Out with the old and in with the new, right? Sure, sounds good to me. However, this post is going to be mostly pictures since I keep promising a better update. So here we go.
It may now be January, but we’re going to go back to Thanksgiving for this post. Quisha flew out to visit us for the Thanksgiving break and let me tell you, I felt so whole with her being here. I really miss her and wish things had turned out differently, but I will now just treasure the time we get to spend together even more. When the kids got here, I immediately had to pose them all to get a group shot. That photo shoot turned into our Christmas card:
I think Jorja is happy that Quisha is home — I don’t know if the smile gives it away or not, haha!
After the photo shoot, I waited for the inevitable question: “Can we play a game on the TV?”
It’s the quietest they all get together — LOL!!
Quisha arrived on a Wednesday, so the next day being Thanksgiving, we waited for Karen and Jason to arrive to help us celebrate. Karen brought a very tasty sweet potato chowder. I made all the rest of the fixins. The kids vegged in front of the TV while waiting.
Once they arrived, we played a hardy round of Apples to Apples while dinner was still cooking. I completely forgot to take pictures of the food or anyone around the table, I guess I got caught up in enjoying company for a change. After dinner, we played UNO attack and then I treated everyone to a piece of Grandma’s famous pumpkin chiffon pie. We had a really good time visiting with one another and just enjoying each other’s company.
Before Karen and Jason left, I snagged a few more photos. Here is Quisha and Karen.
Well now we are onto part of December, I’ll finish up the last part of December later.
Since we are now in a smaller community, it has been really hard for us to find anyone locally who homeschools. We attend functions with the group in Bowling Green, but that is almost an hour away, so it makes it really hard to form friends. So we’ve become pretty active in our church. Jayson is one of the youngest members of the youth group, but he really likes the teens in it. The youth pastor, Josh, announced they were going to buy tickets to a concert in Nashville the first Friday in December. He was looking for some chaperones and I volunteered. Let’s just say, I became the cool mom at church — at least that night — ROFL!!! With Christmas being right around the corner, there were Christmas parades going on almost every weekend. Nashville was no exception, their parade was the night of the concert. So downtown was completely packed. It took us awhile to find some parking and then we walked to the arena.
Jayson being his usual goofy self — hanging on a light pole.
Jayson and me, enjoying the concert.
The concert was called Winter Wonderslam and featured the following artists: Toby Mac, Relient K, Family Force 5 and B Reith.
Relient K
Toby Mac
The concert was really awesome, I am so glad I volunteered to go.
Earlier in the year the kids and I went to Nashville to visit the Belle Meade Plantation. They attended this function called Hands on Harvest. They had a really good time and we learned they were doing a homeschool day in December to celebrate Christmas. So we opted to go back. They had the kids make ornaments for their trees and they made paper party hats. Afterwards we had a very nicely dressed tour guide give us a tour of the mansion. I wasn’t allowed to take picture inside the mansion, but I did take pictures outside.
The kids making their ornaments
The kids sitting outside the mansion with their party hats.
Our tour guide. She had this beautiful peacock feather in hair. All the tour guides were dressed up this day as if they were attending a party during the 1890s.
Well I think I’ve bombarded you with enough photos for this post. That’s about it for us.
Okay seriously, it’s been awhile since I last posted an update. December is moving by way too quickly and soon Christmas will be here and gone. I still have pictures to edit from Quisha’s visit and will post those soon. The kids and I are taking two weeks off from school. In fact Jayson will be heading to Alabama tomorrow to spend Christmas with his dad and family.
I’ve been making pages for both Flergs and Danielle and really enjoying my time on their teams. I recently went on a shopping spree due to the kindness of the SBG designers — they all swapped coupon codes and the CTs reaped the benefits — I got over $100 in new goodies — that was just way too cool!!
I also have a freebie to offer:
The image is clickable!!
I just have to show off my HOTTIE page — I did this with Flergs’ newest kit:
Click the image for credits.
We have our new home all decked out for Christmas too — while Quisha was she here, she helped us. This is the end result:
Our stocking hung on the stairs.
Our tree.
Some of our other decorations too.
Well I’ll be back later with another post, I really need to post more often. Hope you and yours have a blessed Christmas!!
Last week when Carl got off work, we went to a local tattoo shop called Soul Stained Tattoos. I found a tribal tattoo in the shape of a rose. Carl and I played around in Photoshop and made it yellow fading into black. I took the tattoo to them and they did a wonderful job. I got it on my left ankle. This tattoo is a memorial tattoo in honor of my grandmother. She loved yellow roses and she was born on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota. I think she would like it. I know I do.
My life turned upside down once again. November 8, 2008, this was the day I found out that my beloved grandmother passed away. It still feels like a really bad dream. I so desperately wanted to call and talk to her today, but knew I couldn’t. I’ve been meaning to sit down and journal about my trip back to Nebraska, but it’s been hard. I have so many thoughts and emotions swirling in my head, it’s a bit too raw and yet I know it will help me heal in the process. So I hope you are prepared for some rambling and some pictures, if so then you’ve come to the right place.
Last Wednesday night, I flew out of Nashville to Omaha. Jessica picked me up at the airport. I landed around 11:15 that night. We kept texting each time I could have my phone on. We were both very anxious to actually see each other face to face. I know my sister is having a really hard time with this and knew she was going to need someone new to vent with. There were things that happened because of the situation my sister is now in. She and Chris have run into a really rough patch marriage in their marriage and she has decided she needs to leave him, so she had been living with my grandma. In fact I now have more details about her final day. Jessica and the girls had stayed the night on Friday and they all got up Saturday like any other normal day. Grandma had plans to clean the bathroom and get some groceries later that day. Jessica took the girls home to do some laundry and had plans to go out with her friend, Andrea, later that evening. She planned on bringing Grandma some dinner. Around noon, Grandma called Jess and asked her if she was going to be “out and about later” (My grandma’s first question whenever she needed something. Our response usually went as follows “No Grandma, but what do you need?” This happened to be Jess’ response.) Grandma needed her to pick up a new basket for the shower because hers was starting to get moldy. Jess said she tried calling Grandma around 4pm and she didn’t answer. So when my sister went over to her apartment around 6, she had her hands full. She had a laundry basket, her laptop bag on her shoulder, her purse and dinner in her hands. She saw Grandma on the couch, with the TV on and her groceries still sitting on the floor. She tried to get her to wake up, but said she noticed that her arm was already turning purple. She called 911 and they arrived and tried to revive her but couldn’t. Jess said according to her receipts she left the last store around 4:15 or so. So she wasn’t home very long at all. Thankfully the girls were with Chris and didn’t see any of this.
The next few days became a blur to me, but my aunt Janice was my grandma’s executor of her will. My mom, aunt Kathy and aunt Janice were basically the only ones till my uncles all arrived to go through my grandma’s apartment. They opted to make a rule that said only the 6 kids were allowed into her apartment. Their reasoning was to be fair to everyone. However, Jessica was living there and most of her stuff was still there. They wouldn’t let her come get it or give her a day when she could. She (and I) felt like this idea of being fair, ended up completely backfiring and actually felt very unfair. Feelings were hurt and things were said in anger. Mind you everyone involved made up, but it still hurt. I yelled at my mom in front of other family members just prove a point, I’ve never done that and felt like I was a teenager again. I have never had my emotions swing so wildly before, it felt so off to me. I was angry, frustrated, hurt, broken, embarassed, and so utterly vulnerable. I have had relatives die before, but not since I’ve become an adult. No I take that back, my half-brother died almost 5 years ago and that was hard too. It hurts so much and then the family is still trying to gain control of their own emotions and come to grips with this reality. Every single one of us is dealing with stresses in our own lives and then to add the loss of a loved one to the mix can literally drive a person over the edge. I warned you there would be rambling. Before my flight touched down, I prayed for the few days I’d be there. I prayed for peace, calmness, and to avoid any fighting. I felt God comforting me and He did so in so many little ways that short visit. But I also know my own thick-headedness got in the way too. Jessica and I went to my grandma’s apartment the night I got in, it was after midnight. When we walked in, the first thing I said was, “It still smells like her.” There were a few things that my mom said I was able to have, so I went ahead and took those items.
Thursday was the viewing and I was literally dreading going. I didn’t want to see her, because then it would mean I had to admit she was really gone. I told my mom, I kept waiting for someone to tell me it was a cruel joke being played on us all. But that wasn’t the case, she was really gone. I had so many people come up to me and know me because of Grandma. She truly loved her family and loved talking about them. Everywhere she went, she always had a stack of pictures to show. Speaking of pictures below are some from my time there.
The gorgeous floral spray on my grandma’s casket. She looked so peaceful, although it didn’t look like her to me. It was so hard to see her lying there. I kept waiting for her to wake up.
Jessica wouldn’t let anyone hug her, because well that started her crying again. However, aunt Donel would always get her. So I snapped a shot of her hugging Jess.
Sisters!! I am so glad I was able to be there for Jess. I know she is still having a tough time with all this. Grandma also watched her girls and picked up Lily from school.
This is my uncle Dwight. He is a really neat guy. His hair has been in dreadlocks since 1983 and they now reach the floor.
The funeral itself was very nicely done. It was officiated by Scott Jensen, the chaplain from the hospital. The songs they picked were very nice too. It was the first time I actually heard “I Can Only Imagine” at a funeral. That song has always touched me, but now it will cause me to think of my grandma when I hear it. After the funeral, there was a luncheon held at the VFW. I still hadn’t really gained my appetite back yet, I hadn’t been eating right or sleeping since I found out she was gone. Everyone had cameras and were taking tons of pictures.
Back row: Lloyd, Dwight, Mike
Front row: Howard (their dad), Kathy, Janice and Debby
For as long as I can remember Grandma’s one complaint was that it had been almost 20 years since all 6 of her children were in the same place at the same time. So we definitely took this opportunity to take lots and lots of pictures of them. Well not even 5 minutes into the pictures and the boys were hamming things up. In another picture, Lloyd was using Dwight’s hair as a combover.
Back row: Johnny (Lloyd’s), Tami (Kathy’s), Angelia (Kathy’s)
Front row: Michelle (Lloyd’s), Jessica (Debby’s), me (Debby’s), Julie (Mike’s)
The cousins got into the act too. My uncle Mike is a tattoo artist and he asked us “How many of you have tattoos?” Well everyone but Angelia raised their hands. Well then they (the ones taking pictures) decided they needed a shot of us with our hands in the air. However, Angie didn’t want to feel left out, so she raised her hand too. It was really nice to be able to visit with family I hadn’t seen in ages and some new connections have been made because of it. It’s also sad that it takes a funeral to bring so many of us together too.
While I was in town, I got to visit with Quisha. We (Jess and I) took her to Panera Bread and just hung out chatting. It was nice to sit and visit. I get to see her again next week for Thanksgiving Break — we’re all pretty excited to see her.
I also got to spend time with my nieces, I really miss those little girls!!
Alexis being her oh so cute self!!
Lily and Alexis — such sweet sisters!!
Well I’m not sure if I am done yet, I need to go tuck my little girl in bed, as she is calling my name. I guess if I have more, I will post more. I know it’s going to take time to heal, but I also rest assured that God’s grace will supply me with all my needs!!!
If you would like to see anymore of my pictures from my trip to Nebraska, I have them all uploaded on my facebook page, just click here.
For anyone who is checking up on me. I am doing okay, if I keep my mind busy then I seem to be fine. I also know that distance is helping me adjust as well. There are times when I feel so at peace too. I know that God is comforting me and allowing me time to grieve. I feel your prayers too, please keep praying for me and my family in this time of sorrow. I know my mom and my sister are doing “okay”, but this is so hard on everyone. I fly home tomorrow night. My sister is picking me up from the airport. The viewing is on Thursday and Friday is the funeral. I did a page for my grandma the other night that I printed out and plan to bring with me to the funeral home.
The journaling reads:
You have given me so many reasons to be grateful in life. You have shown me what it means to be compassionate towards others. To make everyone feel loved and cherished. You always made time for people. I am grateful for all the chats we had over coffee. We always said you’d outlive us all. Now you are gone, but I am still grateful for you. God truly blessed me with an amazing woman for a grandmother. You had the ability to make everyone feel like we were your most favorite person in the whole world. And while you will no longer grace us with your physical presence. Your spirit will live on in the hearts and minds of all those you touched. You will surely be missed. I love you Grandma! November 9, 2008.
The picture was taken in August right before we moved to Kentucky. We had a family gathering at our favorite spot, Pizza Hut. Anyway, I probably won’t post another update till later in the week. I do get to see Quisha while I am in town, so I am really looking forward to that, as well as seeing a lot of family members I haven’t seen in years.
I just found out today that my grandma passed away this evening. I still don’t have all the details, but from what I understand she passed away around 5pm or so. My sister was planning on having dinner with her this evening and went over to her apartment around 6pm or so. When she went in the door, she saw that Grandma had left her groceries out and she was laying on her couch. It’s not unusual for her to take naps on the couch, but it is unusual that she not put her groceries away. So my sister called 911 and they came and they were unable to revive her.
I am feeling a bit trapped right now as I really want to be with my family, but I can’t. I still can’t get the idea of her not being here anymore. She recently celebrated her 75th birthday. I talked to her just yesterday in fact. It’s just so weird. One of the last pictures I have of her is right before we moved to Kentucky. I scrapped it recently.
She really was loved by so many people and she is definitely going to be missed by so many people too.
Welcome to my new blog. Isn’t it purdy? I think so. Megs (aka Miss Blogalicious Diva — aka Flergs) gave me an awesome template to use and I was able to whip this up last night. Totally love it!! As you can see, I added pink streaks to my hair again. Love it! It’s getting long again — love that too.
I moved all my other posts here as well. So hopefully you will come visit me here. I am not going to post at the other blog anymore.
I can’t believe we’ve done 9 weeks of school so far. The past few weeks the boys and I have been learning the states, their capitals and all about the Civil War. I love history and it is exciting to see my boys taking an interest in our past as well.
Jorja has been doing really well with school as well. I am using My Father’s World First Grade with her, even though she is a kindergardener. Her school day is relatively short and lately she has been doing more and more reading. She is learning all the special rules and she marks her papers in order to know how to say the words when she first learns them. I did a video of her last week. She was learning how to read ‘igh’ as i. She had to put a mark over the i and cross out the g and the h. (I’m saying this because it is hard to see in the video what she is doing with her red pencil.)
Recently I made this adorable quickpage for Flergs to offer as a freebie in her newsletter, be sure to stop by her blog and subscribe to it. I decided to go ahead and offer it on my blog too. I hope you like it.
The image is clickable. This page was done using Retro Garden, a collab with Flergs and Cori Gammon.
If you click on the other “Digi Freebies” link, you will notice that the rest of my freebie links are no longer valid. I apologize. I forgot to sign into 4shared for over a month and lost them all. I believe I have most of them saved, so if you still want them just leave me a comment (with a valid e-mail addy) and I will try to send you the file myself.
However, this post is going to be mostly pictures since I keep promising a better update. So here we go. 
