Been Busy

and it's soooo nice to have things organized as I'm getting ready for the Simply Southern Scrapbook Convention that will be held here in Huntsville during the first weekend in October. I'll be teaching three classes and we'll have a small vendor area too. This is always a fun show that's just full of fun classes and vendor booths! Hope to see some of you there!

We still have some class kits [and leftover class kits] to get together. DH has done a WONDERFUL job making some shelves out of old shutter-doors to use in our vendor area. Love them - and it's going to be so nice to have all of the kits and goodies in a central area for buyers to go through. Hope to use them in the attic for scrapbook product storage afterwards.

Monthly Kit News

I'm trying so hard to get 'caught up' with things and have been working on Faith Based Pages much of last night and most of today. I'm having a formatting problem with some of the DT layouts so that's just taking a little extra time, but am hoping to have the website updated before the end of the day. We're getting the September Kit in the mail today - and I've enjoyed working with it already --- such a good combination of bright and dark. My layouts are on the website and Yahoo Group [My monthly calendar is to the left.] Kim is the featured DT Member for September and she made such a cute layout with the flowers and pink card stock. It'll be on the website before the end of the day.


October is also a beautiful kit filled with the colors of the season. All of the DT layouts are gorgeous but I especially love Cindy Lee's and the way she used the leaf paper so that it looks like a photograph [to me anyway! lol!] I think you'll enjoy it too when you go to the website and see her DT page.

Okay - Okay - I KNOW [and those of you who are subscribers know also!] that I enjoy crazy - weird color and paper combos when scrapbooking. [ Am I eclectic?!?!] So I have to share the November kit once again - It's so crazzzy but I just love these pink and brown combos for Thanksgiving! Throw in some shocking yellow and bright green and it's all just awesome! Unfortunately the Crossed Paths order hasn't shipped [it was placed a month ago so I'm wondering if things are alright with them - I know I got a little behind during the spring / summer myself...] so this kit is primarily Be Blessed and Daisyds. Love it! And I hope you do too! [You can click on the photos for a larger image.] It goes out to DT Members today and it'll be so fun to see what they do with it.

Thank you

to everyone who has lifted our family in your prayers during the last few weeks / months. And to all who have listened to me as I’ve grieved throughout the summer. We’ve completed a part of the journey – but now face another one – of living life without our loved one. Of course – it’s hardest on our mom and his two sisters and we’re all grieving in our own way…

The Service

Our dad was never one to draw attention to himself so we all agreed to have a simple and honorable goodbye. We had visitation immediately before the graveside service. And I have to say the kindness of others is truly overwhelming in times like this. He served in the Navy during the Korean Conflict and we wanted to have the military attend. I’ve never been one to take photos during this private time – but maybe it’s the scrap-booker in me – when I saw those sailors standing there in respect for someone who had gone before them I was overcome with emotion. [So thank you to our cousin who took a few discreet photos that I believe are honorable and memorable for us from this day.] One of the sailors so sweetly helped escort my mother to her seat, Barrett Long [associate pastor from Woodward Avenue Baptist] gave a short, yet so perfect eulogy, and my dear husband sang Amazing Grace in that wonderful clear strong voice of his … then Taps begin to play as they lifted the flag – so – so touching as we said goodbye – not only to our husband, father, and brother, but to a man who served his country and helped pave the way for us to enjoy the freedoms we have today. The flag-folding was precise and touching, and then when he knelt in front of our mom to present it to her, "M’aam, on behalf of the President of the United States…” who can remember what he said next -? So – so sweet… then a final goodbye with a single rose from our mom…

The Summer

So thankful that our mom is healthy at this point in her life. These last two years have been a struggle for her as she’s had multiple hospitalizations and surgeries all while watching over our dad, who was becoming increasingly confused in addition to his COPD which left him breathless much of the time. As so many know already – one or both of them has been hospitalized every week since April. They had one week at home together before Joe* [our dad] went back into the hospital in mid-July. The doctors told us his chance of recovery was slim and he had a very lucid conversation with his doctor about end-of-life issues and what he wanted / didn’t want. We felt confident in these decisions – why prolong death when we’re secure in our beliefs? He went to rehab for a couple of weeks and his health continued to deteriorate and so he was back in the hospital at the end of August. There came a moment last week when the on-call doctor was pushing for us to put a tube in and we knew we would be faced with this decision soon. [And quite honestly – our confidence was not as strong when it came right to it -] When his doctor returned he never mentioned it to us [I think in part bc he knew Joe’s wishes, and in part bc he knew Joe couldn’t survive the surgery to do it.] And so, Joe passed peacefully to be with the Lord on Wednesday.

*Who really knows why we call our daddy ‘Joe’ – it’s his name, sure, and everyone assures us that when Lorna was born they tried to teach her to call him ‘daddy’, but she insisted on ‘Joe’ – I think in part bc she spent a great deal of time with his family as a toddler and heard him called ‘Joe’ more than any other name. So as Joey and I came along – ‘Joe’ it was and has always been.