They are calling it life threatening rain fall. I have never heard that in my life..
We have a creek behind the house but it is at least 25 feet lower than our home...
While in the Azores Dad sent home a pearl for me and one for Mom. Mine was a single pearl on a chain but Mothers was a pearl encased in a gold "cage" so to speak. Many years ago mom decided that she had lost her pearl. Dad and I search over the years and we never found that pearl. It was decided that it was lost forever.
It is mothers pearl. It is dull and worn and needs some TLC........ but after a little soap and water and some cleaning, it will look just like it did 50 years ago......... It is truly a pearl of great price. I will show you what it looks like after some TLC and a new chain.... I will wear it with great pride.
Newmarket England... 1966 I think. I was writing a letter to my mom and dad. I left when I was 17 and flew to England and was gone 3 years. I think in this picture I was home sick and words were not coming easy.
This one is of me and my brother Larry. Were were in mom and dads kitchen in Roff Oklahoma. I have no idea of why the face but I was the family clown and making people laugh was always something that brought me joy. The year must have been around 1976 give or take a year.
This one brings great joy to my heart. It is me and my mom and my son Darryl in the blue and son Chris in the red. In 1977 me and my Dad built a green house that was 50 x 100 feet and we were going to start a business. My Dad was a grower for years and he had a very green thumb. It was a beautiful thing and my days were filled with fun and laughter and playing in the dirt. It is my passion, always has been. Had I not been married to the son of satin it would have been a life long business but sadly it ended all too soon. Anyway, I have no idea who was behind the camera and what they were saying but I think I was busy and did not want to mess with them... hahahahah
I lost everything in my closet along with all my pictures of life from 1964 when I flew to England up until 1994. I traveled around the world from 1964 traveling to England and Philippines and Taiwan. We traveled all around Europe and saw Japan and many things in-between. All those pictures of me and my boys and places that we had seen were lost, along with my jewelry box with precious personal jewels from around the world. I never really gave it any thought until we were going through Mom and Dad's stuff and I discovered that there were a lot of pictures from those years.
I remember playing outside between grand moms and the new house being built. It was bitter sweet memories. I remember me and my two brothers coming home from school and seeing what the day had brought. This picture is of me standing in the living room looking out the picture window. You can see that the door is still not installed and the concrete blocks still sitting in the front of the house.
The wood burning stove! My sweet husband did a wonderful job! We still need to put trim around the tiles and put up the mantel. He did all the tile work himself and installed the stove himself. I guess the most tense time was when he was cutting a hole in the roof............... BUT he did good and we love it!
My son Chris... He bought me a bottle of Channel # 5 for Christmas. I don't know about you but it don't get no better!
MY SILLY BROTHER.......... He looks just like our Mom......... We laughed and laughed.
A gift just in time......... An ash vacuum for the fire place. Sure beats cleaning out by hand. A great gift and my husband, being the designated ash cleaner-outter was thrilled!
And last but not least, the cutest little mouse couch sitter I have ever seen. It was on the back of the couch at my cousins house Christmas Eve. I snapped a picture... I am going to make one!
The hope of Spring.
Happy New Year to each one of you and I pray that your New Year is filled with Jesus.
Here he is peaking out of his cage on his bed !
It is two years ago today that I stood beside my mom as she was taking her last breaths here on this earth. She was already gone, living between heaven and earth and I think more heaven at that point than earth. She has ceased to talk more than 24 hours earlier and she just laid quiet and her breathing became more shallow with the passing of time. I remember being by her side for hours and hours and I remember one of the very last conversations I had with her. I was begging her not to go. Please Mom, please Mom stay for a while, just a while. I would sit her up and try to get her to eat a bite or two and after just a few swallows, she would look at me and say "just lay me down Denise, I just want to lay down." I would lower her bed at her request and let her drift back to sleep as I stood and watched her breath. It soon became so painfully obvious to me that my mom had chosen to leave.
That early morning of September 15, 2010 sometime around 1:30 a.m. after losing her husband and being forgotten by one of her children, she slipped off into eternity. I remember the screams that were coming from my broken heart being the only sounds in the room. We were all there. I did not look at my brother Paul or brother Larry. I knew I could not bear to see their grief. I remember laying my head down on the side of her bed trying to muffle my screams.
I can tell you now, I did not do well. I have been missing from this blog for a long time and missing from life just as long. I have gone through emotions that I did not even had a name for. I have suffered with depression and anger and grief until I did not know if I would survive or even want to. BUT I can tell you this one thing, I was ALWAYS in touch with my Father God. There were days that I was out in my back yard screaming at HIM and venting all my hurt to HIM but I never stopped talking to HIM. You see, HE has big shoulders and HE is there to listen and understand. Too many time we are afraid to tell HIM how we feel but HE already knows so we might as well open up and let HIM begin to heal. HE is the only one that can heal the heart, the only one.
My brother Paul has been a source of comfort even though he is not one to talk about it much. He would listen.He has always said that the death of both parents were especially hard on me because of being a caregiver and I was right in the middle of watching them die. As I look back on the two years, I think he is right. The last two years of their lives were very very traumatic for them and hard for me to watch. I tried and tried to keep them healthy and alive. That was not God's plan.
Psalm 30:5 Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. I think it is now beginning to be my morning.
BUT it is time to sort this stuff and let some go and keep some things close to my heart.
The phone rang, it was Dad. I was so surprised to hear his voice. Dad I said, you cannot call me, you are in heaven. I know I know he said but I just wanted to call you and wish you much love on Valentine Day.
There on that porch I read a love note from my Dad. A valentine from heaven. Then I woke up.
You cannot tell me or ever begin to tell me that our Father God is not so in love with us and is so very interested in our lives. He delights in giving us gifts and sending us joy for a moment. HE knows how I grieve for my Mom and Dad and last night gave me just a sweet taste of the sound of my Dad's voice on the phone.
Me and my Dad were very close and he was my very best friend for many many years. We were involved in many different business adventures and we rode to work every day together in his old truck for many years. I still have the red tulip bulbs from a few years ago, a Valentines Day gift from my Dad.
Now the web site..
I have finished painting and putting up shelves in my shop and it looks really nice. I will take pictures and share. I also have my web site finished and am not putting up embroidery files to sale. I hope to have it all finished and loaded and up on the internet by the end of this month. I will have primitive dolls and pillows and stitcheries for sale. The embroidery files are for those that have home or industrial embroidery machines. I hope visitors find something that they just love.
So for now............. Happy Valentines Day to each of you...It seems that I have had my gift from God early.
