oh mudge!

my life, no the entire world, lost a very special lady yesterday. my grandma mudgie chose creepy halloween of all days to say goodbye to this world and go live with jesus, her husband and two of her kids. let me tell you, i have been so blessed in my life to have such amazing female role models, and this lady was one of the best.

she taught me a lot about discipline, like when she yelled, "kids, go outside and...and... run around in circles!" when my 15 cousins and myself were rough-housing in the living room. the same living room which held her extensive collection of ceramic angels. so i guess she taught me a lot about trust and patience, too!

she taught me that when in a pickle, buy in bulk. every christmas, my cousin sarah and i were receive the same matching outfit since we were close in age. i already mentioned the total of 16 grandkids. mudgie was too busy to deal with 16 different gifts! she gave the same gift with no remorse. and we ended up loving receiving the same gift (and loving the pictures of us dressed alike).

she taught me that family is important, like when she and my grandpa let my family move into their house when we first moved back to plymouth. without question, they gave up their space. she loved her family. and feeding that family is most important of all. i will never be a grandma mudgie type of cook. i know it's in my dna, but i just haven't found it yet. no one will ever made a dinner roll like she does. i know, it's a dinner roll, but i think it's the love she put in it that made it better than any others!

she showed me what a strong, christian, selfless, loving woman and mother looks like. i will forever be grateful for her.

and to answer your question, i will not be naming this child mudge if it is a little girl. there's only one lady who could carry off that name and she was my grandmother.