9.19.2011

Grandma Betty(Betty Lee Martens)


  • She was the best babysitter ever. We rarely stayed with anyone else since my Pom Pom and Grandma lived in town.
  • She cut my hair for me, washed it in the kitchen sink, and put my hair in sponge rollers so it would look like Shirley Temples when I woke up.
  • She made the best biscuits and gravy I have ever tasted. Fortunately she taught me how to make the biscuits and gravy, although I doubt mine will ever be as good as hers.
  • Many times when I spent the night we would sleep in her bed just the two of us and stay up talking and reading drama in real life from Reader's Digest.
  • She always made bath time so much fun and would even powder our bums when we got out.
  • She always had something to feed us when we got to her house.
  • There were always cookies in the cookie jar or pie, etc sitting on the cake plate.
  • Her and my Pom Pom went to EVERY dance recital, play, and performance I was ever in. And often had flowers for me!
  • She made amazing Mexican food, and let me help her every step of the way at the Oak Park Mexican Suppers.
  • She never once made me feel rushed or like I was a burden.
  • She LOVED when Tristan or I played the piano for her.
  • She just plain LOVED music and loved it even more when it came from her kids or grandkids.
  • She made Christmas simple and perfectly memorable.
  • She sent me hand written letters with newspaper and magazine clippings all the time. I saved every one.
  • Email is my favorite way to communicate(besides visiting in person) and she was my most consistent e-mail friend.
  • She never missed giving me a birthday card..I saved those as well.
  • She spoke her mind in the funniest most unique way.
  • She made me laugh.
  • She was an amazing friend to all of her friends. She always called people, wrote them letters, or visited them.
  • She LOVED her family.
  • She LOVED people in general and did it well. Especially the hard to love..she knew how to love them better than I could ever hope to.
  • She was a servant to all.
  • She made me feel like I could do anything.
  • She loved to hoot and holler for the Aggies and Cowboys.
  • She gave me lots of old things that I cherish. Hats, jewelry, vases, doilies, etc. I think my favorite is the quilt(I think her momma made it) I ended up with. Not sure how it became mine exactly. I think I accidentally made it mine. Sorry momma and JR!
  • She had a great memory.
  • Her mind was sharp and when she died she was still mentally just how she had always been to me.
  • Before her arthritis got bad she was quite the busy bee and was a real fast one.
  • I heard my first curse words from her. She liked to say crap a lot and as a kid who was raised to not say those things I got a real kick out of hearing her say it and watching my parents cringe.
  • She had an amazing green thumb. She always had beautiful roses in her back yard, along with delicious tomatoes, and berries she would let us eat from the vine. Inside she always had ivy growing in her kitchen along with other lovely green plants.
  • Her house always felt like a home. It was the perfect "Grandma's House"
  • She always put placements down and set the table nicely for dinner. Of course this was always my job to help her with when I was there.
  • She had awesome red lipstick..one tube in particular that I still want to confiscate. It's the perfect orange-red color.
  • She always let me play with her make-up.
  • She kept toothbrushes in her bathroom just for me and John Ryan.
  • She let us eat ice cream and never had fat free stuff in her house.
  • Her house was always clean and tidy.
  • She was crazy.
  • She could dress elegantly or wear jeans and a plaid shirt and pull both off equally well. I love denim and plaid...I blame it on her!
  • There is an old picture of her with her sister and brother in which I think she is the most beautiful woman you will ever see.
  • She was really laid back.
  • She worried a lot.
  • She didn't like to drive or really be in a car....it made her anxious. Ask my husband, I inherited that.
  • She could sew although she didn't do as much of it during my lifetime.
  • She loved serving her church and did so for who knows how many years.
  • I hope I didn't forget to mention how amazing her food was???:)
  • Her home was my second home. It was always a safe, loving, and nurturing place.
  • She lost her vision in one eye a few months before she died and signed her emails, "one eyed grandma."
  • After she found out she was going to be a great grandma, she signed her emails to me "great grandma."
  • She loved our boy so much already and called him her "Avocado."
  • She taught me so much about life, loving people, servant hood, selflessness, working hard, and thoughtfulness.
  • Verbally she may not have shared her faith to me much but she demonstrated the gospel by the way she lived.

7 comments:

Unknown said...

P.S. The fantasitc video tribute was made by my talented brother John Ryan!

Unknown said...

-She squealed and kissed my Pom Pom relentlessly when he gave her jewelry at Christmas.
-She loved my Pom Pom so much. He was her hero. They kissed a lot.

kaye herbert said...

thanks for making me cry! jk but really i was crying at the end there, i loved it all, the video, and the blog. elijah was also captivated the entire time. i love the pics of her and your pom pom and i love the one of her on the bicycle! :) she sounds so rad, cant wait to meet her in heaven!

Xylena said...

Such a beautiful video! love you girl!! I am here if you ever need to talk or prayer!!!

Kate B said...

Oh Mel. This was so beautiful. Thank you for sharing all of your heart! I am just weeping my eyes out...but its the best kind of crying...the kind where my heart is full and hopeful. I have a mental list of my grandma, my Pooka, and you have encouraged me to write it down. And one for my grandma Gene, too. Just the other day I saw a lady at HEB that just reminded me a little of my Pooka and I missed her so much! (its been 7 years...) I just had this overwhelming urge to hang out with her, to sit by her side and give her a hug. Thank you again for sharing this. I love you! (and of course, your avocado, too!)

Judy Summers said...

Melissa, this is a beautiful tribute to Grandma Betty! Did you get your photogenicity from her?

Unknown said...

Thank you everyone for all the sweet comments. I am so blessed. It was really fun to write this post..and to finally do it. I could have written so much more...but thought I would leave it simple and tuck the rest of the thoughts and memories away.

Judy- Maybe I do get some of my "photogenicity" from her! :)