I finished these on the first... hoping that old say of "What you do on New Year's Day, you will do all year long" will come true for me, and I'll get plenty of scrapping done in 2009!
First, a walk down memory lane... This is my great-grandfather Tapley. He served in the Civil War from Johnson County, Georgia. Obviously, this picture was taken later in his life. I just obtained this picture about a year ago, and I'm thrilled!
Pictures of my uncle and his family along with my mother when they made a spur-of-the-moment trip to central Florida. They visited Bok Tower and Spook Hill, both in Lakeland.
My mother's grandmother's house circa 1948-49 in Redlands, California. Since her mother was sick when she was young, my mom spent a lot of time at her grandmother's, so I'm sure this picture is special to her. (The map is of San Bernadino County, where Redlands is located, and I downloaded and printed it off the Internet. The map is from about 1909.)
And now a more recent one!
I used to work with Meg at Memories... she had her first child in June. This was her baby shower, obviously.
That's all for now, folks!
I will soon be posting pictures of my NEW and IMPROVED scrap room! Stay tuned!
We got a new A/C in the May, and I immediately remembered a layout by Cathy Zielske that I wanted to scraplift. This is a LOVE layout, no doubt about it!!! :)
Even more pictures from Christy's 30th birthday and dance party! We had so much fun!
I'm very proud of how much the kids love animals. These pictures were taken mostly at the Atlanta Zoo in the petting zoo and then one (top right) was taken at the Georgia Aquarium. They love touching the animals!
A heritage layout and the last layout for 2008. Some pictures of me playing at my grandparents' house when I was young. As I've said many, many times, if it hadn't been for my Pop Pop, there wouldn't have been any pictures of me when I was a child!
What books did I read this month? The Horse Whisperer by Nicolas Evans; Amazing Peace by Maya Angelou; The Problem with Murmur Lee by Connie May Fowler; and The Color of Water by James McBride.
Magazines? Reader's Digest; Real Simple (both over a year old); Guideposts; and People.
What movies did I watch this month? At the movies: Madagascar 2; Marley & Me; Bedtime Stories. On TV: The Transporter 2; I was a Male War Bride; The Batchelor and the Bobby Soxer; The Maltese Falcon (seen before); Transformers (seen before); Failure to Launch (seen before).
TV shows? Terminator: the Sarah Connor Chronicles; Two and a Half Men; Everybody Hates Chris; NCIS; Without a Trace; Law & Order: SVU; Bones; CSI; Desperate Housewives; Ghost Whisperer; America's Most Wanted; Cold Case; The Unit; Dog the Bounty Hunter; Chelsea Lately; I Survived; CMT Insider; Chuck; Pushing Daisies
What special days did I celebrate and how? Christmas was spent on vacation in Tampa. We were at Busch Gardens that day.
What illnesses or health concerns did I have this month? Had put a new meal plan into effect so was doing great... no IBS flareups. UNTIL I ate friend catfish on the 23rd in Valdosta while on the way to Florida. Up a good part of the night with one of the worst IBS attacks ever.
What fun things did I do with my friends and/or family? Visited Lights of the South - a huge Christmas lights display - with my mom. Went on vacation with Tracy and visited Busch Gardens, SeaWorld, and the Florida Aquarium. Mom rode down to Tampa and back with us. Scrapbooked with friends on various days. Visited the Georgia Archives with Donna Bingham. Met with friends for a Christmas dinner in Lawrenceville. Had lunch and went to the movies with Donna Joseph for her birthday.
What new foods, recipes, or restaurants did I try this month? Got reacquainted with several old recipes due to the new meal plan, including Catfish Parmesan. YUM!! (BAKED, not fried!!!). Ate at different places in Florida: Hungry Howie's - great subs but way too big!; Tia's Tex Mex; Bob Evans - oh, how I've missed them - the BEST breakfast!!; interesting experiences at restaurants/cafes inside the parks - especially paying over $30 for pizza w/fries for me and ribs for Tracy!; tried a new salsa - Salsa Verde - that I really liked at a Mexican restaurant in Buford I had never been to; tried an Italian restaurant in Augusta with my mom - yummy; and had dinner with friends at Olde Towne Tavern in Lawrenceville - nice place.
What special or unusual purchases did I make? Buying Christmas gifts, of course; bought several cute souviners on vacation, i.e., magnets and key chains and pictures.
What were this month’s disappointments? Learning that my dad did not do everything he could have to protect my mom and/or make things easier for her once he passed away.
What were my accomplishments this month? Handling things for my mom when my dad passed.
As many of you already know, my father passed away last Monday, December 15, 2008. He was 80 years old. It was quite unexpected, though he had been sick for sometime. But no matter what, I don't think you're ever prepared.
My father will be remembered by many people... and in as many different ways as there are people who knew him. To some, he was a kindly old man; to others, he was a selfish, set-in-his-ways taskmaster. However he is remembered, he, like anyone else who has ever walked this earth, should be remembered.
Gilbert Earl Tapley was born on Tuesday, June 19, 1928 at home (like most babies of his time), which was a farm, in Johnson County, Georgia. He was the youngest of six children of his mother's and 10 children of his father's. Shortly after his birth, the country went into the Great Depression, and his parents lost their land when they were unable to make the payments to the bank. Soon after, his father passed away. Daddy was only 7 years old. After that, his mother had to raise 5 boys and a girl on her own, during the depression, with no home to call their own. They moved constantly, did sharecropping or anything else that would feed them. (He told of the Christmas where his mother could not even afford to buy him a 5 cent rubber ball.) Daddy's older brothers apparently spent more time ordering him around than being father figures. Inevitably, Daddy began to run "wild" and get into trouble. When he was 14, he attempted to syphon gas from a pick-up truck, and his mother turned him in because she just couldn't handle him anymore. For this offense, Daddy spent 14 months (including his 15th birthday) in the "boys' home" (or juvenile as it's called now) in Milledgeville, Georgia. He escaped once, made it all the way to Jacksonville, Florida by hitchhiking and got a job. After several months, his aunt turned him in, and he was returned to Georgia to finish his sentence plus more for escape. At least this experience had the desired effect: He was a law-abiding citizen the rest of his life.
All of these events and circumstances shaped the man he became. A man who had to be in control; who did not trust women; who hoarded money and belongings alike because he knew what it was like to be poor; who had a difficult time maintaining relationships of any kind; and who had too much pride to even bow before God.
He married at 17; had two children by the time he was 20. He divorced twice during his lifetime and had strained and sometimes nonexistent relationships with his two older children. By the time he ran off with my mom when he was 34 and she was 20, he was quite set in his ways and it was his way or the highway. He was just fortunate that my mother lived with that for 46 years.
Daddy was a carpenter by trade, though he quit working when I was four and didn't return (and then only part time) until I left home at 18. Was it really due to his health or because he hated taking orders from bosses? He loved cars and trucks, tractors, horses, land, money, fried fish, fresh sliced tomatoes, mirrors, clocks, and most of all, chocolate milkshakes made by my mother. He craved being "thought a lot of" and being important. He had to be the center of attention. And he had to be in charge.
My father was a complex man. I have no doubt he loved... as best he could. He could be very kind and giving one day... and downright mean the next.
Unfortunately I do not have the patience of my mother. There were many strained times in my father's and my relationship... even years when the relationship was nonexistent. However, in the last few years, from the time he had his stroke and open heart surgery in 2003, I was a good daughter, and I was there for him and my mom. I have no regrets when it comes to my father.
I don't know where you are, Daddy, but I sure do hope you have found some peace... I think you deserve it.
I haven't been keeping up with this like I should, so hopefully I can do a better job by posting it here on my blog.
Roundup of Memories
The ‘roundup’ is for closing out the month… I will take time at the end of each month to review my calendar, my pictures, my layouts, and anything else that will help me “roundup” my memories.Then I will make sure I have the details recorded.This will be an enormous help when it comes time to create layouts and add journaling.It is also a wonderful reflection tool and a great way to stay on track with goals and ideas.
What books did I read this month?
I didn't have a long book to read for Book Club this coming month, so I had some time to actually catch up on some of the books people have passed along to me. I'm very happy about that! I read:
Freakonomics by Steven Levitt (Book Club book for November)
The Kalahari Typing School for Men by Alexander McCall Smith (library book - I want to finish reading this series - I LOVE them!)
Safe Haven by Hannah Alexander
The Cat Who Came for Christmas by Cleveland Armory
Magazines?
I am SO far behind on magazines - it's not even funny - like over a year - no joke! I managed to read the People magazines that Stacey brought me. I read two Guideposts and I am still working on the Reader's Digest in my purse and a Real Simple.
What movies did I watch this month?
It was actually a busy month for movies for me! At the movies, I saw Changeling with Stacey; Twilight (!!) w/Stacey and Christy; and Four Christmases w/Tracy. Then on TV, I watched The Lake House, The Five People You Meet in Heaven, and The Transporter.
TV shows?
All the usual: Terminator: The Sarah Conner Chronicles, NCIS, The Mentalist, Law & Order: SVU; Without a Trace, Bones, Two and a Half Men, CSI, The Unit, Desperate Housewives, Cold Case, America's Most Wanted, The Locator, John Edward's Cross Country, Chelsea Lately, The Soup, I Survived, Cosby Show re-runs, Oprah, The Starter Wife, Real Simple Real Life, 30 Days, Pushing Daisies, Chuck, Dog the Bounty Hunter, CMT Insider, Criminal Minds, and even a couple Bewitched.
What special days did I celebrate and how?
Thanksgiving was spent at my parents' house in Augusta. It went well and the food was excellent. Then we hosted a Thanksgiving dinner here at our house on Saturday evening after Thanksgiving for a few close friends. Tracy fried a turkey and it was awesome! But I was turkey-d out by that point. I did make my annual turkey/scallopped potato casserole, but then I was done!
What illnesses or health concerns did I have this month?
Just the usual IBS symptoms off and on. And a little bit of sinus troubles - it rained a lot in November.
However, my father was in the hospital for a couple of days - they found a blood clot in his right leg.
What fun things did I do with my friends and/or family?
I've already mentioned the movies; I also did some shopping with Stacey; cropping with Carolyn, and eating lots of food!
What new foods, recipes, or restaurants did I try this month?
None that I can think of...
What special or unusual purchases did I make?
Again, I can't think of any... getting ready to start Christmas shopping.
What were this month’s disappointments?
I've been disappointed in the number of mood swings and days of depression I've been having. I'm hoping it's just the weather and when the sun returns, I'll feel better. But these mood swings have cause some tense moments in my interpersonal relationships. What else is new?
What were my accomplishments this month?
Did some genealogy work for a client; surprised my parents with a visit; finished making Christmas cards; got some in-depth cleaning done here at the house.
Here's a couple of photos of the new shelves with all our scrapbook albums (in order) and some other decorative items. I have actually added more since these pictures were taken! It's been fun. I've left some empty shelves - I have to have room to grow!!
I LOVE SCRAPBOOKING!!;
I am a scrapbooking supplies shopaholic.;
I've been scrapbooking since 1999.;
Two kitties: Gracie,age 7 and Zeus, age 5;
and one precious, sweet doggie: Daisy, age 4, a Spitz mix
