The Excitement Is Building

 …The excitement and expectation of the arrival of Isabella Alaina. 

Our daughter Holly is 33 weeks along and doing so well, however the doctors do not expect her to go the full 40 weeks.  A week or so ago Holly and Richard were home (from Florida to Alabama) for a weekend filled with baby showers.  They received tons (really) of wonderful and thoughtful gifts, hugs, love and well wishes from lots of family and friends.  It could not have been any better.  Here are a few photos shots from one of the showers.

The door hanger I made which was hung on the door at the church

Thank~You favors

 

Daddy's Love Bug

Watermelon drinks in frou frou jars

with stripey paper straws

Richard and Holly with God's blessing

As you can see by the invitation insert above, we asked

that everyone attach a book instead of a card to their gift,

leaving a special note to Isabella inside.

She got lots and lots of books that we will enjoy reading to her.

 

This is the book I chose for her. It also reminded me

of Holly....when she was little, she loved to go!

I called her Holly-Go-Phillips!

On Monday we arranged a photo shoot for maternity shots of Richard and Holly.  They turned out so darn cute… thanks to the magic of Framed and Frazzled Photography.

She also took the shots at the baby shower too!!

~One of my faves~

~Too Sweet~

~~LOVE~~ 

After a FULL long weekend, Richard, Holly, Isabella and fur baby Willow returned home to Jacksonville and low and behold they got caught in the flooding from Tropical Storm Debby.  A portion of I10 was closed with water over the interstate so they had to detour which led them to an accident on I75…an 18 wheeler had overturned stalling traffic to a dead stop for miles.  Now use your imagination here with me and picture a 32 week pregnant woman sitting in stalled traffic in the pouring rain with a dog who has a small bladder.  Yep you guessed it…..they got out on the side of the highway in the rain….Hey nature calleth!  They finally made it home through more flooded back roads etc. which turned their 4.5 hour trip home into an 8 hour long tiring ride.  But God is good….He got them safely home….Amen.

Jackie and I have just returned from the 4^th of July long weekend visit, where we finished out Isabella’s nursery.  Well almost finished that is…they still lack the floor covering. They just purchased this house and the carpet was so bad it had to be ripped up....leaving a cement floor for now. 

There was a lot of painting, hot gluing, burned fingers,

and creating before it all came together. 

Happi Tree designs and the door hanger that I made.

This is the chest of drawers that we used for Holly when she was born.

Of course I had to strip it down to the wood and repaint it.

These are Holly's bonnets and baby shoes and

Richard's cap and his baby shoes.

This is a birdie mobile that I made.  They are made

from wood and match the birds in the Happi Tree design.

They hang in front of an antique framed mirror.

God is so good to us!

The frou frou corner.  Holly and I made the feathered lamp

and the feather and tulle covered table.

The rocker came from a dumpster in LA.  Holly found it one day and

it was in perfect condition....Jackie and I stripped it down and painted it.

See the before photos here in another post.

The changing table is an antique buffet which I painted, added

some scroll work and replaced the knobs with pink glass ones.

 From white feathers and tulle froufrou …all the way to hanging a mirror in an antique frame, everything turned out beautiful.  Holly wanted me to paint the brown baby bed….but I refused to paint another thing!!  It would have looked better maybe, but I think it looks very nice with the brown tree trunk and birdie limb hanging from the ceiling.  Next up in the near future is the flooring.
We cannot wait until the arrival of Isabella.....the excitment builds everyday along with a little anxiousness, but our faith and trust in the Lord far outweighs both! 

  Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh

 down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness,

neither shadow of turning.  ~James 1:17.



Shattered Dreams

We loved you from the very start, you stole our breath, you embraced our hopes and dreams.  You are a part of us sweet little one, and will live forever within our hearts.  Her name is Alaina Pearl.  Jesus calls her His angel.  She is also our angel, looking over us each day...Comforting her Mama and Daddy by blowing them sweet kisses each day. 

Life is so precious… grab it and hold on tight, never take anyone for granted as they can be taken from you in a heartbeat.  Tell them you love them every day. 

Why?  We asked that question over and over.  We still have no answer.  I feel like the harder I press for the answer the less likely it is to come. I guess time will tell, and maybe it won’t.  We struggle with the pain, the grief, the sorrow, and even anger for the unfairness of it all. I watch as my only child suffers mentally and physically…now she suffers a huge loss and has an empty spot in her big heart.  A spot that holds love for her baby and an over whelming sorrow that she is no longer here with us. I guess time and strength given through God will heal all that hurts.  But the memories never fade or go away.  Alaina came into this world quietly and left it with tiny angel wings.  She is loved.  She is precious.  She was our miracle. To love that precious little one is a love like no other.   It’s amazing how much you can love her when you never got to cuddle her in your arms, never got to look into her beautiful eyes, or see her precious smile as she giggled.

To lose someone you love is to alter your life forever…The pain weakens, there are others that come into your life, but the gap never closes…you never forget…The hole in your heart is the shape of the one you lost ~ no one else can fit in it.

Alaina sweet angel

I will visit with you in my dreams.  We will play together, read books, laugh and be silly and bake cookies.  I will love you forever and you will never be forgotten.  I will see you in heaven one day…Save a place for me.

Love, Your Grammie

Sometimes the things we cannot change…end up changing us~ 

 

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit

Psalm 34:18

Catching Up and Some Excitement

Gosh….I have missed being here!! So much as transpired since my computer went to its final resting place….now replaced with one that is more up-to-date and awesome. This 23” touchscreen is awesome! I’m back in the groove. As I told you in my last post, Mama fell and broke her hip…she is doing great now, having made it through a tough surgery and rehab, she is now walking with the aid of a walker…says she’s going to drive herself to an appointment next week…..guess we’ll see! God is good.

Now for the most awesome news of all…a miracle and a true blessing indeed!   My daughter, Holly, is pregnant!!! Yes, yes….I’m going to be a Grammie!!! Finally! We are all so excited!

Long story short…she and her hubby Richard were told they would not be able to conceive on their own, so after a few failed procedures; they caved, gave up and God blessed them! It’s all about His timing…right? Oh yes it is! Holly is right at 18 weeks along and will soon find out if we going to be buying pink or blue!

*insert huge smile and a giggle here*
I almost cannot contain my excitement! Their hopes and dreams were mine and now they are a reality for this family. Our first grandchild from an only child, a 10th great grand for my MIL and a 3rd great for my Mama and Daddy! Life is grand and great and most definitely 

What a wonderful Christmas it will be this year….with a due date of December 27th!

I will be staying busy from now until then….I have a rocker to paint and sew a pad for; I have bedding to sew for the antique cradle Jackie bought; and I have to sew a new high chair cover so that it will match Holly’s breakfast room. Plus I will have to throw in a few several trips to Jacksonville to see my growing daughter! Let the baby shopping begin!!!! *happy dancing*

Switching gears a bit…..I’m still saddened by the loss of my blogging friend, Char. I still cannot believe she is gone from us. She is truly missed and thought of often. Read one of my favorite posts by her, here~ A beautiful write with a beautiful imagination, which will carry you away. *I miss you my friend and fellow photographer*  Life is precious and fleeting, live it well, share it with others, and keep God in the mix…always! Build those memories...because sometimes that is all we are left with.  Quoting a friend of mine…"Took my grandsons fishing today. Caught nothing but memories."  How sweet is that?

I will be keeping you up to date as we stroll through the next 5 months, with our growing baby...as I know many of you can relate to this excitement with me. Until next time, which may be after a visit to Florida *heehee*... take care and blessings to you all.

Where O Where…

…have I been? Around the world and back it seems like. After spending 9 days in New Orleans helping Holly and Richard pack up all their belongings, then back home for a few days, then meeting them in Jacksonville, FL to help them unpack for 5 days……We are tired and beat!!! And now this week is dedicated to Bible School by helping out in the craft room with LOTS of kids!! Thank the Lord I’m able!   I do feel so behind in visiting with you all and missing out on your posts. My inbox was flooded and people were beginning to wonder what was going on! Thank goodness for Facebook as I tried to keep family and friends updated when I was able to get to a computer.

Our children are so proud to leave New Orleans in their past…it’s a nice place to visit, but they did not like living there. With their backs to Louisiana they headed out with smiles on their faces and Holly’s Murano loaded down, to include their three kitties and her new puppy as she followed a huge Penske pulling a small U-Haul trailer driven by Richard and his dog. What a site!!!  They made it as far as Tallahassee FL, stopping there for the night. Old friends of Richard’s family took them out for a steak dinner that night before they headed out again the next morning for Jacksonville. We rose really early that same morning to meet them in Orange Park (outside of Jax) to help unload. There are still boxes to be unloaded as I type this because of the cleaning we had to do inside and out of the house and Holly wants all the walls painted before hanging any pictures. You can only imagine their excitement going from a 2 bedroom 1 bath apartment to a BIG  house of over 2,000 sq ft.!! Talk about room to breathe!

Now for the reveal of the surprise that I painted for their new house... This initial “H” for their last name is now hanging on their front door.

Now you know the old saying "It’s a small world after all"…well it’s so true! From my postings on Facebook, a high school friend of mine had read about Holly and Richard’s move. Long story short…she lives in Orange Park also!! She came looking for the moving van on the street I had mentioned and found us! We had not seen each other in 30+ years. She welcomed the newcomers to the area by bringing us supper that night…fried chicken with all the trimmings down to dessert, sweet tea, paper plates and plastic forks!! She also provided Holly with addresses and phones of places she would frequently visit. How awesome is that? It also turns out a friend that Holly grew up with lives in the area too. They had not seen each other since Holly's wedding shower almost 4 years ago.  We all went out to dinner on Friday night and enjoyed some good steaks on Jackie’s wallet!! Awesome again!! Orange Park/Jacksonville has some wonderful friendly people living there!!

I also made this group of four 8x10 canvases for their Florida room which will have a beach theme when completed. They will hang inside of a large shabby frame over a vintage bookcase on one wall. These are decoupaged vintage photos from magazines and scrapbook papers, along with sticker letters. The paper flowers and large buttons give it some dimension and the brown ink gives it that grungy look.

 And here are Holly and Richard standing outside their new home…for the next four years anyway. Richard is stationed at Cecil Field with the US Coast Guard where he is a boat engineer. He will also be doing tactical training for helicopters pilots who will be chasing boats on water. He will be driving the boats running from the choppers! Note the yellow ribbon tied to the tree on the left. Richard’s sister is still in Afghanistan, due to leave and return home to the states mid June. Gosh it’s almost mid June now!!!!

This is Holly and her new baby…Willow... a Malti~Poo, which is a mix of a Maltese and a miniature Poodle. She is so cute and smart and Holly adores her….she treats her like a baby!! This pix was taken after a long day of working and unpacking so please excuse the looks….we were tired and Willow looks a little dirty from playing outside. She really liked the little pink plastic flamingo that I bought and put in Holly’s back flower bed near the bird bath. She thought it made an excellent teether for her baby teeth. Pink flamingo you ask? Well it’s a Florida thing…everyone has to have a least one! Haha…..

Holly and Richard live about 5 hours from us here in Alabama now, which is closer that NOLA and it’s a much easier drive, so we look forward to many visits back and forth!

Thank you for all the anniversary wishes…I hope we make 31 more years!

It's good to be home and settled down for a while.

Welcome to summer!!

May Flowers Bring...

...an Anniversary!

31 years today!

Jackie and I have been married for 31 whole years

and have known each other for 35!

WOW!

As most of you know, Jackie had been gone helping in north Alabama to restore electrical power to the tornado victims.  His company has had crews working since April 27, the day the tornados ripped through the north section of our state leaving miles and miles of devastation.  After 10 days of working 5-9 each day (that's backwards) he is finally home, being replaced by another crew.

After seeing him for 2 days...I left to go to New Orleans to help Holly and Richard with their packing for their BIG move to Jacksonville, FL.  I guess we'll get to see each other one day! 

He did call me this morning at 6:00 to wish me a Happy Anniversary!

Holly and I have been a little lazy due to lack of sleep...so we are slow in the packing department!

We went thrifting yesterday...no major finds except some good books and an old PassWord game complete in the original box with all the pieces, dated 1963, for 95 whole cents! 

Too cute!  Do you remember playing PassWord?

We then went to TGI Fridays to get a bite to eat and the Parmesan-Crusted Crab topped Flounder was to die for....it was delicious with jasmine rice pilaf and steamed green beans on the side!

Yep...I recommend this dish for sure!

We are going back out today to hit the other thrift stores...

the packing will just have to wait a while because the fun comes first!

I hope your week is fun too!

Take care and I will visit with you all soon!

Cora

~Google image for PassWord game

Learning 101

You can teach an old dog new tricks. Remember, you are never too old to learn.



Before we get started let me introduce Ms. Thang...better known as

Miss Thinks-She-Knows-It-All. Please do not mistake her for me.


Things I have learned…some the easy way…some the hard way.

~It doesn’t matter what time your family gets to your house, as long as they get there. Never mind that you told them all to be there at 1:00 and they showed up 20-30 minutes late.
~Dust isn’t important until it begins the rolling up stage and starts to crave carrots.
~No matter how hard I try, I still may fail, and often do.
~Worry is a product of the devil.
~Material things are unimportant in this world; however some just really make life a little easier…ie: mixer, dishwasher, dryer, recliner….do I need to go on?
~I have learned you can only eat so much…no matter how good it is.
~I have learned that the “change” this world needs comes from the heart and starts with me.
~It is easier to be nice and it doesn’t leave your feathers ruffled.
~I need to remember to put sunscreen on my neck with this new haircut….Yep!
~All people are not nice…Revenge is top on their list of priorities.
~Christ defeated satan on the cross; any power the devil has is what YOU give him.
~Your family can still hurt your feelings.
~I have learned that Jesus gives us second chances…remember Peter?  Look it up: Mark chapter 16.
~No matter how high gas prices get…people will still be burning it on the road.
~You don’t need to “cook” a pre-cooked ham! Warmed is just fine.
~Stay away from snakes.
~Carrot cake is considered a vegetable...right?  Oh thank goodness!
~I have learned that I CANNOT please everyone no matter how hard I try.
~Every prayer gets an answer, sooner or later, yes or no, and sometimes maybe.

Learning is a forever process…each day brings new challenges. Tomorrow will bring some for me as I have been dubbed for jury duty…I want to do my civic duty but I sure hope I do not get selected this time around…I don’t think I can handle it right now. Emotions are running high with several things that are being presented at this time. One of which is that my MIL is in the hospital. She got to spend her Easter weekend in CCU. She is out in a regular room now and is feeling some better.

I hope everyone had a beautiful and blessed Easter Sunday and that life continues that way. Smile and be happy when you can, give when you can, laugh a lot, and don’t forget to brush your teeth…it makes that smile prettier.  But remember above all, Jesus still loves you no matter what!

“Sometimes, if you stand on the bottom rail of a bridge and lean

over to watch the river slipping slowly away beneath you,

you will suddenly know everything there is to be known.”

Winnie the Pooh