My Sunday Morning

Sunday morning I went back to church. 

The second of the two times since Momma S got to the point where she couldn't go to church back in June.

I thought I would be tough.  I thought I would be okay.

I wasn't tough.  And I wasn't okay.

The ladies of the JOY class showered me with hugs and love and shared sadness over Momma S.

All I could do was cry...and cry...and cry...and they cried with me.

Somehow I made it through class.  Momma S's class.

This class is now MY class!  MY Sunday School home!

They have welcomed me as one of their own even though the class is supposed to be for 60+.

I am so thankful that God has put these remarkable ladies in my life.

I have so much to learn and they are ready and willing teachers.

I AM SO ABUNDANTLY BLESSED!

Getting back to me...

For the first seven months of this year, my husband and I shared the day-to-day care for Momma S while his brother took over at night.  All of our planning was around making sure she was taken care of, meals were planned and prepared, etc.  At the end of the day we were exhausted.  As a result, we pretty much did not take care of ourselves like we should have been taking care of ourselves and each other.

This week we are feeling more like ourselves and we're slowing getting back to "normal."  And, we've started going to the park after I'm finished with my work (I work from home).  Our county has some of the best parks - actually awarded best in the USA a couple of years ago by Sports Illustrated.  Last night, we did the 3.1 mile loop at Tribble Mill Park.  Tonight we did the 3.25 mile down and back at Harbins Park.  It wore me out.  My knee hurts, my shins ache, my thighs are sore, my tush is sore...BUT I FEEL GREAT!  Is that strange?  I don't think so.  Getting out there has been fabulous for my mental well being and over time it will be just as fabulous for my physical well being.

Please pray for us as we continue to heal from losing Momma S.  She would want us to take care of ourselves and get some good exercise.

Have a blessed, beautiful day!  Fall is on the horizon.  I hope you are feeling it too!

I rejoice in the fact that she no longer suffers!

Momma S received her angel wings in the early morning of July 31st. 

We had a private interment and her memorial service on August 4th.

D and I have cried many times while talking about Momma, her life and her legacy.

My heart hurts for me, but it breaks for him as we get through these days.

Since Momma came home from the hospital in January, all of our planning involved her.

It is so strange and unsettling to have this time, to not have to over think or over plan.

We are struggling to get back to some type of routine and it is hard.

We know without a doubt that Momma is with our Heavenly Father.

Even while we mourn our loss, we celebrate her gain (Phil 1:21)!

Melacholy and the Overwhelming Sadness

My mom-in-law came home from the hospital in January.

When she came home, hospice came with her.

With her illness, there were no expectations set with respect to how much time we would have with her.

Praise God she has been a real trooper for the last 7 months.

Lately there has been a tremendous change.

According to hospice, she is in the pre-active stage of death.

The pre-active stage of death can be 2-3 weeks, sometimes more.

Over the last few days, mom has told me she loves me countless times.

Over the last few days, mom has told me that I've been so good to her.

Over the last few days, mom has expressed abundant appreciation.

I am so thankful for this time with mom.

Selfishly, I want more time.

I need more time.

We haven't always been close.

There have been times when we didn't speak to each other for months.

I am filled with regret over the lost time.

I'm filled with sadness over what our relationship could have been.

What it should have been.

Sadly, a person got in the way...and we both allowed it.

There is no going back.

There is only here and now.

I will cherish this time that we measure, not in days but, in moments.

I will show her in word and in deed that I am here for her.

And I love her.

Flying the Friendly Skies - the Hipstamatic Way.

I missed posting for Hipstamatic Monday on the 4th.  It wasn't because I was out celebrating too late or anything along those lines.  I was T.I.R.E.D!  Tired seems to be my constant state these days, but anyway...

I traveled to Boston on June 28th to spend a few days at the office.  Every time I fly, I try to get a window seat so I can snap pictures of the clouds.  Below are several of the cloud formations I encountered on my trip to Boston.

Waves cascading...

Pretty in pink...

Pools of clouds - see the circles?  They aren't so much in the foreground, but they are in the middle and upper 1/3 of the shot.

How about a moon walk?

Cloud eruption.

Layers of clouds - I love the blue sky between the layers.

Love the layers so much here is another shot.

Do you see Tony the Tiger in this one?  I sure do!  Look right in the middle - I see two eyes, two half circle ears, a perfect big cat nose, a proud chin and prominent jowls and whiskers on both sides of the face.  "They're GREAT!"  And I just noticed that right above his head there is a squirrel riding on a motorcycle.  His face is right in the center above Tony's head and the handlebars extend on both sides.  No, I haven't been drinking.

Getting closer to Boston...

Looks like an aerial shot of waves, but it is definitely clouds.

And on my flight home - my view was, well, non-existent!  See for yourself...

Yes, Airtran, that is a nice shade of blue, but I don't care to look at that for 3 hours.  It was bad enough that my row mate was Gidget the Fidget for the entire flight and the lady behind me had to read aloud to her husband every article she found interesting in 'Go' magazine.

Just a Hipstamatic Monday...

Several of the blogs I follow have Instagram photography features each week.  I find that I am more likely to use Hipstamatic than Instagram, so I decided to start my own weekly feature called Hipstamatic Monday.

For my first feature, I took pictures around Momma S's house.  I also shook the camera to allow my lens and film to be selected for me.  I like the randomness of each photograph.

I love the typography on the face of this mantle clock.

This little owl was made by my husband when he was a little guy - not in June 81. 

This bright yellow dome umbrella just makes me happy.

Can you guess what this little brass turtle's purpose is?  He is a fire place match holder.  So cute!

I adore the top of this trinket box.

Pop's flag of honor.

One of mom's lovely tea sets. 

Hope you enjoy!!

A gift for baby Chase!

A friend of mine (and her husband) just had a precious, beautiful baby boy!  His nursery is FABULOUS!  Check out Cristi's blog, Charm Home, to see pictures of Chase and his awesome new digs!

As soon as I saw pictures of the nursery, I wanted to make a gift for Chase that would tie in with his nursery.  I knew I either wanted to do a paper cut or try what would be my first attempt at hoop art.  I decided to go with what I know and stick with a paper cut...an owl for baby Chase!  I tried to draw a template, but just was not satisfied with how that was going!  On an unplanned trip to the mall for an eye glasses repair for my husband, I walked into the little shop next door...and there it was!  The PERFECT template...on a PURSE!  At that point, I probably did something that will make some people mad - I took a picture of it...I didn't buy it!

Pretty cute, huh?  I increased the size, printed the image on plain typing paper, and stapled it to another white sheet of typing paper.  Then, I whipped out my self-healing cutting mat and Xacto knife and settled in for a 5 hour project of cutting...cutting...and more cutting. 

When I was done cutting, the print out looked like this:

And Chase's present looked like this:

  

And now it looks like this:

Yes, the pictures are horrible - that's what happens at 1:00 in the morning when I am bleary eyed and using my iPhone to snap pictures. 

I love how it turned out!  I love owls!  And I LOVE that baby Chase is here and healthy!  Congratulations to Cristi and Billy!
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With this post, I am participating in my first ever link party!  Please pop over to Carolyn's Homework and check out all of the other linked projects!