Happy Birthday Granny!!
On January 13, 2006 Claudine Vaughn, better known to all as “Granny”, celebrated her 86th birthday. As the matriarch of the Vaughn family, it has been such a blessing for God to allow her to remain here on earth to watch her family grow. She is the mother of 4 children, the grandmother of seven grandchildren, and the great-grandmother of 13 great grandchildren.
Each day of her 86 years has been a blessing to all. Very few people are given the opportunity to meet their great grandchildren; and very few children can say they knew their great-grandmother. I know for Gary and I we are so thankful she has been a part of our children’s lives. I can remember 13 years ago to the month Granny came to our small apartment in Abilene to spend a week with us and help with Laura who had the chickenpox. That would have made her 73 years old. What an energetic woman to conquer the task of a two year old with chickenpox while her parents worked. I hope at 73 I am enjoying my great-grandchildren as well!
And then there are her beautiful quilts. I know we have all been blessed by her hobby of quilting. Although she has not quilted in several years, I am sure many of us still enjoy snuggling up in the unique quilts “Made Especially by Granny”. And just think of the lost art we will be able to cherish and pass on to our great-grandchildren some day. (Not the art of quilting; but the pieces of art created by her quilting. I don’t think any of us have acquired that talent as of yet.)
Finally, we have all been blessed by stories from Granny. Some about her travels from the Oklahoma flat, some about the Humdinger and many about her friends with very interesting names. From each and every story it is evident she loves her family and friends dearly! And I think she has truly enjoyed the life God has blessed her with.
Those are just a few thoughts I have about a very special lady in my life, Granny!
I hope those of you who were not able to join us enjoy the pictures below as we celebrated this special life last night at Mr. Gatti’s. (We had to delay the celebration as our family as well as Milt, Ann and Madison were sick. Linda and James were still not able to come because James is sick.)
What are your memories of Granny?
LA!
Toni
posted by The Vaughn 5 @ 5:12 PM
4 comments
4 Comments:
There's a great story I could tell of the time she was talking in her sleep at our house but I'll save that for another day!! :) Seriously, how many stories of Granny can we tell. The first word that comes to mind: SKIP BO (is that one word??) I'll never forget the many games of Skip Bo that I played around that dinner table at the farm. I remember the time that Granny came to our house to help while Mom was recovering from a broken ankle. (Can anyone say "Chili") I remember having her along on family trips to California. I think I learned to shuffle cards (the cool way) at Granny's house. I remember her rotary phone as well - does she still have that? I love the nights we spent at Granny's while Mom and Dad went out to Lubbock. And, of course, many a skits were concocted in that back room during the holidays with my brothers and cousins. Granny loved them all despite the non-Oscar winning performances from her grandkids!! We love you Granny!!
(p.s. Toni, thanks for the opportunity to share these. Maybe you can print them off and share them with her. If you do, take off the reference to her sleep talking!! HA)
She taught me how to do crossword puzzles (how many Christmases did we get her a new crossword puzzle dictionary?)
While the quilting art is no doubt lost, I'm sure the American Heart Association will appreciate the lost art of her chicken fried steak and gravy!! WOW, so good! Who knows how many times over that grease had been used??!!!
That crazy chocolate cinnamon cake with caramel icing! (didn't it have cinnamon?)
Not necessarily just associated with Granny (more like the entire Vaughn clan) is that "favorite" Christmas Eve tradition of eating, not ham, not turkey, not even chicken...but chow mein noodles and beef! I still laugh every Christmas Eve thinking about the times to run to Subway on the way to our Christmas Eve dinner...all so I didn't have to eat chow mein!
That toothpick and it's nice little groove!
I remember as a selfish teenage boy dreading hearing that van pull into the driveway just about the time my favorite Gilligan's Island show came on...all so Granny could bring in 78,000 empty plastic milk jugs so we could fill them up with water for her (her well water tasted just awful). Well, maybe it was only 10 or 20 at the most, but I always hated that chore. Now I live in a place where the water constantly goes off..everytime the water comes back on, we race around filling up extra bottles and jugs of water! Comes around.....
Those are just a few off the top of my head...liked Donny's too!
-Randy
Thanks for sharing, Toni - you blogged a very sweet tribute to Granny for sure. Glad she was celebrated with family all around on her birthday - around her birthday! (I figure the older we get, the longer the celebration should last anyway! ha!).
I must make a chocolate cinnamon cake very soon. Lot's of brown sugar in that receipe if I recall. I do recall her kitchen full of home cooking and people. Miss those days for sure. And who can forget the recycled aluminum TV dinner trays as storage! They don't even make those anymore do they?
Gary
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