Funky Junk in My Trunk

MY DADDY...

My daddy's birthday is tomorrow.  Boy I miss him.  I think of him everyday and wish I would have known there was help for his drinking problem.  He is no longer here.  He passed away in a very sad and tragic car accident (with his brother, who survived, but suffered for years - he was the driver).  My father passed away when he was 48.  WOW 48 - so young. It was Thanksgiving week in 1991.  He has been gone for 16 years.  That is how old I was when I moved away from home -from West Virginia to California!

I think of him all the time and just feel he is up in heaven watching over me and my family.  I see people who remind me of him all the time.  My cousin "Froggy" - (Arthur) looks alot like my dad.   I know that my dad would be proud of me and my family.  He would for sure approve of the man I married and his heart would melt at my three beautiful children.  I think that if he were still here, being a grandfather would have changed him.  He was a very attractive man and was very smart at a lot of things.  He was a hard worker and I know that his alcoholism was partly because he was so young and had a lot of children, and without an education, just couldn't financially provide for us.  I understand now that it is a huge responsibility and I am sure that is what lead to the beginning of his problem...I love my dad with everything I have and forgive him for all that went wrong in our lives.  We all do the best we can as parents and I need to understand that he did the best he could too...I love him so much...I just wanted to wish him a happy birthday!...

My mom loves this picture of my dad.  I am not sure his age, probably still a teenager!

NEW POST EDIT:

In honor of my daddy's birthday, i decided to cook his favorite dinner...below are a few pix.

Pinto beans with green onion...although he would just take a bite of the green onion, then the beans...

and cornbread...and of course, fried potatoes..I didn't make those tho...

 

No, the children didn't decorate the cake...it is me...hey, I just can't be perfect at everything!

So today was a great day for me...I reflected on the good times with my dad, missed him alot, talked about him a lot today with my children and shared a few funny stories.  Now to finish the evening, we are going to watch "We are Marshall"...(I am from Huntington).  The dr and wife that were killed in the plane crash was my dr...so I kinda feel like I have a connection!?...

Sew, Sew Sew Much More

I made this card for a little girl for Blossom to take to her bithday party..

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I just love to sew and craft things...I guess I take after my mother and my father.  My mother could cook, sew, draw, sing, bake, paint...my mother could do everything.  I remember when we were little she had transformed a curtain...(this was the 70's) she transformed a set of curtains into a dress.  I think my sister had to wear it to school! and she proabably hated it!... I can't remember.  Hopefully when they read this they will leave a comment in the "Comment" section to tell the story...at any rate...if you omit the 70's curtain pattern (and we were poorer than dirt, so I am sure the curtains were hand-me-downs or from goodwill)...at any rate, if you forget about the pattern, my mother's dress was beautiful.  I always looked up to her - SHE COULD DO ANYTHING.  Now, my dad on the other hand was handy at male dominated things...he built our house, electrical and eventually plumbing.  He didn't even have a high school education, but he was very street smart.  He did woodworking, mechanics, raised beautiful and delicious gardens, and we had animals...he was a hard worker...

At any rate, I bought these bags last year with the intention on doing this project, but moving took priority.  I wanted to do something different today, so I went digging into all the things that have been put on the back burner....and found this....it turned out so beautiful...(I copied this idea from a mom at a preschool John attended in Williamsville...)

BEFORE

After for a girls diaper bag...

After for a boys diaper bag... I like the boys better, I like that there is the denim top showing...

IT'S HALLOWEEN TIME...

This is a halloween card I made for the children's teacher.  I just love the Martha Stewart collection.  The pumpkin punch is one of many...

Same idea but a tag.

THE FAMILY

that reads together, goes to college together

Just look how beautiful they are together!

Who says you can't wrestle while reading?

John hugging his book!

"Rasslin"

Bradley is getting ready for wrestling...check out his pipes!

"Weighing" in...

Weight Watcher's Vegetable Soup     = 0 POINTS

30 bow-tie pastas   

All you can eat steamed broccoli

Raw shredded carrots

1/4 cup alfredo sauce =    6 POINTS

Losing 4 1/2 pounds my first week =    PRICELESS...

OK, Here I go again....and embarassingly so, I must confess my weight so that I may move on and make myself a better person.  On Thursday, September 13, 2007 I weighed in (In front of my honey - TOTALLY EMBARASSED!) - and weighed in at (sad drum roll please) 195...ugh! What happened.  Well, I just can't dwell on it now, I can just vow to not be like this any longer....so this morning 7 days later, after following Weight Watcher's point system (which my doctor highly recommended - and i have done it at least 12 times in the past 3 years!) I began the journey after watching the first episode of BIGGEST LOSER!  As I sat there looking at those women, thinking boy they are fat, but I don't look like that...yeah right. I looked exactly like that.  I decided to do something for myself...so here i go.  Making a better life for myself....

I get up this morning, and had to look at the scale twice....190.5! Yeah.  My next challenge is to start my running again.  I love running.  So when I get into the next set of digits (180's) I will have my running clothes by the bed!  I will keep you posted...when you see a picture of my running shoes...watch out...because you will know what happened! 

NOTICE THERE IS NO POSTED PICTURE OF ME...I JUST CAN'T TORTURE YOU LIKE THAT....But rest assured, I will post a HOT LITTLE ONE in a few months!

Sketti

Nuf said!

Tag, You're it!

Number 5 tag for a little boy!

Yee Haw...a tag for the little cowboy!

CARD MAKING WEEKEND!

My sister has a friend in California who has an upscale baby store...she placed an order with me for handmade cards.  These are a few of the cards I made that she liked...I want to thank Melissa for allowing me to scraplift some of the ideas from her blog!  Melissa always has wonderful ideas...

Gift tags for babies!

Funky Girl card

3D train card in scalloped window

TIME FOR A CUT

This is John at the hair salon, browsing the "book of styles".  He is trying to chose how he wants his hair cut... In the end...it was a miserable time.  He didn't want to sit in the chair.  He kept screaming and reaching for me.  I knelt down, held his hands under the cape, all the while he is kicking me in the face and chest.  Then after about 5 minutes, one of the other hairdressers gave him a banana.  He decided the banana was not for him, but for me.  Of course, that was after hair was all over it.  So I held the hairy banana till he was finished (about 30 minutes).  After it was all said and done, I came out covered in hair, sweating with tennis shoe marking all over my face holding a hairy banana!..and he was the cutest little thing.  After all the crying and screaming and kicking, he jumps out of the chair turns around to the hairdresser and says, "thanks" - with the biggest smile....like nothing had happened.  Funny things your children do.

John loves cars. This one didn't pass his test....