Heaven is His Home

I visited my dad that Friday, December 7.  He said he was having one of his best days.  He said he just didn't ache all over.  He exercised while I watched and we talked, just about this and that. I spent the afternoon with him alone, my mom didn't feel well and went home.  I left for home to attend a church Christmas party.

That was the last time I would ever see my dad again.  He went home to be with the Lord that night in his sleep.  The next several days were so hard, but we bonded together as a family and rallied around my mom.

So many of my friends have also lost their dad's this year.  I don't know exactly how to walk through this thing called grieving but I know I will have many friends that will help me through it because they also walked and are walking this road.

I don't know what the future holds ... but I know who holds the future.

Love you Dad -- see you again soon.

Blogging

I can't believe how long it has been since I posted. Apparently it has not been my priority.  I feel so terribly busy all of the time. Facebook has really taken away from my time here. I post fairly frequently there. But it is not quite the same, so I really want to get back to my blog.

My dad is still in the Nursing Home doing rehab and it is very slow going. We are hoping he will be home by Christmas. My family all gathered in a reserved room at the Nursing Home for Thanksgiving. It turned out well and even extended family dropped by. It was tiring for my dad, though, and it took a few days for him to get back to what is currently normal. Not sure yet what we will do for Christmas.

We are enjoying the Christmas season. Downtown Living Windows, Governors Mansion decorations, Cantorum, Mannheim Steamroller, church choir cantata, shopping, baking, sewing, two Christmas trees decorated, .....  Ok this is why I am tired!

Have a Merry Christmas!

Fall Bible Study

Second week of our Fall Bible Study.  Good to be back with friends, listening to Beth Moore speak about James this time, and praying for each other.  The study speaks of Mercy.  I'm looking forward to each week.

I'm having a hard time keeping up with my blog.  Facebook, Pinterest, life, new ideas, etc. are a few of the reasons why I'm lagging behind.  Also, my dad has been in the hospital off and on this year.  He is 82 years old and has many issues causing him problems.  It is hard to see him have so many challenges.  I know many of you have been exactly where I am right now.  He's looking pretty good in this picture taken last year.  He had 4 stints put in 6 months prior.  A couple weeks after this picture, he was on a ventilator.  Got through that but continues to have COPD issues and anything else that comes along can really cause him troubles.  Hoping and praying for better times ahead for him and my mother.

Taken last Christmas

Kenya Room

We remodeled one of our bedrooms in an African motif.  My husband travels to Kenya every year and brings back beautiful items that I wanted to display.  The room turned out better than I could even envision.  I have a few things to complete like a bedskirt, pillow shams and curtain ties.

Elephant Rocks

There is a State Park in Missouri called Elephant Rocks and it is beautiful, large granite rocks that you climb around. When you get to the top there is a great view of the valley and hills.  Close by is another State Park called Johnson Shut-Ins.  Both are a lot of fun.

Kate, Olive & Cora holding up the rock!  I also did this when I was little as well as my daughter
when we visited Elephant Rocks.  A right of passage!

Cora and Kate posing on top of the rocks

Beautiful view at the top

Johnson Shut-Ins State Park.  Water from the river flows over
the huge rocks.  Always a lot of fun.

The water is pretty low due to the drought we are experiencing

Blog

I recently stumbled upon this blog during the Chick-Fil-A thingee and really liked her perspective.  Her July 27 entry was very interesting.  Check it out:  http://jenhatmaker.com/home.htm

We don't have a Chick-Fil-A in town yet but I heard we were getting one.  Hope so -- everytime I've eaten there I have enjoyed it.

Annual Golfing and Antiquing Trip

My husband and I went on our Annual Golfing/Antiquing trip to Arcadia Valley Missouri area.  The antiquing and golfing both were so-so, but we had a great time spending time together doing some of our favorite things.  Also, our daughter and granddaugthers dropped by to see us and we enjoyed Elephant Rocks State Park and Johnson Shut-Ins State Park.  We had a great day hiking and swimming.

It was very hot, like it has been all summer, but we made do by a/c in the camper and antique stores and golfing early or late in the day.  It rained three of the four days we were camping, but we sure didn't get much at our home.  Lack of rain sure has been hard on our yard and plants.

I ended up only buying one item while antiquing -- an apothecary jar.  It is large and I have it on my entryway table but haven't figured out what to put in it yet.  I'll have picture of it in a future blog along with a room design we did in our home.

Camping at Johnson Shut-Ins State Park
Ironton, Missouri

Golfing at Arcadia Valley Country Club,
Ironton,  Missouri

Boulder Books and Mercantile, Ironton, Missouri

Silver Mines Quilts and Antiques
Fredericktown, Missouri

Southern Oaks Country Club and Estates
Fredericktown, Missouri
http://www.southernoaksestates.com/

Tablescape

Used some of my Kenya decorations for a dinner party.

I picked out these napkin rings when I traveled to Kenya.

Enjoyed putting out some of my Kenya souvenirs around our home.  We are remodeling one of our bedrooms and the souvenirs will find their home there.  Really looking forward to decorating the newly remodeled bedroom.  I will show pictures soon.  We went from pink and green wallpaper to beige painted walls.

Playroom Fun

My daughter and family came to visit us after the 4th of July.  We had a great time visiting and playing in the playroom with our granddaughters. They are growing way too fast.

Very seriously creating something with Play-Doh.

Making a pancake for Nana to eat!

Happy 4th of July

Happy 4th of July!  It is very, very dry here and very, very hot.  Many communities have canceled their fireworks display because of this.  Our town has not because the fireworks go off over a river.  Hopefully everyone will be smart and not cause any fires.  Sure would be nice to get some rain before the 4th.

The wreath in the picture was an idea I saw on Pinterest.  I see so many fun things on Pinterest such as recipes, design ideas, organizational tools, encouraging words, etc.  Are you a Pinterest follower?  Sometimes I get visually overloaded!

Enjoy your Independence Day.

Summer Pickin'

Time to pick some blackberries - they are everywhere!

Even with little rain, they are many that are very plump.

I may need to call in friends and family to help me pick!

Happy Father's Day

Latest picture of my dad (left) and his remaining brothers. 

My dad is 82 years old and just in the last couple of years having some health issues. He served in the Korean War prior to my birth and then settled close to his home town and retired as a Rural Route Carrier for the Post Office.  He is the oldest son and second born, but oldest living.  He and his brothers have some crazy stories they tell about growing up!  My dad married young (but probably not too young for the times) and he and my mom have been married 62 years.  Family is important and I am glad to have a loving, caring family for so many years and hopefully many more to come.

80th Birthday

We recently celebrated my mother's 80th birthday.  My mom's in good health and looking great for her age!  Hopefully this will be hereditary!

 

Vacation

It has been awhile since I have blogged because we have been on vacation, went to a family reunion and celebrated my mother's 80th birthday.  In other words, very busy!  We traveled to Door County, Wisconsin and camped in that area for a week.  We enjoyed our first visit to that area -- golfing, antiquing, hiking, lighthouse viewing, reading, etc.  It was fairly cool all week but enjoyable.  Here are a few pictures.

Lilacs were in bloom.  Really smelled good.

Coast Guard wouldn't allow me to get any closer!

Lake Michigan

Sunrise .. early morning trip

Anniversary

May 17th was our 32nd anniversary.  Where has the time gone?  We went out to eat at Les Bourgeois-Blufftop Bistro in Rocheport, Missouri with my brother and his wife.  The restaurant has a beautiful view over the Missouri River.  It was also Mother's Day weekend and University of Missouri's graduation, so the place was hopping!

This is one of our early dating pictures.  We haven't changed much - right?  Ha Ha!  Those were the days.

Sunroom

Our sunroom is finished and these pictures show the progress.  I am still looking for an area rug and a coffee table to complete the room.  My husband drew up the plans for this room and completed the project by himself with a couple of friends/family helping a few times.  We love, love, love this room.

Windows and walls up

Removing bay window into dining room

Double doors added

Putting ceiling up

 

Getting flooring down

Added trim and TV

Furniture bought and enjoying room

View from the outside - the sunroom is on the left

Pillow with White Buttons

This is my most recent craft project.  I made this for a friend's birthday.
I've made these for a few special friends and one for myself.
I need to check out Pinterest for some new ideas.  It is always fun
to make gifts for friends and family.

Blooming

The flowers are blooming early this year and they are so beautiful.  The grass is so green and the flowers vibrant. I love getting out with my Nikon D3000 using my 50 mm lens and getting these closeups.

American Idol

Are you watching American Idol this season?  I haven't watched this show consistently, but this year I have it recorded and watching all the performances.

Who is your favorite?  I'm a big fan of Phillip Phillips. He seems very authentic and a very different style.  A little like Dave Matthews and Joe Crocker.

Elise Testone is catching my attention more and more.  She also has a very different voice.  She hasn't had a great fan base, so I'm not sure how much longer she will make it.  I would enjoy her staying longer.

The next interesting singer is Colton Dixon.  His style is rock and a little harder than I normally listen to, but he is a great musician as well as singer.  He also wants to go into Christian music, so I'm a fan of that.

I would like Hollie Cavanagh to be the next one to leave.  She is just not very interesting singer to me.  Out of the remaining singers, probably the one hardest to beat will be Jessica Sanchez.  What an incredible voice.  Very disciplined and what a range.  Very pretty girl and seems very nice.  She's just not my favorite.

If you get a chance, check out the rest of the season.  There is some really great singing.  After Hollie is gone, the fans and the judges are going to have a really hard time figuring out who should go.

Ballet

Cora's first ballet lessons.  She is close to the end of the classes.  She really enjoys ballet.  

Nana was excited to watch her and take pictures. Isn't she really growing up?