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/