In Memory of My Grandma Nora

 My Dear Sweet Grandma Nora Passed away yesterday,  November 3rd 2011 at 99 years old, just a month shy of 100.

She was an Incredible woman and will be greatly missed by everyone who has ever met her.  She is now reunited with my Grandpa Ernest, who passed away 18 years ago.

 Together they had 8 children. One who had passed away as a baby and the other was born after this picture was taken.  My Dad is the cute little blonde boy to the Left.  Each of their children had grown up to have large families of their own. 

 Here is mine.

I’m the little redhead on the left sitting on my grandpa’s lap.  This is one of my most favorite memories as a child.  My Grandparents were serving a mission in Ohio, where they were living on this large beautiful farm.  My family drove across the county to go visit them.  All 8 of us, piled up in a van with no air conditioning, in the blazing summer heat,  But it was so much fun, I will always remember it.

My favorite part were the Fireflies at night.

So out of this super large family, which seriously there is around 200 of us,  after counting up Aunts, Uncles, Brothers and Sisters, Nieces and Nephews, Cousin’s and their families. Wow! Right? Anyway I think it’s safe to say that I am the Black Sheep. They are all active in the Mormon church and it is a huge part of their lives.  I’ve just happen to go my own way with different views and beliefs.  That never did sit well with my Grandma Nora.  She certainly tried her best to re direct me. She would always say, in her sweet soft voice, “Now Emily, You need to Promise me that you will go to church,  Now Promise me this,  Emily,  Do it.!”  I kinda always felt like I got a little extra special attention from her because she was always looking out for me.

 Here she is at my Wedding Reception.

And here she is showing me how to make some kind of “Home remedy”.  Not sure what is in that paste, maybe I should have paid better attention.  She was known to have garlic wrapped around her neck while sipping on barley water when she was sick.  But this is what I loved most about her.  Her lifestyle was so incredible.  She made her own whole wheat bread, including grinding her own wheat (her bread was so authentic and Delicious too. I just may need to get that recipe) She always had a huge garden and lots of fruit trees, which she canned and bottled.  She had chickens that she gathered the eggs from and every once in a while killed to eat, but she only ate meat in the fall and winter months. Her milk came from my uncles cows. And that was about the gist of her diet.  She believed in home remedies, she didn’t watch much t.v., she didn’t use her microwave very often, I don’t think she ever went shopping, like Ever!  She was just a simple, yet hardworking, healthy, wise woman.  And that is what I admired the most about her.

Here she is holding my Jaxon when he was a baby.  I remember her humming a buzzing tune to him to get him to stop crying.  She had a special way with children.

I know I shared this picture before,  in this blog posthere, about decorating with straw hats.  It is my absolute favorite picture of her.  She is sitting on my dads lap, with her plaid shirt,  Straw hat, and an apple in her hand. And I am pretty sure there are some chickens walking around near by.  This is the image I always have when I think about her, It is a Wonderful image to have.

I love you Grandma Nora, and I miss you so much already.