April 26, 2009

Hi everyone!...I want to start out by thanking everyone for their kind words and prayers during this time...It means so much!!!....

We knew the day would come that we'd have to face this situation, but we never thought it would be this soon....We were greeted with kindness from his side of the family that we don't know or Tim knows little of...Phone numbers and addresses were exchanged with us being told over and over that they wanted to keep in touch...Tim is a little cautious and thinks they were just being polite...But I told him "you don't tell someone OVER and OVER {as many times as we were} and give them your phone # and address if you don't want them to get in contact with you"..I really feel the outreach was genuine...And they surrounded us and treated us like they had always known us...I felt very comfortable with them...And for that I'm VERY THANKFUL....A situation that we always thought would be very uncomfortable was made into a pleasant time of visiting and hopefully some healing...

So, the next time we travel back to Trenton {Tim's hometown} they want to know ahead of time, so they can plan a get-together with us...I'm going to make sure we do that...It's a shame that it couldn't have happend while Boyd was alive, but that time is over...Now we have to go on from here...

Until next time......hugs, Jen

April 25, 2009

Well, it was a beautiful day here with a warm temp of 86....Suppose to be 90 tomorrow...UGH!...Lets just say that last night I closed the windows and the air has officially come on for the summer...Yes, it has come on!!!

It was a busy day and then we left right after 4:00 for a 2 hour drive to the funeral home for the viewing..

We were told he was being cremated and I knew it would make it easier on Tim..Then we found out last night that he hasn't been..

I sat off with one of his aunts the entire time....Every once in a while I'd hear someone say "That's Boyd son"....."That's Tim".....


But tomorrow there will be much more family there...Boyd was one of 11 children....Tim's aunt Louise will be there...I have always loved Louise...She always showed us such kindness when we'd visit her in our early years of marriage....She gave me a beautiful strawberry quilt as a wedding gift...I mentioned to her that I had seen some quilts on tables and she told to use mine as a table cloth...I remember saying really quick.."Oh,No!... Something will get spilled on it!!..LOL...AWw!...I was so young and uneducated in the primitive ways!!...ha!....I will definitely be telling you more about Aunt Louise in the months ahead...After talking to her the other night I realized how much I'd missed her all these years...And let me add...She has the MOST AWESOME PRIMITIVE HOUSE!!!...Absolutely primitive...The first primitive house I'd ever been in and definitely influenced my decorating ....But more on that later...

So tomorrow we will make the drive again to be there by 3:00 for the service....My parents are meeting us there to take care of Luke, so I can sit with Tim in the service...They are driving 2 hours also....So we will meet in the middle...

So in the meantime I'm up waiting for Taylor to get home from Atlanta with a group of church friends that went to Six flags today...So I guess l need to get things organized for tomorrow and decide on what to fix for lunch.....Tim will go to prayer time and church services and hopefully I will have everything ready to go and lunch ready when he gets home so we can leave soon afterwards...That is the plan anyway!..I pray the day goes smoothly!

I hope you all have a blessed and restful Sunday!!....hugs,Jen

P.S. I started typing this,and since then Taylor has come home and I've been laughing at her stories about the day....I might get in the bed if I can get Taylor to go to bed so I can finish this post...LOL....HA!...NO, she's still talking!!!......
Ok...she said she was going to bed so I would stop talking about her on my blog....Goodnight Taylor!!.....LOL
Goodnight everyone!

April 23, 2009

HOW DO YOU SAY GOODBYE?

How do you say goodbye to someone you don't know??....We received word yesterday that Tim's biological father passed away the night before...A man that Tim has only seen or spoken to 4 times in his life...I've only seen once...

He chose not to be father....

He never celebrated in Tim's achievements and the man he's become..

His mom remarried and Tim was adopted and raised by his daddy, James...So he had a dad growing up...

And we found out several years ago that he only lived an hour from us....Whereas most of the family lived 4 1/2 to 5 hours away in Northwest Georgia where Tim is from...

Last year Tim reached out to him for what he didn't know would be the last time...He was in the hospital after having a heart attack...He reached out to this man he didn't know..It was a HARD decision for Tim..His condition had improved or we had talked about going to see him...So Tim chose a phone call....They spoke and then ended with Tim telling him if he ever needed anything to call and gave him our number...We knew deep down he never would call...But deep down I had always hoped....

He only held Taylor once when she was a month old....He has never seen Luke.....He's never heard my children's laughter or heard their voices....It's so sad!...He missed out!....They are his only granchildren listed in the obituary....

Did he ever think about our family....Did he ever wonder???...

How do you say goodbye to someone you don't know, but should know???....Someone you forever have a connection to, but don't!...

Rest in Peace ....You will be mourned and missed....You will be thought of and remembered!!...A sad goodbye!

April 18, 2009

I WANT TO SHARE SOME NEWS WITH YOU!!!

Wow! Where did this week go??..I had intentions of posting a few times this week, but time definitely got away from me...It was a beautiful Spring day today!!...The sun was shining and it was in the 70's like it has been most of the week....Tonight I worked in the garage like I have been doing this week...I'm clearing out...And the middle of the garage is cleared...I don't think it has been that cleared since we moved in a year ago today...Wow!...It has already been a year!!...But we moved from a much larger house into a house that is 1550 square feet...I was able to get all my furniture from the other house in this one except my 10 foot church pew....I so hate that because I really love that pew...Now it sits in the garage with all my supplies stacked on it...Oh, and then there is this huge trunk that sat in my foyer in the other house sitting beside it out there now...I could probably find a home for it inside, but I have plans for some furniture pieces to be made soon....

I got these candles in the mail.......I got 24 in total...They are from 1776 Liberty Lane Primitives on ebay...They smell so heavenly!!..I got Prim Vanilla...Cinnamon Pear...Fall Harvest...and Autumn Allspice....I haven't had time to take them out of their packaging yet, but hope to soon....













Ok....Now did anyone hear me scream when I got these signs????....I received them before I went on my trip and before Lisa from Black Sheep Prims Homeplace Blog had her surgery....They are absolutely perfect and exactly what I wanted!!!!....She is going to make me some other ones when she is on her feet and feeling back to her old self...But she went ahead and sent the ones she had finished...All of them will be in black like these....I haven't hung them yet but one...It is sooo hard to decide where to put them..I have so many options....So I will show you their new home when I put them all up.....
And get well Lisa!!!!!!...We've all been praying for you!!!





























































~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ok...It is done!...The pics have been sent....The article has been written and I've read it....I know of two pics that were definitely chosen...I've kept it to myself til now....My home is going to be in here..






Do you have a subscription???...Yes, the Mercantile Gatherings Magazine......And what an honor!!....I'm glad I finally am telling you..I've known about it for a couple of months...
I must say that Tiffany "Twigs" had asked me to be in it when the magazine had first started, but I never thought my house was ready... Looking back I know that God has a PLAN and TIME for everything...And if I had had my home in it then I wouldn't have been able to share my families story up to this point and Luke wouldn't have been a part of it...And he is a BIG part of our family and my testimony of how God has blessed us !!!... So I get to share my family and my home with you in the summer issue...How awesome is that???!!!???...I emailed Tiffany last night and told her just that...How many magazines can we share God's blessings and our decorating, too????....She replied telling me that she has an awesome job that she loves and that I definitely have a testimony!!....
So that is it for now!...I hope everyone has a blessed weekend and gets many projects done or rest & relaxation....I hope to get lots of projects done tomorrow and rest on Sunday...Love those Sunday afternoon naps!!....Until next time!!!...hugs, Jen

April 13, 2009

GOODIES FROM MY TRIP

Happy Monday!!!...Have I told you that I love Mondays???...I don't know why!...Most people grumble at the mere mention of Monday....Definitely if I had to go out to work then I'd feel differently...I just love the start of another week God has given me...It's a chance to clean the house from a busy weekend with everyone being home...I like doing the laundry and organizing...The next thing to tackle is the garage before it gets hot weather...I want to get rid of things I couldn't last year after the move...I was too attached to items that I'd had for years in our other house...I have now bought new items that fit this house better and that fit the look I'm trying to achieve...

Now to the question my sweet husband asked me...When is it complete???...When is the house finally finished??...When has enough primitve items been bought???....I think I felt light headed when he asked that....When do you watch your last ballgame???...buy your last ball cap???....Eat your last meal???....As I thought about it I guess it is NEVER complete!!!...Not completely....There will always be some little something that we just HAVE TO HAVE for just that look we want...We grow tired of stuff and need new....Let's just say what it is... it's an addiction!!!...There are some pieces that I have my eye on and must have...Just to COMPLETE my look!!!...HA!...Has your husband ever asked you something similar????...

Ok here are some items I brought home from my trip....And let me say it was a challenge because Myrtle Beach ISN'T prim capital of the world by any means...I found one...I mean 1 little craft/antique mall...But wouldn't you know that I found something that I've always wanted...I added the candle....The whole thing measures 12 inches tall...It is a huge candle holder for $12.00.... I haven't decided where to put it, but I will let you know!















And then some wooden chimes for $2.79...I've got them hanging here in the laundry room til Tim gets them put outside...Every shop we went into that had chimes I would ring all of them for Luke and we loved the sound of these...I have chimes that hang on the front porch that Tim bought me the Christmas I finished up chemo and radiation...I remember lying in bed and listening to the sweet sound and thinking of angels when I felt so bad...So I think I would like these on the back porch to enjoy or outside my kitchen window....
















And a blue agate necklace...It goes perfectly with my blue lapis southwest jewelry I buy off of QVC.....And hold onto your seat!!!...It was a whopping $2.25.....HA!












Then on the way home we stopped by Hobby Lobby in Aiken, SC...Just let me say it was WAY OUT of our way....I wanted to get some big paper mache boxes, but they were 50% off and practically wiped out....I did manage to come home with 3 of the paper mache eggs....Maybe now that Easter is over I might find all the paper mache eggs I already had that I haven't been able to find since the move a year ago...You know how that goes!!...I will let you know if and when I find them!!

I did find some fabric....I love blues and browns....
















And then I found these!!...Yeah!..I was going to make me some of these and now I don't have to....2 big ones and 3 smaller ones....How cool is that???...Ok are you sitting down???....The big ones were $2.99 and the small ones were $1.99...I will let you see what I do with them and where I put them at a later post...
Well, that is it for now!...Next time I will show you some awesome new items I've gotten in the mail and maybe share some news with you....Until next time!!....hugs,Jen

April 12, 2009

THE MASTER'S AND SPRING BREAK IS OVER FOR ANOTHER YEAR!!!

Happy Easter everyone!!...I hope everyone had a restful Easter Sunday...We had church this morning...I enjoyed being in the nursery with Luke and the other children..We didn't get home til going on 1:00 because Tim was the deacon on duty today to clean up and lock up...I had a few more things to make for our Easter dinner and then it was dinner and naptime...

We've only been home a few days....We left last Sunday for Myrtle Beach for 5 days and 4 nights and escape some Master's traffic....We only live 3 1/2 hours away so the trip wasn't too long....Taylor took her friend, Sasha with us to pal around with...We have been searching for a new vehicle since mine was totaled in the crash and had found one in Myrtle Beach we liked...So since we were heading there we decided to check it out...We have been looking and driving MANY different types for 6 weeks until I found one I really liked here but not so much the price...I will post pics later this week...So we went on vacation and brought home a new vehicle!!

Our trip was pretty packed with activities....When we got there on Sunday we went directly to the car dealership to test drive and make plans to have it checked out on Monday by a mechanic....Then onto the room and the beach....Our room with a view!!...Right on the beach!!...It was awesome!!!...Then onto do some shopping and dinner...
On Monday the kids hit the beach and Tim took Luke to the pool while I cleaned up and organized our stuff and just enjoyed the quiet and the view..HA!...While watching "Young and the Restless"....Yes, I was taping it at home, but Katherine was waiting to find out if she really was Brock's mother and Billy was getting married to Chloe!!...I was watching it and the ocean too!!!...Then we left and spent the rest of the day doing the tourist things....




































On Tuesday it was chilly and WINDY, but it wasn't going to keep us from enjoying and being out....We shopped and did what the kids wanted to do...That morning we went to the Aquarium...I guess everyone else had the same idea too...It was packed!!!...












Taylor and Sasha























































In the ticket package we got the girls and I were going to the Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum and The Ripleys Haunted House....Not my idea, but they said I was going too....Tim took Luke back to the room and around 7:00 we got in line for 3 story haunted adventure...Why didn't I say NO???!!!???..LOL...When we first entered I somehow or another ended up first...Now, How did that happen????...After a brief lecture from a creepy guy we entered....Circling around some room a young couple ended up in front thank goodness!!!!!!!!!....I grabbed ahold of her jacket for dear life!!!HA!...After walking through a room of body bags hanging from the ceiling with blood dripping from them I knew this wasn't going to be good!!!LOL...And then proceeding into a pitch black area...All we could do was feel on the walls for the path and then I grabbed SOMEONE!!!!...And it wasn't someone in the group!!!...Did I mention that I SCREAMED!!!!...But I think it was muffled by the screams of Taylor and Sasha yelling MAMA!!!!....MAMA!!!!....LOL...And then there was a episode of hearing a chainsaw and feeling pushing along with screams!...I wasn't looking back!!!...Then as we were entering another area and rounding a corner I glanced back to see a pale long haired creature peeking around his corner....UGH!!!!....There were areas of pitch blackness again and someone behind whispering "I'm watching you!".....I think the pitch black areas bothered me the most, but I was so thankful for the young early 20's couple that lead us around and for her letting me clutch her jacket...Because he HAD to feel along the walls to lead us...And I thanked him when we got out!!!...What an adventure!!!...Sorry no pictures!!...What!...Did you really expect to see any???...I was too busy being scared!!!LOL....I might have even yelled MAMA once...You never know!!!...HA!...What mothers do for our children!!!

Thursday was spent doing outlet malls and getting things that we definitely wanted to take home....We went down on the strip where most of the college kids hang out...Wow! What unusual characters!!..And I mean characters!!...Then eat and back to the room...It was windy and cool, but a stroll on the beach til midnight with the girls while Tim watched Luke was magical....Yeah, I know it should have been Tim and I strolling on the beach, but mother and father duties come first...So the girls wrapped up in blankets we'd brought from home and Taylor brought me a bedspread.... The wind was blowing REALLY HARD so it was hard to take pictures, but here was some of what came out as we walked along the moonlit beach....










































































EERIE!!!!

















Sunrise from our room!!!!












And back to Augusta and Master's traffic!!!
































Well, The Master's is over for another year..I stopped watching after Phil was out!!...And another Spring Break over!!...So back to normal activities this week here in Augusta...I will post next time with pics of the goodies I brought home...So until then!!.......hugs,Jen

April 1, 2009

MORE HOUSE PICS!!!

Happy Wednesday friends!!!...Whatcha all up to????......I snapped a pic of my bedroom with the coverlet switched over to the other side......












from.....I tend to like this look better...










~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I wanted to finally share my fireplace mantle with you...If you remember back at Christmas it was white...Well, yesterday I was taking pics and shifting the family from room to room to do this....Tim sat down as I was clicking and I told him he'd be on my blog, so here he is.....












Doesn't he look relaxed!!!!????!!!!.....Did you notice the fireplace????...I absolutely love the blue!!!!!!!!!!!!!!












after I painted it......Pic taken with a flash....












More of the family room....















and another......












~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I finally found it!!!...I have been searching on ebay for this pattern from the 80's....Every once in a while I'd do a search and nothing would pop up....Well, GUESS WHAT!!!!...I found it and now I have it in my possession!!!!!YEAH!!!










As you can see in my home I collect pottery and I wanted this x-stitch pattern ....Perserverance pays off!!!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Have a blessed rest of the week!!!..Until next time!!!!....hugs,Jen