My Grandma My Hero

 
       I came across alot of old family photos on my cousin-in-law's blog, some of which were of my paternal grandmother Eustacia Mora.  ( My own children called her GrandmaLita because they could not say 'abuelita').   I borrowed a few of these pictures for my own family photo album. 
       My grandmother was born and raised in Texas and married at a very young age.   She had fifteen (yes 15) kids of which ten survived.   I can't even imagine how devastating it must have been for her to have stillborn babies or have them die because of sickness.   My grandfather also died at a young age, leaving GrandmaLita a widow but she never remarried.   Being a single parent in those days was hard and I know that is what made her the strong person she became through out the rest of her years until her death.   

G'ma Lita & cuz Johnny Childress

         GrandmaLita lived a very hard life on a farm with no electricity, running water or gas for cooking.   *Nowadays we complain if we don't have more than one bathroom!    Can you imagine taking your kids to an outhouse in the cold, or middle of the night?*    She raised her family of ten and also helped my grandfather feed the animals and work in the fields, plowing or whatever they did in those days.
        Losing the farm when my grandfather died she decided to move into a housing project in a small town nearby.   Some of the older children got married while others that could went to work in the city to help her make ends meet.    A few years later in the 60's she moved to California where she remained until the end of her days.

Happy Birthday!

       I remember my grandma being a very strong and healthy  woman who rarely got sick and never went to see a doctor until very late in life when she was old and frail.   She never went to a dentist until she was about 60 years old!   She was my hero; loving, kind, and always there with a smile. 

at convalescent home with blanket I crochet

some cuzins at g'ma Lita' funeral

some familia at gravesite

Danelle's Graduation

Danelle Rae Casados 

  Yay!!!!   She did it!!!   She has graduated and now for bigger and better things to come!!!!

500 graduates

 

  We are so proud of Danelle aka Barbie.   She walked down that path in front of hundreds of parents and friends to receive her diploma.   She worked very hard for this day and now she would like to go into the medical field and become a nurse.
   I have told her to reach for the highest star and she will get there if she strives for it.  * Im so happy that she hasn't mentioned the 'M' word (marriage).*   lol  

Hi family

   She has graduated at a young age and won't be 18 until December.   At that time she plans on moving and living with an aunt to be closer to the college she wants to attend.   It will be hard on her mom seeing her little girl leave the nest but we can't stop our kids from that day that comes too soon.   Her sister Monica will miss her very much too, and probably be very lonely without Barbie.    My granddaughters are a year apart and have been very close all their lives.   They have weathered the storms of living without their dad; and living in a single parent home.   

Barbie

 

There is just so much we can tell our kids and hope that they listen and take our good advice (did we take our parents advice?).     She's young beautiful and so full of life.............God please keep your hand on my Barbie, protect her and show her the right path as she steps into her future destination.

Proud dad & daughter

Daddy & his girls

Smile

 

proud grampy's n daddy

Happy Birthday Grandma Cucu

   Today would have been my mother-in-luv's 88th birthday.   She was the sweetest person you could ever meet.   Everyone that met her loved her and had nothing but good and kind words to describe her.   She has gone on to be with the Lord.   She was a prayer warrior and the entire family knew that if we had a problem all we had to do was let her know.   Getting on her knees was not a problem until a few years ago, but she still prayed for each and everyone in her family.
   I miss our weekly phone calls.   We would 'chew on the rag' as she would say for about an hour catching up on all the family chisme or just talk talk and talk.   There were a few times we didn't call each other for a month or so, but like she used to say "all the more to gab about" lol. 
  We all miss her very much and have special things to say about her, but we all know that she's in a better place.   If anyone went to heaven and is looking down on us its grandma Cucu.
   

 * If there were a way I would call her right now and get the recipe for the delicious bread she used to bake.*
 
Rest in peace grandma Cucu..............I miss you♥

First Day of Summer

On beautiful mornings like today when its so nice and cool outside I don't mind getting up early to do whatever chores need to be done.   I enjoy walking around the gardens watering the flowers and plants thanking God for all the blessings around me.   The weather has been in the high 80's for the last two weeks, but today is the first day of summer.   Time for everyone to hit the beaches and parks or mountains.  

*My little house is like a cabin in the woods.   Walking outside my front door I see butterflies in different beautiful colors.   Different types of birds fly into the gardens, squirrels, and just about every thing you might see in the wilderness lol.

I want to travel on Route 66 just as soon as we can lolololol.

Fathers Day Surprise

We had a surprise visit from my brother Daniel today, who drove here all the way from Canyon country to visit with our dad for Fathers Day.   (Surprise!)  He invited me to go with them to a restaurant to eat breakfast and we ended up at Taco Joe's which is a favorite of mine. 

The three of us ordered menudo which was the worst I've tasted ever uugghh!.    None of us liked it, either the chef doesn't know how to make menudo or it was his first time.   It was lukewarm and thick almost like a stew.   Menudo has got to be  fire HOT.    ~I hate warm food~    We had a nice time talking and remembering mom's cooking.   My husband loved menudo the way she made it.   Her tortillas were so delicious we could sit there and get full just on tortillas and butter lol.      Oh how I miss her ~gulp~

Back at the house we visited a while longer and because of the long ride home Daniel had to leave.   Im really glad he came to see dad, he is very lonely and misses his son.   I wish that he could go live with Daniel or at least stay for a few weeks.   We're waiting to see if my brother can get a two bedroom apartment in the complex he lives in right now.

I went to my daughter's house for lunch, we had ribs and potato salad.   Her Fathers Day gift to her dad was shrimp cocktail  which is his favorite.    Brownies with ice cream for my son in law and a cake for my husband.   It was a beautiful day and a very nice family time. 

Thank you Lord for another year with my dad. 

 

Happy Fathers Day

      Sunday is Fathers Day and time for us to honor these men for who they are and what they do for us.  

There is a person who I would like to talk about for a few lines of this blog.   His name is Juan and he is the perfect example of a man who is a father to children not being his own.   The saying that because you sire a child does not make you a daddy but only a sperm donor is so true in this case.   Juan has been in Monica and Danelle's lives for a few years and has been a 'father' to them.   He is the one who has been there through the everyday life of childhood and teenage  ups and downs.

He is a hard working man supporting his family which include my two granddaughters and two children he has with their mother.   I also know that he'll drive the girls to parties or events.    He'll stay up late to pick them up at night making sure they have a ride home so Sylvia won't worry.   He has earned their trust and is the one they go to when they need someone to talk with or need a shoulder to cry on.

Their biological dad isn't in the picture much and in my book of life they are very lucky to have Juan as their 'daddy'.

             Happy Fathers Day to all the daddy's out there.

Three Hundred & Sixty Five Days

                                                                                        

ugly grave site

Today was the one year anniversary of my mothers death.   We drove to the cemetery and laid some flowers and a red heart balloon on her grave site.  Sitting there crying and laughing was very emotional and stressful.  Each in our own private thoughts we sat there silently staring either at the grave or out into space...............there is no comfort besides just being there with each other. 

To make matters worse we can't buy real flowers because the heat from the desert sun dries them up in a few hours.   So we buy the prettiest fake flowers we can find and stick them in a vase or the urn that is there.   At the same time hoping that the winds won't blow them away.   LOL

It felt like a scene from the Twilight Zone, surreal in so many ways. Being there I felt funny as if I wasn't really there; too hard to explain it just felt weird.   Talking about her in the past tense just didn't seem right either, almost as if it was disrespectful.   I know she's gone but I still can't talk about her as if she was somebody from the past.   She was and still is a very  real presence in my life.   There isn't one day that I don't see something that reminds me of her.   I wish we had been able to spend more quality time together before she died.   All I have now are memories and the things we shared from the past with each other.        

I was very disappointed with the grave site.   The grass is yellow and over grown because the water well broke and its being repaired so they are using sprinkler hoses to water the lawns.   The grave marker hasn't been put on her plot, apparently it won't be ready for a few more weeks.   Truthfully thats what made me cry the most because a whole year has gone by with only a little plaque the size of a post card with her name and the birth/death dates on it!   THAT IS SO VERY SAD TO ME.


Dad got very hurt when I said I wouldn't be going back after they install the marker on the grave.   I don't understand the point in sitting by a plot of dirt feeling sad because she's buried in the ground.   I will go to make sure that everything  looks right and there are no mistakes on the printing, and that the photograph of my parents looks good and they return my original picture back.

Love you Mom♥

                                          

Where Did The Year Go - Six Months of Our Lives

My parents

I have been neglecting this blog for many reasons.  So many things have been

happening I can't even remember what, where or when sometimes lol.   I know that the year is already half over and its also going to be the one year anniversary of my mom's passing this month of June.  
                 ♥♥ I miss her so much♥♥
Dad is so very lonely and been getting sick a lot lately.   The latest sickness is a very bad infection on his ankle.   He'll have to be injected (by me no less) with an antibiotic every 8 hrs for the next 10 days.   Its very serious and the doctor says if not treated religiously he could lose the leg or his life!     ~ News I would rather not have heard.  ~

Mom & Daisy

My lil Daisy aka Destinee, my sweet, loving granddaughter. She is growing so fast and becoming a beautiful young lady.    The years have a way of passing and I didn't realize the changes going on before my eyes...choke...... She's in high school.......gulp. ..she even has a 'special friend'.   Nowadays  I have to make appointments if I want see her because she is sooo busy with her own lil world lol.   Im so thankful that Daisy loves church and is part of the youth group,God has His hand on her.  

Lil Dino

My youngest grandson 'Lil Dino graduated from middle school this month.  I am so happy for him, throughout the ceremony I was very teary eyed.   Possibly the sadness/joy I was feeling is because not only is he getting older, but he is the baby of my family.   He is my baby boy who has been around me and his grandpa since birth.   We've watched Dino grow into the young man he is and we love him very much.   ~Gulp~ mush mush!.   My daughter invited a few friends for lunch in celebration of his graduation day and it turned out very nice.   Dino was very excited and had a good time with his friends, driving the tractor  his grandpa gave him.   He will be going into high school in the fall and that will be so strange but awesome. 

Mom & Josh

My nephew Josh who lives in Virginia has enlisted into the Navy and is waiting to be sent hopefully here to California.   His wife Shannon and his son Nicky will be coming home to live with her parents while Josh is in training .   I pray that God keeps him safe and he doesn't ever have to go to war.

Tiffany & Paul

We've had a lot of drama in the past years with my son Paul.  He is doing much better now and hopefully soon he will find a place and settle down.   God is good and I am praying in Jesus Name to protect Paul and help him adjust in life.   Im trusting in Jesus.  

Paulina

My granddaughter Paulina who is my son Paul's daughter has made my husband & I great grand-parents.   She had a beautiful little baby girl who she named Devyn Lee.   I haven't met her yet and have only seen pictures of her on Face Book.   Maybe someday I will meet her and hold her.

Devyn

This is Devyn who is now about six months old and from what I understand is rolling over on her own and making all the goo goo noises that every baby does.   Very cute ♥ 

Muneca

The resemblance between my granddaughter and mom is so amazing.   Photos I have of mom when she was young and of Monica are so tender because they look so much alike ~ to me anyway~.   Monica  who I call Muneca because she's beautiful and tiny like a doll.    I just love her to smitherings.   I pray the Lord keeps His hand over her always as she grows into a young adult woman.

Mom & Monica

Adrian our lil angel 

God has sent a special angel to our extended family, he is little Adrian!    A beautiful special baby boy that we all fell in love with instantly, feeling a special tenderness towards him.    He isn't my grandson thru blood but he is mine none the less, since his mama is like a daughter to me.       

Barbie

My granddaughter Danelle aka Barbie is going to graduate and will be eighteen years in a few months.   She is a big help to her mom with baby Adrian.   I look at her and ask 'where did the years go!'

♥♥ Love my grandkids ♥♥

Memorial DaY

We had a barbeque out on our back yard with lots of food and drinks celebrating this Memorial Day.   We decorated with red white and blue colors making everything look pretty and festive.   Many friends came along with a lot of family from Los Angeles.   It was a perfect day with beautiful weather and time for fellowship and play.

There was so much food and drinks;  B'Bque ribs, hot dogs and chicken.   Potato salad, fruit salad, chile beans, and chips n dips.  Sodas and water, cakes/cup cakes Im getting full again just thinking about it. LOL  It was all buffet and it was come one come all eat what you want whenever you want, no servers on this day.

There were kids walking or playing everywhere, along the pond, in the street or driving Lil Dino's small tractor that grandpa gave him.   Even some of the girls tried it and I think they did ok on it.  

We had a surprise visit from my sis-in-law Maxine and enjoyed visiting with her.   It's a long two hour drive most of the time from the IE to LA so we don't see much of our family too often.