Grandma Hottle

We are so thankful to have had my grandmother here for the holidays. She is 81 years old and quite the firecracker! :-) She has been widowed for 25 years and has been very independent. She drives, rides a riding lawn mower, keeps a 1200 sq. ft. house clean and tidy, cooks wonderful meals, and I could go on and on. She does more than most 40 year olds. The Lord has blessed her with good health. She is always laughing and always serving. She gives of herself more than most people any of us know. Joe and I had the opportunity to drive her back to her home in Florida this past weekend. We stayed a few nights to visit with her. She cooked my favorite breakfast consisting of eggs, bacon, biscuits and poor man's gravy. Man was it good! No one can make gravy like my grandmother. We sat around and looked at old pictures, my favorite thing to do! And I helped her put some recent pictures in an album. Joe helped fix a tire on her riding lawn mower so it will be ready for the next cut. Jonas was so content and funny while grandma held him. It was very sweet to see her spend time with him. I asked her a lot of questions about raising children, she raised 5. I was amazed at the stories she told and how she did it ALL back in the day with none of the conveniences we have now. (She still has never owned a dishwasher!) She had all of her kids potty trained by 18 months- 2 years, even the boys! She cooked a big breakfast every morning and a large dinner at night. Everyday! How did she do it without Bumbo seats, exersaucers, and bouncy seats? We are so spoiled! I cherish the moments with grandma and I hope we have many more visits to come. I enjoy her advice!