Mom News

So many of you have asked about my mom..you are so kind. She is holding her own is what I tell most people recently. She is down to 87 pounds....yes. She is what some would say skin and bones.. very shaky. She doesn't talk as much anymore. I think her processing of some things is just too hard. Other things going on in other parts of her brain still work well. We watched Jeopardy the other night and she would beat me on some answers!!! Sometimes she can't think of words and Dad and I start trying to fill in the blank, and I know it frustrates her.

A Hospice nurse comes twice a week to check on her, and another aide comes twice a week to help her bathe and is just so sweet.I fill in the rest of the time when dad needs to run errands or has his own appointments.

She is eating, just not large amounts. She is not on pain medication.

She still can get out of bed and make it out to her sunroom to enjoy the outdoors and flowers from there. I'm glad she has that. My dad added that on for her a little while back, and she has truly loved that gift. Here's a cute photo of her out in the sunroom when we were celebrating Justin's HS graduation a few years back. (*I can tell he thinks I was going to let his cake slide off!!-can you??)

Mom had on a cute little pink outfit with sparkly flipflops around the bottom of the shirt. She always liked to wear colorful outfits. She always has matching earrings and shoes...And ALWAYS lipstick! She taught me - Always wear some lipstick, and you'll look fine! (Her mama taught her!)I miss seeing that. She stays in her pj's now.

She has started wanting to clear out stuff, and I suppose is thinking of Dad and all that she doesn't want him to have to mess with after she has left this earth....

Mama has given me so much statuary...angels, children holding birds and bunnies, a big fountain... Below is a small concrete cherub pot that came out of that sunroom. It sits in my house now, on a little wooden chair that was mama's when SHE was a little girl. She sat on it, then I sat on it at my Grandmother's, and then my kids sat on it in our home. Now...it is only on display. But!..if I ever have some grandbabies!...........it will be used again.



Mom loves angels...me too! :-)

Thank you all for your prayers and thoughts as we travel down this path with mom as she finishes her long battle with cancer...over 15 years!!!! She is a trooper.
She loves the Lord, and has passed that love down to me. I know where she will be after she takes her last breath here. No doubts. And I will be there with her too, one day! It is hard to watch a loved one struggle with all of this. Thank you for asking about her, my dad, and Justin, and me!


Hugs to all of you. Thank you for your prayer support. I am grateful that you would take a moment to whisper a prayer to God to strengthen us and comfort us. God is good. Bloggy friends are awesome.

Whites on Wednesdays With Kathleen

Hop over here:
http://fadedcharmcottage.blogspot.com/

and you will find lots of whites if that is what you fancy today!

First of all... Remember this cute little find from back in April that I showed on a White Wednesday? I set it on a mini-urn as a mock cloche (sort of??)


Well, in June I was walking through a Goodwill and saw the little gold footed "base" below... I thought "That just might be the perfect base for that little Christmas bottle brush tree ornament... Oh I hope I hope it fits... .99 later, and back at home, guess what? It looks like it is all one piece...I love it! cheap thrills.
Just showing you the transformation.


Just shows how small tweaks are done over time with displays, decor, and vignettes.

Here is one that got tweaked. This little tray was dirty and dilapidated at GW but I brought it home and sprayed it white. I just moved it to my bath. I love the way the mirror reflects the light and twinkles with the little crystals on the shade. The glass container was .50 at the thrift, and the oil and vinegar cruet was my Grandmother's (now holding mouthwash.) The lamp was at a consignment store and I sprayed it white and found the shade for .99 at GW. The little carnival glass rooster came from an antique store in New Bern on the NC coast, where our family vacationed when our kids were little. Sweet little corner...


Things are constantly moving and evolving here in thrifty little ways..

Speaking of evolving...my own little spot in my bedroom had an addition...this little sign on a table in a corner of the LR..now resides over my special nook. I love the saying - Blessed is the person who has earned the love of an old dog.


Another little addition... a thrifted .50 Christmas ornament. Ribbon added and a vintage earring of my Grandmothers. I do cherish sentimental things...and of course the sparkle.


If you are visiting Kathleen today then you must have a fondness for all things white. If you like cupcakes, and like me, you love sparkley things, then you will most likely love this next item as much as I do! They hang on my chippy white wrought iron curly-cue lit tree in the LR. (such a long name for something, no?)
Sweet little cupcake ornaments...




This is an old ceramic jewelry/ring holder(??), but you could use it to hold desk/office supplies, bath/q-tip/cotton supplies, etc. (imagination!!). It was in a glass case in my LR, and I decided to display it in a more visible way. A little chippy, but it just adds character. It sits on a simple cheese dome tray from GW I painted black, which in turn sits on a glass pedestal from GW. Much better.



Remember this? (I should have called this post "past posts - revisited!") I lamented that I would have to settle for an old shabby white quilt for now because of dawgs on the bed.. yes some people have "pants on the ground"...I have dawgs on the bed...

Well I found this so pretty white fringed spread at Salvation Army for 2.00...yes, $2.00!... and that is befitting to place on the bed and let my dogs get on it...The old white quilt will be folded at the foot for Kobe to bunch up or chew on or whatever his quirky self needs to do...(and he will!) Rescued dog with past abuse issues...we love him no matter...

The spread is just like one my mom has always had on a guest bed since I was a little girl...so I love it. :-) It is a full/queen size, so doesn't reach to the floor on my King, but that's okay around here! less fur to get caught in the fringe. :-)

Just had to share my latest treasure find. Makes me happy about the looks of my bed, and keeps the dogs happy cause I still let them snooze on the bed, and fits my little wallet fund leftovers...

This post is rambling..I will end today. But for the closing, I will get REAL. Yesterday, I used a chunk of my day inbetween running here there and yonder, to do a put off task...WASH my dogs. And after bath day for three furry dogs, for the next 3 days this is everywhere...

no matter HOW MUCH you brush and de-fur...and so the vacuum stays out...
Last nite Da Man and I took all three out and brushed and combed and used the horse shedding blade on them, (yes Horse!- works better than the fur-minator which costs 49.95) The blade only costs 5.95 at a feed and tack.

Anyway, my sweet hubby said, It never ends!!!!!! no matter how much I rake, the hair just keeps coming! Yes , in upper 90 degree summer days and a bath day, the hair just keeps coming off, coming off, coming off.. tumbleweeds to roll around my house and be eaten by the Jaws vaccuum specially proclaiming it's pet hair qualities! hmmmm.
Thanks for stopping in, and if you got this far, you are an amazing blogging sister and friend. Hope everyone has an amazing, or as my Marine Justin would say, an OUTSTANDING DAY! God bless you, and thank you for remembering our military persons over there in the horrendous heat of Afghanistan, protecting our freedoms and wonderful comfortable days over here in America.
Hugs to all.

Hurray for 23 blissful wonderful years of Kat!

Today Is my Kit Kat's 23rd birthday. I am sooooo blessed to have this girl for my daughter...oh my. What a wonderful treasure from God. My Katie, and her Daddy's Katy-Bug.








Today we went out to her choice of Chinese Buffet, and stuffed ourselves silly!

Tonight we had her favorite - Strawberry Delight Cake. Everything Strawberry!!!!

One birthday date and movie and shopping trip with yours truly coming soon! Can't Wait! Love you Bunches




Happy Birthday Katie. May you have many many more birthday celebrations. I hope that next year, Jonny and Justin will be here to celebrate with us... we missed that!


Thanking God tonight for my sweet treasure of a daughter. Children are God's best and most delightful gifts to us here on this earth!


Uhhh...the cake got "rushed" last night and overnight in the frig....developed crevices!! oops...but it sure was good with gelato!!! :-)

Thanks to all who dropped in. Thanks so much for continuing to pray for our fighting men and women for their protection. God Bless YOU!

OOO-RAH!

Got mail!! Been 6 weeks, and boy are you looking at one happy Blogger!
Two letters in one envelope! Three weeks + old, but that's okay! Still awesomely wonderfully fantastic to hear from him. Thanks for the prayers!!!

Keep Praying all of you beautiful supporting Bloggy Sister Prayer Warriors!

Hugs, and God Bless YOU!!

Wow...White Wednesday....again.

Kathleen is on her 57th White Wednesday over at her FADED CHARM blog.

Pop over there for more WHITE!

http://fadedcharmcottage.blogspot.com/

Whenever I find a super-duper-can not leave this one here- deal on a unique light...I grab it.
Because I know it is a once in a blue moon find for me and the price will never ever be found anywhere else.

That's what happened with this one. It was in a Habitat for Humanity Thrift Restore.


Hanging there among many modern day contemporary lights and chandeliers, it stood out in it's "vintage-ness" (just made that a new word...)
It was brass of course, and had no crystals on it, but good wiring....and I could see the potential.

I had been wanting a brighter wattage light in my living room where there is NO ceiling fixture. There are only small table lamps.

The old hanging light looked out at me and whispered, "corner of the living room". I had a Restore worker get her down, and promptly made her mine. A few weeks later, she was transformed with a new WHITE coat, her own crystals...and hung in my Living Room by the same cute, handy-dandy, honey-do man. And there she rests.








Here's another small white thrift find. So thrilled when I saw this on the shelf. Another Beatrix Potter cutie to go with my Peter Rabbit clock! A medium sized metal bucket for a trash can at my new desk nook.
And none other than Mrs. Tittlemouse. Anybody remember her? Nervous little mama always cleaning! She will now hold balled up paper and trash that printed out wrong. She rests under the wicker printer stand right beside the computer station. LOVE her!











And last but NOT least, is this very practical purchase off of my favorite Craig's List. Been wanting one of these for several years after our last one broke...but just didn't want to invest the $$ into one...
saw it listed.. "like new OSTER ExpressBake Breadmaker - used twice...works great - $20.00" (I researched it and read excellent reviews.. retailed for 79.95 on Amazon)
You know I went and got it. It was truly like new, super clean and with the recipe book.. - Works Great! I have made a French white bread, Onion Soup Mix bread, Cinnamon-Raisin bread, and Apple Spice bread so far.



So, that's my contribution to Kathleen's White Wednesdays for today.

**Watch for those old lights, but check the wiring and make sure it is decent or you will have additional investment for new wires.... :-)


I'll leave you with little Woobie, Justin's "Lonewolf". ahhh Woobs, are you daydreaming of you and Justin taking a walk???? Soon, Woobie...Soon...


Thanks so much for dropping in. Thanks for your prayers for our fighting men and women. God bless YOU!!!

Met Monday Toile and Roosters

Another weekend has come and gone, and MONDAY morning is here AGAIN!
Jonny left for two weeks of camp helping counsel mentally and emotionally challenged kids down at Clemson University in SC. We will miss him.

*ack..my trainer is gone...maybe I can surprise him when he gets back with some weight loss to report in!!!...maybe???


Anybody else ever feel like this???



Joining Susan in today's Metamorphosis Monday over at:

http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/


This is one of the easiest and quickest makeovers I have done yet. Pulled some stuff out of my closet on Friday because I got an idea.


I started out with this Frame I got from Salvation Army a while back. (.99) I loved all the carved detail in it.


Then I dug til I found this remnant of Black and White Country Rooster toile fabric. (a piece I found at the little thrift for .25)


I cut a piece of cardboard the size of the piece of glass. Cut a piece of Fabric with the Rooster scene in the center. Wrapped that around the cardboard and secured on the back. Subject matter DONE.

Then I got some white paint from my stock of paint supplies, a small stippling-like brush, and applied sparse amounts of paint on the brush and "dry-brushed" the frame just to barely cover the original gold color. It gives it that distressed white look that goes well with the scene. It was dry in less than 5 minutes.


I had in mind to put this at my new "little spot of my own" you saw in last Thursday's post.
http://faithgraceandjoy.blogspot.com/2010/07/my-own-little-spot.html

Where the small gold framed mirror hung under the window pane....
This picture now resides.

AND!!! take note! The little Peter Rabbit clock that was broken..... My dad fixed it and it has already returned to its home here with me! Love It! Love my dad too!


And the mirror?? It has a new place too.




Frame Metamorphosis and new decor..... in less than 15 minutes! Woot! That fits my DayTimer schedule.

Thanks for stopping by and Hope your Monday is a great one.


May little hearts and loving actions shower on you today. And remember THIS:



Cheap thrills are a dime a dozen. True and lasting happiness comes from the hand of God


Thanks for praying...