My family consists of seven children – six girls and one boy. Yep, my brother was outnumbered! He was very spoiled – growing up in a household of seven women how could he not be? I’m not sure he would say it was fun, but he never had to search far for an advocate when he was in hot water with our parents.
I will eventually dedicate a page to each of these wonderful people, but for now, I’ll just share the things that make them special to me.
I am the oldest of the brood. Somehow, God knew I would be capable of handling the responsibility that came with these blessings. I love and appreciate the uniqueness of each of my sisters and brother. Although, we share the same biological makeup, we are all very different.
JoAnn
Three and one-half years younger than me, JoAnn is the only south-paw in the bunch. Actually, she is ambidextrous which means “able to use both hands equally well.” She is a great seamstress and cook. She’s the mother of four: (twins) Melissa and Melinda, Emily, and Larry, Jr. She also married my friend and classmate, Larry Parker.
When Larry and JoAnn first married, they decided not to have children. Larry bought her a dog instead. She honed her maternal skills on that little Pekingese by brushing her teeth, wiping her bottom after each AND every bowel movement, and grooming her as if she had an appointment to meet the Queen. Well, let’s stop there . . that dog was the Queen.
Six or seven years into the marriage, the stork came to call. Unfortunately, there was no prior warning that he was bringing twins. It was a wonderful surprise (shock)! I lived two doors down, and enjoyed being able to help with feedings, baths, and even the mounds of dirty diapers. Those identical little blondes changed my sister and brother-in-law’s lives forever.
Now you may be asking “what happened to the “Queen?” Well, Bubbles was always Queen, but her daily hygene suffered a wee bit for a while until the twins were out of diapers.
Then came Emily. . . the brunette with one blue eye and the other green – a south-paw – like her mother – who absolutely loves cats.
All these girls are married now with children of their own.
Finally, a boy made his appearance. Larry Jr or “Little Larry” was the typical little brother and the apple of daddy’s eye. At four or five, he drove his dad’s truck into the brand new boat – gave it it’s first dent. That was the beginning of a few of his mishaps.
My sister is a wonderful wife and mother. After becoming an empty nester, she bought some horses, became involved in the local horseman’s association, and is now officially a “horsewoman.” She and my brother-in-law bought a piece of property and some cows. The “farm” is a great get-a-way when she just needs some quite time. She also serves as a substitute teacher when needed by the local schools.
Mary Jane
Number three, as my dad likes to call Mary Jane, is very intelligent and talented. She is also a wonderful mother and wife. Mary Jane married the “boy next door” whom we all loved. Harvey actually lived across the street and was the salt of the earth . . . . . there was nothing he wouldn’t do to help a person in need. He was he father of their three children: William and his sisters, Selina and Jennifer. Sadly, we lost Harvey to cancer in 1985. Harvey was my age when he passed away – I lost a brother the day he died.
Even though my sister was left with three young children and one income, she became one of the strongest people I know.
William is now an engineer and Selina and Jennifer are both working moms. There are seven children among the three.
Several years later, Mary Jane met and married Gerry who gifted her with two more sons from a previous marriage, Tony and Louie, whom she adores. Louie and wife, Melissa added another grandson to the family – now there are eight.
After becoming an empty nester, Mary Jane decided to try her hand at designing handbags. She also likes to create and embroidery everything from clothing to gift bags for wine. My personal favorite of her handbags is this one.
In addition, Mary Jane has a full time job as office administrator of an insurance trust for school boards. She and another sister, Susie, own a small business selling items they create along with some preowned furniture and home accessories. It’s located in the town where Susie and our parents live. Mary Jane makes the trip every week to “mind” the store and spend time with our folks. Our parents are elderly and frail. They haven’t figured out that the business was a reason for Mary Jane to visit them on a weekly basis. By being there frequently, she is able to determine if there are any health issues that they are not discussing with us. Even though they are in their late 70’s and early 80’s, they are very independent. They don’t want us to hover too much, and they don’t want to become burdens to us. Mary Jane does an excellent job of providing status updates for those of us who can’t make weekly trips to check on them. When and if they need us, we arrive in droves – all seven – ready to do our part.
Mary Jane has always been a very good cook, but when she became an Angelotti her southern cooking had to include some Italian cuisine. Think about it – are you going to cook collard greens and fried chicken for someone named Angelotti? I think by now, he loves her collard greens and she loves making Parmesan risotto.
Susie
One year and two months younger than Mary Jane, Susie is number four – the mystery child. Oh, she is definitely one of us – if my dad has one child that inherited all his traits, it’s Susie. JoAnn and Mary Jane are both brunettes – Susie and I are mousy blondes – thank God for mother nature. As we get older, the mousy is turning to a beautiful silver.
Susie is the consummate animal lover. We always had dogs in our house growing up, and at one time there were horses – we all enjoyed them. But, Susie loved animals more than people and still does.
She is a great mom to Kim and Penelope and wonderful wife to Paul. They have three grandsons with another on the way. She loves to cook cakes, candy and pies. She was my dad’s favorite child before he was diagnosed with diabetes a few years ago. She would make his favorite peanut butter and chocolate balls for Christmas every year. She stopped making the sweets after his diagnosis, but has now figured out how to make all his favorite desserts using Splenda! He’s a happy camper and she’s back in the Number One seat.
Susie and Connie are the artists of the family. Their styles are worlds apart, but each is just as talented in their own way. Susie’s style is rustic country – she also likes southwestern. For awhile she painted gourds – here are a some of my favorites:
Susie is the epitome of a country girl. She’s just as comfortable driving a tractor as a BMW – loves wearing jeans and flannel shirts – her hair tied up in a ponytail and no makeup.
Don’t invite her to a swanky dinner party! Bar-b-que in the backyard is more her style. And, don’t forget to bring the dogs!
Jr
My brother! I was ten years old when Jr was born. I could hardly wait for mama to bring him home. He was my real-life doll and I did everything for him! I hated going to school because I couldn’t take him with me. As adults, we’ve gone our separate ways and lived our lives with our families, but anytime either one of us needs ANYTHING, the first call is to the other.
How precious he is and how close we came to losing him last year! He had triple by-pass surgery in March 2007, but you would never know it now. He had no idea there was a problem before he went to the doctor for is annual check-up. He complained of feeling a little tired. The doctor wanted him to have some tests done. My nephew’s wife works for a group of cardiologists and was able to get him an appointment quickly. He came to Tallahassee on a Friday, had the test and left. The doctor read the test results, called him, and on Monday he underwent by-pass surgery. The good news is – there was no damage to his heart.
Jr left the hospital in record time – when the nurse said walk the halls – he walked them three times. When the nurse told him to use the breathing machine – he used it three times. This man was on a mission to get out of that hospital! The care was excellent and our hearts will always be greatful to the surgeon and hospital staff for their care.
When Jr arrived home from the hospital, he began walking and planning low fat meals. For a southern boy who was accustomed to biscuits and gravy, fried chicken and apple pie, his eating habits were the biggest obstacles to getting healthy. He lost a lot of weight in the hospital and has been able to keep it down. I am so very proud of him.
My brother loves animals – he has been around dogs and horses all his life. For several years he maintained a stable where he trained horses and did farrior services. After being thrown by horses several times, he sustained back injuries, and finally gave it up.
As a child, my dad would take my brother hunting, quail -deer – coon. I think coon hunting is a southern sport. The men in my dad’s family have always done it. Many years passed and my dad and brother didn’t hunt much. Recently, Jr and daddy bought some coon dogs and started hunting again. Daddy’s not able to walk far, so he stays with the truck and Jr follows the dogs. They invented some gadget that allows my dad to hear the dogs (he wears hearing aids in both ears now) and he enjoys it.
I think with my dad’s age and my brother’s health scare last year, they have an unspoken pact to spend as much time together as possible while they can.
My brother is a family man with three children and a wife who loves him dearly. Joanne gifted him with two children from her previous marriage, so together they have five. Like the rest of us, they are empty nesters now and enjoying the quite.
Connie
Connie was born when I was a junior in high school. Like my brother, I thought my parents had her just for me. She was smarter than most little kids and had a vocabulary which would make most adults envious – she was a talker! This kid never took a breath – talked constantly – still does.
Connie is the odd man out – she’s a strawberry blonde with blue/green eyes – she has my aunt’s reddish hair coloring but she is definitely our mother’s daughter. My maternal grandmother had the most beautiful blue eyes and the keenest sense of humor you ever saw.
Connie is a great mother to her three boys and a step-son. Like Susie, Connie is very artistic. She can turn the roughest,most rustic piece of junk, into a work of art. Her imagination is always in high gear.
The dresser on the left is an old dresser that Connie painted for a beach house. The piece on the right was originally a bed – Connie cut it down, reassembled it, added the finials and toile fabric for a shabby chic bench. These photographs are poor quality but give you an idea of how she can make a silk purse from a sow’s ear.
Unfortunately, I don’t have any photographs of Connie’s paintings. My mom has a painting in her home that Connie did when she was a teenager. It resembles something you would see on the cover of a romance novel set in the Victorian era.
Connie is a wonderful story teller and sees humor in almost any situation. Years ago, she managed a residential independent living facility for the elderly. She loved the folks who lived there and they loved her. It could have been somewhat depressing for a young person her age, from the perspective of what the future holds for all of mankind. Connie only saw the sunshine! She told me the funniest stories of her experiences with these people whom she had come to know and love – her version of the events was never in a demeaning way but showed a clever and coy side of these older citizens in their dealings with every day life and circumstances. She found them to be life’s treasures.
Over the years, it was always fun to have Connie entertain us at family gatherings – she definitely should have been a stand up comic. A simple trip to the grocery store or a visit to her son’s pediatrician told by her would have us all rolling on the floor!
Unfortunately, Connie has been plagued with health issues for many years. She had to quit the retirement facility and finally decided that if she could sell her hand painted and faux finished furniture, she could supplement Keith’s income and they would be fine. Being able to work when she had a good day and pick her hours was a God-send.
Eventually, she was able to find a little space where she could display her pieces and they began to sell. She also offered consultations for furniture arrangement and color choices for people wanting to spruce up a room. Ultimately, she was able to assist in the actual remodeling which became the breadwinner of her business. After a few years, Keith was able to quit his job and join Connie.
Connie has days when she’s unable to get out of bed, but refuses to give up and continues to do the things she loves and is still a productive person.
We only live 50 miles from each other, but some months when I get my cell phone bill, I am amazed that, when we talk, it’s for never less than an hour. So, if you happen to run into her, be prepared to spend a few minutes and visit. She does love to talk!
But if you have an old dresser and you want to give it a second chance as a work of art, call her.
Amy
Last but not least, is the baby – Amy. I often laugh to myself when I think of Amy’s birth and my mom’s struggle to find a name. The seventh was a real challenge – all the girls had two names – mine is Catherine Eileen, then JoAnn, Mary Jane, Susie Marie, and Constance Vanessa. I think my mom was so exhausted that with a desperate gasp she said AMY! That’s it – no middle name – just Amy.
Well, don’t sell Amy short – she is a combination of the previous six. She is smarter than most of us, loves to talk, loves to tell funny stories, loves animals, has four kids, a husband, a full time job, serves of the board of an organization that raises money for animals . . . . . oh my, I could go on and on.
Amy works at an animal clinic here in town. I had an occasion to go there with my granddaughter to take her adopted pet for a checkup. The people behind the counter could not believe that Amy and I are sisters. She’s medium complexion, dark hair, darker eyes, less than half my age – I’m very pale, very blonde, hazel eyes and could pass for her mother. They call her the “dog whisperer” because she can handle the most vicious of breeds.
Amy is married to a wonderful man – every day is a challenge and a surprise. On any given day, when he comes home from work, there may be a basket of new born kittens to be fed, or a dog with a leg in a cast that just needs a rub, but he and the kids pitch in to nurture the sick animals that Amy brings home. He is accustomed to her driving half way across the state to save a poor animal that has been thrown away by its owner; or, have friends and family drop by for Amy to administer ear drops or help cut their pet’s hair.
It’s all in a day with Amy.
So, there they are – all six! They’re special- they’re valuable and I love them!
If you have brothers or sisters that you think is special and valuable, let me know – I know for a fact that I am not alone in this thing!
