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My Grandmother’s Makeup

This was me getting picked up for my very first sleepover with Gram.

It would become the first of many.

It was a BID DEAL on the street, just look at all of the neighborhood kids gathered in my front yard to send me off.

Isn’t it funny what we remember from our childhood?

Random bits and pieces of moments that burn impressions so deep into the recesses of our brains that it makes for a lifetime of memories.

I have vivid memories of watching my grandmother putting on her makeup. I remember my sister and me being SO excited to spend the night, so we could sip on” kiddy”cocktails while dressing up in her fancy feathered robes and then wake up in the morning, early, just to watch her put on her makeup.

Don’t ya just love the matching nightgowns? And those kiddy cocktails in fancy glasses with etched fish were the bomb.

Sometimes the moments we remember are monumental, like the special Christmas your Dad built a doll house that was an exact replica of the house you actually lived in (even down to the paint and wallpaper).

*Note, matching outfits yet again, we were big on matching outfits.

Or perhaps the time you needed stitches in your head now that has definitely left an everlasting impression on me and I have the scar to prove it.

Some moments are insignificant fragments, like chasing the ice cream truck for blocks just to get a push-up pop, or the intoxicating smell of grape Bonnie Bell lip gloss.

But for me, one of the most precious of memories will always be watching my grandmother put on her makeup. And 00000h, how I ADORED looking at all of her powders and potions. She would even let us take turns handing her each individual item as she needed them. Back and forth we would go…one would hand her liquid base,

the other one would hand her blush…

then the other one would hand her eye shadow… et cetera, et cetera. Looking back now I realize that she had the patience of a saint.

I would sit on the sink and hope that it would never end.

I’m not quiet exactly sure what I found so intriguing about her putting on her makeup? Maybe it made me feel all grown up or maybe it just made me feel happy to spend time with my grandmother-

My beautiful grandmother now 93 years young.

Even now as I dutifully perform my morning rituals, I think about my grandmother and our early morning makeup.

(Yee gadz, does it honestly take THIS much makeup for me to face my day?)

And not much has changed, except for the fact that I’M the one putting on the makeup now, while in the other bathroom my tween “Sassafras” is (gulp) putting on hers.

After she makes her bed of course.

More often than not, I find myself wondering what monumental or insignificant moments will shape my two girls memories? Will they remember the lemonade stands where they GAVE lemonade away for FREE and were so delighted that every single customer insisted on paying? To this day Sassafras insists on FREE lemonade stands only (she learns quick). Or will they remember the Christmas that we surprised them our dog, Oakley, that we rescued from the shelter?

Maybe they will remember the simple, insignificant little things like painting finger nails for hours (even Daddy’s) or making salads for the deer who live in the woods at Nana & Papa’s house, or sewing with Yaya.

But what I do know is that each little moment, no matter how monumental or insignificant, those are the moments thatmake up” the who we are… today.

Enjoy each moment.

Wenderly

Wenderly

Married my soulmate. Mama of 2. Love to inspire. Can't help but to relish in all things beautiful inside & out. Join me in Savoring the Art of Living.

10 Comments

  1. What a wonderfully written, reflective post. My granddaughter comes running whenever she thinks I’m putting on my makeup. She stands and watches just as you described and hands me whichever item I may need next. I think the process fascinates her. Maybe it’s because her Mom almost never wears makeup…doesn’t need any, lucky girl 🙂

  2. Wendy what a great trip down memory lane. It is so sweet and touching to have a peek into the love you have for your grandmother. Thanks for sharing. I used to love watching my mother get ready in the mornings. She owned her own beauty salon so she was always dressed to the nines. To her horror she had a daughter completely uninterested in playing with hair. Makeup I love but on occasion.

  3. So true so true! What is that saying, something like, while your planning for life, life goes by!
    What a great way to make us remember the little things, thanks Wendy!

    • Thanks Christa! We’ll have to focus on all the” little things” with our little ones this summer…while you’re actually in town that is!

  4. Great post Wendy. I remember those moments as clear as a bell too AND the matching outfits. Enjoy seeing you as a little one.

    Hope your grandmother is doing okay.

  5. What a beautiful post on your grandmother. I love that you are passing on the memories and traditions to your girls. One day, they will be talking about how YOU molded them into the women they are.
    Props to your grandma, mom and you for paying it forward!

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