Posted November 13th, 2009 by Jill Conner Browne
Today is author Bobby Cole’s birthday–not sure which one but he apparently THINKS he is at least 30 years my junior since he always INSISTS on calling me “Miss Jill,” despite my constant haranguing for him to STOP IT–so I settle it by calling HIM, “MR. BOBBY!” This oughta be a VERY happy birthday for him because many great things are in the works with his book, “THE DUMMY LINE!” If you haven’t read it–you’re missing out on the best thriller ever! (You can get ‘em at Amazon, your local independent, or on the SPQ website.)
If you see him today, please give him a big “HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MR. BOBBY!” and he’ll know you know ME!
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Posted November 12th, 2009 by Jill Conner Browne
They are both secret right now–bwahahaha! But I’m so excited, I am dancing a jig! I’ll give you a hint on one: IT’S A WAY TO DO SOMETHING FABULOUS FOR OUR TROOPS AND OUR CHIRREN–AT THE SAME TIME!!!
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Posted November 9th, 2009 by Jill Conner Browne
Am LOVING the Holiday stories–PLEASE KEEP THEM COMING–I SO need some laughs! And, now, GO TO THE FRONT PAGE OF MY WEBSITE–and where it says “HRH JILL SAYS” in the big box? CLICK ON THAT! I have JUST SOLVED YOUR HOLIDAY GIFT DILEMMA–FOR EVERYBODY YOU KNOW! You are welcome. Watch the videos–this game is ADDICTIVE and SOOOO MUCH FUN–read all the reasons why!
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Posted November 9th, 2009 by Jill Conner Browne
Like it or not, we are on the slippery slide smack into Holiday Season–Thanksgiving is just the precursor (note the word CURSE in the middle of that–coincidence? I think not!)–to Hanukkah and/or Christmas–I hear some household suffer/celebrate BOTH! What’s it like at YOUR house?
And then, there’s NEW YEAR’S EVE–from which we barely recover in time for VALENTINE’S!
I can’t recall hearing many Easter/Passover Horror Stories–but I would absolutely LOOOVE to hear ‘em if you’ve got ‘em! Or even Memorial Day Disasters or Fractured Fourth of July’s! Why do people go so nutso around holidays–ANY and ALL holidays??? Even THEIR OWN BIRTHDAYS make some people crazy!
Y’all, please remember: I love those TACKY, EVERY-SORDID-DETAIL-OF-EVERYBODY’S-LIVES-FOR-THE-LAST-YEAR “CHRISTMAS LETTERS” as much as I do obituaries–so PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, if you get any–SHARE THEM WITH ME!
Ok–lemme hear from you–don’t let your Disasters be for naught! If I get a good laugh out of ‘em, they are somehow redeemed, don’t you think?!
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Posted November 4th, 2009 by Jill Conner Browne
Y’all, the Queendom has once again rallied “in support” of this oh-so-worthy cause and I cannot thank you enough! I just spoke with Jan Michaels at Q-105 FM and she has spent ALL DAY hooking bras together to string across the Mississippi River at Vicksburg and she called me as she was driving back from actually hanging them up on the old Bridge–we made it again–ALL THE WAY ACROSS AND THEN SOME! No O-fficial count yet–but LOTS and LOTS IS GOOD! First of all, the bras in good condition go to many Women’s Shelters in Mississippi. Many times when a battered woman FINALLY gets it together enough to flee from her abuser and take shelter–she does so with only the clothes on her back at the moment–and quite often, that will turn out to NOT include a bra! So those will be put to very good and much appreciated use. BUT THERE’S MORE! The folks at RIVERWALK CASINO in Vicksburg have once again pledged to give $1 per bra to the AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY–so that THEY, in turn, can give a whole bunch of folks MORE BIRTHDAYS! This is just such a total win, it’s an easy project to “support,” isn’t it? And y’all get new bras–so YAY!
TOMORROW, 11/5–be sure you go to Jan’s Clear Channel radio website–which I’m sure she will post for you here as soon as she sees this–to see all the photos of the great work you’ve helped accomplish and pay special attention to the FABULOUSLY CREATIVE BRAS DONATED BY ANNELLE PRIMOS AND ASSOCIATES.
Last week, we had The Power of Pink at Highland Village Shopping Center here in Jackson and all the stores decorated their windows accordingly–to commemorate October as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. George and Pippa and I judged the window decorations and ANNELLE PRIMOS’ WINDOW WON BY A LANDSLIDE–they did the CUTEST BRAS you have ever seen–and now Jan has ‘em and there will be photos up tomorrow, along with all the ones flapping in the breeze over the Mighty Mississipp! Jan will be hanging on to those done by Annelle and her genius assistants–BRA OBAMA, HOOTERS, BOSOM BUDDIES, just to name a few–because I’m thinking we’ll have some real competition on this subject for next year…always thinking ahead!
So thanks for helping the American Cancer Society make MORE BIRTHDAYS possible, thanks for helping some women in need, thanks for helping us get such a big check from RiverWalk and thanks for helping us continue to raise awareness of breast cancer. I can’t wait til we find a cure so we can move on to something else! We done wo’ out wit’ dis ‘un! GET YOUR MAMMIES GRAMMED!
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Posted October 28th, 2009 by Jill Conner Browne
Ok, don’t come crying to me about this–I have been TELLING YOU FOR MONTHS to GET YOUR HILTON ROOMS and now they are O-fficially Gone. This is the Word from the Man, the Keeper of the Rooms at the Hilton, Billie Burns hisveryownself, so it’s the Truth. HOWEVER, all is not lost–you can still come and be VERY, VERY CLOSE to the Hilton, right across the street at the very finely remodeled CABOT LODGE. Hopefully, you will pay attention to me now and book THESE rooms, before they, too, are snatched out from under you!
HERE ARE YOUR INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO GET A ROOM AT THE CABOT LODGE:
Call THIS NUMBER–601-326-0739 and ask to speak to LAYLA CARPENTER–she will take good care of you. If you have any problems, let me know–BUT ONLY IF YOU HAVE FOLLOWED THESE INSTRUCTIONS FIRST. If you try any other method of getting a room and fail and whine to me, I’m gonna tell you to do what I just said but I’m gonna be REAL CRABBY about it. PAY ATTENTION AND MIND ME–it’s important.
If you have gone off willy-nilly and booked rooms somewhere else without checking with me first–send me an e-mail so I can tell you exactly HOW FAR AWAY you are going to be if you stay there. I tell you these things FOR A REASON–to make your visit as pleasant and easy as it can be so it’s really irritating when you ignore me and book rooms out by the airport or in the next town and then can’t understand why you can’t walk to the Hilton!
I know there are a bunch of y’all who come every year and stay way far off and just do your own thing and have a great time–and I’m happy for you. But I’m telling you this for a fact: YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU ARE MISSING AT THE HILTON! Go check out the Parade Page on www.sweetpotatoqueens.com and think seriously about coming to play with US this year–you will be soooo glad you did!
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Posted October 20th, 2009 by Jill Conner Browne
OK, that subject line is misleading at best! Mama, ARF, and Blair E. Batson Children’s Hospital have absolutely no need for your bras—but the American Cancer Society and a whole bunch of women DO need ‘em and I’m doing my best to help get another billion bras for the 2nd Annual Bras Across The Mississippi Spectular! But I’m ahead of myself—big surprise.So, one thing at a time here: First of all, On behalf of my sweet Mama and my whole (mostly) sweet family, let me thank you all for your wonderful, heartfelt and uplifting notes of condolence. I am reading each and every one—but it’s gonna take me a WHILE!
Thank you especially to all who have given to the Animal Rescue Fund of Mississippi in honor of Mama—she would be so pleased. She was always taking in “strays” of all species and “HOME” was everything to her. At ARF, these poor cast-off creatures receive not only safe shelter for as long as they may need it, they also receive HUGE amounts of daily LOVE—and that makes it “HOME” and therefore, sacred.
Rankin County, Mississippi has never before had a “no-kill” animal shelter and thanks to our very own Queen TammyPippa and her Spud Stud Charles Jackson—ARF is now a reality and your gifts are helping with this wonderful work. CLICK HERE TO DONATE.
Many of you have written that you loved Mama’s obit—it has apparently gone “viral,” which would tickle her no end although she’d have no idea what that meant. Please feel free to pass it around—I’d like everybody to have a little time with Mama. I wish you all could have been at Mama’s memorial service—it was a true celebration. CLICK HERE to read it on line.
BIG LOVE AND THANKS to all who voted (repeatedly) for our precious chirren at Blair E. Batson Children’s Hospital to win the ultimate gameroom makeover from Xbox 360! I am thrilled to tell you that WE WON! Out of all the hospitals in the CHILDREN’S MIRACLE NETWORK, we had enough Batson votes to finish in the TOP 3—and so OUR CHIRREN will be getting the coveted Xbox 360 gameroom and we are over-the-moon excited and grateful. Many of you from other states kindly threw your votes our way when it became apparent that your own hospital was not in the running. Stars in Your Crowns for that!
Here’s how you can help your home state’s Children’s Miracle Network Hospital
For Free
Contact them and tell them that I will come speak at a fundraising event for them—FOR FREE. If they pay my travel and accommodations, I will waive my usual speaker’s fee, AND I will donate one of my BIG, GIANT, CUSTOM MADE (by Larry Vrba) CROWNS to help with the fundraising efforts. ANDBarefoot Wine & Bubbly will donate wine or champagne, assuming it’s legal in your state! It’s a FABULOUS & FREE opportunity to HEP YOUR CHIRREN! Just have he Public Relations Director at your Children’s Hospital contact Kyle and they’ll sort out the details.
Here’s how you can help ALL the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals
Also for FREE!
Just CLICK HERE TO VOTE FOR DONNY OSMOND to stay on Dancing With The Stars. There are folks donating Big Bucks to the CMN for every week that he stays on the show—so VOTE FOR DONNY and HEP THE CHIRREN—EVERYWHERE!
Now, for the BRAS! Remember last year when our Queenly DJ Jan Michaels of Q105 FM here in Jackson wanted your bras to string across the Mississippi River in Vicksburg? Well, she and Riverwalk Casino have teamed up once more—and for every bra we give them, Riverwalk Casino will donate $1 to the American Cancer Society. We’re hoping for more than 10,000 bras this year—so go commando and send us your bras! (We love RiverWalk for this so if you’re gonna go to V’burg-go see THEM!)
Those bras in good shape will go to Women’s Shelters. We don’t like to think about it, but many times when women finally DO leave their abusers—it’s in the middle of the night with nothing but the clothes on their back. We do NOT want them going BACK because they forgot to grab a bra! Your bras will go to very good use and they will also help us raise awareness for the fight against breast cancer—which we MUST AND WILL WIN.
We’ll be stringing the bras up over the river on NOVEMBER 5, so the deadline for receiving bras is next Friday, OCTOBER 30—get ‘em in the mail to:
Jan Michaels, Q-105 FM—Clear Channel Radio, 1375 Beasley Rd., Jackson, MS 39206
If you need more info, call 601-982-1062. Check out last year’s event by CLICKING HERE.
GET OUT YOUR KLEENEX NOW—you’ll need it by the end of this, I promise.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and there are countless events, memorials, walks and runs all across the country and that’s a beautiful thing. There is not one person on this Earth who has NOT been affected by this wretched disease and whenever we participate in these events, it’s always with Someone Special in mind. You might be a Survivor yourself, you might have Walked that Walk with a family member or beloved friend—they might still be walking with you—praise God—or you may now be walking in their honor and memory.
I WANT YOU TO ADD THIS NAME TO YOUR LIST—whenever you participate in any of these events from now on—please put the name VALERIE J. at the very top.
As Mama was dying, we received regular visits from her precious Hospice Nurse. One day, Marie came in looking very haggard and weepy. I asked her what was up. She said she had been at the Hospice facility since 3:30 that morning—with a 19-year-old girl—dying of breast cancer.
That little girl had been diagnosed with breast cancer at 15 (fifteen)! And being, for unknown reasons, estranged from her family, she had gone through this entire process—from diagnosis to chemo and radiation and surgery—and finally, death, at 19—ALONE. She had no friends. She had no family. She didn’t even have a wig. She had the magnificent nurses and staff of Hospice Ministries but other than that—she did ALL OF IT—ALONE!
Think of the horrific cancer experiences you’ve had or witnessed—as an adult, with adults—now imagine that you were a 15-year-old girl and ALONE. Imagine, God forbid, it was your own daughter.
PLEASE put VALERIE J. on every t-shirt, poster, and Balloon Release you participate in for the rest of your life—and make a space for her in your heart, too. And when somebody asks for a donation to fight breast cancer—GIVE—whatever you can—even if it’s just your old bra—and REMEMBER VALERIE when you do. Thanks.
If you live in the vicinity of Odessa, Texas, when you quit crying over Valerie, mark your calendars forFriday, 6 November—because I’m coming over to play with y’all at the Junior League of Odessa’s Annual Merry Marketplace and I will be expecting to see you there!
Here’s where to get ticket info: Junior League of Odessa, Texas, Lindsey Burroughs, Special Events Coordinator – Merry Marketplace 2009, lindsann2003@hotmail.com For Tickets Call: 432-332-0095.
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Posted October 19th, 2009 by Jill Conner Browne
WhooHoooo! Thank y’all soooooo MUCH for heppin’ our chirren win one of these fancy X-BOX ROOMS at Blair E. Batson Children’s Hospital in Jackson, Ms.! It took a whole heapa votin’ and y’all prolly coulda/shoulda been workin’ a lotta that time–but thanks! And even bigger thanks if you actually used your OWN time for sitting there, waiting for the screen to load! That’s REALLY a sacrifice–and our little chirren send you a BIG OLE KISS AND A HUG AROUND THE NECK! I’M JUST SO EXCITED, I COULD BUST!!!
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Posted October 15th, 2009 by Jill Conner Browne
https://xbox.childrensmiraclenetwork.org Go to this site–you do have to sign up before you can vote which will take you all of what? 15 seconds?–DO IT. And then VOTE for BLAIR E. BATSON CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL IN JACKSON, MS. You can vote 10 times before the deadline–so get busy! I’m sorry I haven’t been nagging you about this before now–been distracted by My Own Issues but this is for OUR CHIRREN!
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Posted October 2nd, 2009 by Jill Conner Browne
Anybody who knows and loves us–will totally “get” this and love it and know that MAMA would love it. Anybody who either doesn’t know or doesn’t love us will no doubt be scandalized–and you should just TRY to IMAGINE how LITTLE we care! Here is her obit:
Janice “Jan” Louise Wendt Conner, wife of the late and much lamented John A. Conner of Ethel, Mississippi, died peacefully at the Lake Caroline home of her favorite daughter Jill Conner Browne on Wednesday, September 30, 2009.
Mrs. Conner grew up in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, the daughter of the late Mr. & Mrs. Walter Wendt. As a young woman, her statuesque beauty won her a spot among the models at the John Robert Powers Agency but her mother disapproved of that career and so she became a buyer for the J.L. Hudson stores. During World War II, she and many of her friends worked tirelessly at the USO, where she met the only man she ever really loved, her sailor boy, John Conner.
She became a devoted Southerner by choice when she finally defied the wishes of her mother (who was by all accounts and evidence, the Meanest Woman Who Ever Lived) by marrying and following “that hillbilly” back to Mississippi, where they lived happily until Mr. Conner’s untimely death in 1982, after which Mrs. Conner never gave so much as a thought to another man.
The Conners’ home was a haven for all the children in the surrounding neighborhoods, having a wide-open, fully-stocked kitchen, a refrigerator full of Cokes and the only swimming pool for miles around. (It should be noted that the 20’x 40’, 7 foot deep hole for this pool was personally dug, with picks and shovels, by the two of them. If you’ve ever tried to dig even a small hole in Yazoo clay, the extent of the Conners’ devotion to their children can be extrapolated from that endeavor. It should also be noted that this pool was the pet project of Mrs. Conner and there was no peace for Mr. Conner until it was completed. He might have initially thought that she would be discouraged when she saw firsthand how difficult the digging proved to be—one of the many but more significant times He Was Wrong.)
They were active members of the Alta Woods Presbyterian Church where they, for more than 50 years, provided thousands of cookies as Sunday bribes to the children of the church.
Mrs. Conner’s daughters, the aforementioned Jill and that other one, Judy, were finally sources of pride for Jan as they both became bestselling authors. It did remain a lifelong disappointment to her, however, that neither of them ever chose to pursue the career she would have preferred for them: writing messages for greeting cards.
Both daughters give much credit to their mother for spending countless hours reading to them until they finally started reading for themselves. Mrs. Conner also taught her grandchildren to read and to love it. Blessed be her name for that.
Jan’s only two grandchildren—Trevor Palmer and Bailey Conner Browne—were born 23 years apart; thus, each was able to enjoy the many benefits of being “the only grandchild,” a position both exploited to the fullest and with great felicity to all parties.
Mrs. Conner was well known in her younger years for adopting families in need and browbeating them into prosperity via the many donors she “persuaded” to join the effort and her relentless and most often successful attempts at placing them in gainful employment—often without any particular desire or willingness on their part. She would and often did give “the shirt off her back” to someone; but, if her own didn’t happen to fit the need, she had no qualms about obtaining, by whatever means necessary, the more suitable shirt off someone else’s back. Her daughters dreaded the annual Christmas Flooding of the town of Flowood, knowing that the pantry would be emptied and their own closets would be raided, in support of the victims.
Jan Conner was an advocate of the homeless—be they human or otherwise—long before it became fashionable. She never passed a panhandler without giving him something (along with an admonition to “go eat something”) and she never turned away a hungry creature of any species. She basically, over time, stole the neighbor’s non-descript brown dog, Rascal and was somehow able to elicit from him that, although before moving in with us he had considered himself fortunate to get a dab of dog food now and again, all he truly liked to eat was chicken livers and that furthermore he only liked them fried very brown and crispy. Rascal ate crispy brown chicken livers every day of his 10 years with us. Whenever Jan left town, it was only after giving John strict instructions on How to Cook the Chicken Livers for the Dog, lest he (the dog) suffer in her absence.
To this day, Mrs. Conner’s entire family has an inordinate fondness for Brown Dogs.
Mrs. Conner is widely known as a world traveler as she frequently arranged group trips, which she sometimes guided or at least herded. A most interesting aspect about all of Jan’s travels was her high and constant level of disdain for Other Countries, or at least all of Europe. She did love a cruise, though—any time, anywhere—which accounted for her enjoying 50 or so of them. As much as she disparaged all of Europe, she loved Alaska and anything west of Hawaii. All things Asian were wonderful to her and she made numerous trips to the Far East.
The latter years of her life were spent joyfully at The Waterford on Highland Colony with her many friends, especially the rowdy bunch on the Second Floor North. She declared that living at the Waterford was “like being on a cruise, every day.”
Since 1999, no St. Paddy’s Parade was complete without the lead car carrying “The Queen Mothers of the Sweet Potato Queens®” and while she shared this title with dear friend and fellow Queen Mum, Caroline Hewes of Gulfport, it cannot escape attention that Jan always rode in the front seat.
Jan is survived by the aforementioned favorite daughter, Jill Conner Browne and husband Kyle Jennings, and that other one—Judy Conner Palmer of New Orleans—granddaughter Bailey Conner Browne of Oxford and grandson Trevor Palmer and his wife RuthAnna and their daughter Riley and sons Conner and Mason, of New Orleans.
The family wishes to lovingly thank Barbara Whitehead for her devotion and support to us all and to Marie Fenton of Hospice Ministries for her sensitive care to Jan and to us.
No flowers please, Mrs. Conner was allergic. Because of Jan’s lifelong propensity for taking in strays, be they four-legged or two, she would love for you to make a very generous donation in her name to the only no-kill animal shelter in Rankin County—Animal Rescue Fund of Mississippi, founded by Sweet Potato Queen Elizabeth (Pippa) Jackson, located at 1963 Holly Bush Road, Pelahatchie, Mississippi 39145 or www.arfms.com.
There will be a mercifully brief and joyous Memorial Service on Monday, October 5, 2009, at 5:30 PM, at Wright & Ferguson on Highland Colony Parkway, Ridgeland, followed by Celebration of a Life Beautifully Lived and a Very Fun Reception, until around 7 PM.
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