bubba, dad, granddaddy ~ he left us way too soon

Bubba has been gone from us for six years this week.

He passed from this earth on February 29, 2020 ~ Leap Year.

Here are some special memories I found to keep him fresh in my mind.

We were a happy family blessed by God.

Our first backyard pool. 

He finally got me a cement one, but that took a while.

Bubba and I, before we got married.

I had been in my friend's wedding.

We were looking forward to ours.

Bubba and I, two weeks before he left us to go to heaven.

Little did we know what was coming.

I still haven't recovered completely from the shock.

Probably never will.

😢

Our whole family together,

 two weeks before he went to be with Jesus.

He loved to run in the Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta, Georgia.

We traveled all the time.

When David and Amanda were children, they went with us.

Sometimes we went just the two of us.

This was a Pink Jeep Tour out in Arizona.

Our Wedding Day,

April 11, 1970.

Those smiles.

His hand, holding back my veil.

Bubba with tiny baby David.

Saturday morning, sleeping in.

Bubba's hair is a hoot.

That hint of a mustache.

Bubba on our honeymoon.

The Hawaiian Inn,

Daytona Beach, Florida.

We had gotten all dressed up for the luau.

Amanda came along.

Bubba is getting promoted to Colonel in the Georgia Air National Guard.

He was the Property and Fiscal Officer for the state of Georgia.

He loved his job.

He never wanted to retire.

After the wedding. "Going Away" outfits.

This was just before he took off with me halfway out of the car.

My right knee scraped across the asphalt.

We spent a lot of our honeymoon night in the emergency room.

Tent camping before the babies came.

The night Bubba graduated from college.

I was just pregnant with David.

We loved to go to Disney.

We took David and Amanda when they were growing up.

We took our grandkids a lot, too.

He loved airplanes.

He never flew one, but he was all about the Air Force.

I always loved his "apple cheeks."

🍎

And lastly,

Because this project has taken me a long time, and I need to eat soon,

some kind of birthday antics at my Mom and Dad's house.

That cake looks delicious.

Moma made the best sour cream pound cakes.

Our life together was the best.

He loved us all so well, and he was totally selfless.

I can't wait to see you again!

I'm doing well.

I think you would be proud of me.

💗

 

birthday party extrodinare

I thought just now, "I really need to post my birthday party pictures."

These lovely gifts greeted me as I walked in the door, along with Daisy the dog.

She gets so excited when I arrive at the David Cleland home.

I don't know why.

She probably thinks a new human will be just as happy to see her.

I like her a lot, but not her slobbering kisses so much.

David ordered heart-shaped pizzas from Lou Malnati's in Chicago.

It comes the next day on dry ice.

I honestly think it is the best pizza I've ever tasted.

Better yet, I'm sure it is.

Dodger Smalls loves birthday parties and sitting in front of the fire on someone's lap.

That happens to be Archie's lap he is relaxing in.

David and Gus are on the sofa, smiling widely.

I spy my birthday cake there in the kitchen.

Amanda had come from South Florida to be with me for my birthday,

but I didn't get a single picture of her.

78 birthdays down.

Looking forward to this next year, our cruise, and what lies ahead.

God has blessed me so much.

I just can't thank Him enough.

My fondest birthday wish is that all of the people I love will be in heaven.

💗

 

old age Bible verse and English tea roses

"O God, You have taught me from my youth;

And I still declare Your wondrous deeds.

And even when I am old and gray, O God, do not forsake me,

Until I declare Your strength to this generation."

Psalm 71:17

For my 78th birthday, I was given these beautiful English Tea Roses

by David, Erika, and their children.

Pictures do not do them justice.

They are mine to enjoy until they fade away.

Nothing says I Love You like Flowers.

💗

More birthday pictures soon.

 

it's my birthday!!

What a glorious day this has been

Donuts and coffee at my Thursday morning Bible Study.

It was a happy celebration with my sisters in Christ.

Amanda is almost here from South Florida.

The family will be together tonight at David's house.

Lots of texts going off all day.

I couldn't feel more honored or loved.

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for the gift of a long life here on this earth,

and the hope of a future life that never ends with You and all the other believers.

You are always good.

Your ways are perfect.

Your word is truth.

Thank You!

💗

heart work

For me, it has been a tumultuous time.

These last few weeks have tested me on every level,

Spiritually,

Physically,

Emotionally.

I have been doing my heart work.

Reading God's Word,

Asking for God's help to understand what's going on,

Learning to trust Him when nothing makes sense.

These times come when you least expect them, but come they must

because this is how God works on us.

Easy roads don't lead to godliness.

Godliness resides at the end of myself.

When I no longer need anything but Jesus.

I saved the quote above a while ago.

 I saw it by chance this morning

There are people in my life who do those things for me. 

God, thank you for the hands, feet, and hearts of my people.

Through them, I see You more clearly and have hope.

💗

 

living in a bubble

 

Soon after I moved into my new home, cracks appeared in the ceiling.

This happened to every house in my neighborhood.

They agreed to do major repairs and said everything would be as good as new.

A couple of months later the cracks reappeared.

Two weeks ago, they came to do repairs again...

this time with a new plan.

They covered my whole living area with plastic and set to work.

This time, they put air-conditioning vents in the attic,

 cut out all of the drywall in the affected areas,

replaced it with new, 

sanded and puttied the area, 

and lastly repainted everything.

It took 2 weeks

I emptied everything except the furniture out og the area.

It looked like I was moving out.

That little crack in the hanging plastic is the entrance to my bedroom.

My house looked like an abandoned home inhabited by ghosts.

The floor was covered with paper and tape.

I became very disoriented.

This was my favorite ghost.

It was really my ceiling fan, but at night, it became mobile when I walked by.

He made a soft, swishing sound.

Very erry. 

(I don't think that is spelled right, but Grammarly didn't correct it.)

They turned off the pilot of my gas logs, 

I guess, to avoid an explosion.

Affected area # 1.

Repaired but not painted.

Affected area #2 hadn't been repaired yet, but it had been torn out.

They finished all of the work on Thursday and sent maids to clean up the mess.

I teared up when they left.

I got my life back, and thankfully, the ghost left with the workers.

😕😢😟

Y'all, it is snowing!

I'm sitting here writing and watching it fall.

I💗Snow.

Thank You, Lord, for opening the storehouses in heaven.

I can tell it's getting colder.

Let it snow!!

Also, thank You for getting me through the house repairs without going stark raving crazy. 

                                                                                                                                                               

 

Happy Birthday David!

David turned 52 years old yesterday.

We celebrated at Myabi Japanese Steakhouse and then went back to their home.

Erika made a delicious chocolate Chess Pie, and he opened gifts by the fire.

I was unable to throw his party this year due to a massive work project at my home.

(More on that in my next blog)

So cozy, right?

I gave birth to a boy child who loves to read more than I do, if that is possible.

He got enough books for Christmas and his birthday to last all year.

Did you know that peanut butter and jelly M&M'S were a thing?

I didn't until just recently.

I had grabbed a small bag of M&M S in the grocery store check-out line

for a game I was planning for our New Year's party.

David won them and took them with him on his trip to Israel.

He ate a few and loved them.

I found this huge container on Amazon and gifted it to him.

He was very happy to receive.

Lucy and Harry were missing from our celebration.

Harry had flown up to see Lucy and run a race there at the college.

We are very thankful that he made it home before the major ice storm set in.

Happy Birthday, David!

52

May the joy and strength of Jesus fill your heart and mind in the coming year!

Much love!

Mom

💗

 

grandkid things

Harry is a senior this year.

He keeps running, and he keeps winning!

I am very proud of him, and I love him very much.

Eli is getting ready to turn 19.

He is a college freshman majoring in film.

I see great things ahead for him.

I love him very much, too.

He makes me laugh a lot.

Gus and Archie were staying with me recently.

We were having a meal together.

I 💗 A&W Root Beer.

So do they.

All I can say is ~ What happens at Grammy's house stays at Grammy's house.

Except that now you who read know.

😉

This is Lu and me at our Thanksgiving feast.

She is away at college studying to be a nurse.

I miss her very much.

She worked at Coffee Deli the whole time she was home for Christmas.

Making money for her next semester!

Lu is a hard worker and a great baker of delicious things.

💗💗

This is Jake.

He loves to run.

He got to go to Pennsylvania back in November to run the

"Rocky Run"

I gave him those shorts for his birthday.

💙

Lastly, here is a picture of Walter with my sister Teri.

He is ten.

A fire burns within him to work hard.

I couldn't have done all of my light-up Christmas houses without him.

He is in fifth grade and I love him too.

He watches out for me diligently.

He, just a few days ago, spotted a nail in my tire

which caused me to head for Sam's to get a new one.

$210.00 later,

I'm so glad I didn't have to find myself stuck on the side of the road calling AAA.

Thank you, Lord, for allowing me to know the joys that these unique individuals bring.

They fill me with joy and give me so much love.

 

 

Yes!!! I found the rest of my Christmas pictures

Christmas afternoon...craziness sets in.

Some of us can no longer contain ourselves.

These are my two grown children.

I love that they still come home for Christmas.

Now they have children...

my grandchildren, who they bring with them.

Christmas dinner is always grilled steak,

hash brown potato casserole,

and...

David's famous salad.

Desert is always Amanda's Christmas crack.

Hors d'oevres were served before Pizza and salad on the day after Christmas.

Sausage cheese balls.

Hot pecan dip served with crackers.

Pigs in a blanket.

The reindeer toss game was lots of fun.

We also played Bingo for cash prizes, which everyone loved.

They'll do anything for money.

Amanda tasting the lime sherbert punch, which was set up in the laundry room

My sister and her family were all in town 

and they helped us close out the Christmas festivities on Friday evening.

I think we served 15 that night.

We played the name game after we ate, which also brought much hilarity.

Christmas 2026 was very special.

None of us wanted it to end.

Thank You, Lord, for loving us so well!

💗