What have I been doing since February you ask? Well let's see we've had family drama, illness, wedding, funeral, the big 50 birthday and guess what....we're moving again!!!! That's right so I hope y'all only pencil our name and address in your address books....wait do people even keep address books anymore?
My youngest nephew decided at 18 he was a grown ass man and well he got the "ass" part right. He made a couple of bad decisions which resulted in me spending much needed time in AR with my family. But thankfully, he realized that he was not making good decisions and his life wasn't headed in the right direction so he's made some changes and seems to be on a more even footing now. It's so hard letting them learn that being an adult is not about doing whatever you want and there are consequences to their actions but I guess we've all been thru it ourselves. I know I made questionable choices myself and I lived and learned but I want to save my kiddos from all that heartache and most importantly their parents and grandparents!
My oldest nephew got married to a wonderful girl and watching him as she came up the aisle was just such a joy! He was just beaming and they are just too stinking cute together. My folks and I catered the wedding reception and décor. Always thought this would be my dream career and maybe 20 years ago it would have been but now I'm just to freaking old for it. It turned out beautifully and I love that we were able to make it happen for them but dang, it was exhausting! Momma and I went to the hotel and decorated all day long while Daddy stayed at the house cooking. It was a lot of hard work but the end results were so worth it. And my Zared is married and about to be come a daddy.
My nieces are two of my favorite people in the world! Watching these girls maturing into women full of love, joy and light is just amazing. They seem to have gone from wearing sparkly shoes and girlish squeals (wait make that shrill screams which I don't miss at all) to being mature young women making their own way in the world almost overnight. Rachel is a sophomore in college and Josi is a senior in high school so all my babies are grown up.
We lost Mark's dad in June after a brief stay in the hospital and hospice. It was a very emotional couple of weeks but I have to commend the wonderful staff at the Circle of Life Hospice Home in Springdale, AR. We were shown such kindness and compassion while Jack made his final journey home that I'll forever be in their debt. I'm getting up on my soapbox right now......Parkinson's is a horrible disease that robbed us of a long life with Jack. He was suffering so much that it was inhumane. Every person should be allowed to die with dignity!!!! No one or family should have to stand by and watching while their loved one suffers to pass on to heaven. We have the option of helping our pets make the journey easier but we can't extend this same loving option to our family. I will fight to get Death with Dignity available in all 50 states. Ok stepping off that soapbox now and just want to say that Jack was an awesome man. He had such a dry wit, told the funniest stories, he was a veteran and a firefighter along with being a great husband and father. He and Mark shared such a love for cars and all things mechanical but most importantly a love for each other! They were just like little kids when they got together ganging up on Mark's mom, Kay teasing her about everything. She's always told me that one of them would say something and the other would swear to it almost to the point of making her think she was crazy. We will feel Jack's departure the rest of our lives but at least now we have comfort in knowing his suffering is over.
Now lets talk about fun stuff. I took place in the fall swap that Amy over at the Bumblebee Lane hosts and she paired me with my friend, Francine from Primitive Stars. Francine and I are buddies that have swapped before so I was delighted to get to spoil her again. The theme is of course, Fall or Halloween so one thing must be pumpkin but other than that it's up to each person to choose what form it's in. Francine was an amazing partner (just as before) that totally gets my style without a doubt. Just look at all this goodness and let me explain a few things to the non prim home décor junkies like us....The wooden black "mushroom" is a vintage sock darner and after living in Germany I started a collection that has quickly grown....imagine that, me and a new collection! And of course anything kitchen related is wonderful for me but best of all just look at those crows and Black Cats. As you know black kitties hold a very special place in my heart after Miss Gertie and Miss Maggie Mae. I love the stuffed kitty because he looks so well loved and he'll stay out well after Halloween. And the paper mache kitty bucket is just sheer perfection! I can't wait to display him along with the JOL that I already own. Such great swap just full of everything I love! Thank you again Francine for spoiling me rotten with all these wonderful goodies and thanks to Amy for hosting us again.
I've been hooking and stitching all the time and I have completed my first 2 rugs. Of course, Mark doesn't consider it rugs because they can't go on the floor but they look good on tables and chairs. Maybe one day I'll be inspired to go big or go home but for right now, small is manageable. Also completed some stitching and even figured out how to use my sewing machine. I taught myself to make pinkeeps and while they are far from perfect or even straight, I love them. Now I want to drag out all my stitching that's just been sitting in drawers waiting for frames and make pinkeeps. LOL!
Big News Alert: We're moving this week to Asheville, NC. Yep that's right "we're on the road again" and it's been a whirlwind. Mark got an incredible offer that we just couldn't walk away from and it's still in the southeast so we can order sweet tea everywhere we eat. LOL! Mark will be working for Thermo Fisher and traveling quite a bit so Clarice and I will up to no good while he's gone. We are looking forward to exploring the area which is just full of wonderful antique stores, arts and crafts and lots of local brewhouses. I even went to a "Hookin" last weekend there with my friends from TN and met some of the ladies from that area that I can hook with.
Alright well that's enough of an update for now because we're packing up the vehicles to drive the first load over to Asheville today. Promise to stay in touch and post lots of pics while exploring my new home.
