SisterBrendy's SIMPLY MARVELOUS LIFE

Tea Party with My Grand Daughter

2011-08-10T22:28:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure whether it is the freedom that comes with age, or the realization of how precious time is as we watch our grandchildren grow, but I find being a grandmother (Mimi is what my grand daughter has named me) is the role that has set my spirit free. Some days I find myself dancing to the 60's rock and roll music with her, other days, we act out the characters in the books we read together, and last week, we dressed up and had a proper tea party. Taylor, who is all of two years old, took the concept of dressing up for our tea party very seriously and one would have thought she had spent her life playing hostess at such events. As pictures often tell a story better than the written word, I think you'll see what I mean as I share pictures of our special, grown up tea party.

Summer Flowers

2011-07-05T16:06:00.000-05:00

Every time I sit down at my computer to blog about something, I sit....and I think....and I wonder....what should I blog about today? That little voice in my head tells me that surely I have much wisdom to share....after all, there aren't very many people who has experienced life quite as fully as what I have. Yes....but where does one start? The life lesson that I learned at age seventeen, that if you are in a careening vehicle going down a gravel hill, that you should think to pull your arm in the window before the car hits a bank and rolls over? Naw...I think most people know that already......Well, then, I could go way back and talk about the advantages of being the first daughter born, after having three older brothers born before me. I am thinking...what exactly were those advantages....other than learning how to fight like a boy with my fists and winning spitting contests? Perhaps that I learned vocabulary that had me sitting in the time out chair more than I care to remember...Surely I could fill pages of what it was like to grow up in the 60's and having the distinction of being labeled as one of the first hippies (note...word pronounced as if it was a bad word) in our small high school. On the other hand, my parents could have written the book on how to raise a rebellious daughter, who stood up for what she believed in and snubbed her nose at what she didn't. In fact, if I could ask my precious Dad one thing, I've always wondered why he made the statement that he would raise those three boys all over again rather than raise one Brendy through her teenage years.

So you see my dilemma when I sit down in front of my blog, trying to decide what I should write about. Really......where does one start? One of these days, I'll figure that out and share those delightful stories with you. In the meantime, I'll be safe and share some pictures of my SUMMER flowers......

Yea....spring has sprung!

2011-04-20T18:02:00.000-05:00

Is is just me or does it seems like this past winter lasted forever? Maybe it has been because I have been cooped up most of the winter, but I feel like a bear who has been hibernating in a cave for the last six months!

But, I am so happy to say that I think that Spring has finally arrived. I always look forward to saying good bye to the cold Ohio winters. I admit to suffering from the Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and spring fills me with a sense of renewal and energy. I think I can best share with you what spring means to me through some pictures I recently took. The first one is a picture of a painting that I just completed for my Mom. Working in her flower beds gives me such pleasure and I wanted to paint a Happy Flower Picture to share with her the joy I feel when I am spending time with her.

The next two pictures show you my biggest source of joy, my two year old granddaughter, Taylor. She loves helping MiMi in my own flower beds and she is helping me dig up dirt in the first picture. The second picture is a favorite of mine so I'm sharing it with you too.

The last pictures are my spring flowers in bloom. When they begin blooming, I know for sure that spring is finally here!

Yep! I love spring.....for so many reasons!

Missing my Little Store - SisterBrendy's Antiques and Novelties

2011-03-18T22:47:00.002-05:00

It is hard to believe that it has almost been three years since I closed my store in the historic district of Nelsonville. I enjoyed the camaraderie of close by store owners, namely Susan and her dear mother at The Nelsonville Quilt Company http://www.nelsonvillequilts.com/ and Jenn at Nelsonville Pottery http://www.nelsonvillepottery.com/. They were located just across the street from me and were such a big help after I bought my store on a whim while picking up a piece of furniture that I had previously bought. That's right......I walked into the store to pick something up and left, becoming the official store owner the very next day. Need I say that my husband was not pleased? In fact, it was due to his illnesses that I decided to give up my store and focus on him and his health. Little did I know that it would be me that would suffer the next years from kidney stone disease, of which I am still dealing with.

Back to SisterBrendy's.......It didn't take me long to figure out that being the proprietor of a small store also meant that you are the clerk, decorator, buyer, bookkeeper and janitor. There were nights when I worked so late into the night that I would pull an old quilt and pillow off the shelf and sleep on the floor. I never dreamed that I would have the energy to devote that kind of commitment to a business, but when it is something you love doing, it doesn't seem so bad.

Here are a few pictures of SisterBrendy's that I pull out and reminisce over when I need to bring back those great memories.

DOUBLE CLICK ON PHOTOS TO ENLARGE

For those of you who are are still able to maintain a brick and mortal store, I hope the stories that your customers share with you and the many kindnesses shown to you by those customers who keep returning, fill your heart with joy. Are you or have you ever been a store owner? I would love to hear about the kind of stores that are out there. Do you have any advice for new store owners?
If you will be in Southeast Ohio on Friday, March 25, 2011, don't forget that it is Final Friday in Nelsonville and the stores will be bursting with new items, new displays and lots of people to meet. Maybe I will see you there! Don't forget to stop in the Nelsonville Quilt Company and Nelsonville Pottery and be sure to tell Susan and Jenn that SisterBrendy said Hi! Follow this link for more information about Nelsonville's Final Friday Event. http://www.athensohio.com/whattodo/final-fridays-on-the-square

I'M BACK...WANT TO SEE WHAT HAS KEPT ME BUSY?

2011-02-04T18:22:00.004-06:00

I believe that I've already mentioned that I am a Piddler of All Things and a Master of Nothing. You might also want to make note of the fact that I am easily distracted and tend to jump from one type of project to another. I'm not sure what sparked my interest in wanting to draw and paint, especially since I could not even draw a stick man to look like a stick man. But because I've had a lot of down time after the wedding of my daughter due to illness, I decided to pursue this media of drawing with colored pencils and then progressing to paints. I am still very much a piddler at this and don't expect to master this hobby any better than I have my hobbies of the past. But I do have to tell you, the act of being focused on transferring something I see or feel within me...to paper ....has been far more rewarding than I would have ever guessed. That is why I am putting my "piddle work" out there for you all to see. I thought I should share what has occupied my hands and mind these past months while I have suffered from kidney stone disease. (To tell you about that would take many blog pages, so I will just say that the words frustration and pain does not give a clue to what I've been through!) Thankfully I had pencils and paper handy to pick up and play with when nothing else would hold any interest. I tell you this because I believe my "piddling" kept me from nose diving into a depression when I missed countless family gatherings and get togethers with my friends. So my message in sharing my very amateur drawings is to never be afraid to try something new. By keeping my hands and mind busy, I was not able to dwell upon my physical and mental health brought on by my illness. In closing this post, I will add one more drawing to share with you. It is of a young woman, not anyone I know or have seen, just someone who appeared upon my paper. I hope you have enjoyed a small part of me that I have chosen to share with

Jenna’s Wedding

2010-06-21T14:17:00.003-05:00

On April 3, 2010, my lovely daughter was married to the Man of Her Dreams, Jon David George. All of her wedding plans came together so beautifully and this mother of the bride was awed by her daughter’s ability to create her wedding just as she wanted it to be. She had everything planned right down to the last detail! First of all, I need to tell you that she was the most beautiful bride I had ever seen. This picture captures her personality so beautifully.

The reception decor blew me away when it all came together…the little flower pots were filled with perennial flower seeds to be planted in honor of Jenna’s beloved Grandma Thompson, who underwent her second mastectomy last year due to breast cancer. The entire theme of the wedding was to honor her grandma and all women affected by breast cancer. Note the picture of her wedding cake with breast cancer ribbons adorning it.

Last, but certainly not least, is a picture of Jenna with her grandma….

An Uplifting Letter From My Sister

2010-04-09T13:41:00.001-05:00

In response to my below post, my sister sent me the following email. She wasn’t sure how to add it to my blog, so I told her I would add it here. She has always known just what to say to make me feel better. Indeed, the help she and my sister Trisha so lovingly provided to Jenna, along with their lovely daughters, added so much to the wedding and reception. I will post more on the wedding as soon as we get the pictures back from the photographer. Let me just say, it was everything that Jenna dreamed that it would be.

Dear "Mother-of-the-Bride,
I marvel as I watch Jenna prepare for her wedding. She's a girl who does indeed know what she wants after all. She has made her own decisions and is making this wedding a statement of the incredible young lady she has grown into.
She didn't get there by herself, you know. It was her mother who very carefully molded her into the beautiful soul that she is. It was the delicate and devoted love and labor, the "lead by example", the ability to step back and be that "hidden" angel who has expected nothing in return for the million and one things you have done for her. That was your part in this wedding, dear sister. You did the hard part....now this is your chance to sit back and marvel at "a job well done". Enjoy the beauty of the moment and feel the pleasure of watching this precious young lady walk into a new life of love with the little package you have been preparing for the last 23 years, neatly tucked away in her heart. She will unfold that package each and every single day for the rest of her life...when it comes to decorating her house, her style may be different, but she will draw on her mother's ability to make a home "cozy". When she entertains, she will draw upon her mother's warmth and hospitality, making each and every person that enters her home feel welcome. When it comes to loving her husband, she will draw upon the same passion and devotion that she saw you give to Sonny through the years and she will know that when the "honeymoon" wears off and the real life begins and at times feels difficult, that its the stamina and ability to ride the storm that she so often watched her mother do, that will get her through the tough times. She will know how to balance work and home with time management skills that only a loving mother can do, because there will be years when it would be impossible to "do it all" without that super power in the depth of a mother's soul that develops from shear love and devotion.
Okay, I'm not sure if she will ever be able to fold laundry like you...who could?! There are so many things about filling your shoes that will be difficult to attain. I know.....believe me, as your younger sister, I have tried...always. I have learned to take all the special qualities of you that I admired and make them my own. You taught me so many things that I never could have been without your guidance...
Yes, Jenna is doing this wedding her way. But you gave her the priceless gift of "independence" and because of that, she has the ability to plan a wedding and walk into a whole new life of happiness. She's doing a "breast cancer" theme because you taught her that its not "all about her" and shared with her your incredible unselfishness and the ability to give to others in a unbelievable way.
My prayer for you is that you are able to sit back and ENJOY THE MOMENT and relish in A JOB WELL DONE and savor the beauty and wonder of this precious girl growing up. This is not losing a daughter, but gaining the joy of watching her develop a new life of her own.
And thereafter.... I pray that you welcome every new day as a fresh beginning in God's grace and allow your own world to be made new.
You and Jenna are so, so, dear to me!!!! What a pleasure it is for me to share in this most special event.
Love you, SisterBrendy,
Jeannie

JENNA’S WEDDING JUST FOUR DAYS AWAY!!!

2010-03-30T19:54:00.001-05:00

Eight months ago, when Jenna got engaged in Myrtle Beach, it seemed like a very long time before the actual wedding would happen. I envisioned lots of mother/daughter time being spent together as she would give me feedback on the great ideas I would come up with for the romantic fairy tale wedding/reception. I am a lover of old lace, ruffles, candlelight, distressed, chippy white paint…you know…the stuff that oozes with romanticism? To give you an idea of my style, let me show you a backpack that I would die for….this is made by artist, Robin, of Magnolia Pearl…..

Is that not the most gorgeous backpack you’ve ever seen? Well, Jenna doesn’t agree with me. Thus, the problem with my planning her wedding….

She did not like any of my fabulous ideas! Can you imagine such a thing?

Me, her mother, who has so lovingly planned her entire life, is suddenly expected to take a backseat and allow her to take the reins, and (gasp!) plan her own wedding! In the way that she has envisioned it in her own mind? She has chosen her wedding day theme around the Breast Cancer Ribbon, to honor a very special woman in her life…her soon to be 87 year old grandmother who is a breast cancer survivor and inspiration to all who knows her. She had her first bout with breast cancer 25 years ago and underwent a mastectomy and not a peep from that dreaded disease until a year ago, when she underwent her second mastectomy at the age of 86. She took one (no, that is not a typo) pain pill the first night she came home from the hospital and that was only because we encouraged her to do so. She never complained once about pain, nor the fate of having to face two mastectomies 24 years apart. I hope to be just like my Mama when I grow up. But I am amazed that this child of mine chooses, not my frilly, lacy, ruffles for her wedding theme, but a breast cancer theme to honor not only her grandmother, but all women who has had to suffer from this cancer. Is this my daughter, the one whose universe has always circled around her and her needs? Although I am very touched, it also frightens me a little. This is the girl, who the night before a school project was due, would come to me, pleading, “Mama, would you help me with this, you always have such wonderful ideas…..” Now, suddenly, she doesn’t seem to need or want her Mama’s ideas. What is this Mama to think? Doesn’t she know that mothers’ plan weddings and daughters sit back demurely agreeing to everything we suggest, loving each and every idea that comes out of our motherly minds? She even has the audacity to choose her own music! No Wedding March for her, no sir ree! The wedding party will come down the aisle to the beat of some song called Bubbly (of all things!) by Colbie Collait. And then when her Daddy walks her down the aisle, she is determined to make me cry by having the Tim McGraw song, My Little Girl, ….now you tell me…who gets walked down the aisle to that tear jerker? We did however, agree on one thing, and that is the fact that Jon David (her fiancée’ has two sisters who has voices like angels and they are going to sing the Shania Twain/Bryan Adams song, From this Moment on…during the lighting of the unity candle. The final song selection will be by Jason Mraz and Colbie Collait, called Lucky. Don’t tell Jenna, but after the rehearsal, it all seemed fitting, somehow and “so Jenna.” At the end of the day, this mother of the bride, has to admit, that

it Really is……

all about ….. the

Bride and Groom.

But, shhh! Don’t tell Jenna that I admitted this, it’s a surprise that I want to share with her on her wedding day………

Basement Tour Continues

2010-02-02T13:50:00.001-06:00

My basement is pretty much open, except for the furnace enclosure right smack in the middle of the basement. There is also the fireplace that sort of makes a wall. So if you can envision a large room with a wall in the middle (think of the open area as a racetrack), you can envision, for the most part, the layout.

Just past the sitting area is where I have my art area set up. I found a nice old square table at a yardsale that I use for my worktable.

As you can see, this is not what one would really call a “finished basement”. It is actually quite rough. The ceilings sag, the paneling bows, doors don’t quite close, etc., but paint on the walls and floors made a big difference and it works for my needs.

Against this wall on the left, there is a door to a storage unit, and along the short wall, I have a little area set up where I design my purses. As you can see, I have several in progress…a stage they have been for many weeks now.

What would we do without our inspiration boards? Tomorrow I’ll share pictures of my furniture rehab areas.

Still Organizing My Basement!

2010-01-30T22:58:00.001-06:00

I really should have taken pictures before and after my basement cleanup because you just cannot appreciate how much work I really accomplished down there this past month without the before pics. oh well…let me share the “after” photos with you and you can guess on the “before”. Just use your imagination and think CLUTTER!

tHE FIRST PICTURE ABOVE SHOWS THE AREA YOU COME UPON WHEN YOU FIRST COME DOWN THE BASEMENT STAIRS. I DECIDED TO MAKE THIS MY SITTING AREA. THERE ARE A COUPLE OF DIY PROJECTS HERE THAT I’LL MENTION BRIEFLY, AND IF YOU WANT MORE DETAILS, LET ME KNOW.

THE FIRST IS THE COFFEE TABLE. THE TOP WAS PRETTY ROUGH WHEN I BOUGHT IT AT A YARDSALE. I HAD TO DECIDE WHETHER TO DO SOME HEAVY DUTY REFINISHING ON IT, OR GO WITH THE DISTRESSED LOOK BY PAINTING IT. I DIDN’T KNOW WHICH WHEN I STARTED. I BEGAN BY USING A SHARP EDGED WOOD CHISEL TO TAKE THE TOP LAYER OF FINISH OFF. THEN I SANDED THE ENTIRE SURFACE WITH A LOW GRIT SANDPAPER. THERE WERE SOME DEEPER GOUGES IN THE WOOD THAT WOULD HAVE TAKEN A LOT OF WORK TO SAND DOWN, AND I REALLY LIKED THE CHARACTER THE MARKS LEFT IN THE SURFACE. SO, I DECIDED TO TRY THE DISTRESSED LOOK ON THE TOP ONLY. I APPLIED A COAT OF CREAMY OFF-WHITE PAINT, LET IT DRY, AND THEN SOFTLY SANDED IT AGAIN WITH THE LOW GRit SANDPAPER. I APPLIED THE SECOND COAT AND AGAIN SANDED IT. THIS REMOVES ANY BRUSH STROKES OR PAINT BUILDUP FROM TOO MUCH PAINT ON YOUR BRUSH. aS YOU CAN SEE, I ALSO PAINTED THE SIDES OF THE TOP. ONCE THE SECOND COAT WAS DRY, I TOOK THE SAND PAPER AND LIGHTLY WENT OVER THE CURVED CORNERS AND OTHER AREAS WHERE THE TOP AND SIDE MEET. YOU CAN SEE THE WOOD UNDERNEATH WHERE I DID THAT. I ALSO DID THAT IN A FEW PLACE ON THE TOP ITSELF. IT’S KIND OF A TOUCHY FEELY PROCESS, BECAUSE YOU WANT IT TO LOOK WORN AND DISTRESSED BY USE RATHER THAN BY SANDPAPER. IF YOU GO A LITTLE CRAZY WITH THE SANDPAPER, YOU CAN ALWAYS APPLY MORE PAINT AND THEN SAND AGAIN. WHEN FINISHED, I WAS VERY PLEASED WITH THE END RESULT AND REALLY LIKE THE COMBINATION OF PAINT AND WOOD.

THE OTHER PROJECT WAS A QUICK FIX I DID TO COVER THE OTTOMAN. MY DAUGHTER HAD A DOG THAT LIKED TO LIFT HIS LEG ON THE BOTTOM OF THE ORIGINAL OTTOMAN COVER….IF YOU GET MY DRIFT. IT WAS ATTACHED TO THE OTTOMAN AND NO MATTER HOW I TRIED, I COULD NOT GET THE STAINS NOR THE SMELL OUT. I DECIDED THE ONLY WAY TO GET RID OF IT WAS TO CUT IT OFF, WHICH I DID AND IT LOOKED AWFUL…SO I HAD TO COVER THE WHOLE THING SOMEHOW. NOT SURE WHAT I WAS DOING, I GRABBED SOME FABRIC AND CUT OUT A PIECE FOR THE TOP OUT OF A HEAVIER, SOLID PINK MATERIAL. I PINNED IT DOWN INTO THE SEAM AROUND THE EDGES. I THEN TOOK A PIECE OF WHITE COTTON AND ANOTHER OF PINK COTTON AND DECIDED TO USE THEM TO GATHER AND PIN TO THE TOP OF THE FABRIC I PUT ON TOP. ARE YOU FOLLOWING ME SO FAR? MAYBE I SHOULD PUT A CLOSEUP PICTURE HERE.

AS YOU CAN SEE, I ALTERNATED MY FABRIC PINK, WHITE, PINK, WHITE. I DID THIS BECAUSE I DID NOT HAVE ENOUGH ON HAND OF THE PINK AND WHEN I WANT TO DO SOMETHING, I WANT TO DO IT RIGHT NOW, WITH WHAT I HAVE ON HAND. AFTER CAREFULLY USING LONG UPHOLSTERY PINS TO PIN IN PLACE, I THEN TOOK A PIECE OF BRAIDED TRIM AND HOT GLUED IT TO THE FABRIC TO COVER UP THE PINS. WHOO-LA! INSTANT OTTOMAN COVER! KEEP IN MIND, THIS WOULD NOT HOLD UP TO A LOT OF WEAR AND TEAR! I CAN SIT ON IT WITHOUT DISLODGLING THE PINS, BUT I WOULD NOT TRUST IT IF I HAD SMALL CHILDREN ABOUT. BUT IN A QUICK FIX SITUATION, THIS WORKS GREAT AND I HAD IT DONE IN ABOUT 1 1/2 HOURS.

NEXT IS A PICTURE OF THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THIS SITTING AREA, WHERE THE FIREPLACE IS. THE FUTON ABOVE FACES THE FIREPLACE.

I SEE A FEW THINGS IN THIS AREA THAT YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN, BUT I’LL SAVE THOSE FOR ANOTHER DAY. TOMORROW I’LL TRY TO POST MORE PICTURES OF MY “CREATIVE SPACES” IN THE BASEMENT. HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS LITTLE LOOK-SEE AND PROJECT BRIEFING. I’M REALLY GOING TO TRY TO FOCUS MORE ON THIS TYPE OF POSTING IN THE FUTURE. I’M STILL FINDING MY WAY ON THIS BLOGGING VENTURE….SisterBrendy

CHRISTMAS ANGEL

2009-12-16T01:34:00.000-06:00

The holiday season of 1977 was magical in every aspect. I was in love with my husband of two years, living in my dream home for the past year, working at a job that I loved, my life was right on track. Christmas decorating was done, shopping completed, presents wrapped and placed under our tree, and we were counting down…… not for Christmas, but for the birth of our first child. The due date had come and gone, and finally on December 22, I decided to start my maternity leave, baby or not. I was so ready to be a Mommy.

As Christmas morning dawned, so did the first twinges of labor pains. We gathered everything together and left, not for the hospital…..I had to go to my Mom and Dad’s first….it was Christmas morning after all! It was early afternoon when we finally left their house to go to the hospital. Everyone hugged, and I promised to call as soon as the baby arrived. But it was a long wait. I thought I was in “hard labor” when we arrived at the hospital, sure the baby would soon be making it’s appearance, only to find out that I was dilated 1/2 centimeter! It didn’t get any better and Christmas Day came and went. But finally at 2:20 a.m. December 26th, which was also my baby sister’s birthday, Megan Elizabeth made her way into the world. My angel……from the minute I first held her.

Before I knew it, we were celebrating her first birthday.

She was the happiest baby ever. Every time you looked at her, she was smiling. My life was complete. The next thing I knew, she turned two!

She only grew more beautiful and still kept smiling…until late March, 1980. She started getting such bad headaches and was admitted to Children’s Hospital to have the experts figure out why. At first, they could only say that maybe she was suffering from migraines, even though that was unusual for someone so young, and they sent us home. A month later, she was still having the headaches and she would thump her left eye and cry.

This is a picture of her taken around Easter.

One night at 11:00 p.m., I called her pediatrician and told her, “there is something wrong with my baby”, and she said, “that’s all I have to hear, we’re getting her back up to Children’s Hospital tomorrow”. That is when the CT Scan showed she had a brain tumor. That was in May, 1980. The tumor was on her pituitary gland and although it wasn’t malignant, there were many complications over the next several months as we found out her pituitary gland wasn’t producing any hormones. We had to give her very painful growth hormone shots every other day, in addition to a whole days schedule of medications…..but she never complained. She bounced back into being the happy, smiling little girl she was before. While she was in ICU, she told us that Jesus had come to visit her. She was only 2 1/2 then. How could you not believe that he had not?

This is our beautiful girl in August of 1980, just a few months after her surgery, still happy and still smiling!

We cherished each day as she continued to grow and get well. She soon turned 3 years old, this little angel of ours. By the following Easter, her hair had grown back and you would never guess she’d had surgery a year before. That smile was brighter than ever!

In late spring or early summer, our dear friend, Agnes Leasure, who was Megan’s babysitter, let her sit outside on the porch swing while she watched her from the window. She could see that Megan was looking up, talking to someone and as she couldn’t see anyone, she went outside to see who she was talking to. There was no one there. Agnes asked her, “Megan who were you talking to?” Megan replied, “My friend, Jesus. He’s with me all the time”. Agnes asked what they were talking about. “He was telling me about heaven. Have you been to heaven?”

On July 27th, 1981, Megan went to heaven. Suffering from complications from a virus that her body couldn’t fight off, she went into a coma. She had been in a coma for 11 days. I sat alone one night after the doctors had told us that Megan’s EEG (a test which measures electrical activity in the brain) had shown no brain activity. They would, of course, repeat this test, along with other tests, but they wanted to let us know they did not expect any change. We should expect that she was brain dead. After pleading with God to not take her from me, then threatening God if he did, Jesus came to visit me, in the form of a nameless, faceless, woman . At 2:00 in the morning… in the lobby area near the hospital chapel. This woman came in and sat down beside me and started talking. I didn’t even look at her. In fact, it made me angry that she was intruding upon my self imposed isolation, but she did not expect any conversation or compassion from me. Softly, she told me that she visited the chapel every night, to pray that God take her son home to heaven. He had to be fed through tubes, wore diapers, didn’t know her or even that he was alive and had been like that for 12 years. She wanted so badly for his soul to be released so he could be an angel in heaven, rather than have his body chained to earth, where there was no joy for him. As soon as I realized that she had just just portrayed the kind of life that I might have been threatening God for Megan to have, I looked up, but she was no where within my sight. Did I imagine her? No, I believe, as Megan did, that Jesus came to visit me that night. I ran back to the chapel, took back my threats and turned my precious Megan over to him. I know she dances with the other angels now. I hope that she dances with the son of the woman who came to me as Megan’s Jesus. Sometimes, when I’m sleeping, I can almost feel her light footsteps dancing right over my heart.

I still wake up each morning grateful for the many gifts that God has blessed me with. So if your holiday gets stressed and you wonder why we go through the glitz, the pressure, and the headaches that goes with the holidays, take a moment and think of all that you have to be grateful for and why and who we are really celebrating this Christmas season. All my love, SisterBrendy

I'm Still Here...Just Busy!

2009-10-10T01:41:00.003-05:00

Taylor "stroller cool" at Great Grandma Thompson's recently. Can you believe she 6 months old already?

I don't want you to think I've given up on my blog, it's just that things have been a little busy around here lately. First, my hubby got sick with the flu and ended up in the hospital, then a kidney stone hit me and knocked me off my feet for a couple of weeks, (boy do I hate those things!) I've been watching my precious little granddaughter several days a week, trying to spend a couple of days up at my Mom's every couple of weeks, still trying to organize my basement, working on making fall and Christmas wreaths, picking up my paintbrush here and now, working with Jenna on her wedding plans, trying to get in some Christmas shopping when time allows.....and the list just seems to go on and on. So much for being retired, right? Life is good and I continue to be blessed by the love of family and friends. Tomorrow is hubby's birthday, and twice a year, there is a huge flea market held at the Scioto County fairgrounds, which just so happens to coincide with his birthday this year. That's where we'll be tomorrow (well I guess I should say today, since it is 2:00 a.m.) It is so huge, we never get to see everything before we poop out. We don't often do things together, so I'm looking forward to our outing. I'll let you know what kind of goodies I find and bring back with me.......until then, look for the small joys in your life and be thankful for them!

Jenna is Engaged!

2009-08-10T18:38:00.001-05:00

Yesterday my husband and I celebrated our 34th wedding anniversary and it appears that next spring we may be “empty nesters”!

Our daughter Jenna, was vacationing in Myrtle Beach with my sister Trisha and her family last week and one of them suggested going to a local fire department to buy a tee-shirt for her boyfriend of three years, Jon David, who is a firefighter and paramedic in Ohio. When they got there, they were told they did not sell tee shirts, but they were giving tours of the firehouse that day. So, they enjoyed a tour throughout the building and at the end, they asked if the girls would like to pose for a picture with one of the firemen who was dressed in full fire gear, for their website. Jenna and her cousin Marci jumped right in for the picture.

The “tour guide” then said the firemen would remove his gear so they could see that he was just a regular guy, since many people thought the mask made firemen look scary. As he removed his hat, he started walking towards Jenna and she thought, what in the world? Does he think I’m going to help him take his gear off? As she started to back up a bit, he removed his mask, got down on one knee, opened up a ring box, and said, “ Will you please marry me?” It took her a few seconds to realize that it was Jon David, who she thought was back in Ohio before she could answer, “Yes! Yes!”

When it was over with, Jon David finally got to enjoy the beach with his fiancée and I get to help plan a wedding!

It should be noted that Jon David could not have pulled this off without the help of Jenna’s cousin, Micah and later on, her Aunt Trisha and cousin Marci. Of course, her Uncle Steve will be the pastor who will officiate the wedding next March, so as usual, it’s “all in the family”!

Marci, Micah and Jenna, and I think that is Caleb squashed beneath his older brother!

Collections

2009-07-19T03:27:00.001-05:00

I’m thinking I need to cut down on the number of things I collect. I was just going through some pictures and it made me realize that maybe my collecting craze is getting a bit out of hand. Give me your thoughts on this. Here are a few pictures of just a few of the things I like to collect.

#1 I LOVE Buttons

I have buttons of every color. ……and every type….

such as pottery buttons

and jeweled buttons

all grouped by color or shape or type and placed on a shelf where I can play with them!

#2 And then there are my Marbles….

I sort of have them everywhere….

You can’t really tell by the picture above, but the drawer pulled out is my collection of vintage trims and ribbons and on top, among various other things, you’ll see a box lid filled with more marbles!

I don’t have any rhyme or reason to what I collect. If it brings pleasure to my eye or my heart, it is worthy. Such as these small oil cans.

And this collection of Vintage Hats…..These things “speak to me”, oh whatever!, but I end up dragging them home and the next thing I know, I have a collection going on.

Sometimes I don’t get carried away, I just like one or two of something and then I can fit several “collections” into a neat and tidy space, like this.

These are just a few of the many collections I have. I just happened to already have pictures of these. I’ll share others as I take more pictures. (I still have that new camera on my wishlist!)

Sweet Dreams

2009-07-10T04:33:00.001-05:00

I downloaded a new program tonight, Paint.NET, and spent hours trying to figure it out. I’ve never worked with Photoshop or other like programs, so this is all very foreign to me. I picked an image from my garden pictures and played with it so much that I can’t tell you what all I did to it within this program. This first picture is what I started off with and the second is my creation after I decided to save it.

As for the poem, the picture made me think of stars and galaxies and thus, the words. Has anyone else worked with one of these programs and completely changed an image into something completely different? If so, I would love to see what you have done! Leave a comment and a link to see your creation! Sweet Dreams!

July 4th Family Celebration

2009-07-09T01:14:00.001-05:00

(note: this was in draft form and should have been posted last Saturday, but as usual, I got distracted and didn’t post it until today…sorry for the dates being mixed up!)

Image by lizkdc via Flickr

This is one of my favorite holidays. Good food, great companionship, and the whole patriotic theme warms my heart. I love to see flags hanging from porch posts and would love to have those red, white and blue banners hanging from my porch posts. It stirs in my heart a deep sense of pride that no matter that our country is in a economic crisis and the politicians and CEO’s seem greedier everyday, that we, the people, are still proud to be an American. How grateful I am to those brave young men and women who have served, or currently serving our country.

Well, I’m sitting in the backseat of my little Honda Civic, along with a big car seat holding my precious 3 month old granddaughter, a big cooler (on wheels no less!), two diaper bags and other various picnic items. The bad thing is, the family picnic started two hours ago! My daughter-in-law and daughter took the baby to the 4th of July parade in her hometown, then tended to a yard sale at her Mother’s house. I thought they would be back round noon, but it was closer to 1:30 before the baby arrived. Both young women have to work the afternoon shift at the hospital and aren’t able to come with us today. My son, who has been working such long hours is getting a little break and is spending the weekend with his high school buddies on the Ohio River.

I hope everyone has a safe, happy, Fourth of July weekend!

Summer Flowers

2009-07-08T19:31:00.001-05:00

When we moved into this home a year and a half ago, there were no flowers! That was one of the hardest things to give up when we moved from our previous home of 32 years…..my flower beds. Years of planting and transplanting of nearly one acre of yard became the pleasure of the next owner, you would think. But the last time I drove by our old home, they had torn down fences, built a deck, and made a drive way right through the yard. I guess some people just don’t love flower gardening as much as I do. Last summer I still had my store and wasn’t able to devote much time to starting any flower beds, except for some annuals to add color. So this year, I started in March digging, with the help of a maddux, and found that the beautiful lawn was nearly impossible to penetrate! Have you heard of “soysia” grass? OMG…..what a workout I got! But, now four months later, I am able to enjoy the fruit (or I should say, flower) of my labor. Here are a few pictures that I took today.

Trying to Organize My Basement WorkRoom

2009-06-30T23:47:00.004-05:00

I'm beginning to think that I'll never get my basement organized into the work area that I dream of. For one thing, I have way too much stuff! To really have it organized, I need lots more cupboards and shelving to hold this stuff that I have collected over the years. I won't show you pictures of the piles of cartons and boxes of this "stuff" I'm talking about, I'll wait until I get my shelving and/or cupboards so I can show it all nicely organized. For now, I'm trying to set up different workstations so I can have an area where I can keep all of the supplies I need for the type of project I'm working on. I have set up the old sink area as my stained glass area. Here is a couple of pictures of it. I'll post more basement pictures tomorrow, all of a sudden I'm so sleepy, I can barely keep my eyes open!

2009-06-25T23:58:00.000-05:00

Being "crafty" brings me great pleasure. I like to try anything that looks like fun and with so many art mediums out there, everything looks like fun to me! The downside of doing so many different things is that I become a "master of nothing" and a "dabbler of everything". I started off with a little corner in my bedroom, doing mostly mixed media collages and over a period of seven years (+/- a year or two), I have now filled my entire basement with my craft/art supplies and my vast amount of collectibles that I like to think inspires me. Some of the things I have continued to stay interested in are collaging. I've posted pictures in the left column of a few of my collages and a couple of paintings I've recently done. Sorry the pictures are grainy. I haven't yet upgraded to a better digital camera, but it's on my wish list! I also like painting, but I'm not very good at it, so with some reluctance, I'll share a couple of my paintings in the column on the left.

Tina's Surprise Visit!

2009-06-24T14:06:00.000-05:00

On Monday, I was up to my Mom's for a short visit because I wouldn't be watching Taylor for a few days. I like to be there on Mondays because my brother David makes a loop through Zanesville on his way to his work week in Columbus, and stops by to visit his Mom. When he pulled up, the first thing Mom noticed was that "he has a woman in his truck". When she got out of his truck and was headed towards the front door, we both exclaimed, "It's Tina!" Tina is David and Charlotte's eldest daughter and lives in Tennessee with her husband Frank. She has a busy schedule with her job as an RN, in addition to teaching and going back to school to finish up her Master's degree, so we don't often get to see her. We were especially happy to see her this time because she has been sick and has put us through a scare with her recent blood vessel problems in her brain. But there she was, like a ray of sunshine, just in time to make her Grandma's birthday on June 23 a extra special day. The picture on the right is Tina and her Grandma Thompson, and you can see they share a special bond between them.

The picture on the left is of Tina and her beloved "Daddy". He, sadly, was taking her to the airport after her short visit to celebrate Father's Day with him. His children cherish him, as do all of his brothers, sisters, as well as his precious wife Charlotte and his Mom . I was so happy that I was able to be there to see both of them. I love you Tina and David!

Being a Grammy

2009-06-17T22:34:00.000-05:00

We are so fascinated by our newest addition to our family! This is a picture of me, along with my daughter Jenna, and my son's daughter, Taylor. She is staying overnight with us tonight and what a pleasure it is to have a little one in the house. Oh, the yummy smell of her after her bath tonight....it brought back such wonderful memories of when Tyler and Jenna were babies. She makes us smile just by looking into our eyes and yes, I've fallen in love with this tiny creature with the most marvelous blue eyes!

Mammy's Flower Bed

2009-06-16T02:52:00.000-05:00

I just returned from spending a few days with my precious mother (Mammy, to me). She will be 86 years young on Tuesday, June 23. I love staying with her and enjoy every minute we spend together. I love to putter around her place, doing little things for her. She loves her flower beds, but due to arthritis and a recent mastectomy, she is no longer able to tend to a garden. All of her seven children contribute to enhancing her garden in some way, either by contributing flowers, mulch, fertilizing, or providing special ornaments to enhance her enjoyment of beauty in her flower beds. It takes so little to make her happy and we all trip all over ourselves in showering her with those little things that give her pleasure. Here is a few pictures of her flower beds that I took during my visit.