SUCH A Little Munchkin...........

Hi, everyone! It has been a LONG time since I have been on here! WHERE in the world does the time go? :) I thought I would show some pictures of my great neice baby Madison in her Halloween costume. Isn't she just precious? :)These were taken last night as Barbara took her trick or treating Saturday night. This was the ONLY picture I could get of her halfway standing up. She is SUCH a little munchkin! She will be 18 months old on the 4th and she is JUST the funniest little thing!

As you can see by the pictures...yes, we have the floor fans, the ceiling fans, and the air conditioner going full blast! It has been UNBELIEVABLY hot here! I do so hate having that fan in my pictures!

But....as you can see....she was NOT cooperating AT ALL with me and my camera! LOL I would tell her to pose for me and what would she do? Come walking straight at the camera! LOL

But.....I think these pictures are precious! Looks like dirt on my floor? NO! LOL Little pieces of candy wrappers! AND from whom? Whom do you think? LOL The little munchkin! OF COURSE! :) She kept putting the bag of candy in her mouth and chewing on the paper! :)

My brother and Sheila came for the weekend which made me VERY happy! What a difference between this year and last year! Much better! We didn't have very many trick or treaters at all much to our dismay! ESPECIALLY since I bought TWO HUGE BAGS of candy! HOWEVER, there seems to only be half of a bag left. Where did it go you may ask? MY BROTHER! LOL

So...I have been making signs, signs, signs. I bought some stencils off of ebay (36 to be exact) and I have been working on them. I got a great deal. She had them 75% off and I just fell in love with the sayings. But especially the game boards! My brother does different markets on the weekends and he takes them with him. Surprisingly enough, I have sold some! :)

Hopefully, I will be back on Wednesday to do WWW since I haven't done it in forever! :)

Until next time.........

Catherine's Trip....Joshua's Graduation

Good morning, everyone! Well, this time last Thursday we were waiting for Joshua's mom and step-dad to pick Catherine up and whisk themselves away to the airport! Why? Because Joshua was graduating from boot camp! Graduating! It seems like yesterday that we had our tearful goodbye's and here it is time for GRADUATION! He says it feels like yesterday to him too. So glad the time flew by for him! Joshua paid for her flight and her hotel room. He wanted her to be there SO MUCH! What a sweetheart he is to have done that for her! :) So....here is my baby girl with her suitcase in hand waiting.....and here was the mom (me) taking that picture letting my baby girl fly for the first time and leave the state for the first time. I know...I know....BUT what's a mom to do on a 'first'? :)

She snapped this picture with her cell phone and texted it to me. She loved flying! :)

This is what awaited them when they got to Chicago! Rain, rain, rain....and COLD, COLD, COLD! It's a little difficult putting a true Floridian in northern weather! She said her feet were frozen and she wore two pairs of socks under her boots! :) They stayed in Waukegan just a few minutes from his base. This was snapped outside her hotel room.

Here is my beautiful baby girl snapping a picture before leaving for the ceremony. The little black dress she is wearing is mine. It's a little big under the arms but looked SO cute on her. She's a size 5/7 and the dress is a 9 so...just a teeny tiny bit big; thus the belt. Did I EVER wear that? LOL Oh, where did the size 9 days go!! LOL

Graduation ceremony....

And here they are!

Don't they look so sweet together? This was taken outside the restaurant they had lunch at. They went back to the hotel and changed so Cat and the parents could put LONG pants on! LOL

Here's the navy boy! I am SO VERY PROUD of him! He left yesterday to fly to Pensacola for his school. He should be there around 15 weeks but will be home at Christmas for one week.

He wants to marry my baby girl! :) While he was at the airport yesterday waiting to leave he called me and this was the first time we were able to talk for a long time. I talked to him after his graduation but for only a few minutes. Yesterday we had a long talk. I knew he wanted to marry her...Catherine told me a few weeks ago. I have always know they would get married...but now it's really serious. So as we're talking I say; 'so, you want to marry Catherine?' and he replies; 'YES! I DO!' I had to laugh....it was just precious! So we talked about it for quite awhile. This is not going to happen tomorrow or anytime soon...she's in school, he's in the navy. He did mention a couple of years from now...with her still staying here and finishing school. They both have such a level head on their shoulders and they always think things through before they act on them. So...we'll see what happens. I know I will be proud to call him 'my son'. :)

It was cold the whole time she was there until the very last day and it was up into the 40's. She comes into town Saturday night and now we have a cold front that came in. LOL BUT.....nothing like what she was feeling! :)

So here are some of the pictures of Cat and Joshua. She had a wonderful trip and she got to see the 'love of her life'.

Until next time..................

My Giveaway Came!...........

Hey, everyone...as promised here are the pictures from my giveaway that I received Saturday from Shirley over at Hudson's Holidays. This was a surprise giveaway so I really wasn't quite sure what was in it. She DID mention some Halloween patterns....:) and here they are. Aren't they just TOO cute!!! I can't wait to start making them! :)

Here are some tags. The top one is quite large and I just love them all! I'm going to put them on my Halloween tree. I think they'll look so cute on there!

AND....look at this! I LOVE this pillow and little bag! That pillow is just THE softest little pillow I have ever felt! I have just the perfect place for it!

Now look at this! Isn't this cute? Up on the left corner is a little bottle cap with a picture in it! I would never have thought of making a Halloween heart! :) And beside it is a little bat necklace!

So thank you SO VERY MUCH, Shirley! This was a wonderful giveaway and I LOVE everything!!!

Tomorrow I should be back with pictures of Joshua and Catherine at his graduation. For some reason my computer wouldn't let me download her memory card. Who knows? LOL So....I hope everyone has a nice day. It's cool here in sunny Florida and we're just LOVIN' it!!

Until next time..................

A 'Truly Touching' Award.............

I was surprised and honored on Friday morning to receive this beautiful award from my dear sweet friend Marilyn of Our Victorian Cottage.

This is The Deborah Award and it stands for
"Friendship isn't about who you have known the longest,
but who came and never left your side."
This award was created by Ces, of Ces and Her Dishes http://cesandherdishes.blogspot.com/. Ces compares people to trees and the words that she writes in regard to this are profound and beautiful.

Have I ever told ya'll about my friend Marilyn. I found her blog shortly after Dale died through another blogger friend. As soon I saw her blog I was 'in love'. :) Marilyn and I are only 2 years apart in age so we grew up with the same things. I saw books on her blog that I read when I was little: Annette, Trixie Belden. I saw tv shows that I watched when I was little: Andy Griffith, Munsters, Adams Family. I saw kitchen ware that we had when I was little: dishes, glasses. It was like I had stepped back in time and I loved the feeling I had when I visited her; the warmth and the memories. Marilyn has been one of my biggest supporters this last year. There is not a time that I post that she doesn't leave a comment. She has offered words of support, kindness and advice. She has been compassionate to what I have been feeling and going through this last year. To receive this award from her touches my heart greatly and I am forever grateful that you thought of me, my friend. :)

I totally agree with what this award stands for. It is NOT whom you have known the longest in your life, it IS the ones that have stood by you, never leaving your side and offering support. So thank you SO VERY MUCH, Marilyn, for this award! I love you, my friend! :)

So...on to what has been happening this last week. It has been a BUSY one! :) Cat left on Thursday morning for Chicago with Joshua's parents for Joshua's Naval graduation from boot camp. I will post some pictures of her visit tomorrow. :) She got home last night around 9:30 and had a wonderful time. And of course, it was COLD there! :) Her little Floridian body was COLD! LOL But....it is cold here now too! Well, at least for us! :)

My giveaway came yesterday and what a nice giveaway! I was thrilled with everything I received from HudsonsHolidays. AND I'll post pictures of that too!

Lots more has been happening but I don't want to take away from my award so I'll talk about those things this coming week.

Until next time...........

HAS It REALLY been.....

one year today since Dale died? It seems like yesterday, not a YEAR! October 10, 2008 started out as any other day would start. I took Catherine to school, came home and sat outside with Dale drinking our coffee; discussing our plans for the day. Just like ANY OTHER DAY! I had plans to run to Walmart to pick up some craft items; he was going to his mom's to mow her grass and work around there. ANY OTHER DAY! I kissed him goodbye; NEVER knowing that would be the LAST time I would kiss him or see him alive. As I came home I saw him driving off around the corner to go to his mom's. Her house was a couple of blocks away, 2 minute drive. My neighbor said he had come home while I was gone because he had forgotten something. Did I know that would be the last time I would see him driving away? The day proceeded as ANY OTHER DAY! I picked Catherine up from school and she had decided to go to the football game that night. Of course, I had no cash on me, never do. I called Dale on his cell to see if he had any. He didn't answer. It is now a little after 3 and I knew he would be coming home in a couple of hours just like ANY OTHER DAY! But...I really needed to know if he had cash on him. I kept calling but no answer! Now I'm wondering........why can't he hear his phone? AND yes, I was getting annoyed but also at the same time I had this FEELING! A FEELING I DIDN'T like! So...off I go to his mom's. I see the car, I hear the music in the house, I see the front door open but the screen door locked; so I know he's there. Around back I go into the house, but NO Dale! By now I am really starting to get panicky because I had this FEELING! I look out the kitchen window and I see him lying on the ground next to the lawn mower. I CAN NEVER explain the panic, fear, terror I felt. I knew before I got to him that he wasn't alive. He apparently suffered a major heart attack. Did he have heart problems? NO! Did he have cholesterol problems? NO! His cholesterol was perfect! Was his doctor surprised? Unbelievably so! Now....can I explain what happened next? All I remember is calling Catherine and Joshua and the police; all I can remember is uncontrollable wailing; from me and everyone that arrived. The next few days were a complete blur. Somehow I managed to prepare a funeral with the help of my kids. Somehow I got through the funeral with the help of family and friends. AND somehow I have managed to get through this year. A year that has felt like a fog; a dream; a dream I kept hoping I would awaken from; but alas, I never did! A dream which has been reality. Do I remember this last year? Not really. I remember my two youngest graduating; that's really about all.

I have felt every emotion known to man; and then some. Emotions I NEVER knew existed! Emotions that would change from minute to minute; NEVER knowing how I was going to feel or react. Have I questioned God? Yes, I HAVE! Have I gotten mad at God? Yes, I HAVE! Have I gotten mad at Dale? Yes, I HAVE! Mad that he would leave me all the while knowing it was NOT his fault! Mad at God even though I KNOW God has a plan for everyone and a purpose for everything! I know there is no reason for being mad; but as I said; every emotion known to man! My dear friend Chris told me that I never had closure. And....she's right! I never did! My life changed in a blink of an eye; forever! Could I EVER have imagined that my life's dreams and hopes, the love of my life, would be taken away from me in a heartbeat? NO! Of course not. That the way my life was supposed to go was NO longer the way it was going to go? I have had to chart a new course for my life now. A course I have no idea where it will lead. Dale was the ABSOLUTE LOVE OF MY LIFE! Yes, I have been married twice before; to the boy's father and to Catherine's father so when Dale and I got together I knew I had found my SOULMATE! I am so very very thankful that he and I never really fought. We may have had disagreements about his son but we never had problems with each other. I thank God for that every day because how would I be feeling now if he had left after a fight and I had never had a chance to say I was sorry? I have always heard the term; life is short, life is precious; and yes it is! But to actually KNOW how short and how precious it is is quite another thing. I have learned this last year JUST how precious our loved ones are and JUST how short life can be!

I have given myself this last year to grieve; to grieve with all of my heart. There have been days that I thought I COULD NOT go on; days when all I wanted to do was stay in bed, but...I got up and lived that day. I have NEVER been a quitter. I have ALWAYS been a survivor and that part of me was sorely tested this last year but I HAVE survived. Survived with the help and love of family and friends. Even though this year has also been an eye opener in the friends department! Friends that promised their undying friendship and then poof! where are they now? But...I have chosen to weed those friends from my life; and God has sent MUCH more uplifting, faithful, loving friends into my life to replace them. I am so THANKFUL for all of you that have shown me such love and support this last year. Friends I KNOW I can ALWAYS rely on to be here for me.

So...on to today. I am MUCH better than I was even a month ago. I do find joy and happiness in my life again and I CAN laugh with meaning. I NEVER thought that would be possible but God has seen me through this last year and without HIM I would NEVER have made it. My brother being here has also been a Godsend. I keep myself busy with my family, my crafts, my groups, facebook :) and quite a few other things. NOW I just need to figure out what my next step in life is.

So, my dear friends, thanks for bearing with me on this post. My blog has been such an outlet for me. When I started it six weeks before Dale died I thought it was just going to be a fun little thing to do. NEVER did I imagine it would be my therapy!

Love to you all.

Until next time..........

I WON!!.....

Guess what? I WON the giveaway over at Hudson's Holidays. I just found out this morning! Well, actually.....I won on the first....but I just now found the email. OF COURSE, it would have gone to my spam! AND....sometimes I don't check that every day. So, thank you so very very much, Shirley. And I do apologize for getting back to you so late.

When I get my surprise giveaway in the mail, I will post my surprises!! I just CAN'T wait!! :)

Until next time........

Another Sweet Award...........

My dear dear friend Chris of PrimCountryFarms has so graciously honored me with this 'over the top' award! Thank you so much, Chris! You are such a sweetie! :)

Anyway, everyone KNOWS that I don't pass them on 'cause......I LOVE everyone's blogs and it is TOO difficult for me to just pick 6 blogs that are my favorite. ALL of your blogs are my FAVORITES! So.....if anyone would like to take the award and answer the questions, PLEASE feel free to do so. AND if not.....maybe it would just be fun to take the questions and answer them? I like it 'cause we get to know a little bit more about each other!! Let me know if any of you decide to do this because I would LOVE to jump over to your blogs and read YOUR answers! :)

So here goes. First....you can ONLY leave ONE word answers! Yes, just ONE word! This is going to be a little difficult for me......I'm JUST NOT a ONE word person!

Let the questions and answers begin!......

l. Where is your cell phone? purse

2. Your hair? black

3. Your mother? deceased

4. Your father? deceased

5. Your favorite food? pasta

6. Your dream last night? none

7. Your favorite drink? tea

8. Your dream/goal? happiness

9. What room are you in? bedroom

10.Your hobby? crafts

11. Your fear? spiders

12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? here

13. Where were you last night? home

14. Something that you aren't? skinny

15. Favorite type of muffins? Blueberry

16. Wish list item? Alaska

17. Where did you grow up? Tampa

18. Last thing you did? cook

19. What are you wearing? jeans

20. Your tv? big

21. Your pets? cats

22. Friends? faithful

23. Your life? undecided

24. Your mood? calm

25. Missing someone? hubby

26. Vehicle? Explorer

27. Something you're not wearing? pajamas

28. Your favorite store? Walmart

29. Your favorite color? green

30. When was the last time you laughed? yesterday

31. When was the last time you cried? yesterday

32. Your best friend? Catherine

33. One place I go to over and over? Walmart

34. One person who emails me regularly? Chris

35. Favorite place to eat? CrackerBarrel

Well.....that wasn't TOO hard! :)

Thank you, Chris, once again for the lovely award! I do so cherish them as it is SO thoughtful of someone to think of me with an award! :)

I will be back hopefully on Monday with some show and tell. I have been busy, busy, busy making signs, signs, signs!! My brother has been here all week and left this morning. He will be back again on Monday and probably stay til Thursday to finish up my neighbor's house that he has been painting. Then...I may not see him for a couple of weeks. I DO SO MISS him when he's gone! I thank God that I have such a wonderful relationship with him. Sheila has been great too. She has been helping me around the house as it seems all I have been doing is cutting, sanding, and painting! Oh, and btw...I finally got a sander! Before I found out Dale had a couple in the shed! It's ok though cause I like this one better! Cuts the work down at least 90%!! I can just zip through the sanding now! :) I know...can you believe I have been HAND SANDING everything ALL these years! :)

Everyone have a great day!!!

Until next time..................

Thank GOD For Brothers..........

who are SO loving......My brother moved back down from Kentucky last week. He and Sheila found a place to live in Ocala about 2 1/2 hours from Tampa. MUCH closer than Kentucky!! I am SO happy and thrilled that he's back.

When we were growing up my brother Dale and I were NOT that close. Even though there is only 2 years between us; he being younger, we were just NOT that close. He had his life, I had mine. We loved each other; we spent time together during the holidays; but we were NOT that close. The closeness started after my mom died in 2000. He was living in Ohio and had come down for her funeral and the following year came for Thanksgiving. THAT'S when the closeness started. In 2002 he came for a 2 week visit and ended up staying with us for 2 1/2 years! We STILL laugh about that to this day. He and Dale started a business together which lasted until 2005 when my brother decided to go back to Ohio. That's when the titles My Dale and Brother Dale started!

He would come for Christmas's and Thanksgiving's. He met Sheila 3 years ago and now I have a sil. (Well, they really aren't married but I consider her a sil!)

I have wanted him back HOME since Dale died. I MISS him! Even though we would talk 2-3 times a week, I MISSED him!

They were here last Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. They came back Tuesday and will leave today at noon but will be back again this coming Tuesday. He has been doing work for my neighbor and still has work to do.

BUT back to the title of this post - I am starting to have some problems with this house. My Dale is NO longer here so.....Justin has done a tremendous amount of work around here but now I am having some problems with my roof. So....my brother and Justin are going to fix it next week. My brother is a builder. My brother is a carpenter. He builds log cabins in Kentucky so there really isn't ANYTHING he can't fix. (well, he DOESN'T like plumbing, but can do it! LOL) He tells me the other night that if there is anything I need done he wants to do it this fall before the beginning of next year.

My house is a BIG house. My house is an OLD house! Built in 1925. My house can require a LOT of work if it's not maintained. This is the house I grew up in. The house my brother and sister grew up in. A house that has ALWAYS been a HOME filled with precious memories of the past and precious memories that we are STILL making!

I love my brother with my WHOLE heart! I know there isn't anything in this world that he wouldn't do for me! I find comfort in the knowledge that he will ALWAYS be here for me!

We have had a wonderful visit! Dale is SO animated! WHAT a personality! And the two of us are so much alike! We have the BEST time together! AND we don't really do anything! Just sit and talk and talk and talk! So.....my home has been VERY lively this past week and I have LOVED every minute of it!! There has been a total of 7 here and really? that's when I'm at MY best! Surrounded with family!! :)

I want to thank everyone that has left comments on previous posts. I usually ALWAYS go back and leave a comment to each of you but.....I promise I will do better. Just remember I appreciate each and every one of you and I do so appreciate all the love all of you have shown me! :) Thank you, my sweet sweet friends! :)

Until next time.........

Happy Birthday, Dena...

Today is my friend Dena's birthday! Did you think I forgot? LOL NO! I didn't! :) She is the other little 'pea' in my selling blog; 'twopeasinapodprimitives. She is the one who came up with the idea of doing a selling blog together. She has been concerned about me making a living since Dale died and she knows how much I love my crafts so this was her idea! Thank you, my friend.

Dena and I met about 15 months ago through an ebay group that we were both in. Shortly after, the leader needed to resign due to other commitments and Dena took over as leader. Shortly after that, she made me the moderator. So we had lots of contact with each other. THEN, Dale died. I remember emailing her barely able to write to let her know what had happened. She was and is such a supportive, loving, caring friend. She immediately called as soon as she found out what had happened and spoke to Catherine. She would then call every day just to check up on me, talking to one child or the other. She sent me little gifts in the mail to show me how much she loved me. She would listen to me cry and would do everything in her power to help me.

Even though we have NEVER met face to face, we are such very very good friends. It's as if we have known each other forever. We haven't had as much contact this summer as our lives have been very busy, but when we pick up the phone and talk it is as if we had just spoken yesterday. We send pictures back and forth of what is going on in our lives. Well, really she sends the majority of the pictures. I just tell her to go to my blog! LOL I know she will always be there for me no matter what the situation, no matter what happens in my life.

So, my dear dear friend, I wish you a very happy birthday and a very happy year ahead and many many happy years in the future.

Until next time..........

A Few Finishes...........

Hi, everyone! It seems like ages since I have been on here!! :) I have been busy sanding, painting and stitching! These are just a few of the things I have finished and yes! there are more waiting to be stuffed and painted. These will be listed on my 'two peas' either today or tomorrow. I do have to make a comment on this last picture...the jack o lantern. Rita was over last week and I was showing her my lil pillows when she looks at me and says; 'where is his nose'? I said 'WHAT!' LOL And oh my yes! there was NO nose! LOL There was a line there for me to stitch but there was NO nose! LOL Now have in the world can you forget a nose on a jack o lantern? Leave it to me, I CAN forget a nose! :) So off I went to get my prisma pencil and color a nose. I'm glad she noticed it because apparently I WOULDN'T have and DIDN'T!

We have had a lot of activity the last week here in my lil 'harvest home'. I took my decorations out on the 4th and decorated the house. I have some pictures I will probably post tomorrow. My brother and Sheila are coming for the weekend so we are thrilled to see them. He has finally made the permanent move back to Florida and will be living about 2 1/2 hours away from us. So I look forward to fun filled weekends. I LOVE my brother! He has such an animated personality and we have the most fun together. We don't go anywhere, really don't do anything; we just sit and talk, and talk, and talk! :)

I have some bad (not really bad) and disappointing news. I had posted a couple of weeks back that Jonathan was joining the National Guard. Well...doesn't seem like that is going to happen. He has a tumor (benign) on each of his knees and his recruiter said they probably won't take him because of it so there is no reason to even take his physical. He was supposed to check into the hotel tonight and have the physical tomorrow but doesn't look as if it is going to happen. I thought he would be more disappointed than he is but he had already been thinking of other options for his life. He wants to go to school and work at night. Whatever he wants to do is fine with me. I asked him if he had told his parents and he said yes, they were fine with whatever he chose to do. His plans are to work and eventually get enough money to get his own place. He knows Sean needs his room back!! He knows I will let him live here as long as it takes for him to get on his feet. Even though I am not his mom, I am his MOM! :)

So what else is going on? I joined Facebook. Why? I have NO idea! LOL Just another thing for me to try and figure out. Oh, and have I had a time! LOL I also started playing Farmville. I have heard of so many playing this game and I'm thinking....hmmm...is it really fun? OMGoodness! Yes, it is!!! I LOVE it!! LOL And I also joined several other groups this week. So...between trying to keep up with this house, my family, my crafts, my groups....I am pretty well occupied all the time. Dale's one year anniversary of his death is fastly approaching and I want to stay as busy as I can. But....just to let everyone know....I am doing MUCH better!

Until next time........