Wednesday, September 24, 2008

The Beginnings of "Grandma Precious"

GRANDMA PRECIOUS AT 6 WEEKS

These are photos of me, found at my Mom's house in May. I had never seen most of these before.
I put them in an envelope and when my son-in-law Brian arrived I began to show them to him. After each photo I would say..."isn't she Precious!". And then the light bulb of a joke, "That's what I want to be called, Grandma Precious! I had been trying to come up with a name for my Grandchild to call me ever since Lara and Brian had adopted their first dog. Some how Nanna, Baba, Omah, Granny, just didn't fit me. For awhile I thought this name was going to stick and many of you never knew the origin of the title. I know some of you were worried! I think Evelyn will come up with something of her own. I'll be anyone or anything she wants me to be.
GRANDMA PRECIOUS AT 2 YEARS

What do you think of the hairdo? I'm sure this is the result of my Mother's nimble fingers. As a baby I had hair that stood up like a haystack. As I got a little older it just was thin and straight. My Mom was always fiddling with it.

This was a sweater she made for me. She taught herself to knit using a doll's snowsuit pattern. It was written by a blind woman and published in Women's Day magazine. Mom said she figured if a blind woman could write patterns and knit she could teach herself. She used to get up at 4:30 a.m. and sit in Grandma Barber's breakfast room (they lived with my Grandma from 1945 to 1948) before everyone else got up. She knitted dishcloths up until the spring before she died. She said it was good exercise for her hands.
GRANDMA PRECIOUS 2-3 YEARS

This must have been a "bad hair" day. Hats came in handy for that. I remember many a time my Mom made me don a hat because my hair looked awful...at least in her opinion. This is me in front of my Grandma Barber's house. 577 Chalmers Ave., Detroit. My favorite place to be! I think my Mom made this sweater too.




My Uncle Johnny took this picture. Thanks to him we have a decent collection of "portrait" like photos.
My Mother made this dress too. The top had hand smocking. That dress might still be tucked away somewhere on Trombly. It was pale yellow with flowers.

I am so glad to have all these old pictures. Talk about a walk down memory lane. So many good times, preserved for future generations to look through.

Until next time....always, Kathleen
Posted by Picasa

1 comment:

Lara said...

So glad you posted these photos, Mom! Love seeing you as a child. You really were (and still are) "Precious"!

Can't wait to see you next week!

Can't wait to see what Evelyn will call you, too!

Love you lots!