Love

I love crafting for my family, and I decided to go big and frilly and gaudy this year on their valentine cards. Since I didn’t have to mail them I added lots of embellishments like the big felt hearts, the paper flowers tied with baker’s twine and the pillow-y paper doilies I colored and sprayed with a shimmery spray. I even dived into my supply of Washi tape, holla!

 I made a little pouch inside for a place to tuck the bookmarks I crafted, made from leather samples I picked up at a thrift shop.

 

I embossed each one with silver embossing powder, a successful experiment! (Yay cause I have a bag of those samples!) They came with a ready-made hole on one side, so I slipped in some ribbon.

Hubby got the glasses, Dawn the typewriter and Valerie the elephant. The elephant is my favorite; the leather gives the embossing the perfect hide affect.

I love discovering new techniques like this and can’t wait to make more.

Chocolate and Craft Fodder...Heaven!

Deni gave me the coolest box of chocolates, ever, and a beautiful card. My daughters gave me Memento Ink and a ink resist pad. The combination of chocolate and crafting supplies is the way to my heart. Thank you, Deni, Dawn and Valerie! I love you more!

Winnie

Winnie, another of my grandoggers, is missing Gibbs. Part of our morning routine is that she’d come into my room and lay down to the left of me, Gibbs on my right. Then I’d sing them their own little ditty (don’t judge me), and when I was done they’d reach over me, meeting in the middle. And kiss. This morning Winnie jumped on my bed and kept looking over at Gibbs’ spot. I sang to her, but she just couldn’t seem to muster any enthusiasm.

 

When I fixed her breakfast she wouldn’t eat at first. She kept walking around the kitchen and then went over and sat near Gibbs’ bed we keep by the sliding glass door. (We kept beds all over the house for him because of his old arthritic bones.) It took her awhile, but she finally ate.

I keep telling her Gibbs is all gone, making the hand motions we do when we give them treats and they’re all gone. I don’t know what else to do but to acknowledge that I understand she’s looking for her buddy.

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.

Happy 33rd Anniversary, Babe!

Twenty-seven years ago today. I don't miss him any less.

Make New Friends, But Keep The Old

Silly goofers

I love making new friends, but the old ones, well, they bring comfort just being in their presence. We had a gathering of old friends this past weekend and had a blast. We stuffed our faces, talked about old times and caught up on the new things that are happening all around us.

From this picture you wouldn't know that Phyllis (in red) is a 3-time cancer survivor, Debbie (behind her) has undergone major heart surgery, Twila (in purple) is traveling 250 miles each way on a regular basis to tend to her elderly parents' needs, Susan (in brown) is starting over, Martha has had 3 kidney transplants and is gearing up for a fourth, and that I am still struggling with the repercussions of a stranger's suicide by car (mine).

We don't get together as often as we should, and it had been a long while since our last get-together. The hours passed much too quickly, just as the years have, but it was so comfortable, it was like not a minute was lost between us.

We needed this. And we will always need each other.

I Wish There Was Smellavision

Hubby sneaked these into the bedroom while I was gone and I smelled 'em before I saw 'em. Wowie-zowie!

Yellow Rose of Texas...er, California

Hubby brought me the first rose of the season, even put it in a "vase"!

My Mother's Hands

I was cleaning out a drawer when I came upon this, a tracing of my mother's hand one of my daughters did. It kind of took my breath away. I remember the day this was drawn like it was yesterday. I don't know what prompted me to date it, but I'm sure glad I did. I'm even happier my mother signed it, "Grandma."

My mom was always a good sport about stuff like this. When my girls were about 2 years old, one of them was bringing her Cheeze-Its crackers made into tiny sandwiches. She would eat it and then my daughter would be gone for a bit and return with another. Pretty soon I heard my mom say, "Wait a minute, what is this stuff in the middle, anyway?" and then she just laughed and laughed.

Turns out my daughter was chewing a cracker, spitting it out onto another one and placing another one on top of that, wha-la, cracker sandwiches!

The thing that really says it all about my mom? She knew how much fun my daughter was having, so she kept right on eating them.

32 Years

Married 32 years today! Some days it's a concert...

Other days, not so much...

For richer or poorer, sickness and in health, love reigns. Happy anniversary, babe.

Finding Joy

"Joy is a heart full and a mind purified by gratitude." Marietta McCarty

I am on a mission: to restore my joy. So, I thought I would share a few images that are helping me do just that.

A silly picture my daughters took of me while we were Skyping. I look clueless, which I probably was since I'm new to the Skype thing.

My sister Martha (on your left) makes me laugh, always.

Remembering the bouquet of flowers Dawn recently surprised me with fills me with joy.

As do the Ozzy stilettos Valerie treated me to.

Winning a contest on Twitter, shiny! I have images of my very own planet named "Dawtinium", woot! The contest sponsor was @kidsneedtoread; the prize was donated by @JiminSTLouis (who won the sponsor's auction for the prize then turned around and donated it!), which was a personalized high-def file of my planet created by artist of The Verse (Serenity) poster and so much more, @BenMund. He actually did two versions, one with rings and one without!

Joy also comes along with the feeling of relief. The other day, I couldn't find Patches anywhere. I searched and I searched and was about to push the panic button and burst into tears when I found her in the back yard. Digging. Drenched in mud, but looking every bit the puppy she must have felt like well over 13 years ago. I could not bring myself to scold her. It cracked. Me. Up.

Knowing my family genuinely loves my cooking (most of the time), especially my chicken strips, brings me joy.

I am the youngest sister of four brothers and two sisters, wife of over 32-years, mother of responsible, loving, adult identical twin daughters, caretaker of the furry kind, and friend and helper to many.

Feeling joyful this Mother's Day for I am truly blessed.

Father's Day

Gosh, it's already upon us! Happy Father's Day, Deni, my wonderful hubby, father of our duplicate daughters. I am remembering what an involved daddy you were when the girls were little, always willing to get up in the middle of the night, changing every sort of diaper they presented, teaching them how to play tic-tac-toe at the age of two-and-a-half, allowing them to put your hair in little ponytails (not just one or two, but a whole head-full!), helping them with their math homework, teaching them how to swing a hammer. So much of you are in them.

My own father passed away 26 years ago come the 18th of July, cancer, first of the throat then it spread to his lungs. It was difficult for an old 1st Sargent to lose his voice, yet he was humbled by this and rose to the occasion. I was blessed to be able to come home and fill in to help my mother and brother out with the foster boys while he recovered from his first surgery at Letterman Hospital in San Francisco. During his first hospital pass home, I was amazed at his new outlook on life. Instead of being depressed and withdrawn he was light on his feet and so happy to be alive! He was anxious to get back to living his hectic life, what a man. At this point, I thought there wasn't anything he couldn't overcome.


There wasn't much my father could not do for himself, which always made it difficult to surprise him on Father's Day and other holidays. So I was thankful to be able to sew him a variety of stoma covers (to cover the opening in his throat when he was out and about...he didn't want to startle anyone). It is something that sounds like nothing, but it brought him much delight.

My dad was nearing his 5th year of remission when cancer was discovered in his lungs. After the removal of one lung he was never the same. It was a tough surgery, even for an old dog-faced soldier like him. He'd had enough and went home to be with the Lord, surrounded by my mother, my sister Martha and her husband Larry. They sang hymns and prayed, and then my mom finally let him go.

When all is said and done, if I have been loved and respected half as much as my father, then I will have lived a full and honorable life. Happy Father's Day!

Mother's Day

This has been a tough one since losing my mother 6 years ago. I can still smell the beautiful long-stemmed red roses my dad would send my mom and see the sheepish smile on her face as each of us discovered them in all their glory.




While browsing Mother's Day cards for important women in my life, without fail, I end up with something in my eye. By the time I've read cards for every imaginable form a mother can be portrayed, it's all I can do to make it out of the store without an audible sob.

That said, I am gratefully blessed to have women in my life who have filled the empty places that still need a mother's nurturing and/or another woman's attention: Twila, Phyllis, Carol, Virginia, Velma, Jackie and...

JOYCE, my mother-in-law, a gracious woman who has never been one of those meddling in-law joke-types people so often laugh about. When we visit, which doesn't happen as often as we'd like as she lives more than 5 hours north of here, we just about shop till we drop. We are thrift-shoppin' buddies and do a good job at attempting to make up for lost time. We fill her van with all of our finds, stuff our faces at the local Chinese buffet then head home and melt. For all intent and purposes, I am her daughter.


MARTHA, my precious sister, best friend, teacher, mentor, confidant and prayer warrior. She is a major source of emotional strength and one of my biggest cheerleaders. I need not explain things to death for her to understand. Her wisdom comes, I'm sure, from her close relationship with the Lord. She is a living example of grace under fire, health-wise. Three kidney transplants and all that goes with it (including the meds that are meant to help), well, all I can say is that something hurts every day. Her faith and belief that God will heal keep her keepin' on, and I constantly stand amazed.


LAURI, my bestest friend in the whole-wide world! Although we live in different states and are lucky to see one another every few years, we talk almost daily. It is quite wonderful to have a friend of over 40 years, very uncommon for Army brats as military families tend to move around a lot. Her mother is the closest thing to an aunt I had growing up, something Martha and I have always treasured. I admire how much Lauri's three sons love and care for her, what a great relationship they all enjoy. The fact that we both have twins still blows me away...but I had mine first!


DAWN and VALERIE, my duplicate daughters, my fountain of youth! They keep me interested in life, always pushing me to learn new crafts, make new friends, and even got me off my butt and back to work part-time. They actually like to spend time with me, imagine that. Their love for me is constant and without it, well, let's not go there. I only dreamed I could be such good friends with my own adult daughters, it's almost, I say almost, more than my heart can hold.

Happy Mother's Day Everyone!