It All Started...

...on June 3, 1944 in a double wedding with best friends, Bettie Ann and Casey and Charles and Jane, later to be known as Jeff and Peep, getting married at Trinity Methodist Church in Sumter, South Carolina-Peep's home church. They were blessed with 4 children, daughter, Jane, and sons, Chuck, Wayne and John. Then you have 11 grandchildren, 18 great grandchildren and 1 great, great grandchild. Luck has really been with them.
Ashley Claire, my daughter, and I hosted a party for Peep and Jeff's 65 years, 1 month and 29 day anniversary at Ash and Jude's house. They have a wonderful house and 'outdoor kitchen' to entertain in with a large inside space with full facilities and a covered outdoor area with plenty of tables and swings and comfy seating. There is also a pool but no one wanted to swim. (It's not an 'outdoor' kitchen, just what they call their entertainment area and where they watch football when not attending the games of their favorite team-New Orleans Saints).
Family and close friends came and enjoyed much laughter, great conversation, entertainment by the boys-Chuck, Wayne and John telling tales of growing up and their escapades-and some fabulous food.
It was an honor and privilege to help do this for two exceptional people, ones I truly treasure.


Peep and Jeff-Jane and Charles-the reason for the celebration.

The invitation for the party-address and phone numbers have been deleted for this entry.

Let's get this party started-dips, chips, relish tray, snacks-many delicious things got the party started.

John-the youngest, Chuck, who is mine and the oldest boy, and Wayne-the middle boy having tasty snacks and stories.

Jimmie, Angie and Peep chatting and catching up.

Ashley Claire and Jude listening to many conversations at once, Wayne to the side involved in another chat.

Enormous pretzels and small mints were the first gift opened from daughter and son-in-law who didn't attend.

The Waterford basket in motion from Jimmie.

...a Waterford picture frame from Ashley, Jude and LolaMae.

...even more Waterford in motion from Chuck and I. We just hope she puts these pieces to good use and doesn't just 'wave' them around.

Outside with tasty brisket, chicken, sausage, beans, rice dressing, potato salad, slaw and buttery garlic bread-YUM! Near table is Wayne, John, Jimmie, and Abby. The back table you can see Angie, Jeff, and Chuck. No tablecloths and the candles weren't lit-too much wind, but white tablecloths, small blue candleholders, white candles, and blue beads had been set out on the tables and the chairs accented with blue bows. We had tried to add sapphire blue streamers but the wind was just too much, the thought was there!

'Jeff, Jeff, come sit down and see this beautiful cake.'

'Wait, I'm getting hugs from LolaMae.'

The Happy Couple

Sitting pretty-telling something very important to all.

Peep's version of 'getting intimate'-her words not mine! This is one funny lady.

telling even more stories

Party place! Outdoor kitchen cover in background.

LolaMae and her party dress.

Catching up on 'news' -Jimmie, Angie and Peep with Chuck standing in the background.

This is another granddaughter, Abby, who belongs to John who came to the party but couldn't bring her 3 children. I believe she had been listening to Peep, Angie, and Jimmie telling tales here and then was nearby for the gifts.

Party favors-fans decorated with ribbons, wedding cake charms, words of inspiration to help with the extreme heat and humidity. Hand-decorated candy boxes filled with Godiva chocolates and the second of the pair of doves-candy doesn't need to have a reason to be there and Godiva chocolates never need a reason for anything!

Just A Single Hibiscus

This was a thankyou card I made for a wonderfully funny friend, Noi, for a Christmas present this past year. It also was a 'I'm going to miss you, too, card as she left recently to go back to Thailand to be with her mom. Noi is an extremely talented person who has tried to teach my friend, Jimmie, and I how to color the right way, I haven't gotten it done just right but like to work on it. I have a very heavy hand with the color! The image is by 'Beeswax' and stamped with Sepia VersaFine ink onto Beckett Expression Prairie cardstock colored with Prismacolor pencils. It has all been layered onto Bazzill cardstock of varying colors.

In exchange for a Lily

This was given in exchange for some transparencies that a friend shared with me and my 'bud' Jimmie. I think we got the best deal-many transparencies to play with and Mary got one card. I can't remember who the image is by but it was stamped with VersaFine Sepia onto Beckett Expression Prairie paper and colored with Prismacolor pencils.

What's Happening of Late

I have made a few cards lately when I had to, can't seem to get into the swing of things. I think I want to do something and just can not get my mind around it. I will sit at my table and look around and that's it. Zip, zero, zilch. Maybe later.

I did make it through the one year since my Daddy passed and it was easier in ways and hard as hell too. I think the sadness of not seeing him again is what is the hardest part but knowing he is ok where he is a very good part. Enough.

I finally have a picture of my daughter and her husband to post, I had some but none she wanted me to use-girls! I took some pictures of Ashley Claire and Jude and his sister, Kathy, her partner, Nicole, their 22-month old Brayden, and Ben, Jude and Kathy's baby brother last weekend. It's spring and outdoor pictures need to be made and Grandmothers need pictures! Here is one of Ash and Jude and their 'daughterdog' LolaMae Dupuy who is wearing her Easter dress of shades of pink ruffles and just a few sparkles and a lovely bow to accent the back. Three small ruffles adorned the front neckline and her lime green 'diamond' studded collar was the perfect jewelry!

WOW!

I just found out I had some comments, I don't know how I found them but I did. I don't know what to do now, do I send a 'thank you' to the individuals or just 'bless their hearts' for looking at my blog and telling me what they like! One day I know I will figure this blog stuff out and it will finally make some sense, I hope.
Anyway, thanks for the kind words, I appreciate each of them.

Anniversary/Birthday and Celebrations

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Chuck and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary on the 16th of March in a very low key way-he didn't think it was momentous! Enough said!!!
He will celebrate his 62nd birthday tomorrow and I may not think it's momentous but Rudy, the dachshund that owns us, does so I have a gift to wrap and a card to make that I just remembered-running kind of late on this one.
My Momma is doing remarkably good as we come up on April 8-it will be one year since Daddy passed. It doesn't seem that long but it seems like forever since I saw him. I miss him. Enough or the tears will flow.
I must go make that card for Rudy to give to his Daddy tomorrow and wrap his gift-Rudy just won't do it-I won't let him use scissors!!

"The Little Angel"

Just days before Christmas, maybe December 23, I still had 20 cards to make-a bout of strep throat the week before Christmas will put you down in a hurry and you don't want to make anything! I came up with this idea on my own, finally an original thought. The stamp is from Stampington and was stamped in Versafine Green-not sure of the name-onto Beckett Expressions Candlelight, edges cut with deckle scissors, edged with gold, layered to decorative paper and adhered to green cardstock.

"My little chick-a-dee"

I barely did anything without my friends help this year-it was a needful thing and they were very helpful and so talented, lucky me! Chickadee stamp was done in Versafine Black Onyx, I think, colored with Prismacolor pencils on Beckett Expressions Prairie. Cut to size, edged with gold pen, layered onto red cardstock and then to decorative paper edged with gold and adhered to green folded card. There's a pattern here, birds, gold edges, decorative paper, etc, I told y'all I needed help this year!

Simple Joy

This card is another from my friends. Stamp from Michael's and I can't remember who made it right now. Colored with Marvy Markers onto Beckett Expressions Prairie, cut to size, edged with gold pen, layered onto red cardstock. 'Joy' ribbon from Michael's dollar bin was a find and cut into lengths and frayed, then adhered to red cardstock. All pieces layered onto decorative paper and then onto green card.

A look at my Christmas cards for 2008

I'm late doing this, too. I made several different designs this year thanks to a couple of friends that let me share a stamping day back in November, I think. Jimmie, by running bud, and our friend, Noi, had a wonderful couple of days stamping and playing and chatting, which was needed by all.

This first card is "Cardinal Joy" from an SU set. Stamped with Versafine Sepia, colored with Prismacolor pencils with highlights added with a glitter pen. Sentiment is from Penny Black embossed with JudiKins bronze powder all layer onto decorative paper.

Winter at the Lake

I finally made a card to post and think I have it in the right spot! I tried to copy one of Michelle Zindorff's masterpieces, http://zindorf.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com/ and hope I've done some justice. I changed up and did my 'stippling' as I can not get the hang of the brayer. I also have an awful time following directions and Michelle gives fantastic ones-I just have a brain block on following them and some things were done before they should be and I do see the reason why now, I know where the icky parts are. Hope you enjoy.

To finish last year or start over now!?

I had ended by saying I would start back blogging and posting photos and finally today, January 7 , 2009 I've done that.My family and I made it through birthdays without Daddy, Thanksgiving without him and Christmas without his physical presense, but he was so with us and I know will continue to be, I'm thankful for that. We were able to cry some hard tears when looking at photos and then when looking again we had some good stories and some great laughs, I like those best.

We also had our 2 sons come for a weekend with their children and one wife and my in-laws came too to see the children. We have some very pretty kids if I do say so. Charles and LilyAnne who is 18 months old came first and were just delightful, kids that age are just fun, fast but fun. She was shown how quickly ornaments will come off the tree and that when chased giggling is pretty much required by all. She is such a happy child with curly hair that gives her an impish look.

Loren, Cari and Alexcia,8, and Jansen, 3, came the next day and the race was on! Three year olds are BUSY all time. Alexcia is such a sweet patient child and quite the beauty-can you hear granny pride in this anywhere! Jansen is a doll, who looks so much like his Daddy did at that age, gorgeous skin tones and sparkling mischievous eyes that need no words.

Our daughter, Ashley and her husband, Jude came over the first night for a visit with Charles and LilyAnne and were excited to have her to themselves and the play started, it didn't take long before the tree didn't look quiet the same, remember me mentioning how the ornaments could be eased off the tree amid laughter!!! Such fun.

Peep and Jeff, my in-laws were delighted to be able to visit as they see the children maybe once a year or year and a half. Their visit was very special and pictures were taken to remember it by.

Now it's the new year, we have survived the head, throat, chest, ear invasions and now just cough at times and have the weakness that goes with it. That too will soon be over because I

see a road trip coming up-Mesquite ScrapandStamp Convention and my friend has us both signed up-yippee! She signs us up, I drive and we get there in due time. I'm sure we will spend some money and learn some new things and come home and make everything possible-NOT-or at least we never have. Bought the things, yes, leaned some things, yes, do them later, I think probably not!

That's it for my catching up for now. Who knows, I may remember something that y'all need to know and I would hate for y'all to miss something I know, wouldn't be right.

Later,

b

Diamond Dew Drops

Finally found this picture to post again. I was leaving the house one day and when I turned the curve the sunlight was shining on this web as though diamonds were hanging on it-quite a sight to see, simple and beautiful. Photo taken December 19, 2007.

New Cards this week

Back to making cards and enjoying it again. Only making what I need for right now and popping them in the mail quickly. Here are two of my latest creations.

Passing of time and other things

From March to August is a long time to not be around my blog, I've looked at it, didn't know what to say then moved away from it for a time. To lose my Daddy in April has been hard. I know I'm not the only person but I'm not really worried about others now, it's about me and my hurt. Days go by and I smile, days come upon me and tears come for no reason except it hurts. I like the smiling best. The grandchild I will never see is hard for me but it's harder for my daughter and her husband and that hurts me more as I can't 'fix' it for them or take away the hurt. She is doing better, I'm doing better so I believe the world will go on. I believe my Daddy is rocking that precious child and singing one of the songs he used to sing to us. He will take care of this baby so well, thank you Daddy.

I plan to start back to blogging and posting pictures of artwork, animals, things I like and idle chatter, too. More to come on this adventure.

The Beauty of Spring

A nice coating of yellow is beginning to cover everything as the pollen floats through the air. The windows are open to let in the breeze and I can hear the birds singing and watch them eating from their feeders, love it! I found a couple of blooms on one camellia bush that are gigantic so I picked them along with some regular sized ones to take some photos this morning. I like them and I am really the only person today that I am trying to please, another of those days!!! What's not to like about pretty flowers, crockery and old books? Enjoy

A Long Day to Deal With

Going to see your Daddy and Momma should have an element of fun or joy in it, and in the big sense of the world it did have the fun and joy of seeing them together.Daddy wasn't quite sure of who Momma was but was glad she was there to sit with him. He smiled when Donna and I brought in his hot plate of cornbread dressing, turkey, green peas with carrots. He ate a few bites of turkey and maybe a bite of dressing and some of his Coke and he was done, that was all he wanted.Momma came back maybe 30 minutes later and we all chatted for a bit. Later Donna, Pat and I went to Momma's house to have our turkey dinner and discuss the talk I had with Momma earlier-Daddy being admitted into the nursing home part of the hospital on Monday, March 10, 2008 . This has been one of my tougher days and I can look out and see more coming my way. I feel scared, but I know I will have support and be able to get a handle on it. Thankfully I just replenished the Kleenex -a needful thing. I'm lucky to have had Momma and Daddy healthy for so very long.

Photo from April 2007 in their backyard at home, almost a year before this story took place.

An Observation Early On

I guess I'm going to be putting photos on for a while. I've taken some I'm pretty proud of and think I'll share those here until I start stamping something or making something new. Maybe tomorrow the weather will be just yucky enough and overcast to get some pictures in the morning, who knows what I'll find on the way to see Momma and Daddy.

The Big Test

Thanks to my bff and running buddy, Jimmie, I now have a blog. Now I have to figure out what to do with it. To make it sound like I know what I am doing I will run this first post as a test to see what goes where and when and specifically how it gets there.