Making Memories

A DREAM IS A WISH YOUR HEART MAKES!



A WISH THAT COMES TRUE ..........IS A BLESSING FROM GOD!

WWII aviator finally home after 67 years

Arlington National Cemetery: Remembering World War II aviator Claude G. Tyler


Claude G. Tyler never saw World War II end. He never came home to greet his parents, Crawford and Florence, never married his sweetheart, Ruthie, never had kids, grew old, retired or passed with the rest of his generation through the cycles of long life.

He died 67 years ago with 11 other aviators aboard a B-24 Liberator named Shack Rat that crashed in the mountains of New Guinea, thousands of miles from his home in Landover, where he used to play the harmonica on the back porch.

He was 25.

On Wednesday, after resting with his comrades for decades in the fastness of a place called the Huon Peninsula, he was buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery.

Seven soldiers fired three rifle volleys in his honor as about 30 relatives gathered in the rain-sodden cemetery. A white-gloved chaplain prayed over his coffin. And as the sun broke through the clouds and an orange butterfly flitted among the tombstones, a bugler played taps.

Much of the world Tyler knew is gone. The closest relatives present were his nephews, Russell and Richard Wayne Gordy of Calvert County, now both in their 70s.

Russell Gordy, a retired truck driver, turned 7 on Oct. 27, 1943, the day Shack Rat fell off the radar during a recon mission to the Bismarck Sea.

But he still remembers his uncle playing the harmonica on the back steps of the family homestead, and his grandmother refusing to accept that her "baby boy" was dead.

And he still has a letter Tyler wrote his mother saying he planned to wed his girl, Ruthie, after the war.


All these years later, her last name has been forgotten, and Tyler's family does not know what became of her. "All I know is Ruthie," Russell Gordy said Wednesday after the funeral.

Tyler's parents and siblings are dead. "Everybody's gone but me and my brother," Russell Gordy said.

Tyler was a staff sergeant serving in the southwest Pacific with the 5th Air Force's 90th Bombardment Group, the Jolly Rogers. His 320th squadron, with its Moby Dick angry whale insignia, flew long-range, four-engine B-24Ds.

Bewitched..........

My favorite witch of them all! Who doesn't remember the TV show Bewitched that premiered on September 17th, 1964? Didn't we all want to be able to wiggle our nose?

Can you hear the TV show theme song in your head yet?

The actual home that is located in Santa Monica, California

Hey wait one darn minute!!!!!!!!!! Is this a Samantha Doll? What??????????

I will be needing one these this year Santa! Please check EBay for me!

Dear Santa: Don't bother! It is going for $500.00. Are you kidding me?

Lake Superior Witch Tree................FREAKY

Clara Bonny gravestone in Lowell, Mass. Rumor has it she was a witch.

Witch Hazel

The scariest witch of them all...........................Seriously! I had nightmares forever as a child after watching The Wizard of Oz.

Witch Museum in Salem, Mass. Who knew?

Vintage Postcard

The USS Sea Witch................

Big Game Tonite

I am still not sure how I feel about the new Jazz Logo.............Really?

But what matters is that I am a true blue Jazz fan!

Whoop Denver tonite! GO JAZZ!!!!

Sherrel's House

My friend Sherrel has an amazing home and for every holiday she goes Crazy!!!!!

She has had some of these beautiful decorations for years.

Last year at the Christmas holiday she actually gave alot of her treasures to the kids and grandkidos.

This is the formal living room and we love just sitting here and catching up on our lives and our families.

Visiting Teaching With A Spooky Twist

This is my wonderful friend and partner in crime Lawana. We love to go out and do our visiting teaching. We decided to add a twist to our visiting teaching this year! Every year we love to see our friend Sherrel's Halloween decorations. This guy is always the star of the show for me and I love it that he always has a nice tray of yummy Snickers ready for us. He always dresses up for us too........Nice suit huh?

You might ask what is "Visiting Teaching" ?

Visiting teaching is a part of the Relief Society program of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.


“Visiting teaching is the heart and soul of Relief Society. The purposes of visiting teaching are to build caring relationships with each sister and to offer support, comfort, and friendship. In visiting teaching, both the giver and the receiver are blessed and strengthened in their Church activity by their caring concern for one another.”

“You are called to represent the Savior. Your voice to testify becomes the same as His voice, your hands to lift the same as His hands. . . . Your calling is to bless lives. That will be true even in the most ordinary tasks you are assigned. . . . You see, there are no small callings to represent the Lord”

We women go in pairs, with a friend that is our visiting teacher companion and we visit about 4 other women (we call them sisters, referring to "sisters in the gospel") in the church that we check on every month. We make sure that all is well with them and always ask if there is anything they are in need of and let them know how much we truly love and care for them. Everyone needs to know that someone cares! Sometimes you may never know what your little visit may have meant to someone.

Beautiful Baby Wynter

Family Blessings!

How sweet is my daughter Ivy and her family? Their little family grew by two in just the last 5 months. Both she and Cody have lots of twins on both sides of their families. It was destiny! It has certainly added a little chaos and excitement to their lives but Ivy is a wonderful mother and Cody is a super wonderful father that even cooks!

Grandchildren .........one of God's greatest blessings!

Nana's Trick or Treat Bags!

How cute did these bags turn out? I had actually seen something similar on the website http://www.etsy.com/ for $35.00 and I just knew that I could make them for alot less. I had everything that I needed and all I had to purchase was the cute organza fabric at Walmart for around $4.00 a yard. So.........$2.00 a bag and handmade. I would say thats a winner!

Happy Halloween Layni and Henli. Nana hopes you fill these cute bags with lots of candy and make lots of memories!

I am awake........
I cannot sleep.......
My heart is heavy......I cannot breathe...
My eyes are wet and I am sad
My mind will not stop thinking about it

There it was..... in a simple email
As if they were everyday words.......
The shocking news
"My friend is terminally ill"

I understand God's Plan
I understand illness and death all to well........
But again ...........I am still numb from the news
I have the knowledge that has been given to me through the gospel to understand this

I understand birth, living and dying
I understand that "the body" is just for this earthly life
That the "spirit" lives on..
That we will meet again.......

I am remembering events and the laughter we have shared
I am sad that I am not closer and cannot offer comfort
I am sad that I do not know what to do .........therefore all I can do is "Pray"
I will pray dear friend that you will not suffer...


I am sad for those who are left to mourn and suffer and give comfort
For you I will pray for strength and courage

As I wander outside to take in deep breaths of life in the late night air ...I see the moon.
My beautiful beautiful moon! Will there be moons in heaven?

And I ponder the thought of how many more moons I will gaze upon before I too... am called home to live with my Father in Heaven.

I will try harder to live my life more fully everyday
I will not waste a minute of it
I will serve others
I will be more kind and loving

I will ask for forgiveness and I will grow a deeper testimony

I will appreciate every breath I breathe..... to live
To just "LIVE"
To live a full and righteous life while I am here on this earthly journey!

The Candy Corn

I love the Candy Corn! As a small child it is some of the only candies I can remember getting for Halloween. And back in those days these little goodies were not packaged in the little individual packages they are now a days! Did we really eat them? Yep! Back then, and in my small farming community we didn't worry about being fed poisonous, tainted, or razored candy. Ah...the good ole dayz..... We didn't even go home until we had gone to every house in town. I remember in 5th grade our favorite costume was the "beatnik". Go Figure....and we didn't even spend a dime at the store for this.....we just pulled it out of the closet.

Oh .........how times have changed. Now a days you can spend a small fortune on my favorite holiday. Anyway.......back to my childhood! My all time favorite memory of Trick or Treating was going to a house that two old spinster sisters lived in. ( Mom.......do you remember their names? They lived two houses down from us on main street.)

Even though we knew the treat was the same every year we kept going back. We received two peanuts, two Carmel's and a scripture! I loved it! We all did as kids! I can't even explain it! Maybe we knew they looked forward to us coming more than we did the "unusual treat".

Now that is a shoe I will be needing for Halloween next year!

Candy corn is a confection popular in the United States and Canada, particularly in autumn around Halloween. Candy corn was created in the 1880s by George Renninger of the Wunderlee Candy Company; the three colors of the candy mimic the appearance of kernels of corn. Each piece is approximately the size of a whole kernel from a ripe or dried ear.

Candy corn is made primarily from sugar, corn syrup, artificial coloring and binders. A serving size of 22 pieces contains 140 calories and no fat.

Candy corn pieces are traditionally cast in three colors: a broad yellow end, a tapered orange center, and a pointed white tip. A popular variation called "Indian corn" features a chocolate brown wide end, orange center and pointed white tip. In recent years confectioners have introduced additional color variations suited to other holidays, including Christmas and Easter.

Originally the candy was made by hand. Manufacturers first combined sugar, corn syrup, and water and cooked them to form a slurry. Fondant was added for texture and marshmallows were added to provide a soft bite. The final mixture was then heated and poured into shaped molds. Three passes, one for each colored section, were required during the pouring process.

Ok..........Now we are getting somewhere! Candy Corn that is made up of Carmel and Apple! I am looking for these!

The Candy Corn Vine