Unknown

Beginning life under the shadow of CiCi wasn’t easy. She was brilliant in school, making straight As in a way that looked effortless. She was (and still is) beautiful. She rolled and styled her own hair, could play the piano well and learned early how to bake excellent desserts. She could beat me at any board or card game. She could sew clothes and knit almost anything. How was a little sister to follow that?

An older sister helps one remain half child, half woman. ~Author Unknown

I wanted to go everywhere she went and do everything she did, but being a few years behind CiCi, I could only look on with admiration as she glowed wonderfully through life. Mommas, Mother and then CiCi showed me how strong & resilient and yet soft & flexible a woman could be. They were examples of a sweet faith that became an inner road sign pointing the way. How could I not have grown up loving the Lord with their precious example before me. When I’m around CiCi – I see the way I was - with both the bad and the good - and the way I want to be.

A sister is a little bit of childhood that can never be lost. ~Marion C. Garretty

Now CiCi and I giggle over funny memories, scan photos and pass them back and forth and try to recreate the recipes that warmed our hearts as children. I love to look back at old photos of CiCi and me. When I do, it’s easy to remember the good moments that passed within our family and bring to heart so many memories that I cherish. I like to look at the photos and see ways that she and I are alike.

A sister is a gift to the heart, a friend to the spirit, a golden thread to the meaning of life. ~Isadora James

I still think my sister hung the moon and I still want to be just like CiCi.

Happy Birthday CiCi!!!

Auntie J.

Christmas in South Carolina

Since we were in the midst of moving and busy preparing for the arrival of Baby B, we did not get to decorate fully for Christmas last year. This has made putting up our Christmas decorations even more fun than usual this year!

However, Baby B has made this the most exciting Christmas season ever. It has been so much fun dressing him in his Christmas outfits, taking him to see Santa (twice...the first time he would not even think about sitting on his lap), watching Christmas cartoons and movies and picking out the perfect gifts for him. We are so thankful and blessed to have Baby B with us this year!

~Mommy M

Santa Baby

Baby B is changing so fast! He is learning new things everyday. This week he has learned how to open and close his hand when he sees something he wants. He mostly does this with snacks (like cheerios, goldfish or teddy grahams) but he is also doing it with toys in his nursery that he wants but can't get to. It is so amazing to watch each new discovery as he is learning how to interact with the world around him.

Baby B and SS

We had a great time with Cici and SS this weekend while Daddy L was in Tampa! Great minds think alike because SS and Baby B just happened to be dressed in camouflage, white shirts and black jackets (Baby B was wearing his black penguin jacket that Sanfran S gave him). I could not pass up this photo opportunity even though SS really didn't want to have his picture taken. :)

Christmas Decorations…

Sunday afternoon I was sad to remove my silk garland of autumn leaves and my pumpkin teapot from the mantelpiece, but my consolation was to pull out the cute snowman dishes that CiCi gave me a few years ago. I usually lay the kitchen table with them at the beginning of December and leave them there until the end of January. The mugs are sorta mix and match Christmas mugs that I have collected along the way, but are all snowmen, so it totally works.

To replace the leaves and pumpkin teapot on the mantle, I arranged an angel collection that R & I gave his mom one Christmas, my beloved Christmoose, a candle from a dear neighbor now moved away and a dressy English teapot.

It’s a somewhat random assortment of Christmas decorations – not totally color coordinated – not meticulously arranged…. But it represents precious friends and family – and that makes it perfect!

Auntie J.

My First Post!

I apologize for taking so long to post my first blog. I've seem to be more the invisible Pam's Girl. This is only because I don't think of a whole lot I like to write, but I do love sharing pictures and videos of people and places I love.

My nephew is of the cutest boy in the whole world, Baby B! He's my first and only nephew, or niece for that matter, which makes him have a very special place in my heart and so much fun. When I'm with him, a lot of my time is spent taking pictures and videos of him, trying to capture how cute and amazing he is; I don't want to miss a minute. After my visits back home in the South and I'm in my apartment in chilly SF, I enjoy playing the videos of him (and Barkey, my doggie nephew) over and over. They never really do get old. And although SF is my home away from home and I love it dearly, I love my nephew and the rest of my family even more which is why I'm exploring ways and areas to move back closer to them. I'm not sure where or when I can make the move just yet, but it's nice to think I can be less than a 5 hour plane ride from them in a couple years or so.

This video is of Baby B "gumming" fruit. This is his first Thanksgiving week and he's loving the fruit his Mom is feeding him. It's so funny to watch it in person and the video doesn't really do it enough justice.

SanFran S

The Jane Austen Tea Society

I can’t remember if I have told you about a little book club that I started with a few friends just over a year and a half ago. We call ourselves The Jane Austen Tea Society. The name surfaced due to the fact that our meetings seemed to have been rather pointedly arranged around meeting at a beloved Nashville tearoom for tea and of course we all love Jane Austen! We began in July of 2008 with a plan to meet once a quarter to discuss a Jane Austen book and have a Full Afternoon Tea, which includes such standard English tea goodies as lovely bone china teapots brimming with our favorites (we always guzzle several pots of various flavors), scones or muffins, clotted cream or jam, a savory tart, a cup of soup, assorted finger sandwiches, tea breads and pastries, fresh fruit and a sorbet (which you desperately try to find a way to ingest at that point…)

We have read through the major Jane Austen books in the order that they were originally published - Sense & Sensibility, Pride & Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Emma, Persuasion and most recently, Northanger Abbey.

Our next scheduled reading plan will include a selection of major & influential Victorian Era authors, which we have grouped by date of birth. This list holds some well-known classics written by recognizable authors. It might, however, contain as author’s name that we have been familiar with, but is linked with an unknown and unread title. Perhaps it also includes a book or two that – quite possibly - made our palms sweat during high school. And if so….. does it still?

Elizabeth Gaskell (1810-1865) – Ruth
Charles Dickens (1812-1870) – Our Mutual Friend
Charlotte Brontë (1816-1855) – Jane Eyre
Emily Brontë (1818-1848) – Wuthering Heights
George Eliot (1819-1880 – Silas Marner
Anne Brontë (1820-1849) – Tenant of Wildfell Hall
Wilkie Collins (1824-1889) – The Woman In White
Mary Elizabeth Braddon (1835-1915) – Lady Audley’s Secret
Thomas Hardy (1840-1928) – Far From The Madding Crowd
Bram Stoker (1847-1912) – Dracula
Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) – Portrait Of Dorian Grey
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) – (we think that we will each pick a Sherlock Holmes)

We have had a variety of readers at our teas in all age ranges and interests and usually number 7-8 for each get-together, although sometimes more people than that did actually read the book. The fact that we all seem to come from different points of view make our discussions all the more lively. It is interesting to note that whether you are single, married or a mother, or whether you are in your 20s, 30s, 40s or even 50s, all stations in life make your observations on Pride and Prejudice amazingly different and similar at the same time!

Any Pamela’s Girl that might be interested in participating would be greatly welcomed!!!

Auntie J.

The Week After Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is now behind us and we are still reminiscing about the delicious meals, car rides and wonderful memories. It was so great to spend time with Cici, SS and Sanfran S. Baby B thoroughly enjoyed every minute with them all! Daddy L and I also enjoyed our day tailgating at the game (especially because of the outcome). It was so neat passing several cars today that still had their Gamecock flags flying. That is definitely the sign of a big win because normally the flags are not flying by the end of the game, much less 3 days later!
Now we are back home and it is time to get ready for Christmas. Barkley got his holiday haircut today. When I picked him up from the groomers, the receptionist said when she opened the door to bring Barkley to me, he crawled right up her body like a cat, he was so ready to leave.
As we now prepare for Christmas, I am reminded the reason for the celebration, because it is so easy to get caught up in this hectic time of year. I heard this song, "It Won't Be Like this for Long," on the radio today. Have you heard it Aunt J? The singer, Darius Rucker, is from Charleston and used to be with Hootie and the Blowfish. It is a good reminder to try to appreciate every moment! It made me kind of sniffly listening to it as I thought about Baby B.
Mommy M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=at_lUnFjXg8