Grandparents make life GRAND!

Today is Grandparents' Day. I am sure that this is a holiday that was manufactured by Hallmark to give us another reason to buy greetings cards, but I do think it is noteworthy. Will and I do not have any living grandparents. I recently read somewhere that our legacy will be that we lived, we reproduced and we died. People won't remember the little details about us or our many accomplishments. While this is a morbid thought and somewhat inaccurate, it did get me thinking ... what are the little things I want to remember about my grandparents? What can I tell my children about their great-grandparents who have gone on before them? What made them tick? What was their life like from day-to-day. Will and I spent a lot of time in the car this weekend, so we brainstormed a few ideas about each of our grandparents. (I hope to add photos to this post as soon as I can find them and scan them into the computer.)

My Grandparents:

Evie Lou Taylor Brian (Meme)

-made the best chicken-n-dumplings and strawberry shortcake
-had a flour drawer in her kitchen (literally a drawer full of flour that she used to cook with; my sister and I played in it, which wasn't very sanitary now that I think about it)

-loved to watch her soaps-"One Life to Live" was her favorite

-called her sister (my great-Aunt Flora) "sis" which I thought was very cute and endearing

-liked to quilt

-sang in the church choir

-worked in the school cafeteria (that is why she was such a great cook)

Hubert Murrell Brian, Sr. (Paw Paw)

-let me drive the tractor in the garden

-had a huge bucket of earthworms in the shed (for fishing)

-always slipped my sister $5, $10 and $20 bills

-led the music at church

-always had a garden

-was a postman (or "carried the mail" as he called it)

Mildred Inez Scott (Granny)

-drove a white Nova

-ate Cream of Wheat for breakfast

-sold Avon

-played the piano

-"antiqued" all of her furniture

-had a strong dislike for Ned McWherter (TN Governor from 1987-1995)

-had cats

Will's Grandparents:

Mr. & Mrs. Gossett are in the center with all of their grandchildren and great-grandchildren (taken June 2006).

Agnes Gossett (Grandmom)

-always slipped cash in your pocket when you came to visit

-had walls of her house covered with pictures of family

-loved to read romance novels

-always made big breakfasts

-always carried candy in her purse for the kids at church

-loved to eat Popsicles

Douglas Baxter Gossett (Granddad)

-"gummed" all his food (he didn't have teeth)

-loved to eat breakfast at Hardee's

-sold tractors

-fought in WWII

-loved to watch old Westerns

Charlotte VanDyke (Mono)

-she loved to shop

-she always went to Chick-Fil-A for lunch when she went shopping

-ate "Kroger bread" for breakfast

-kept everything in boxes/containers in the kitchen

-always made Will Kraft Mac-n-cheese

-loved to play Rook (thought that 70-80 was a big bid)

Joe Cooke VanDyke, Sr. (Little Grandad)

-he wasn't little per se, just much smaller than Will's other granddad so that is how he distinguished between the two

-a preacher

-a pack rat (he never ever threw anything away)

-drank powdered milk

-always cleaned his plate (even ate the corn cob)