Family 2013

Family 2013

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Back to the Past!

I'm back home again from making arrangements for my mom.  One of my major responsiblities while I was home was to write the thank you notes.  According to etiquette web sites, you write a thank you for every card that is sent.  We're still trying to figure out if that applies to the posts on Mom's obituary.  So far the people who have posted are people we don't have addresses for...so it's kind of a moot point.

Anyway, I got taken off of "thank you note duty" when I got a little punch drunk and started wanted to address the notes to people AND their pets.  I still maintain that the family friend I was writing to would have appreciated having her dog included...I am ever the trouble maker...

So what am I doing now that I'm back home?  Well, my family wanted to be sure that I didn't feel unloved (at least they tell me that that is their reasoning) and so they left some housework for me.  So, today is my Monday.  Dusting, vacuuming, laundry...oh my!

I'm also excited to get back to my work on Ancestry.com.  I got some new pictures last night.  And now, I have to try to crop faces from pictures and post them to each person's spot on the family tree.  I'm trying to get to the point where I can print it all out in a book (a service that Ancestry.com offers).   The books are expensive enough that I'm probably only going to get 1 copy, so I'm still going to scrapbook the family tree for each of the kids' scrapbooks.  Geez, this is becoming a full time job all by itself.



This is a picture of my great-grandmother when she was 3.

Feeling blessed, how about you?

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Happy Birthday, Dad-the man, the myth, the legend...

Yesterday, July 22nd, was my dad's 83rd birthday.  Not his best birthday, you understand, but still his birthday.

We had presents and went out to dinner--just he and his kids.  It wasn't the same, but it was good.  We were too stuffed for cake, so today will be birthday, the sequel!  One of the things that always happens on someone's birthday is you hear the stories.  And anyone who knows my dad, knows there are some GOOD ones...

Did ya hear the one about--
  • the time Dad sledded down the streets of DC and went between the front and rear wheels of a moving city bus?  BTW, that wasn't dad's plan, that's just what happens when 2 vehicles cross an intersection at the same time.
  • Dad wanted to know how the pipe organ at the cathedral worked, so he removed a pipe to look at it.  Unfortunately he couldn't get it to go back on right, and then that note on the organ wouldn't play.  Wonder how the organist knew he was responsible?
  • the time Dad got impatient building a fire and used kerosene as a fire starter?  Boy howdy, did it start the fire and poor Unca Frank was stuck outside as the "fire whisperer" to keep the building from burning down.
  • the time Dad advised me on my science fair project.  I wanted to build an electric map (where you flip a switch and that location lights up on the map).  I took pictures, drilled holes and the piece de resistance--soldered the connections.  The nuns disqualified me because "girls couldn't do that".  Wish I'd known that before I DID that!
  • Dad's 40th birthday cake--the neighbors at the beach started calling the house because the 40 candles reflected in all the windows on the porch made them think the house was on fire!
  • Dad spending time with each one of his grandkids.  I have the sweetest picture of Dad walking across a parking lot with Cindy...
Anyway, that's my Dad!  Always into something...and that's good!  Love you, Daddy!
Feeling blessed, how about you?

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Elizabeth Deck 1931-2011 My awesome Mother!

Last night my precious mother died.  That statement says so little, and yet so very much!

On Monday my mother went to the emergency room with a bowel obstruction/infection.  They had that problem mostly resolved when my mother suffered a pulmonary embolism.  It took over 25 minutes to resuscitate her, and in the process her brain was irreversibly damaged.  The family was trying to decide how Mother would want things handled, a very difficult thing for my father as you can well imagine.  It appears that Mother and God had a conversation and decided to solve that conundrum for us.  At approximately 9:30 last night (Tuesday), my mother died.

All that tells you very little about the amazing person that my mother was.  She spent hours teaching us the things we struggled with in school.  She managed her household so well that I actually thought it was an easy thing to do...until I had my own household.  She had a baby present set aside for a baby due in September.  She never missed your birthday or forgot details about your personal life.  She was genuinely interested in everyone she met!

As we're planning for her funeral, I realize how much I learned at her side.  I'm using the skills that she invested years in teaching me, to honor her memory.  I'm praying that some day my children will be able to say the same of me.  Mother, heaven has an amazing angel in you.  I will continue to use all that you taught me; particularly to love God and my family well, all the days of my life! I will always love you Mom!
Feeling blessed, how about you?

Monday, July 18, 2011

Living in the Past!

I've been scrapbooking for years.  Oh, it was fairly contained at first...a picture here, an embellishment there.  Now, well now, I guess you could call it an addiction!

Originally, I was trying to record the kids' childhood.  But my mother had made a photo album for each of us in 1986, and unfortunately she used a magnetic page album.  So of course, I had to get those pictures in a different album.  But everything has to be even, so now I have to do pages for Don's childhood...

Like the ripple effect when you throw a rock into a pond, then you have to research the people who came before you...

If you've ever read "If you Give a Mouse a Cookie" you know that this process really doesn't have an end.  I have found some relatives as far back as 1840 on Ancestry.com.  I've also found information on relatives who traveled through Ellis Island in the early 1900s, I've found information about the ships that relative served on during WWII.  My father in law was on Normandy during D Day and my maternal grandfather commanded a minesweeper group that led the advance to Okinawa.


So, if you need me, you can find me on the "scrap heap".  I know a lot of people have gone digital, but I just love paper, glue and scissors!  I can do laundry tomorrow...
Feeling blessed, how about you?

Friday, July 8, 2011

Thanks for the memories!

It has been a very busy week on the scrap-heap.  Yes, I will admit that my scrap table has exploded with half done pages.  You know how it goes--you don't have the paper for this picture or the embellishments for that paper.

I have unearthed all of DJs portraits.  These are fairly easy to scrap--just the picture with a heading with the year on a pretty piece of paper.  And therein lies the problem.  I forgot to write the year on most of the portraits.  You know, at the time, you figure you'll never forget. And you're busy, in my case with a premature baby who turned into an active toddler.  So here I am 16 years later, trying to figure out if this picture was the 3rd grade school picture or the 4th grade school picture...I have discovered I am NOT a good guesser.

So the moral of the story is--put the date stamp on your camera and leave it set.  Jot the year on the portraits as soon as you get them.  And maybe, just maybe, it would be good to stay caught up with your scrapping so you don't have time to forget!  Nahhhhh.....
Feeling blessed, how about you?

Sunday, July 3, 2011

It's a Dog's Life!

This is a tough week to be a dog...or cat...or horse...

Most animals don't like fireworks.  Our dog is elderly and easily traumatized.  She was abused as a puppy and has had separation anxiety for as long as we've owned her.  And of course, as we age, symptoms magnify.  So as she ages, she has become more anxious.  We have now reached a point where it is difficult to leave her alone for more than a few hours.  When people are using fireworks, or if there are a lot of thunder storms; she doesn't do well if left for more than an hour.

Obviously this is life changing.  I might be able to convince everyone in town not to use fireworks (yeah, right!) but I definitely don't have control over the weather!

Last fall, our vet prescribed a homeopathic remedy for the dog.  He felt that this would be best for her, since she's on several other medications. We have not had good luck with homeopathic remedies in this family, but this one is a Godsend!

The last couple of nights the dog has paced all night long.  Since she tends to want company while she paces, we haven't slept too well.  So we broke out the Calm Spirit.  After about 20 minutes, she laid down and slept till morning.  We're trying it again tonight and praying she has another good night.

As I write this she is snoozing at my feet!
Feeling blessed, how about you?