Martha's Birthday

Today is my sister Martha's birthday. She loved sunflowers, so this is for her.

Martha was the perfect birthday girl. She celebrated the entire month of November and loved it when people wanted to take her to lunch or a movie. If she were here I would have made her a card and my daughters and I would have spoiled her in some way as we did every year. I will try to be happy and laugh because that's what she helped others do when they were in a tough spot. I don't know what else to say except that I miss Martha, my person who loved life and lived it to her fullest, so very much.

I Miss My Sister Constantly

I picked up this Stamping Bella stamp at the Sacramento scrapbooking expo earlier this month. It reminded me just how much I'm missing my sister Martha. So I worked it into one of the playing cards from the deck I've been playing with the last few months.

As usual, I started with a coat of white gesso, glued on pieces of torn brown paper (to represent clouds or haze) I saved from some packaging, gave it a coat of gel medium, colored it with Distress and Copic markers, then tried to make rays of sunshine from Stickles glitter glue. I wanted to write that I miss her, but while looking for words, "unconditional" spoke to me.

I had intended to color and save this piece for a greeting card, but my Copic decided to take a leak all over my work. Why does an $8 maker even do something like that?! (No, I do not refill my pens, it came this way.) So I cut out what I thought I could save and used it in my mixed media piece. I'm glad I did.

My sister loved me unconditionally. I miss her constantly.

Absence Unintended

 Photo by Martha Robison

I can't believe we're in the midst of March. So much has happened this year already it's impossible to post it all. But the most important event in my life is the loss of my big sister Martha on February 11, 2015.

Marty fought the good fight all of her life without complaint. We talked, texted and/or spoke on the phone daily. She was my life-long best friend, confidante, cheerleader, personal comedian and prayer warrior. My life is forever changed, but so is hers...she's pain free and dancing down streets paved with gold!

Life is different without my sister in it. I don't know if I'll ever get used to this new norm. I thought losing my mom was tough, but man, this has been a punch in the gut like nothing I've ever experienced. I guess it speaks volumes about our relationship and the impact she's had on my entire life.

There were approximately 400 people in attendance at Martha's memorial service. Talk about speaking volumes.

Regrets? Maybe Not

Valerie, Cupie and Dawn

I saw a post on-line where a woman was talking about having a difficult time making ends meet. She was turning 40 and was afraid she wasn't setting a good example for her kids. She said she didn't work when her children were small. Instead she did things with them, went on walks, picked flowers, listened to the crickets, which seemed more important than "stuff."

This is kind of how my husband and I chose to raise our daughters. He worked full-time and I either stayed at home or had some type of flexible part-time job.

I don’t regret a minute of being able to be there for our daughters’ first steps, their first words. I loved always being the room mom for their classrooms, going on field trips, being a scout leader, and filling in for other parents who weren’t able to have this luxury

We didn’t have a lot of money, we lived paycheck to paycheck, but I don’t believe the girls ever noticed.

Now that my husband is disabled, though, I do have misgivings for not staying with a job long enough for retirement benefits. Our life plan was for my husband to work until retirement and we’d be comfortable. Not rich, but not living in such a way as to worry about the house payment or paying for utilities and food in our bellies.

I’m not saying we’re struggling. We’re doing okay. But had I invested more time in a career we would be sitting a lot prettier. We wouldn’t be paying so much for medical benefits, co-pays for surgeries/procedures and prescriptions, or allowing our daughters to help (which is difficult, but it touches our hearts beyond words).

And then there’s the worry of losing my husband and the practical aspect of losing our income if that should happen. Not being able to contribute in a meaningful way financially makes me second guess the decisions of our prime earning years.

But then I think back on all of the time I had with our daughters. The precious time I spent helping my parents through their illnesses and deaths. All of the time spent tending to nieces, nephews, sisters and brothers.

My retirement benefits may not be monetary, but the memories I reaped along the way are priceless.

Happy Father's Day, Hubby!

Geez, where does the time go?

These Hands

My best friend Lauri's father passed away tonight. This was taken earlier today; 61 years together.

Lots Of Crafting Goin' On

I was able to get a lot of crafting in this past month or so, yay! I'm going to pack a lot into this post so you can see what I've been up to. Sit back, grab a cup of tea or coffee, and enjoy.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
I wanted to send out a few New Year's cards, but searching the crafts stores both on-line and off brought me nothing. Leave it to Dawn to find this adorably perfect stamp! There was a lot of fussy cutting, paper piecing, coloring and Stickles involved, about 3 days' worth of fun. Each one was different because I had specific people in mind. I wanted to get the hair and even the pets just so. I failed miserably at the pets, though, I should have shopped better for those, but maybe I caught the essence anyway.

I stamped the girls using black Staz-On, but upon reflection I wish I had embossed them for a more polished finish. I placed pop dots under the little girls so they stand out from the background and gave each one a tiny companion. The inside sentiment was embossed with detail black embossing powder and also popped up. Each banner is backed with a matching piece of card stock from the front. The stars were cut from sparkly paper using a die with my Vagabond. I inked the edges to give them depth.

My daughters puffed my chest by telling me they were little works of art and I couldn’t give them away, I should frame them, and would I make them a couple to keep. They’re so good for my ego. (More photos and details on my flickr.)

A YEAR'S WORTH OF LOVE IN CARDS!
Since my card-holder was filled to the brim...

 I made myself another one.

I’m normally not one for the frou-frou, but a friend of ours gave me 3, 12”x12” stacks of some pretty gorgeous paper for Christmas and I just had to use some of it. I’ve always liked butterflies, so I chose two pieces that compliment one another. Also, the sparkly ones drew me in.

I embellished the pages with rub-ons, stickers and Washi tape and inked the edges with a subtle blue. I added pockets to the inside adding the word “memories” on one and cutting a square of the same pretty cardstock for the other. My daughters have given me lots of beads lately and they’re perfect for this project. I'm excited because my husband liked it enough to ask me to make one for him! (More photos and details on my flickr.)

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, MARTHA AND LARRY!

  

I made my sister and her hubby an anniversary card using some adorable prints Dawn gave me. Again, my ninja paper-cutting skills came in handy, especially on the tiny duckling. They loved it

FIRST CROCHET IN LIKE FOREVER
Around Midnight on Christmas Eve I came across this free PDF pattern for a dish cloth and tracked it to a site called Tangled Yarn. I hadn't crocheted in a couple of years, probably, or at least haven't made anything. I thought, I could do that, and so I did. It called for a triple crochet, and because I hadn't done it in such a long time I had to look it up on YouTube. It's a bit wonky, but my sister Martha liked it. As a matter of fact it reminded her she wants to re-learn crocheting this year, so the other day we sat down and I showed her how to make a chain. One step at a time.

THINK PINK!
My sister-in-law is a 4-time cancer survivor. The second type was breast cancer, which resulted in the removal of her left breast. She collects all things pink ribboned and is decorating a small tree with this theme in mind.

We went to Michael’s and she picked out a packet full of lovely breast cancer awareness crafting fodder because she wanted me to make some rosettes for it.

I gave her back the kit when I dropped them off so she could finish them off at the center the way she liked. Besides, that’s the fun part. Here are a few of the photos she texted me. Beautiful!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DENI!
I made my hubby a birthday card with a gift/present theme. I cut out his name with a die using my Vagabond. You can't see it in the photo, but I sparkled up the lettering with a glitter-type pen. I cut out some presents, popped them up and added the letters to each one.

I also cut the sentiment from a birthday die and added it to the inside. The little gift in the corner is also popped up with a pop dot.

There were a few other things I made, but I'm making this too long as it is.

I love crafting and have fallen in love with card-making. I hope to hone my skills and pick up some speed. I spend a lot of time on each card, maybe too much. But when I'm making a card I'm thinking of the one who will be receiving it, so I want to make it as perfect as possible. Not because I want accolades; I want the recipient to know they are special and worth the time and extra effort I put into the card they are holding in their hand so they can feel the love that goes along with it.

Note: If you would like to see more photographs and explanations of the crafts I make, please see my flickr.

Today We Celebrate Life!

A year ago today my daughter Valerie donated a kidney to my sister Martha. A few of us our getting together to share a meal and appreciate the love and fierce loyalty we have for one another. The Lord has blessed us beyond measure.

Photo: Martha and 3 of her 4 kidney donors (our sister Mary passed away last year). Martha at the forefront, our brother Burt (the hairy dude), my daughter Valerie and our brother John. Each of Martha’s 4 kidney transplants in her 60-years of life have been considered successful. Contrary to popular belief, transplanted organs can last anywhere from a few months to 20 or 30 years.

Please consider organ donation, the ultimate gift of life.

Tangent Memories

While cleaning out some stuff of my mom’s I saved a few old Christmas cards that were sent to her. I thought it would be neat to cut out just the signatures because many are from people are gone now. I sat down and actually followed through with my idea and put them into my Smash Book.

I like how it turned out and that I didn’t have to hang on to the entire card, just part of it, because that would have taken up lots of storage space I don’t have.

I've Been Crafting

My daughter Dawn likes me to cut stuff with my Vagabond from unusual packaging. The above photo shows a few things I cut from the boxes of some McDonald's Disney glasses she had packed away. The flowers are my favorite. I've also made quite a few rosettes from cereal boxes, Coke can containers and a variety of candy boxes. It's a challenge to see what I can come up with for the centers. I don't know why I didn't take photos and post them here.

My sister Martha and her husband visited today. After we scarfed down the turkey crescent sandwiches, cucumber crack (chopped cucumbers, tomatoes and Feta cheese; I put it on everything!), and watermelon I served up, Larry watched TV in the living room and Martha and I retreated to my room where I guided her while she made a card for one of her closest friends. She doesn't craft much but was determined to do everything herself.

She layered card stock, stamped sentiments on watercolor paper, glued everything down using a tape snail thingie, which she isn't familiar with, a real challenge, but she met it! She also wielded a craft knife so she could slip a piece of pink ribbon through the top of the card, a big deal if you know my sister. She even inked the edges of the purple oval then used the corner chomper to round the edges of another stamped sentiment. It turned out lovely. Her crafty friend will love it, and when she finds out Marty did it herself she'll cherish it that much more.

What a great day with great people.

L-R: My daughter Dawn, brother-in-law Larry,
my daughter Valerie, my sister Martha and husband Dennis

A smaller feast than usual, but at least we had one! On the menu: 24-pound turkey, 10-pound spiral-cut ham, candied yams, green bean casserole, and mashed ‘taters with turkey gravy. (Ignore inappropriate place setting, and yes, those are kitchen tongs you see for the meat; practical and unrefined, but the real cloth napkins make up for that, right?)

Dessert was store-bought red velvet cake and a tiny lemon pastry, homemade fruitcake given by a friend, and orange jello made by my sister Martha! (She has come a long way, yay!)

Missing was my fried corn, clover leaf rolls and banana pudding, just didn’t have it in me.

Yes, I’ve already had one turkey sandwich today and might have another for dinner. Best part of the dinner is leftovers! And, oh, yeah, the vintage Chistmassy tablecloth was this season’s Goodwill find. I have several, but I can’t resist picking them up when I see them.

This is me (the gal w/glasses) standing next to my brother John who gave my sister a kidney many years ago, and my sister Martha who is awaiting another transplant. My daughter Valerie has completed testing to be a donor, and a tentative date has been set for late October at the University of California, San Francisco.

In the meantime, my daughter is having a procedure next week which requires a 3-month healing period by UCSF before they will set the transplant date in stone.

As both a sister and a mother of these fabulous women, my emotions are all over the place. If you are a believer, we sure would appreciate it if you would keep our families in your prayers.

I Lost My Big Sister Today

 
My big sister Mary passed away today, much more peacefully than did our mother. She was number 3 of the 4 sons and 3 daughters born of our parents, and she was the first of the sibling to die.

 

L-R: Martha, Mary, Dorothy

Three sisters, taken a few weeks before Mary's death

When my mom had to go to work to help support our family, Mary was like a second mother to us younger brothers and sisters . She cooked, cleaned, drove us around, worried about us, was my Brownie scout leader and the best piggy-back ride-giver, ever. She carried me around until my feet just about dragged the ground, she spoiled me so. She loved our sister Martha so much she donated one of her kidneys to her (as did my brothers Burt and John before her), which has lasted now for well over ten years. For all of that goodness we enjoyed, there were some equally rough years relationship-wise, but in the end we put them aside and just loved one another.

One of my friends, Jane, said my post about our family's loss on Facebook, "No longer 7, we are 6," brought to mind " 'We Are Seven,' by William Wordsworth, one of innumerable recitations my grandmother memorized as a child. She could still recite it word for word at age 100." Jane was so right.

2009, bye now...

My duplicate daughters have been bugging me to post, so here 'tis, the final one of the year. Talk about cutting it close! It's 10:45 p.m., still an hour and fifteen-minutes away from shoutin' in the new year. No party, just sitting in the living room with Dawn (Valerie's at work, Deni's watching TV in the bedroom), listening to her excited comments about the nifty journals she picked up along the way. She's struggling to stay awake and I'm thinking she may not make it to Midnight. Party on, Dawn.

I can't say 2009 was a great year, but it surely wasn't the worst. My family is in-tact, I still have all of my brothers and sisters, and most all of my friends. I lost a newly-discovered aunt whom I never had the opportunity to meet face-to-face, but we came to know and love one another through phone calls. I lost a long-time friend of over 20 years, but she left behind a bundle of fur who's kept us on our toes and made losing Thistle (our baby-dawg of 15 years) a bit easier on the heart. My husband was off of work for several months because of a second back surgery, but he recently returned, something I am rejoicing in because I wasn't sure he would heal well enough to make that happen.

The last major happening of the year was Valerie's surgery to remove an ovarian cyst. Although it wasn't the most pleasant of things (all went well) to endure, it turned out to be a source of answers as to why she's had such fierce monthly pain and nausea: the discovery of endometriosis. Another important positive from this negative has been the light shed on what may be the source of Dawn's health issues as well, just one of the many benefits of having an identical twin, eh?

Although a lot of other "stuff" went on throughout the year, God provided lots of ups and protected us through those downs, and I see no reason to believe life will not continue being a mixture of the two. As ol' blue eyes and Michael Buble croon, "That's life!"

I like where I am this very moment, glad not to be fretting about finding a designated driver after a night of Crown Royal and Coke (although I'll admit a little Electric Slide would have been fun!). I'm watching the new year arrive as quietly as it left, but I can't resist one more shout-out to friends and family alike...

HAPPY, HAPPY NEW YEAR!