The Wedding

Yesterday our family had a wedding. We've had 2 other weddings, the first being my niece in 2008, the second being my daughter in 2010. This wedding was my sister's son, her oldest. The oldest boy. Wow! The past week had been crazy for me. Work, weather, baking wedding cookies, keeping house in order and preparing for the wedding. Katie asked me if I would join her and her girls the morning of, would I please take the getting ready pics. Of course! I loved every minute of it. Watching their nails get done, snapping pics, watching the hair and make up, snapping pics. Going back to the hotel, the girls putting on their dresses, helping Katie get into her dress, snapping pics. I knew that Katie and Benjamin were getting married that day, but it didn't occur to me all day. Make sense? I was preoccupied. I woke up Saturday morning, my guys still sleeping, while putting on a pot of coffee, I began to get weepy. Childhood memories of Ben were creeping in. I said enough and was off to take girly getting ready for a wedding pics. After Katie had her gown on, it was time for me to go. I had to get home and get ready myself as well as my guys. I looked at Katie and she looked like a Princess. A true Princess. We hugged and then it hit me. Tears started to fill my eyes. In a few hours she was marrying Benjamin, my spud.

Benjamin was born my senior year of high school. I couldn't wait for him to arrive, I would be an Aunt. I would be the best aunt. He would be my buddy...forever. Ben was 3 weeks old when I watched him for the first time. My sister and brother in law went out on a Saturday night. I was in heaven. Oh I held him, rocked him, changed him, bathed him, changed him and bathed him and me after he projectile vomited on the two of us. I even woke up in the middle of the night to feed him and in the morning too, to give the new parents a break. I couldn't wait to get home from school every day to see him. My mom was his daycare and I still lived at home. My sister would come after work, pick him up and hug him and ask, "Did you get a new perfume?" Only because Ben and I would nap on the couch together almost every day. He changed our lives. Things were different now. I would witness my dad coming home from work, a union carpenter, get on his hands and knees and crawl around on the floor with this baby. 

When Ben was old enough to understand Christmas and the Christmas specials, I was the one that watched Rudolph with him. My sister called me and said she wouldn't be home, "Rudolph's on tonite. I'm not going to be home. Ken will be here, but he doesn't care that it is Rudolph. Please watch Rudolph with Benjamin." Of course I would do it. Together we curled up on their couch, side by side with a little bowl of some sort of snack and watched Rudolph. Sometimes I would pick Ben up from preschool when my mom wasn't able to. Ben and his preschool best friend would tell me how they were going to be Air Force Pilots when they grew up. One time during preschool, I watched Ben for an evening. His first Scholastic Book order arrived, I read him, "I'll love you forever." I barely made it through the book, by the end tears were pouring down my cheeks, Ben just hugged me and said, "It's o.k. Aunt Shi-Shi, I love you." As he got older we did more things, we have too many "Thumb Spit" Swear Secrets too count. Conversations changed from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to "Don't tell your mom I'm telling you this. But one time..." 

I could just go on and on. It takes a village to raise a child and I was very fortunate to be in that village.

The ceremony was beautiful. The words spoken, from the heart. The love Ben and Katie have for each other is so very obvious. Weddings are crazy, so many people to talk to, so many things to do. The bride and groom made their way around the room after they ate dinner. They reached our table, Ben gave me that look he always gives me and then came the hug...followed by the tears. The words I wanted to say, the words I had rehearsed over and over wouldn't come out. The ones that did make it out, "I love you." 

You see each time I looked at Benjamin yesterday, I didn't see him as the handsome, successful 27 year old man that he is, I saw him as that little baby I waited all day for to arrive. The 4 year old that came into my work dressed in his Ghost Busters jumpsuit complete with the back pack with a bouquet of flowers on Valentine's Day for me because I was alone that year. The 5 year old on his first day of school. The cub scout that was so proud of the Pinewood Derby car he made. The young teenager I would take to the demolition derby at the fair. The Valediction of his Senior Class, The college graduate.

Ben and Katie, Congratulations! I love you both so very much. 

Happy Birthday America!

Happy 4th of July! A day filled with picnics, parties and fireworks! A day spent celebrating America's Freedom. We will be spending this long holiday weekend with my family in the mountains. I can't wait until we get there. 4 days with no alarm clocks and no schedules. 

This week at Crafting By Designs, I am hosting the Anything Goes - "Show Us Your Colors" challenge. Create anything just as long as it shows the colors from where you are from. Don't forget to let us know what those colors are too. Our own DT Sister, Tammy, is our lovely sponsor for the challenge and has generously gifted a fantastic paper prize pack. So click on the link above and take peek at the inspiration, if you have come to my blog from there, please become a follower. Leave a comment and let me know you were here.

Enjoy your long weekend with family & friends. Be safe and take the time to enjoy the little things.

God Bless America

Family...It's all in the timing

Hello Blogland! This week over at Crafting By Designs we are having an Anything Goes Challenge. A Day for Daisies is our sponsor and one lucky winner will win 4 digis of their choice. So click on Crafting By Designs and take a look at the beautiful inspiration our Design Team has created.

I chose the Free Hand Butterfly 1 from a Day for Daisies. for my creation. I used one of my Unity Stamps to stamp on it, then fussy cut it out. The papers are from my stash. Mostly DCWV. A very CAS card, but those are my favorites to create.

I turned 45 (gasp!) this month. This by far was the hardest birthday for me. I've come to realize that I have passed my middle age point. I seriously doubt I'm going to live to be 90... I've started to realize what is important and what isn't. The most important thing(s) to me are Family and Time. You can't pick your family. God decides that for you. Some family is good, some family is bad. Go with the flow and make the best of it. I however, have been blessed with an incredible family. Yes, we have our dysfunction, but that is what makes us US. I love them with all of my heart and soul. Now in some cases, your family doesn't necessarily mean they are blood family. They are your chosen ones. The ones that know everything about you and love you anyway. Chosen family still has their own form of dysfunction, but they are the ones that you just couldn't get through life if they weren't there. I am also blessed when it comes to chosen family. I have my circle of 3 very special women, all entering my life at different stages and have remained there unconditionally. Lisa, Kathy and Elisabeth. I love these 3 with all of my heart.

Now comes the part about TIME. Time is the most important gift you can give of yourself.

My sister and I were discussing what we might like for our birthdays, they are 11 days apart. Not really coming up with something we decided the gift of time would be enough. That is what is most important. Spending time together.

Our brother gave us (including our mom) a gift card for a local establishment. He told us he wants us to go out and spend the day together. Have lunch or brunch and enjoy each other's company...perfect.

Summer has just began and our schedule is packed. We have so much to do around the house, but at the end of last week I decided that the landscaping, cleaning and laundry could wait. We (me, my husband and our son) HAD to head to the beach. One day, sun and fun. Toes in sand, butt in water. We put everything aside and went to Lake Erie for the day. All day long Danny kept telling us what a great time he was having and kept thanking us for taking him to the beach. The work can wait, kids and memories can not.

Time can never be regained once it is lost. In any relationship you give the time of yourself. A little hand written note, a phone call, a short visit. It doesn't have to be lengthy. Just chatting among family and/or friends. No party, no entertaining, just a chat that hopefully includes much laughter.

So many things have happened in my life. January weighs heavy on my heart when my friend Elisabeth lost her 2 babies in a car accident. Life changes in a blink of an eye. Live your life with no regrets, love the ones in your life as if there is no tomorrow.

Sometimes  you just have to stop, throw everything up in the air and tell yourself it can wait.

Remember you can never get it back...once it is gone, it's gone.

Sharon

Father's Day

Hello Out There! And again and again I fail to keep my blog updated. It really is such an easy, simple task, why I can not keep up with it is beyond me.
This week over at Crafting By Designs we are having our Anything Goes with a Man/Masculine/Boy Twist. Perfect for Father's Day. Our extremely talented DT Sister, Rene is our hostess. Bugaboo Stamps is our wonderful sponsor, generously gifting 7 images (of his or her choice) to our winner.
I decided to let my son pick the image I wanted to use. I created the Father's Day card he is going to give to his dad.

Perfect image and perfect verse as we are a huge peanut loving family. Danny will be giving it to his dad today, a day early because it has been a family tradition to hit the local amusement park on Father's Day. We meet up with my husband's family and have a ball.

As Father's Day is tomorrow, I find myself missing my dad so much. Today is also my dad's birthday. He would have turned 70. It's been 10 years. They say as time goes on, it gets easier. In some aspects I suppose it is true, but there's not a day that I don't think about him or am reminded of him in some way.

When someone you love becomes a memory, that memory becomes a treasure.

Me and my Daddy in 1972. He caught a 26" Walleye on the Allegheny River.

Enjoy your weekend and celebrate those special men in your life!

Hugs,

Sharon

May 2013 - I Feel the Love Project

Hello! I can not believe it is the end of May! Where did the time go? I know it sure has gotten away from me. I haven't played with paper since last week and really wanted to work on a couple of challenges tonight. I was on facebook and came across Madison's post about the I Feel the Love Project for May. I went over to her blog and read the story. Immediately 2 card ideas came to mind and I went downstairs to play.
I am copying the post from Madison for the I Feel the Love Project, May 2013.

Madison is such an amazing young lady. A senior in high school, Madison formed this group to send handmade cards to different recipients each month. Just a kind gesture to show love, support and prayers. Please stop by each month to see who the new recipient is going to be, if you have a little extra time, create a card, write a note....brighten someone's day. You can find Madison's Blog right here.

These are the 2 cards I made tonight. I am mailing them off to Madison tomorrow.

For Reggie:

For Ashley:

                      

And now Madison's Blog:

Honoring a Special Father

Andrew, Ashley, Sandy, Raelynn, Reggie (Dad), and Ryan  

I Feel the Love Project May 2013

 

The I Feel the Love Project will be collecting cards in May for Reggie Nelinger so that they can be given to him in June in time for Father's Day. We would like Mr. Nelinger to know just how much we love and support him as an amazing father to his four beautiful children. This project will be a complete surprise to him as it is being arranged by the IFTL Project and his family.

This is Reggie's story:

Fifteen years ago, Reggie Nelinger, an electrician, held the hand of his sweet 5 year-old daughter, Ashley, while his wife, Sandy and  her little brother, Andrew, heard the doctor state their daughter/sister had Wilms', a rare kidney cancer that primarily affects children. Reggie was there being the best dad he could be all those long days and nights as his sweet daughter fought for her life. She beat the odds that were stacked against her despite losing one of her kidneys. For the next decade and a half Reggie got to see his daughter grow into a beautiful young lady. Reggie was able to teach Ashley to drive, take her camping, watch her graduate from high school and begin to plan her life out as a young adult. He was blessed and understood the blessing God gave him with Ashley and never took for granted the gift that was given to him as a father. 

  

This past January, Ashley was diagnosed with a very rare form of cancer completely unrelated to the cancer she had as child. It is called rhabdomyosarcoma, an aggressive cancer of the connective tissues, which in Ashley’s case is attached to her sinus passage. Not only is this cancer a bit of a medical baffle due to its rare state, but Ashley only has one kidney and that makes chemo and other forms of treatment more challenging to treat than normal. Reggie and his wife are now watching their child battle for her life once again. 

All the painful memories of the first battle are brought back to memory, as well as the feelings of helplessness, sleepless nights, and the worry about finances. For Reggie there is the added burden to be a provider for his family in a time when all he wants to do is be there by his child's side. It is Reggie's big heart and positive outlook that helps his family lead the fight for Ashley's life all the while helping to maintain some level of normalcy for his other three other children and wife during this difficult situation. Reggie is a dad that needs to be recognized, a dad that has not only stared every parent's worst nightmare in the face once, but now twice.  

***Please help us to honor Reggie by creating a card for him that says thinking of you, stay strong, great job dad... or whatever moves you.  Thank you so much.  It will mean more than you know to Reggie and his family.  

If you are so inclined, you can 

also create a card for Ashley as well.

To follow Ashley's progress and/or to find out how you can make a donation towards Ashley's treatment-   
 Facebook page - Angels for Ashley Nelinger 

or send an email to apieceoflifespie@gmail.com

If you would like to be a part of this project...  

  

All you need to do is:

Submit your hand crafted card/s by May 31st to:

Madison Womack

IFTL Project

P.O. Box 1203

Atascadero, CA 93423

Project #21

 

May 2013 Collection

The 22nd Birthday

Hi Everyone,

This week I am the hostess of the Anything Goes with a Twist Challenge at Crafting By Designs. The twist I chose this week is Paper Piecing. I've only created a few items with paper piecing, so I'm challenging myself as well. I hope you hop over to visit and play along with us. Our DT sister, Cindy Leek is gifting a very special prize package from Close To My Heart for one lucky winner.

For my project I decided to something with owls. Owls are my niece's favorite and it was her 22nd birthday yesterday. A perfect handmade gift. I started off by painting (2) 5x7 white artists canvas'. Michael's has pretty good sales on them at times, usually $1.00 each. I drew the owl's faces and wings freehand and cut them from card stock, I used my circle punches for the eyes and the body. The owl's body is made up of 15 circles. I distressed all of the pieces with chocolate brown ink. The cardstock and design paper all came from my huge paper scrap stash.

There is no right or wrong way to make these adorable little owls. They are just so cute and whimsy.

This is my niece with her owl pictures. I call her Sally and have since she was a very little girl, her name is Lauren and she turned 22 yesterday. There are not enough words for me to express how proud I am of her. I can not believe she is 22! Seems like yesterday we were playing with my make up and I was fixing her hair into little pig tails and she was getting combs and brushes stuck in mine. She excelled in school all her life. Lauren was lead trumpet in the band and had a part in every musical during her 4 years in high school. Lauren went to college, was able to graduate a full semester early and was chosen to student teach in Ireland before graduating from college. Now she is a substitute teacher trying for a full time teaching position.

I think she liked her present.

Today I had a very special surprise when I logged onto facebook. Sandi Genovese showcased my Dangle Card on her facebook wall. I watched her scrapbook showgram and made the card. A Mother's Day card for my mom. I posted a pic on her wall over the weekend and today she shared it with all of her fans. I'm so excited!

I'm sorry for such a lengthy blog post. Please stop over Crafting By Designs and play along.

Also, thank you so much for stopping by. Let me know you were here, I love reading your comments.

Hugs,

Sharon

A few days late and a blog short

In honor of Mother's Day this weekend, I would like to honor my Mom. My mom is my rock. My best friend. I love her with all of my heart and soul. She knows when something is wrong, even before I do most of the time. My mom has the best mom hugs. And even after all of this time, I still go home just for a mom hug. I've tested her patience throughout my life, I'm sure I've caused quite a few of her gray hairs, but through it all, she never once turned her back on me. She loved me unconditionally. This is the song I had sung in the church when Dan and I were married...for my mom.

I Love You Mutti!

And now on to the challenge...



When I joined the DT at Crafting By Designs I thought for sure I would keep my blog up to date...WRONG! So, as usual I'm a few days late.
This weeks challenge is Remembering Your Childhood. Ignacio from NICECRANE DESIGNS is our sponsor and gifted the design team a few Vintage Childhood files. Oh my! I had so much fun creating for this. I chose the Dolly Dingle Christmas Set. Ignacio has donated a very generous and most awesome prize for our winner, plus he donated 2 more sets! That's right, we are going to have a 1st, 2nd and 3rd winner. Please stop over Crafting By Designs and check out all of the details.

My images are colored in with blending chalks. I've added a little rub on here and there. Most of my paper is from DCWV stacks or comes from my scrap bin. Little embellies are Recollections from Michaels. Enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by!

Hugs,

Sharon