The Women That Made Me ~ Eaton's Girls

This will be the last in my series

and I am a little sad to see it end

fittingly enough ~ I have saved this bunch of girls for last.

I started working in retail in a big department store

when I was high school

the tender age of 17

and ended up working my way up the ladder

from part time to full time

to department head then to one of the management team

we were always the "young ones" and I had many mother figures

to teach me and guide me along the way

sadly a lot of them are gone and I have no pictures

so if only for myself I will mention their names

as they all taught me oh so much...

Dora, Emily, Phyllis, Doris, Alice, Connie, Rose

Shirley, Vicky, Vera, Sandy & Rae

Thank You ~ from the bottom of this big old heart!

xoxoxo

And now I will introduce you to some of these girls

"the young ones"

we all grew up together

learned together ~ had fun together

this is Laurie ~ she was one of my managers

and she became like a big sister to me

we do not see each other nearly enough now

but the bond is still there along with a big hug

this is Kim ~ I call her Kimby

she is one of my closest friends still today

we have been through a lot together

both good and bad

Lori ~ we could cry you a river

we are both saps when it comes to sad songs, movies or commericals!

KellieAnn is my singing sister

another Kim ~ she was always the voice of reason

and the best person to get advice from

this was our last day

Sue, Andrew, Connie, Linda & Kim

when the store closed in 1999

it was a sad day ~ but looking back on it today

I know that everything happens for a reason

every one of these girls mentioned above was at our wedding

love this shot of Kelly, Lori, myself, Kimby and Andrea

I always said that I am thankful for Eaton's

as it brought so many wonderful people into my life

a few years ago we had a little girls reunion

and man did we ever have fun

you know these are the girls that I can be totally myself with

we have all seen the good, bad and the ugly

and came out the other end

b: me, Kim, Tracey, Laurie, KellieAnn, Krista, Linda & Connie

f: Tammy, Sue & Kimby

it takes more effort to get together now

but when the planets align and it does happen

it is the best feeling ever

we catch up on each other's news

reminisce about the old times

and then sing and dance the night away

pure happiness.

Thank you so much for all the comments on my little series

if you missed any of them you can check them out below.

xo

Mom

Grammy B

Grammy S

Aunt Francie

Aunt Jeanne

Aunt Dot

Barb

Lakeville Girls

The Women that Made Me ~ Lakeville Girls

I could not have this series

and not mention the friendships that have been with me

basically since the beginning

Meet Rocky (Roxanne), Robyn and Tracey

these girls are my oldest friends

and we are talking elementary school long

I have known Robyn & Tracey since 1971

yeah ~ we are that old!

Robyn & Lori 1981

 this is Robyn & I back in high school

someone dared us to get our picture taken with Santa

yeah ~ don't dare us to do anything!

we started school together

rode each other's bikes

played tag and skipped rope

through the years we grew up together

and did everything together

we were the 3 musketeers

Lori & Tracey 1988

Rocky came into the picture in elementary school as well

a year younger than us ~ and lived a bit further down the road

so I think it was high school when we got close

and created the bond that we still have to this day

Lori & Rocky 2010

this shot was taken at her daughter's wedding in 2010

and is still one of my favourites of the two of us

she became a grandmother this past weekend

and I could not be happier for her

these are the girls that taught me what the word friend really means

we have to the moon and back ~ we really have

celebrated successes ~ marriages ~ births

and we have hugged and dried tears in low times

if I needed anything

any time of day

these are numbers I could call

without thinking twice

and that my friends

is the best feeling ever.

I love these girls.

xo

The Women that Made Me ~ Barb

Meet my mother in law

her name is Barb

I know that some people have the dreaded

"mother in law" syndrome

but not me ~ I am truly blessed to have this woman in my life

Trevor says that he fails to exist when I am around

when she calls ~ she talks to me

we share stories ~ she fills me in on the family news

and she spoils me

I have attended her "gravy school" for the past 14 years and 

I am pleased to say that I finally graduated last year

with beef gravy ~ I still have not perfected turkey gravy!

she is the person that I can drop berries, jars, sugar and certo off in the morning

and pick jam up after work ~ you see ~ spoiled!

knowing my love of all things vintage

especially if they have meaning ~ she offers things up to me

before she throws them out

she makes the best hot dog relish and shares her recipes

I am truly a lucky girl to have someone so special

welcome me into her family with open arms.

One thing that I will always be sad about however

is we were not able to give her any grandbabies

she would have been the perfect grandmother

and sometimes 4 legged babies just don't cut it!

Thanks for reading!

The Women that Made Me ~ Aunt Dot

Today I would like to introduce you to

my Dad's oldest sister

my Aunt Dot

born Dorothy Ann

this is the woman that kept my grandmother's memory alive

for over 25 years

Grampy said that "Barb will never be gone as long as Dot is around"

he was a wise man

she was just like her mother in so many ways

although she did not quilt and knit and sew like Grammy

she looked like her ~ talked like her

and cooked like her

she and her husband kept the farm going

opened it up for the summer

used it like a cottage

she kept up the flower beds and roamed the fields looking for

berries and wildflowers

an avid bird watcher too ~ she was many things

to many people

Aunt Dot, Dad & Aunt Jeanne

when I got married she gave me 

her Mother's cameo as I had told her years before

that I wanted to wear it on my wedding day

little did I know that she did not just lend it to me

she gave it to me ~ to keep

and I will cherish it always

Aunt Dot, Dad, Mom & Carolyn seated in front
Family Reunion ~ Rockport Hall 

like her mother she was a strong woman

who was struck down with a sad disease

aphasia took away her speech 

I was into the hospital to see her

while Mom was in there last year

she could not speak

but the recognition was still in her face

the eyes never change

and I could see her searching my face

and I held her hand and talked to her

remembering the woman she used to be 

she passed away a week or so after that visit

and I knew that instinct that sent me from the chapel

to her room was maybe not instinct at all

but a gentle nudge

I am so glad I made it in there

to say goodbye

and when I walk through the fields at the farm

I smile as I know

I am carrying on a family tradition.

The Women that Made Me ~ Aunt Jeanne

I am having so much fun with this series

and next up in my Dad's sister

my Aunt Jeanne

Uncle Bobby, Aunt Jeanne & me ~ circa 1968

I love this picture ~ family reunion ~ the early years

wasn't I stylin' ~ blonde pigtails

I was a cutie!

this woman is one of my favourite people

in the whole wide world

she calls a spade a spade

and has the fight and positive attitude

we could all learn from

when I graduated high school and thought I wanted to move to the big city

to make a go of it ~ start a brand new chapter

she is the one that I talked to

and she opened her door and her heart to me

it is my cousin Gina's Mom

aka ~ my best girl

this picture was taken at Gina's wedding

and I have it framed ~ I love the shot of both her and Mom

and then there is Dad in the background

watching over his girls ~ it's a treasure for sure

this lady has fought cancer and won

only to have a heart attack in '95

when we lost her ~ then they brought her back

she is now a shell of the woman she was

lack of oxygen to the brain can do that to even the strongest 

so she walks with a walker ~ or gets around in her wheelchair

every so often I see a hint of who she was

and my heart aches

it has been years since I have seen her

and pulling pictures for this series

prompted me to plan a trip to go and visit

with those far away ~ reconnect

and tell them that I love them

I found this one and love it

taken at the beach in Dorchester Cape

that's my Dad ~ David

with his siblings and his cousins

again ~ it shows the importance of family through the years.

The Women that Made Me ~ Aunt Francie

This is my grandmother's youngest sister

Frances

she was my Aunt Francie

Christmas 1983

it was her cottage that we used to go to

and she inspired Mom & Dad to build their own

with land she sold him for $1.00

another great cook ~ a lady that loved family

and gathering everyone around the table

whether it was turkey dinner

or barbecued hamburgers

she told me stories about my grandmother

and showed me what grace looks like

when she fought breast cancer not once but twice

then it became even too big for her strength

when it took her in 1984.

she loved flowers and family

dogs ~ they always had at least 2

darts and cards ~ oh the times we had

and the memories we made

a piece of my heart will always belong to this brave woman

and memories of her will make me smile

xo

read more of my series here

Mom

Grammy B

Grammy S

The Women that Made Me ~ Grammy Stiles

This is my maternal grandmother

Barbara

but I called her Grammy

most of my memories of her are childhood memories

as she went into a nursing home while I was in my teens

and passed away when I was in my 20's

she had alzheimer's disease

The farm ~ glory days

it was she that lived on the farm

this is the grandmother that baked bread every week

made each one of her grandchildren a quilt

 I received hand made cotton nighties for my birthday

and cozy flannel ones for Christmas

I remember her baking ~ she was always cooking something

her house was spotless

we would play upstairs in the kitchen chamber in the old clothes

on the weekend

tip toe around the beans drying on the newspapers

smell the dill drying

or try to creep down the steep steps to the kitchen

although we were told to stay off them

can you find her ~ yeah the arrow helps

but when Gina and I found this picture a couple of years ago

I got a little spooked

it was like ~ that's me!  scary real

birds eye view of the farm

Years later while I was researching our family tree

I was gifted with her journals

they have important dates jotted in them

the birth of a baby

and the passing of a dear friend or relative

what resonated with me when I read them

was that this woman lived for the weekends

when the kids would arrive with grandchildren in tow

although her weeks were filled with keeping house

and the farm chores

card parties and the occasional party line gossip

it was family that mattered

I love this old shot ~ a gathering

there was always room for more

and when it is out by the apple tree

more than likely two or three

this was taken the Christmas before she went into the home

although she and Grampy had moved into an apartment

it was becoming harder and harder for him to take care of her

so here I am a flanked by two of the most important

women in my life

sometimes I wonder what would have happened if she had been healthy

and lived longer ~ I think we would have gotten along...

The Women that Made Me ~ Grammy Brown

This is my Gram  ~ Vera

not Grandmother or Nanna or Granny

to us she was simply Gram

or Grammy Brown to most that knew her

I grew up with this lady

like having 2 Mom's in your house ~ which is not always easy

but as I got older ~ I did appreciate how much richer my life was

because of it.

My Mom worked and Gram took care of us

until we were old enough to take care of ourselves after school

and she got a job working at the corner store

I remember staying up with her when she got home

as she worked until 11

we would watch the soap Santa Barbara together

as it came on at midnight

then head to bed when it was over ~ good times

this is the woman who taught me how to knit

it was slow going ~ I had a hard time with a scarf

but she stayed with me and I stuck with it

she loved making the recipes that her Mom used to make

and told me stories about her parents

coming over from England ~ their journeys through life

she was old school with her cooking though

cooked the crap out of everything

she could make broccoli grey ~ not green ~ grey 

and we would tease her about it

she was a huge part of my life and my heart broke in two

when she passed away

when I made her butter tart recipe during my recent challenge

Mom said to me ~ "Gram would be proud"

I hope so....

The Women that Made Me ~ Mom

Today I am starting a new series

I am aptly naming

The Women that Made Me

and what better person to start with 

but the woman that actually did make me

my Mama ~ Linda

my Mom has always worked

been organized to a fault

and knew how to get the job done

she is the reason I am a list maker

and can organize just about anything

she instilled a work ethic into me

that I carry every day

nothing came for free ~ we worked for everything

received our allowance and got to spend it or save it

the choice was ours to make

Aunt Dot, Dad, Mom & Carolyn seated in front
Family Reunion ~ Rockport Hall

now it was not always about work

it is because of this woman 

that I love...

Movies

Chinese Food

Old Time Rock & Roll Music

Anything Elvis

Reading

and too too many more things to list

I could not ask for a better woman

to have raised me

Love you Mama!!

xo