Friday after work, I left immediately to meet my sister, Elizabeth, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she had been on business so we could have some sister bonding time, stay in a fabulous hotel, and then get up the next morning and drive the rest of the way to Iola, Kansas, for my niece's baby shower, another sister, Kim's, daughter-in-law!! We continued the fun sister bonding and it really was so nice for the 3 of us to be together again!! This will be my first great-niece on the Clay side of the family!! While we were in Tulsa, Elizabeth treated me to a fancy restaurant, Flemings Steak House, and had a scrumptious dinner!! My steak was so tender it fell apart when I tried to cut it!! and the Flemings potatoes where to die for!! S0000 Good!
For Kristen and Jimmie's baby, Elizabeth and I talked about what kind of gift we wanted to get her and was she registered anywhere etc... and then all of a sudden I remembered that while going through my mother's things I found a pattern for a sequined Christmas Stocking that Mom had obviously been waiting for her first great grandchild to make, so I got busy and in 3 days of staying up til the wee hours of the morning I was able to make the Christmas Stocking that my Mom, had bought, and started cutting out!! We did get her other gifts too, but we were excited about the stocking.
The reason this is so meaningful is that My grandmother Clay started this tradition when my brothers and sisters and I were all small! Grandma Clay made them for all 10 of her children and their spouses and then she made one for each grandchild as they came along! After I got married I continued on the tradition and if you have followed my blog at all you have seen previous pictures of ones I have made or of our Christmas Stockings hanging at the fireplace etc... and the story behind them. My sister Kim, also continued the tradition by making these fancy sequined stockings for all of her children, Elizabeth has made them for her family, Ruth hers etc....
Kim loved the thought that it was something that Mom would have wanted to give to Kristen and Jimmies baby, and when my nephew, Jimmie, saw the stocking he immediately zeroed in on it and thought it was fabulous that I had made one for his new baby daughter, and knew the significance of my making it as a tradition, but like my sister Kim, was really touched when he found out it was something Grandma had bought and had been waiting to make for her first great grandchild!!
Since I didn't have this brilliant idea until 3 days before the shower I was up all night at the hotel embroidering, appliqueing, and sequining all night finishing --and in fact I got done around 5:00 am Saturday morning. Elizabeth helped me finish the stocking and made the kitty have the cutest face I have ever seen!! I'm so glad I hadn't done that yet -- because she is the pro of cute stocking faces!!
On the way to Iola, we had to stop in Chenute at a fast food restaurant called "Taco Johns" because Elizabeth could not stop raving about it and that I HAD TO TRY IT!! It was good but what was the best about it was Elizabeth's excitement that they had one.......until now she had only been able to eat at Taco Johns in Montana!!
The shower was delightful. It was so fun to see Kristen and Jimmie again since they have moved away from us here in Texas!! My niece, Valeree, had to work and couldn't be at the shower so we went and saw how Kristen and her mom had decorated the baby's room, visited with Kim and her family for a while and then went and saw Valeree's new apartment/house that she is living in now. We took her out to dinner and Elizabeth had just been to New Orleans on business and picked up a Mask that made her think of the Masquerade Ball in the Phantom of the Opera and since Valeree is a theatre arts major in college she brought that to her.
On the way home we caravaned and had fun zooming home, but we did have to stop and sleep for about 30 to 45 minutes so we were later than we thought in getting home, plus we just had a hard time leaving - so I got home about 4:45 this morning!! But it was such a wonderful weekend. I really felt so many feelings this weekend, that I haven't felt with such strength for awhile, like how much I miss Mom, how fun it would have been if she could have been with us. How much she would love to be getting ready for her first great grand child. Then of course realizing, she has already met her and probably been getting her ready to meet all of us!!
It really was just a very good weekend!
