Sharing My Heart

I can not begin to express how much your comments and e-mails have meant to me. Thank you all so much. The love we felt for Hope was something I never would have imagined happening. She was just a cat for cryin out loud, but oh how she touched our lives. I well up just thinking of her. We buried her in our garden out back. My son Bud came over and dug up the frozen ground and we buried her in a box the kids made. It will now be called "Hope's Garden".

I have not shared my life lately. You know I am usually an open book. It has been a very rough couple of months here. No need to share details, but I will share that just after Thanksgiving, Bud and Rachel separated and are now going through a divorce. Rachel and the kids live with her parents over an hour away. It has been like a death in the family and I am, of course, concerned for my grandkids. This will be very hard on them, especially TJ who does not like change at all. Bud has them every other weekend until visitation is worked out through the courts. I do not assume any divorce is easy, and this one is no exception.

Enough of that. You can, maybe, see why saving Hope was so important to me. I could not save my grandchildren's family, but maybe I could save a cat. Well, that was not meant to be either. I am not sure why God brought Hope into our lives, or if He even did. I know she helped us more than we helped her. Last night was a sad night here. My little kids cried themselves to sleep. Zach sobbed for over an hour in his bed last night. He did not want to come with me or Sweetheart when we asked him. Charlotte was crying too. This morning her eyes were all red and puffy. Kyle was very quiet and spent the evening in his room. He had been spending a lot of time holding Hope in the evenings. I felt very guilty for putting my kids through this.

What could I do to make it better?Meet Sassy. Sassy is a 10 week old kitten who I got from the shelter this morning.
She is a sweet little thing with a black and pink nose and someone cut off her whiskers and one eyebrow.
This gives her a "misfit" look and I knew she would fit right in here.
The whiskers will grow back as fast as the smiles came back on my kid's faces!
Charlotte said, "Hope would like Sassy, Mom."

I know there is much love here to be poured out on a little black and white cat with no whiskers and a lot of attitude....which is where the name Sassy came from! I think Charlotte is right. Hope would like Sassy!!!

Christmas Decorations

The stockings are hung.....

....the angel is singing.....

....the table is set.....

....and even the floral couch has had a touch of Christmas cheer. Two Santa pillows and a Christmas tree pillow, will do much to change the look of even the most "springy" of fabrics!

Kyle, Charlotte, and Zachary, decorated the tree 100% on their own this year (except the lights, which Sweetheart did) Notice the quilt frame is down....it's ok, really.I am sorry to say, I did not do one thing. I think I was holed up in my sewing room that day. It is perfectly ok....they had a blast and that is all that matters! I must say they did a wonderful job.
I got 2 more bindings on....and another is almost done. That makes...let me count....6 total. I still need to make 2 more. I will piece them today. Here are the latest 2 in all their glory.....We also had the pleasure of grandkids this weekend. TJ, as usual, was too busy playing to be bothered with the camera, though he did spend more time with us that off with the kids. Emerson enjoyed a snack with her daddy and a bit of the Bears game.It is snowing LIKE CRAZY today. We are to get 8-12 inches by tomorrow with severe winds and white out conditions starting in the middle of the night. Pray for my son who will be on the road traveling to and from work in the midst of it all. I plan to stay in and work on some more quilting. Until next time, remember the reason for the season.....
"He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end."
Luke 1:32-33

Happy Birthday Bud

27 years ago today, I became a mom. Happy Birthday to my sweet boy.

You were (and still are) the light of my life.A true sports nut!
You learned to walk with help from your Daddy,and you helped your own son to take his first steps.You learned how to be a family,and you made your own.You are an incredible brother.
Always making certain any future wife would KNOW that your brother might someday be part of the package...You are a wonderful husband...I was never more proud as when I watched you stand by your wife as she made you a father.....both times.
You have always LOVED to sleep. I never understood that, but it is a part of you. You sit down and you fall asleep...we all know this about you! ;)Thankfully, you do not fall asleep when you drive.You are an awesome Daddy, in a long line of awesome Daddies!!We admire the man that you are. Happy Birthday Bud!! We Love You!

Bud's Big Day!!

My son is a HUGE Steelers fan. Has been since his childhood. As a teenager, he and his dad painted this big HUGE Steelers logo (just like the one above) on one of his bedroom walls. It took up the entire wall. So, you can imagine his excitement when his beloved Steelers made it to the Super Bowl. I promised him "football food" as he requested. We had meat and cheese, bread, crackers and a couple of kinds of chips and dip.Rachel made an awesome cheese dip.Not a whole lot of color in that food! I added a bit on the side....I had an Atkin's plate, though my weight has not dropped this week. I have not cheated AT ALL, and am getting frustrated playing this game with the scale. Hopefully I will be able to report a significant drop next Monday, Sharon.

Kyle had a friend over and they ordered pizza and watched a movie downstairs. He did join us for most of the game after his friend left.

TJ came over all decked out and "ready for some footbaaaaaall!!!"Paw Paw worked with him all season to say "Steelers Stink.", but TJ came in today saying "Bears are stink"!! Daddy had been working on him!!!Little Emerson was as cute as she could be!! What a sweet disposition. She wakes up smiling! She and Grandma caught up!!The game was going so smoothly for the Steelers that a few people fell asleep!!!! Sweetheart napped in his Bears hat...he is a diehard!Bud's girls did not make it either....TJ and Zachary played, but TJ got very tired at the end of the evening. He curled up next to grandma and fought to keep his eyes open. He did make it through the game though, unlike some others I have already mentioned!Charlotte watched the game while working on her "skinny scarf" she is making for Rachel.She did clean up the kitchen for me during half time.I worked on the last of the hand quilting on a table runner and put the binding on the front during half time (I did see Bruce sing a couple of songs), and worked on the back during the rest of the game. I can show you the front once it gets to it's new home.It did not take long for all the sleepyheads to wake up, as the game got a little tense at the end. Bud was on the edge of his seat!!! Emerson thought it was all great and did not doubt her team for a second!Those Steelers pulled it out and won the Super Bowl!!! They made history twice during that game...one for the longest play (that was awesome even if you are not a football fan) and another for having the youngest coach. No, not him..... My son had a GREAT day!!!! As a side note, it seems the Steelers won a Super Bowl the year TJ was born and now another in the year Emerson was born....maybe I will get more grandkids yet!!! He would do anything to see his Steelers win a Super Bowl!!