I made this memory book for my sister, Susie. We have always been close as sisters and I wanted to memorialize the childhood we shared.
My parents bought their home in Bloomington, IL right before their marriage in 1950. My mother lived here until 1989 when she could no longer live alone. The house was sold in 1991.
The above envelope and letter was from my Great-Grandmother Small to my father for his birthday in 1951. My great-grandparents came from Ireland and I have their grandfather clock in my dining room.
As the younger sister, I received my sister's hand-me-downs. She still occasionally gives me clothes she no longer wants! All the more reason to buy new ones! This picture was taken on our pump stoop in our backyard.
This picture was taken on our brick sidewalk in front of our house on Walnut St. It wasn't until our teens that the city put in a new concrete sidewalk. Although it was "progress" I think the brick one was much nicer.
This picture was taken in our backyard with our table and two chairs made by family friend Clyde Otto. He had helped my father build the kitchen cabinets and he made us this table/chairs set. We used this set often and now my sister has it for her grandchildren to enjoy. Clyde was one of the last men to see my father before he died. He had made a contraption to help my father, who was bedridden, be able to lift himself into a sitting position. My father was so excited that Clyde made it and after Clyde left, Dad tried it out. It was while he was tying to lift himself that my Mom heard him gasp and she went to his side and held him as he took his last breath on earth and was transported to his heavenly home. Clyde felt badly afterward, wondering if his contraption contributed to my father's death, but we all assured him that Dad was ready to go and was doing something he so longed to do as he died.
My sister and I were the dishwashers at our house. We rotated between who washed and dried. We always tried to race each other - the one washing trying to be way ahead and the one drying trying to keep pace. Hopefully the dishes didn't suffer too much. My parents started us off at an early age and we continued this until my Mom sold the house. She never had an automatic dishwasher.
This picture was taken on my 4th birthday, April 25, 1958. Both my sister and I sucked our thumbs until my parents decided to reward us for quitting by giving us Disney figurines and our very own wristwatch. I received a Cinderella figurine and Susie received a Sleepy Beauty one. I am sure the cake was good enough for Susie to put her thumb away for the occasion! The recipe cards are from my mom's high school home economics foods course. She received an "A" for her recipe card collection.
Every year my sister and I received a doll for Christmas. These dolls were ones that "wet" after you fed them their bottles. I really loved this doll. We always had an artificial tree that was placed on the window seat between the two living rooms closets. Growing up, I thought the tree was ugly and so wanted a "real" tree. Finally my parents started getting a real tree when I was in high school. When it was time to sort through my Mom's belongings before the house sale, we ended up throwing away this old tree. Now I really regret that and so wish I had it - it is now considered an antique and is probably worth money - but the memories it holds are even more valuable. I did save two ornaments from my childhood and they receive a special handling and place on my tree now.
This picture was taken in 1962 in front of my Grandma Coomer's house in Heyworth, IL. My Aunt Laura, Mom, Susie, and I are there for a day visit. In the summer, we drove to Heyworth one day a week to spend with Grandma. My Uncle Cosby lived with her, but needed someone to be there during the day while he worked. Mom's sisters each took turns staying with her. My Grandma would order Cokes in the bottle from the local grocery store and have it delivered to her house as a treat for us. She was a very godly woman who raised 15 children! She played and sang hymns on her 5 string banjo on her front porch. She had long hair until a few years before she died and she let my sister and me comb her hair and braid it. She told us that when she was little, she had one brown braid and one red one! She lived next door to the cemetary because my Grandfather had once been the caretaker. We used to love playing among the tombstones and had our own secret fort down by the creek that ran behind her acreage and the cemetary. What wonderful memories!
Another precious photo of just my Grandma Coomer, sister, and me. My Grandma died the following year, 1963. I still remember vividly my Mom receiving the phone call that Grandma has just died of heart failure. She was the only grandparent I ever knew and I so wish I could have known her as an adult. She had so much wisdom she could have given to me. My older cousins sometimes talk about sitting with her and listening to what she had to say.
