My Grandma Leona recorded her life in Citizens National Bank & Trust Company calendars day by day, week by week, month by month, year by year. When she passed away, my parents gave the books to me since I’d always been an avid diary-keeper and lover-of-reading-other-people’s-diaries. Grandma wrote about who came calling, weather, handiwork, baking, errands, appointments, funerals, church activities, the comings and goings of various family members, and holiday gatherings. My sons were still in elementary school when we got them, and the first thing we did was look to see what Grandma wrote on the days they were born:
- Earl and Faye stopped. Aaron Matthew arrived.
- To bank and store. To business meeting. Joe’s home. Bradley Nathan was born. 8 lbs. 12 oz.
- Merle’s to Wichita. Kyle Andrew arrived 6:50 a.m. 8 lbs. 3 1/2 oz.
Grandma had to give up her journaling later in life because of poor eyesight, so I decided to find her last entry, which turned out to be 2/11/91. It was a school day, so the Kathy who came to visit must have been her neighbor and not me, but my parents and aunt stopped by, too. People who loved her. People she loved. ♥
PILLOWS A-LA-MODE 
I love this. My Grandma Mitt did the same thing in her 20s, though I think she stopped once she was married at 26. But it was just the simple in’s and out’s of her days – ice skating and boys too. Oh, and Brad was a pretty big baby!! 🙂
I tried journaling like this for awhile, but I was way too wordy to fit everything into those little boxes! 🙂 And, yes, we definitely had bouncing baby boys. Aaron weighed 9 lbs. 3 oz. At least they got a *bit* tinier each time!
What a great post! How lovely that you have the calendars to remember her!
Thank you! I have all her buttons and embroidery floss, too, so she’s often “in” my projects. She’s definitely my grandma role-model!