Happy Birthday Nanny!

 

Today would have been my Nanny’s 87th birthday. I truly do not know where time has gone. It is so hard to believe that this time last year I had both my Mom and Nanny.

As I did with Mom’s birthday, I thought I would share some photographs of Nanny. I have many more that I could share but I have decided not to go through the albums and files of photographs and to share the ones which are easy to share.

The above picture is of my Nanny and Granddaddy. I love this photograph for many reasons. It captures both of them in their youth and shows that Nanny was pretty stylish in the day. I love her tiny waist and shoes. Per my friend Ellen, Granddaddy was quite the “hottie”. When I told Nanny this, she simply laughed. My grandparents both grew up in the same small town but did not meet until after Granddaddy returned from War World II. They married in December 1946 and my Mom came along in November 1947.

One of the greatest items I have found in my Mom’s photographs was this postcard my Nanny sent to Granddaddy while she was on a trip to Florida.  I think this is so sweet and it shows the fun hearted nature that Nanny had for both Granddaddy and everyone she loved. The postmark is from Miami Beach in November 1949 and she sent it to him at his work address. My aunt and I have laughed because we never knew Nanny went on vacation without Granddaddy (he didn’t like to travel that much) and she was gone during my Mom’s second birthday! (In today’s world, what kind of mother would you be if you weren’t home to celebrate your child’s birthday?)  Granddaddy did not want Nanny to work outside of the home but I feel like she would have been a fantastic hair dresser. Over the years she gave numerous people perms, color and was known to do a little trim here and there. At home, there wasn’t much that she couldn’t do. Of course she was a fantastic cook and always made wonderful breakfasts and dinners. One of my favorite memories is the cinnamon toast she would make me when I stayed the night. I can remember the jar she kept the cinnamon and sugar mixture in and she would let me sprinkle the mix on the bread. There is also no way I could begin to describe her macaroni and cheese. No one can make it like she did.

I’ve shared through various posts how much I have learned and loved Nanny. She wasn’t just my grandmother but my second mother. I was her first and only granddaughter and I will not lie, my grandparents spoiled me (but isn’t what they are supposed to do?)

It was when I was with my Nanny that I knew the world was truly a safe and good place. As a child I don’t think there is anything I thought she couldn’t do. She raised a garden, mowed the yard, canned her own vegetables, quilted and sewed and cared for her own parents before their deaths and her mother-in-law (and granny g wasn’t always the nicest as she got older) .

Nanny, Mom and Granny G (Nanny’s mother-in-law)

Nanny was not one who could easily accept help. Many times someone would tell her they would be by to mow her yard and she would do it before the person arrived. In the past few years, my Aunt finally told Nanny that it hurt my Uncle’s feelings when she didn’t let him mow the yard. She finally stopped and let others take care of her then.

Nanny loved to laugh and had a sense of humor. Mom often stated she would come home from school and Nanny would have a “tale” about something that had happened during the day. She would build it up and have Mom believing it and then laugh and say it didn’t happen.  My brother used to tell his friends that Nanny had a 4 wheel drive truck and would go 4 wheeling. The funny thing is that some of his friends thought it was true.(They were in middle school at the time)  She wasn’t afraid to giver her opinion and many times I would leave her house and have to remind myself I just had a conversation with my grandmother about subjects you don’t normally discuss with your grandmother.

She loved Kentucky basketball and taped (yes, she still had a VCR) all of the games. She went to football and basketball games when she was younger but didn’t like the crowds as she became older. I think James and I both struggle the hardest with missing her when Kentucky plays. James would always call her after a game to get her opinion and we laugh about how she would say “I just don’t know about them.” 

 

At my bridal luncheon and wedding

You could never go to her house without being fed (even if you weren’t hungry) and James joked that if the end of the world was coming – you needed to be at Nanny’s because she had a stockpile!

Although I still have not completely adjusted to a world without Nanny, I do  know that I am blessed to have been her grand daughter. She taught me about unconditional love, about the importance of family and helped me to become part of who I am today.

This was Nanny after her surgery last April. She didn’t look 86 or like someone who had just had surgery!

 

Another Bridal Shower

Taken a few years ago – we were waiting for our table at Cracker Barrel.

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