Lately I have been thinking a lot about my Grandma LeCheminant, she was a wonderful grandma and I really miss her, I wish she was here to see my children. She passed away 16 years ago today at age 61 of a brain anuerism. I decided to post my memories of her and thank her for all the things she taught me.
I remember:
going to my grandparents house almost every Sunday for dinner and watching her make gravy, in fact every time I make gravy I think of her. She always wore an apron and had the kitchen aid running. (honey curry chicken, rice with green peppers in it, roast, potatoes, gravy, vanishing breakfast rolls, rolls with gravy on top (can't remember the name, I never at them)
she aways had yoplait yogurt in her fridge.
she aways had frozen cookie dough in her freezer.
she had a white box freezer down in her basement and later it moved to the garage and it always had ice cream in it for dessert.
she had a ton of jewelry
she was a elementary teacher (kindergarten teacher at the time of her death).
My siblings and I would go and help her clean her classroom every year before school started. I remember her paying us one time and the last time I remember helping she took me to Taco Time for lunch.
on our birthday she would bring grocery bags full of presents
she hiked Mt Timpanogos with us, even with a bad hip
one year at Lake Powell she had a pin in her toe because of surgery she had done. While she was walking on a dock the pin caught on the wood and ripped out (OUCH!).
She loved to shop and she loved SALES! (that is where I get it from). She bought anything on sale, after she died and they were cleaning out her closet they found shoe sizes ranging from size 5-8
She was full of energy.
She loved CHOCOLATE (that is where I get that from too).
She loved the Utah Jazz and if she wasn't at the game she was watching it and yelling at the TV.
stale food in her pantry that we would always sneak in and eat.
going to the Homestead, up in Midway, UT to go swimming
going to Sweet Water at Bear Lake
she liked black licorice and always had it when we went swimming
my grandma always walked the Mall for exercise
Christmas day when we went to see them, there were presents and presents and presents
going with my grandma to see her mom (my great grandma) and helping fix her hair because the lady who did it never did it right.
having sleepovers at her house when my cousins came to visit.
riding her exercise bike that made a lot of noise because on of her grand kids stuck a marble in the tire.
playing in her basement.
she always had her nails done.
spilling fingernail polish remover on one of her end tables (that was one time she yelled at me).
She also spanked me once and taught me how to say sorry to my parents. I was throwing a fit because something wasn't right with my clothes, my mom was getting ready for something (I don't remember what I was but we were getting dressed up and there where a lot of people at our house) and didn't not have time for my temper tantrum. My grandma came up stairs spanked me, talked to me and then told me to go downstairs and say sorry to my mom. I was so embarrassed but I respected my grandma so much that I went downstairs and said sorry and gave my mom a hug. I will never forget that and I am glad she did it.
the last time I saw her she was in her car in front of our house. She had stopped by for something really quick and I remember just saying something to her and waving bye.
A weird thing, Jason lived in my grandparent ward when he was young and in primary. My grandma was in the Primary Presidency at the time Jason was baptized and he has a card that my grandma wrote to him at that time.
These are just a few things that I remember about my grandma, some are strange but they all have to do with my grandma and I love them. I love my grandma and thank her for all that she did for me and taught me. I cannot wait to see her again.
Memories that others commented about
Mindy B said...
Wow! That was a tear-jerker! I remember a lot of the same memories too, but I don't think I got to spend as much time with grandma as you did. I think about her every time I walk around a mall or make honey curry chicken (one meal that all my kids will eat). When we were staying there one summer, I remember waking up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and I could hear noise upstairs, so I went up and found my grandma sitting on the couch stretching green nylons over hangers shaped into frog faces for her Kindergarten program the next day. It was 1:00 in the morning! And even at that young of an age (I think I was 10 or 11) I remember thinking- WOW she must REALLY LOVE her kindergarten students to be up this late working with green nylons and hangers! She was so creative and did some amazing things for her grandchildren and students! Thanks for such a sweet thoughtful post!
September 21, 2008 10:45 PM Andrea LeChem Reeder said...
Alli, That was so incredibly sweet! I'm so glad my nieces and nephews have such strong memories of their grandma. I've also been thinking about her a lot lately. I loved going to ZCMI on Saturdays and shopping with Aunt JoAnn and Jenny for school clothes and then eating lunch at the Tiffin Rooom while the ladies gave a fashion show of fur coats. I never feel my mom's presence more strongly than in the Fall when I see all the little children going back to school. She LOVED children and holidays! I hope I can be as fun of a mom for my boys that she was to me. Thanks, Alli.Love, Annie
Jeff also told me a memory he had.
He was with grandma either at ShopKo or K-Mart and when they got the M&M's my grandma layed her arm on the shelf and scooped them all in her cart. That's grandma for you.
For the past three years we have gone to Howell's Pumpkin Patch to pick our pumpkins. It has become a fun family tradition. The drive is beautiful this time of year and the girls love the tractor ride out to the pumpkin fields and picking their own pumpkins (they have a corn maze but we have never done it).
This year we went with our friends Amy and Ryan. They are great friends and our girls love them.
Madi and Savannah picking their flowers...
the finally product. They were so proud. They went home and put them in their play kitchen and on their kitchen table and could not wait to show their dad the next morning.
