flat-out
A adjective Utter, plain, unambiguous.
2009 Williams Maw Surry Maw Surry’s eyes told the flat out truth of youthful years lived at the mercy of pure meanness.
B adverb Utterly, plainly.
1973 Kahn Hillbilly Women 149 Some of the girls who worked there just flat out wouldn’t sign union cards. 2004 House Coal Tattoo 45 you are flat-out beautiful. 2006 Sohn Whistlin’ and Crowin’ 122 She labeled herself as a “flat-out good student” when she had been in school.
—Dictionary of Southern Appalachian English
Granny flat-out loved her grandchildren and great grandchildren. She doted on them and loved spending time with each one.
Being the queen of crochet, she also made many crocheted garments for them over the years. She did the same for her children and other family and friends.
Most of us wore one of her creations to her funeral and Granny was buried in one of her amazing sweaters.
I’m still grinning over our nephew Ben. He wore a gray sweater. Ben said it might be his wife, Rachel’s, but he wore it anyway 🙂
Tipper
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Granny was a woman who loved many very well.
❤️
Tipper,
You are a very sweet daughter to bury your mother in one of her sweaters. My dad was buried in one of my brother’s white shirts. It had gotten to small for him and daddy had lost so much weight. He looked dapper in it. I gave daddy a black toboggan to wear after he had chemo and lost his hair. He always wore a toboggan in the house and it looked so normal on him. We buried him in that too. When my mother died we buried her in the same style of casket and vault she had purchased for daddy. We knew it was what she wanted. She wore a jacket that I gave her so that made it special for me. Her caretaker polished her nails before she died for her and the undertaker , a dear friend, kept them for us. The little things like sweaters, jackets, toboggans, nails, and shirts make the connect to us our our deceased loved one better. It is another way of letting them know that we remember what they loved. Granny is watching over you and your family. She is in a better place that we can only dream of. Someday, all of us will be there with our loved ones. We will have so much to catch up on too. Take care, KAthy Patterson
Granny had the flat out best family. You are so blessed to have had her 86 years. Y’all are in my prayers. I pray you all have peace during this time. But rest assured Granny isn’t sick anymore. She is walking those streets of Gold
Thinking and praying for y’all.
If you decide to print more copies of Granny’s poems I would love to buy one.
The photo of Granny surrounded by some of the grands and greats is so precious.
I am missing her already!
I lost my beautiful ️Angel momma 3 years ago and it’s like it was yesterday I was a mommas girl and I will forever every single day miss her I try not to be a cry baby but I can’t even hid it
Lisa, I’m sorry you lost her!
Hi Lisa, my heart went out to you when you said this. I was a huge Momma’s girl too.. I was the baby of the family and joined to my Mom at the hip, loved her so much. I am so sorry for your hurt. Don’t worry, cry as much as you need to, it’s healing to your soul. From one momma’s girl to another, I am sending a big warm hug to you..xx
You all flat-out loved Granny until her last breath. Continuing to think so strongly of your family during this time.
That’s flat out love.
She left such a legacy of love and goodness for them. I love that about the sweater
Love and prayers for you all!
Tipper, My eyes are flat out WET with tears! We have been plum BLESSED to have Granny in our lives, too! Thank you for sharing her and your other family with us! SHE IS STILL ALIVE in so many ways. Her talents have been preserved along with the gentle love and beauty she represents still yet. I appreciate her and you all.
So much LOVE !!!
And I vote yes on a book of Granny’s poetry if you decide to do that !!!
Love & prayers for you all !!!
Wearing an article of clothing that Granny made in order to honor her was a wonderful display of love. I’m sure she loved seeing it from above. Continued prayers to you all.
Paul put on a beautiful presentation of Granny. I said I wasn’t going to cry but I did. Not for Granny but for all of you. Prayers and hugs. You do look a lot like your Mom. After watching Paul’s presentation, I can see that you have your Dad’s eyes. Only fitting for Daddy’s girl to be blessed with his eyes! I’ve always heard that the eyes are the window to our souls. ❤️. One day at a time Tipper.
I wanted to share this with you. I used this poem for my mom when she passed on her prayer card.
When Mother Leaves
When Mother leaves and you think she is gone, your mind is deceived, and your senses are wrong. If her face you can’t see, if her voice you can hear, then look to your heart, and know she is near. This beautiful lady, who gave you your years, burnt her face in your eyes, and your voice in your ears. As long as you live, then so does she too, for her love doesn’t die, it passes to you.
Love & Prayers to all of you.❤️
I like this poem not only for my mother but when I substituted my wife in place of mother.I also liked the quote in Lynize Hull’s comment yesterday.
((((( Tipper )))))
A beautiful picture so filled with love. It brought tears to my eyes on last evenings live when you said y’all wore something of Granny’s crocheted gifts, including friends who had received one of her creations – that speaks so much of how special and loved she was. (but we all knew that!) She will be missed by not just her family but those whose lives she touched via y’all’s videos and blogs posts. May all the wonderful Granny memories continue to strengthen and comfort you through this time of hurting and missing.
I just flat-out love that picture! Precious memories!
I’m just thinking of all the “littles” in that picture and how, years and years in the future, they can all gather around Tipper with their kids and recreate this photo. Something tells me it’s going to happen if her daughters want it to!
Ben wearing that sweater just put the biggest smile on my face. Oh, how I love the way those grandkids adored their Granny!! What a beautiful tribute to her gifts of crochet!
Granny and Pap were very blessed to have three wonderful children. They both were blessed to see their wonderful grandchildren to love on too. Granny was blessed to have seen and love on so many great grandchildren. Both Pap and Granny had shared values of faith, family and love for all, is both their legacy that will live on in each generation. Beautiful picture of Granny, her grandchildren and great grandchildren! I watched most of the video that was your live stream last night and will finish watching later today. I love how Ben admitted the gray sweater might have been Rachel’s but he wore it anyway. That shows how much he loved his Granny because it didn’t matter who it belonged to he, like the rest of the family, wore it to show honor to Granny.
The women in my family did that with the jewelry my mom had given to each of us at some point in our lives. We have done that for each female relative in our family that we were close too. I can only hope that my daughter, granddaughter, sisters and nieces will do the same when I pass on. Sometimes it’s not a gift or a token of what they gave us, it’s lasting memories. That’s why we share wonderful stories of all family and friends that pass on that we love, It’s how we show respect and honor to our loved ones life.
I watched your live last as I always do and I smiled when you said yal wore something she had made for you. That was so sweet. I hope if Katie finds it in heart to share some of her tribute to Granny that she did at the funeral. That is so special. My heart goes out to all of you. I know Paul will be lost. My younger brother cared for our 93 year old old Mama her last couple of years as he had retired from his job and was able to so and i will forever be grateful to him. We all helped with her but he carried the load. But from watching your videos I know you have a lifetime of great memories. My husband has been dead 2 years and yal bring me so much joy. God bless you all and sorry so long of a text.
Tipper, I just flat-out love you!
Hi Tipper, I will say I flat-out loved Granny too. It does not seem real that she has left this old Earth but praise the Lord she is with Jesus and that one day all of us who are believers will get to meet her. Most of us will never meet y’all in person on this earth but what a meeting we will all have in Glory. Still praying for you all.
It was so good to see you live last night and to be our with “family” again
Where I’m from, in central Indiana, “flat out” was commonly used. We used it for a truth or for a lie. I remember folks adding another phrase, “bold faced” to enhance the statement to another level. ” That’s a bold faced, flat out lie”!
I was so happy to see you and Matt last night. My heart is broken for you Tipper. I know, however, that there will be a day when the sorrow will soften and the beautiful memories will be enhanced. and that’s the bold faced, flat out, truth!
I must say seeing granny with her grandchildren and great grand children really made me smile because you can see the absolute pride and love she had for each of them! What a beautiful and healthy bunch of younguns I must say! There are many rich people out there who would just find themselves really poor if they measured wealth in love and mercy. Granny left this world as a rich lady-rich in love and kinship and kindness and goodness. Her memories will live on in each of you and her ways will be your ways-at least many of them. Your cup runneth over in good things and love. In every sunrise, every pretty scene you enjoy and every little thing you do, granny will be there. She just moved to her new estate!!! I wouldn’t take nothing for my journey now as I’ve come to far to look back. It’s onward and upward in my mind cause I’m blowing outa here one fine day!!! God bless you all as you go through these days adjusting and missing sweet granny! It’s a journey I wish with all my heart you didn’t have to travail. You’ll be in my prayers cause my words just don’t cut the mustard…
Odd, in my mind “flat out” means “absolutely, completely” which actually is the same idea as the meaning in DSAE. I connect it to an absolute refusal or an “all in” commitment to whatever. It makes me think of young men and hot rods to, running “flat out”, also known as “petal to the metal”. On a totally different note, I want to say -Tipper you are such a gracious person. I mention it because I suspect you do not think of yourself that way. But I have noted it for a long time here in so-called “little” things; refusing to get angry and carry a grudge about the bad comments, making a point of thanking each and everyone for the smallest of favors and assuring anyone in trouble you will pray for them, following up with information and having the November Give-Aways. And I know you do followthrough or you wouldn’t say so. What brought this home to me yesterday more strongly than ever is that I watched your You Tube channel last night and both saw and heard these things in real time. I very much hope before I leave here I can naturally be a gracious person, thinking first of others before I speak or act. I don’t especially mind whether anyone notices or not. I know the source of what I see and hear in you and what I want to become. “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” (Phil 2:13). He wants us to be a blessing from a heart that doesn’t study on, just does it as a matter of what I call “First Nature” – just naturally being who we are in all times and circumstances. Thank you.
My maternal grandmother crocheted crafts ( think tp covers to look like an antebellum woman in a dress, baby doll purses and slippers and my paternal crocheted afghans. I think Granny had the better idea lol. I love that everyone wore one of her gifts to the funeral.
What a beautiful family picture of Granny with all her grandchildren & great grandchildren! Granny was flat-out the most precious lady I’ve ever “known”. It will be a joy & honor to meet her someday in Heaven!
where do we find Granny’s slide show?
You can see it here: https://youtu.be/aXcvX_0baI0?si=ETUXLSJloybfmH3K 🙂
What a tribute to your momma, for all of you to wear her creations to say your farewells. Your family did her proud.
I was so happy to see you last night. It did my heart good to see you again. Also to have you greet me when I get up in the morning. God bless you.
so very sorry about the loss of granny. I live here in Hiawassee and follow y’all daily. have your book and met you at Alexander’s. I watched your mother and she just tickled me in the best kind of way. I had an Appalachian grandmother from jonesborough TN. they are most definitely the best. grannies. and now I am one and have been for 20 years.
how lucky ira and Woody that they will be growing up with an Appalachian granny following in your mother’s footsteps. I will be praying for peace and comfort for your family.
What a wonderful way to honor Granny’s legacy by wearing the clothing she made!
What a wonderful legacy of family love, connection and respect! I’ve always heard flat out used to mean unambiguous.
Many years ago in the early 70s I was having issues with my hands. I was advised by a doctor to try doing something with my hands in a repeated motion. Since my first wife and I had a arts and crafts business she taught me to knit. I started with winter hats (we lived in NH) and moved on to. mittens to sweaters and finally made knitted snow suits for my twins and their older brother. My knitting wad passable so I finally entered one of the sweaters I had knitted for my wife into the county fair. I won a blue ribbon. Came in first place. Can’t really brag about it because I was in the men’s category. I was the only entry in that category. I learned later that my knitted snow suits were passed on to other members of my first wife’s extended family. The knitting has caused problems though because Diane knows that I know how to knit and she would like me to knit her a sweater. I’ve started several times but have never finished. It must have been beautiful to see all the people wearing Granny’s creations of love. Have a blessed day. I’ve got to find my needles and start again and hit it “flat out.”
flat out was used as a negative when I heard it, it always had something to do with somebody lying, flat out lied, that’s a wonderful family picture, I made a screenshot of it because Granny is in it, God comfort thee, in Jesus name
I love that family wore crocheted treasures that Granny had made for them through the years at her services and that she was buried wearing one of her own creations. My daddy was buried in a plaid flannel shirt that I had sewed for him– he was not a suit-and-tie man.
What a show of love. Granny made beautiful sweaters and she was beautiful. Ben must be a wonderful guy.
I know you all miss her. Isn’t it wonderful, we will get to see our mamas again some day.
And we were just flat-out plumb foolish over Granny! May the wonderful memories help ease the hurt. Holding you close in our prayers.
My devotional right now is on peace. When I read it this morning something stood out. John 14:27 NLT
[27] “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.
We can have peace of mind and heart. Sometimes I have one of those and not the other, but HE left us both. I’m sure you are experiencing this too. I’m praying that the peace in knowing where Granny is will fill your grieving heart.
Blessings to you and your family!
That is so sweet that the family wore Granny’s crochet gifts…what prized possessions they must be…especially knowing how much she loved making each one. I mostly remember folks using ‘flat out’ to describe a bold-face lie…as in “they flat-out lied about where they were today.“ I like the way you used it this morning much better.
Grandchildren- God’s gift or reward to parents for not killing their children! My two grandsons are grown, one is 25 and the other is 20. The greatest joy I now have in my life is any TIME I can be or hang out with them and my son. I once heard a lady say “if I knew my grandchildren would have been so much fun, I would have had them first.” The “creations” y’all wore at her funeral came from her love for you, not Walmart!
Granny was a flat out talented lady. Not only was the Queen of crochet, she could also sing beautifully and cook the most tasty dishes. She definitely excelled in being a mother, mother-in-law and grandmother. And it shows in each one of you. I know, thanks to all of you, that Granny’s legacy will live on. May God bless you all.
I love that observaton.