An Ending; A New Beginning

Wednesday - December 31, 2008
This blog is being dedicated to my twin - John Philip Layne. I love you and miss you!


This should be the last entry for the year 2008. Trying to decide what to title it and what to write has been a challenge. (The hardest part was not the writing, but deciding which pictures to post!) I've noticed as the years go by Bill and I both tend to be more sentimental and wanting to help make memories that will be cherished by the younger generations in the family as we cherished the memories of our parents and grandparents' generation. To be able to have them here and talk to them now - oh I'm sure we would be blessed and would appreciate more today what they had to say than when we were younger!

I love the line form "It's a Wonderful Life" when the older gentleman is on the porch witnessing the potential kiss of Jimmy Stuart and Donna Reed and he says "why is love wasted on the young?" This could refer to everything in our lives. When we are young - we know it all; the older generation lives in the past and doesn't have a clue of what life is like now; and we think we are invincible - nothing bad will happen to us. How naive we all were and are!

Yes, it's true things are different to a certain degree, but life's experiences tend to be the same - we grow up, fall in love, start our own families, and come back home for some advice we wouldn't accept when younger! There are so many days when I would love to call and talk to Dad or Pappaw about something going wrong with some of the things we deal with for "being the owner of an older house." They would have had a solution on how to fix the problems.

I would love to be able to share with Mammaw the progress of my crocheting. I can remember the days during the summer when the garden work was completed that she and I would sit in the living room and she would teach me how to crochet. I wish I had kept that first chain!! I think she would be so proud that crocheting has been passed on to another generation of the Laynes. Mom was a big help in my learning as well - even today she and I will discuss and practice a new pattern until we get it right! Mom doesn't crochet as much due to the losing of her eye-sight! But, she loves it when I crochet and Debbie shows her what she has been working on. We need to pass the Appalachian craft on to the next generation - we don't want it to become a lost art!!!

Bill would love to be able to have talked to his mother and Granny especially this past August. He also would have wanted to talk to his father and Granddad as well, but the news he wanted to share was something he knew both Bertha Marrs and Granny would have really loved to hear. The news was that there is a baby on the way - another generation of Hardins and McCoys. I can see Bertha Marrs grinning from ear to ear that Bill was going to be a Granddad, but not necessarily that she would be old enough to be a great-grandmother! :) They all would be so pleased to hear of the news David and Jeni shared with us back in August - they are expecting a baby!!!

We miss all our loved ones that are no longer here on earth with us - Bill's Granddad, Granny, Bertha Marrs, Clyde, Uncle Mack, and his great- aunts and uncles - Kenny and Daisy Roach and Mary Pearl and William MCCoy and the many others he loved; I really miss Dad, John, Mammaw, Pappaw, Granny Polly, Aunt Keller, Aunt Delma, Uncle Pete, Kay, Donetta, Uncle Son, Uncle Pak, Aunt Oma, Uncle Alf, Aunt Hammy, Aunt Dean- all of which I was really close to when growing up! I could have named many, many more because I do come from a much larger family than Bill does! I miss them all very much.

The one who I really miss right now is my twin - John. I don't miss him "more" than the others - but missing him is still fresh. I think of the others, but I think of him and Dad daily! I think a lot about my cousin Donetta who was taken from us in such a tragic way and knowing how she would have loved to be with her granddaughters! Both she and John's deaths were completely not expected. It doesn't mean because the others were older when they went home made their leaving any easier - it did not. The one thing we do know is that some day we will all be together again and oh what a reunion that will be!!!!

The following pictures is a way remembering. I did not have picture of everyone, but the pictures are in our memories and on our hearts! Mom and her sister are the only ones left of their generation! I am hoping this will give the younger generations a little bit of family history as to who we are and some of their roots!

Our grandparents, aunts, and uncles:

My mother's biological mother who died the day after Mom was born - Mary Jane Fowler Whitman. This is the only picture Mom has of her mother.


Granny Polly - Pollyanna McDonald Whitman -my grandfather's sister-in-law who took Mom in as an infant at the request of my grandfather.!

Pappaw Pud - Mom's dad - Allen Whitman

Mammaw - Dad's mother - Virginia Belle Davidson Layne
Oh the days I spent with her - precious memories

Pappaw - Dad's father - William J. Layne!
We were with Mammaw and Pappaw more - spending the summer months with them, and then they lived in the house behind us when they got older. We loved them both so very much. I see Pappaw in not only my brothers, but in my nephews as well - he loved to tease and pull little jokes on us!!

This is a picture of Mom with Aunt Keller (Mary K Whitman Butcher) who was one of Granny's oldest girls and took over taking care of Mom - she was like a mother to Mom! We loved Aunt Keller very very much!

This is a picture of Dad, his siblings, and parents - all of whom are together again!
l-r: Uncle Pak, behind him is Uncle Pete, Aunt Hammy, Dad, Aunt Oma, Uncle Son, Pappaw, Aunt Dean, and Mammaw!

Mom's brothers, sisters, their spouses, her Aunt Ett, and father at a family gathering.

Top row: Mom, Aunt Ett, Aunt Thelma, Uncle Tommy (brother)

Second row: Dad, Uncle Carney, Uncle Clyde

Third row: Aunt Olive (sister), Aunt Agnes (sister)
Fourth row: Uncle Tab (brother), Aunt Julie, Pappaw Pud

Kneeling: Uncle Kermit (brother) - we called him Uncle Bunk!
Mom and Aunt Olive are the only two left here on earth - Mom (88) and Aunt Olive (90)

Bill's grandmother he never saw - she had passed away before he was born - Angeline Hardin

This is a picture we had framed because we love it so - Bill's Uncle Mack and father - Clyde A Hardin - it looks like they had been playing in the creek!!! Clyde is on the left!

A picture of Bill's father's family at the home place in Lenore, WV. His grandmother - Angeline is in the middle at the bottom of the steps and his grandfather - William Harvey Hardin - is next to her on the right of the picture.

Bill's grandparents who lived in Inez, KY. His mother's parents - Charles McCoy and Harriet (Hattie) Goble McCoy.

David with his great-grandmother - Hattie McCoy.

Our parents:

Bill's mother - Bertha Marrs McCoy Hardin

Bill's dad - Clyde Austin Hardin

Bill's parents on a visit to Huntington. Bertha Marrs McCoy Hardin, David Austin Hardin, and Clyde Austin Hardin

Bertha Marrs and Clyde Hardin

My mother -Relma Irene Whitman Layne - who is still so spry and full of life at 88 years of age!

My dad and hero - Elmer J Layne!

An early picture of Mom and Dad . . .

. . . and 50 years later -August 17, 1996.

Bill and I wish everyone a safe and Happy New Year. 2009 will be here in less than three hours! Be safe - be good - and do unto others as you would have them do unto you! Love and prayers to all who read our blog!

Another Christmas Past

Sunday - December 28, 2008

Another Christmas has come and gone and left us all with precious memories! I love Christmas - the decorations, the baking, family gatherings, and the celebration of Christ's birth. I love decorating the house, the outside, the packages, and even the shopping amongst all those who are in the stores because they "have to be." I remember the days when Mom and I would go to "town" and we would shop going from store to store. It wasn't a mall - all the stores had their own entrances from the sidewalk. The weather was cold, snowy, windy, but oh so warm when entering each of the stores. We had so many good times shopping for that special gift for all our loved ones. The decorations on the streets of Huntington were lit Thanksgiving evening - now they are lit the first of November which tends to take away the real spirit of Christmas. Two months in preparing for a holiday seems a little too long and no longer makes that holiday special as it is intended to do.

I tend to be a little sad when the time comes to take down the tree, decorations, and saying good-bye to family members who have had to travel to be with the rest of us and need to go back home. All the preparation and planning that went into this special day are over so quickly. I want that day to always be special for all my loved ones. Even though we have lost many members of our family the last ten years, I know that in my heart they would want those still with us to have a great Christmas with family and friends.

Presents are not what Christmas is about - but the fellowship we have with one another. I have seen many Christmases come and go and witnessed many people disappointed with "their" Christmas. When I see people feeling this way, then I know they are not remembering the real reason we have Christmas!

Bill and I are really appreciative of the gifts we received! We especially enjoyed our time we had with David and Jeni. The fellowship, the meal, stories of Christmas pasts, and the talk of Christmases yet to come are now part of our memories we will always hold close to our hearts.

I would love to keep the decorations up longer, but a new year is about to begin and we need to prepare for it. No, we are not going to have a a party -will probably do as we have in the past - stay home and sleep our way into the new year! :) I will probably start preparing for next year's Christmas - yes Bill, soon I will decorate the way I use too - a tree in every room. No, the trees were not big trees, but some of them did have a theme! We had a "Reds' tree" in the Reds' room where we watch TV; a Santa tree was in the dining room; the big tree in the living room; a homemade net tree in the study; a small tree with a variety of ornaments in David's room; and a poinsettia tree in our room to match the curtains and bedspread! I even had small ceramic trees in the bathrooms. Yes, a little too much for some people, but I enjoyed decorating and putting Christmas throughout the entire house.

As much as I love decorating - I really don't like taking it all down. But, as tomorrow gets closer, the time will be at hand for the decorations to go back in their boxes for storage until next year! We need to get read for 2009!

Here are some of our Christmas 2008 favorite pictures!

Happy New Years!

It's Christmas Eve!

Wednesday - December 24, 2008

Are you ready for Santa? Have the kids been convinced they have to go to bed early tomorrow night? Have you gotten all of the toys put together and ready for their place under the tree? Are the goodies for the stockings ready? Have you checked your list and then checked it twice? One more day to get that last minute present.

Our stocking are hung on the bookcase with care! Hmmm, looks like something might be in them!

Reading about the birth of Christ; being part of the nativity scene at church; getting our stockings ready for Santa; and really trying to be really good - especially December 23 and 24 are all memories from our past. New memories will soon be a part of our lives as Christmas 2008 gets closer. We cherish the time we will be able to spend it with family and friends.

Our simple but true to life nativity scene - love the rustic look!

May you and yours have a safe and Merry Christmas! May your guardian angel be with you at all times to keep your from harms way!

I always loved "Twas the Night Before Christmas" because it made Christmas night come alive for me as to what the mother and fathers were doing as well as Santa! I was always afraid to peek because I thought Santa would catch me and take away my presents! We had no chimney or mantle to hang our stockings on so we would put them in our bedroom! Our stockings were our own socks - at least we used the clean ones. One Christmas I HEARD Santa come into my room! I was afraid to breathe. I had my back towards the door and I was not about to turn over and take a peek! The next morning I found a quarter (big money back then), an orange, and an apple in my sock. I really did hear Santa! Years later I found out who Santa was that night - no it wasn't Dad or Mom - it was my oldest brother, Dink!!!!

Toby and the look of innocence!


Toby was just chcecking to see who the package belonged to - it was for his dad!

The older bulbs have captured my eye this year!

Merry Christmas !!!!!!

Bill, Sue, and Toby

The Gift - Let's be Thankful

Tuesday - December 23, 2008

For many people this date is here too soon. Many of us procrastinate when we have decorating, cooking, cleaning, or even shopping to do in time for Christmas. I don't remember Mom and Dad being rushed to get ready for the holidays. May have been because it was kept simple - we received one really nice gift that wasn't a necessity (and not expensive) while the others were items we needed. When I think back about what the majority of the kids from school received as gifts I would think - oh my! So young and they were getting everything they wanted! Will life always be that way - not necessarily. There were other students who were lucky if they received one gift - for those students my heart ached for them as they listened to some of the others bragging about all they had received!!

I (We) have always tried to pick out presents we really thought the recipient would enjoy. It was usually something they were interested in or seemed to suit their personality. I have heard many former students talk about family members who would take all their gifts back to the stores; get cash back; then go buy something else. It appeared that with many of these families it was a tradition to do that. My question would be - "Why shop for them; go ahead and just give them money." I can only imagine how the giver felt when their gifts were returned. What ever happened to the spirit of giving and the receiver being thankful and appreciative? Do you suppose that Mary, Joseph, or baby Jesus told the Wise Men that they didn't like the gifts they brought?

11On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.

Matthew 2: 11 (NIV)

I'm sure we have all received gifts we wondered as to why it was being given to us!!! I think back to my grandparents and them buying my brothers and me socks every year for Christmas - it was a gift we really loved because they did it with love and with very little money to spare. It truly was a gift of love, just like the Wise Men's gifts were!

I have many special "little" gifts that mean the world to me - two caroling angels, a Christmas bell, a quilted bed spread, a quilt, a doll, a hand made bedspread, an afghan just to name a few. Why are they special - not because they were expensive, but because the giver chose that gift just for me with love! There is a story behind each of those gifts that I might share with you some day. I'm not saying that I haven't loved all the gifts I've received because I have. When I retired and was packing up my "stuff." Oh my, the things I had saved - most were little things given to me by former students! I have a salt-n-pepper set that was given to me by one of the students when I did my student teaching - oh my - 38 years ago. I can still remember her smiling from ear to ear. I was thinking at the time - why would I need these - Mom has all kinds!! I kept them and still use them! :)

Speaking of former students - I recently received an e-mail from two of my students who wanted me to know that I had made a difference in their lives. That was an early Christmas gift! As we get older we think back and see that certain people - parents. grandparents, and even teachers - only did what we did because we felt it would be in their best interest! To those two beautiful ladies - thank you for the early Christmas presents!

I (We) are so thankful for God sending his only Son to earth to save us all from sin. Someday, we will all be together with our Lord and loved ones who have already gone Home! We all need to believe, repent, and live the life God want us to live. We all need to be thankful everyday - for Jesus, the promise of our salvation, family, health, our freedoms, and the love of family.

We both want to wish you a very Merry Christmas and hope that the time you have with family and friends will be a blessing to you all! Be thankful and tell them you love them!

Four Days Left Until Christmas

Sunday - December 21, 2008

Toby is on guard - a Christmas past - looking for the REAL Santa! I think I smell a treat out there somewhere! :)

Greetings to all who may read our blog! I have borrowed some ideas from our daughter-in-law Jeni, and her sister Ruthie. We now have a play list with Christmas Carols by some of my favorite singers! We hope you enjoy listening to them! I also changed the background - added a few snowflakes and ornaments - it is that time of the year!

As the title indicates - we have four days until Christmas, which means you have three shopping days left! Whew - some people are bringing it down to the wire! We have mailed out packages to Knoxville, TN; Doylestown, OH; and Williamson, WV. The first two boxes shipped go to John's family. It has been very hard for me to keep up the spirit of Christmas, but I will do so because John loved his family, and he loved Christmas. It wasn't about getting gifts; it was the reason we celebrate Christmas - the birth of baby Jesus. It was so hard to be in the "Christmas" spirit when Dad died, but we all did so that Mom would have a nice Christmas. It has been really hard this year because of John and knowing how much his family misses him - those precious grandchildren, lovely children and spouses, and the love of his life - Laurie. They are not alone in their heartache - we all miss him too!

The last box went to Bill’s two brothers, sister-in-law, and niece – Twink, John, Angela, and Ashlea. It has been awhile since we have been able to spend Christmas with them. We hope and pray they have a great Christmas.

Bill and I will deliver some packages to Mom - some for her - and the rest to my other two brothers - Dink and Mike - and their families! Merry Christmas to them all!

I have been scanning old pictures for a project I want to do for by nieces and nephews and eventually one for David and Jeni – need to scan different pictures for them. I noticed how many pictures that had been taken around Christmas. This made me become a little nostalgic, thinking back to some of the Christmas past. Oh no – is the “Spirit of Christmas Past” visiting me!

I could help but remember all the times Dad got in trouble with Mom for snooping at the packages under the tree! He made it a game to see if he could locate his presents just to aggravate Mom. All who knew Dad know that he loved teasing her! So one year, she wrapped all the presents and didn’t put any names on the packages!! We didn’t have a lot of presents so she was able to place them in a way she knew what package belonged to whom! This baffled Dad – Mom got him that Christmas!

Our Christmas presents were practical. We received things we needed and if we were lucky, at least one toy which we cherished. One year the four of us had four matching boxes. Needless to say they peaked our attention. I was wondering what they could have bought that I – the only girl – would like that the boys would like as well! The boxes were heavy and rattled. Dad told us it was a box full of rocks. We were starting to believe him!

These boxes had us stumped until Christmas morning. We could pick which package we wanted to open first. Mom was going to make us let those packages be last, but the kid in Dad coaxed her into letting us to open them first! We tore into those packages like it was a survival kit on the hot desert. They had gotten us all a pair of sidewalk skates. They attached to your shoes, and you could skate on the sidewalk, street, or any concrete surface out side – but NOT in the house!!!!

We were all ecstatic; we had received something we didn’t ask for, but would take nothing for it! This was our one toy for the year. That Christmas day was a sunny warm day. The four Layne kids were skating up and down the sidewalk holding onto the neighbors’ car doors until dark. It was a great Christmas!

I’m going to post a few pictures of some of our Christmases Past! There are so many pictures I still need to scan, and I hope to share them with you a littler later! Merry Christmas!

Dink, Sue, and John decorating the tree! Mike thinking he is too short! :)

John and Twink at Granny's. Yes that's Twink under all that hair! :)


Dad got up early to open presents!!Mom and her new bowling ball and bag!!!! Looks like the ball is not the regulated size!!!

Caught ya! - Mom throwing snowballs - we would have gotten in trouble! :):)
I'm NOT looking for my presents!

David, Bill, and me at Granny's Christmas day - 1988.

Dad always believed there was a Santa - he and Mom found him!

Toby is patiently waiting - actually waiting on the treat he is staring at out of the camera's view!

Yes Jeni, there truly is a Santa! Who else would bring those presents all the way to MI?? :)

I've heard of getting a lump of coal for Christmas - but coffee?? Actually, it wasn't a present!

It may look as if David and Jeni aren't happy with their combined presents - but it was a very sobering moment when they realized it was a couple of things Dad had made and Mom was giving them for their first Christmas together. (A weather barometer where the water rises up the spout when inclement weather is on the way, and a coffee mug tree for their mugs.

We pray that as you and your family gathers together to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, that you cherish all the moments you have with your family! We love you and those who are not here to share this Christmas season with us this year!

A Christmas from the past - John and his first beloved four-legged companion - Tonto!

I love you John and miss you!!!!!