Jenna’s Wedding

On April 3, 2010, my lovely daughter was married to the Man of Her Dreams, Jon David George. All of her wedding plans came together so beautifully and this mother of the bride was awed by her daughter’s ability to create her wedding just as she wanted it to be. She had everything planned right down to the last detail! First of all, I need to tell you that she was the most beautiful bride I had ever seen. This picture captures her personality so beautifully.

The reception decor blew me away when it all came together…the little flower pots were filled with perennial flower seeds to be planted in honor of Jenna’s beloved Grandma Thompson, who underwent her second mastectomy last year due to breast cancer. The entire theme of the wedding was to honor her grandma and all women affected by breast cancer. Note the picture of her wedding cake with breast cancer ribbons adorning it.

Last, but certainly not least, is a picture of Jenna with her grandma….

An Uplifting Letter From My Sister

In response to my below post, my sister sent me the following email.  She wasn’t sure how to add it to my blog, so I told her I would add it here.  She has always known just what to say to make me feel better.  Indeed, the help she and my sister Trisha so lovingly provided to Jenna, along with their lovely daughters, added so much to the wedding and reception.  I will post more on the wedding as soon as we get the pictures back from the photographer.  Let me just say, it was everything that Jenna dreamed that it would be.

Dear "Mother-of-the-Bride,
I marvel as I watch Jenna prepare for her wedding.  She's a girl who does indeed know what she wants after all.  She has made her own decisions and is making this wedding a statement of the incredible young lady she has grown into. 
She didn't get there by herself, you know.  It was her mother who very carefully molded her into the beautiful soul that she is.  It was the delicate and devoted love and labor, the "lead by example", the ability to step back and be that "hidden" angel who has expected nothing in return for the million and one things you have done for her.  That was your part in this wedding, dear sister.  You did the hard part....now this is your chance to sit back and marvel at "a job  well done".  Enjoy the beauty of the moment and feel the pleasure of watching this precious young lady walk into a new life of love with the little package you have been preparing for the last 23 years, neatly tucked away in her heart. She will unfold that package each and every single day for the rest of her life...when it comes to decorating her house, her style may be different, but she will draw on her mother's ability to make a home "cozy".  When she entertains, she will draw upon her mother's warmth and hospitality, making each and every person that enters her home feel welcome.  When it comes to loving her husband, she will draw upon the same passion and devotion that she saw you give to Sonny through the years and she will know that when the "honeymoon" wears off and the real life begins and at times feels difficult, that its the stamina and ability to ride the storm that she so often watched her mother do, that will get her through the tough times.  She will know how to balance work and home with time management skills that only a loving mother can do, because there will be years when it would be impossible to "do it all" without that super power in the depth of a mother's soul that develops from shear love and devotion. 
Okay, I'm not sure if she will ever be able to fold laundry like you...who could?!  There are so many things about filling your shoes that will be difficult to attain.  I know.....believe me, as your younger sister, I have tried...always.  I have learned to take all the special qualities of you that I admired and make them my own.  You taught me so many things that I never could have been without your guidance...
Yes, Jenna is doing this wedding her way.  But you gave her the priceless gift of "independence" and because of that, she has the ability to plan a wedding and walk into a whole new life of happiness.  She's doing a "breast cancer" theme because you taught her that its not "all about her" and shared with her your incredible unselfishness and the ability to give to others in a unbelievable way.
My prayer for you is that you are able to sit back and ENJOY THE MOMENT and relish in A JOB WELL DONE and savor the beauty and wonder of this precious girl growing up.  This is not losing a daughter, but gaining the joy of watching her develop a new life of her own. 
And thereafter.... I pray that you welcome every new day as a fresh beginning in God's grace and allow your own world to be made new.
You and Jenna are so, so, dear to me!!!!  What a pleasure it is for me to share in this most special event.
Love you, SisterBrendy,
Jeannie      

JENNA’S WEDDING JUST FOUR DAYS AWAY!!!

Eight months ago, when Jenna got engaged in Myrtle Beach, it seemed like a very long time before the actual wedding would happen.  I envisioned lots of mother/daughter time being spent together as she would give me feedback on the great ideas I would come up with for the romantic fairy tale wedding/reception.  I am a lover of old lace, ruffles, candlelight, distressed, chippy white paint…you know…the stuff that oozes with romanticism?  To give you an idea of my style, let me show you a backpack that I would die for….this is made by artist, Robin, of Magnolia Pearl…..

Is that not the most gorgeous backpack you’ve ever seen?  Well, Jenna doesn’t agree with me.  Thus, the problem with my planning her wedding….

She did not like any of my fabulous ideas!  Can you imagine such a thing?

Me, her mother,  who has so lovingly planned her entire life, is suddenly expected to take a backseat and allow her to take the reins, and (gasp!) plan her own wedding!  In the way that she has envisioned it in her own mind?  She has chosen her wedding day theme around the Breast Cancer Ribbon, to honor a very special woman in her life…her soon to be 87 year old grandmother who is a breast cancer survivor and inspiration to all who knows her.  She had her first bout with breast cancer 25 years ago and underwent a mastectomy and not a peep from that dreaded disease until a year ago, when she underwent her second mastectomy at the age of 86.  She took one (no, that is not a typo) pain pill the first night she came home from the hospital and that was only because we encouraged her to do so.  She never complained once about pain, nor the fate of having to face two mastectomies 24 years apart.  I hope to be just like my Mama when I grow up.  But I am amazed that this child of mine chooses, not my frilly, lacy, ruffles for her wedding theme, but a breast cancer theme to honor not only her grandmother, but all women who has had to suffer from this cancer.  Is this my daughter, the one whose universe has always circled around her and her needs?  Although I am very touched, it also frightens me a little.  This is the girl, who the night before a school project was due, would come to me, pleading, “Mama, would you help me with this, you always have such wonderful ideas…..”  Now, suddenly, she doesn’t seem to need or want her Mama’s ideas.  What is this Mama to think?   Doesn’t she know that mothers’ plan weddings and daughters sit back demurely agreeing to everything we suggest, loving each and every idea that comes out of our motherly minds?  She even has the audacity to choose her own music!  No  Wedding March  for her, no sir ree!  The wedding party will come down the aisle to the beat of some song called Bubbly  (of all things!) by Colbie Collait.  And then when her Daddy walks her down the aisle, she is determined to make me cry by having the Tim McGraw song,  My Little Girl, ….now you tell me…who gets walked down the aisle to that tear jerker?  We did however, agree on one thing, and that is the fact that Jon David (her fiancée’ has two sisters who has voices like angels and they are going to sing the Shania Twain/Bryan Adams song,  From this Moment on…during the lighting of the unity candle.  The final song selection will be by Jason Mraz and Colbie Collait, called Lucky.  Don’t tell Jenna, but after the rehearsal, it all seemed fitting, somehow and “so Jenna.”  At the end of the day, this mother of the bride, has to admit, that

it Really is……

                     all about …..  the

                                                    Bride and Groom.

But, shhh!  Don’t tell Jenna that I admitted this, it’s a surprise that I want to share with her on her wedding day………

 

Basement Tour Continues

My basement is pretty much open, except for the furnace enclosure right smack in the middle of the basement.  There is also the fireplace that sort of makes a wall.  So if you can envision a large room with a wall in the middle (think of the open area as a racetrack), you can envision, for the most part, the layout.

Just past the sitting area is where I have my art area set up.  I found a nice old square table at a yardsale that I use for my worktable.

As you can see, this is not what one would really call a “finished basement”.  It is actually quite rough.  The ceilings sag, the paneling bows, doors don’t quite close, etc., but paint on the walls and floors made a big difference and it works for my needs.

Against this wall on the left, there is a door to a storage unit, and along the short wall, I have a little area set up where I design my purses.  As you can see, I have several in progress…a stage they have been for many weeks now.

What would we do without our inspiration boards?  Tomorrow I’ll share pictures of my furniture rehab areas.

Still Organizing My Basement!

I really should have taken pictures before and after my basement cleanup because you just cannot appreciate how much work I really accomplished down there this past month without the before pics.  oh well…let me share the “after” photos with you and you can guess on the “before”.  Just use your imagination and think CLUTTER!

  

tHE FIRST PICTURE ABOVE SHOWS THE AREA YOU COME UPON WHEN YOU FIRST COME DOWN THE BASEMENT STAIRS.  I DECIDED TO MAKE THIS MY SITTING AREA.  THERE ARE A COUPLE OF DIY PROJECTS HERE THAT I’LL MENTION BRIEFLY, AND IF YOU WANT MORE DETAILS, LET ME KNOW.

THE FIRST IS THE COFFEE TABLE.  THE TOP WAS PRETTY ROUGH WHEN I BOUGHT IT AT A YARDSALE.  I HAD TO DECIDE WHETHER TO DO SOME HEAVY DUTY REFINISHING ON IT, OR GO WITH THE DISTRESSED LOOK BY PAINTING IT.  I DIDN’T KNOW WHICH WHEN I STARTED.  I BEGAN BY USING A SHARP EDGED WOOD CHISEL TO TAKE THE TOP LAYER OF FINISH OFF.  THEN I SANDED THE ENTIRE SURFACE WITH A LOW GRIT SANDPAPER.  THERE WERE SOME DEEPER GOUGES IN THE WOOD THAT WOULD HAVE TAKEN A LOT OF WORK TO SAND DOWN, AND I REALLY LIKED THE CHARACTER THE MARKS LEFT IN THE SURFACE.  SO, I DECIDED TO TRY THE DISTRESSED LOOK ON THE TOP ONLY.  I APPLIED A COAT OF CREAMY OFF-WHITE PAINT, LET IT DRY, AND THEN SOFTLY SANDED IT AGAIN WITH THE LOW GRit SANDPAPER.  I APPLIED THE SECOND COAT AND AGAIN SANDED IT.  THIS REMOVES ANY BRUSH STROKES OR PAINT BUILDUP FROM TOO MUCH PAINT ON YOUR BRUSH.  aS YOU CAN SEE, I ALSO PAINTED THE SIDES OF THE TOP.  ONCE THE SECOND COAT WAS DRY, I TOOK THE SAND PAPER AND LIGHTLY WENT OVER THE CURVED CORNERS AND OTHER AREAS WHERE THE TOP AND SIDE MEET.  YOU CAN SEE THE WOOD UNDERNEATH WHERE I DID THAT.  I ALSO DID THAT IN A FEW PLACE ON THE TOP ITSELF.  IT’S KIND OF A TOUCHY FEELY PROCESS, BECAUSE YOU WANT IT TO LOOK WORN AND DISTRESSED BY USE RATHER THAN BY SANDPAPER.  IF YOU GO A LITTLE CRAZY WITH THE SANDPAPER, YOU CAN ALWAYS APPLY MORE PAINT AND THEN SAND AGAIN.  WHEN FINISHED, I WAS VERY PLEASED WITH THE END RESULT AND REALLY LIKE THE COMBINATION OF PAINT AND WOOD.

THE OTHER PROJECT WAS A QUICK FIX I DID TO COVER THE OTTOMAN.  MY DAUGHTER HAD A DOG THAT LIKED TO LIFT HIS LEG ON THE BOTTOM OF THE ORIGINAL OTTOMAN COVER….IF YOU GET MY DRIFT.  IT WAS ATTACHED TO THE OTTOMAN AND NO MATTER HOW I TRIED, I COULD NOT GET THE STAINS NOR THE SMELL OUT.  I DECIDED THE ONLY WAY TO GET RID OF IT WAS TO CUT IT OFF, WHICH I DID AND IT LOOKED AWFUL…SO I HAD TO COVER THE WHOLE THING SOMEHOW.  NOT SURE WHAT I WAS DOING, I GRABBED SOME FABRIC AND CUT OUT A PIECE FOR THE TOP OUT OF A HEAVIER, SOLID PINK MATERIAL.  I PINNED IT DOWN INTO THE SEAM AROUND THE EDGES.  I THEN TOOK A PIECE OF WHITE COTTON AND ANOTHER OF PINK COTTON AND DECIDED TO USE THEM TO GATHER AND PIN TO THE TOP OF THE FABRIC I PUT ON TOP.  ARE YOU FOLLOWING ME SO FAR?  MAYBE I SHOULD PUT A CLOSEUP PICTURE HERE.

AS YOU CAN SEE, I ALTERNATED MY FABRIC PINK, WHITE, PINK, WHITE.  I DID THIS BECAUSE I DID NOT HAVE ENOUGH ON HAND OF THE PINK AND WHEN I WANT TO DO SOMETHING, I WANT TO DO IT RIGHT NOW, WITH WHAT I HAVE ON HAND.  AFTER CAREFULLY USING LONG UPHOLSTERY PINS TO PIN IN PLACE, I THEN TOOK A PIECE OF BRAIDED TRIM AND HOT GLUED IT TO THE FABRIC TO COVER UP THE PINS.  WHOO-LA!  INSTANT OTTOMAN COVER!  KEEP IN MIND, THIS WOULD NOT HOLD UP TO A LOT OF WEAR AND TEAR!  I CAN SIT ON IT WITHOUT DISLODGLING THE PINS, BUT I WOULD NOT TRUST IT IF I HAD SMALL CHILDREN ABOUT.  BUT IN A QUICK FIX SITUATION, THIS WORKS GREAT AND I HAD IT DONE IN ABOUT 1 1/2 HOURS.

NEXT IS A PICTURE OF THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THIS SITTING AREA, WHERE THE FIREPLACE IS.  THE FUTON ABOVE FACES THE FIREPLACE.

I SEE A FEW THINGS IN THIS AREA THAT YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN, BUT I’LL SAVE THOSE FOR ANOTHER DAY.  TOMORROW I’LL TRY TO POST MORE PICTURES OF MY “CREATIVE SPACES” IN THE BASEMENT.  HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS LITTLE LOOK-SEE AND PROJECT BRIEFING.  I’M REALLY GOING TO TRY TO FOCUS MORE ON THIS TYPE OF POSTING IN THE FUTURE.  I’M STILL FINDING MY WAY ON THIS BLOGGING VENTURE….SisterBrendy

 

 

CHRISTMAS ANGEL

The holiday season of 1977 was magical in every aspect.  I was in love with my husband of two years, living in my dream home for the past year, working at a job that I loved, my life was right on track.  Christmas decorating was done, shopping completed, presents wrapped and placed under our tree, and we were counting down…… not for Christmas, but for the birth of our first child.  The due date had come and gone, and finally on December 22, I decided to start my maternity leave, baby or not.  I was so ready to be a Mommy. 

As Christmas morning dawned, so did the first twinges of labor pains.  We gathered everything together and left, not for the hospital…..I had to go to my Mom and Dad’s first….it was Christmas morning after all!  It was early afternoon when we finally left their house to go to the hospital.  Everyone hugged, and I promised to call as soon as the baby arrived.  But it was a long wait.  I thought I was in “hard labor” when we arrived at the hospital, sure the baby would soon be making it’s appearance, only to find out that I was dilated 1/2 centimeter!  It didn’t get any better and Christmas Day came and went.  But finally at 2:20 a.m. December 26th, which was also my baby sister’s birthday, Megan Elizabeth made her way into the world.  My angel……from the minute I first held her.

Before I knew it, we were celebrating her first birthday.

She was the happiest baby ever.  Every time you looked at her, she was smiling.  My life was complete.  The next thing I knew, she turned two!

She only grew more beautiful and still kept smiling…until late March, 1980.  She started getting such bad headaches and was admitted to Children’s Hospital to have the experts figure out why.  At first, they could only say that maybe she was suffering from migraines, even though that was unusual for someone so young, and they sent us home.  A month later, she was still having the headaches and she would thump her left eye and cry.

This is a picture of her taken around Easter.

One night at 11:00 p.m., I called her pediatrician and told her, “there is something wrong with my baby”, and she said, “that’s all I have to hear, we’re getting her back up to Children’s Hospital tomorrow”.  That is when the CT Scan showed she had a brain tumor.  That was in May, 1980.  The tumor was on her pituitary gland and although it wasn’t malignant, there were many complications over the next several months as we found out her pituitary gland wasn’t producing any hormones.  We had to give her very painful growth hormone shots every other day, in addition to a whole days schedule of medications…..but she never complained.  She bounced back into being the happy, smiling little girl she was before.  While she was in ICU, she told us that Jesus had come to visit her.  She was only 2 1/2 then.  How could you not believe that he had not? 

This is our beautiful girl in August of 1980, just a few months after her surgery, still happy and still smiling!

 

We cherished each day as she continued to grow and get well.  She soon turned 3 years old, this little angel of ours.  By the following Easter, her hair had grown back and you would never guess she’d had surgery a year before.  That smile was brighter than ever!

 

In late spring or early summer, our dear friend, Agnes Leasure,  who was Megan’s babysitter,  let her sit outside on the porch swing while she watched her from the window.  She could see that Megan was looking up, talking to someone and as she couldn’t see anyone, she went outside to see who she was talking to.  There was no one there.  Agnes asked her, “Megan who were you talking to?”  Megan replied, “My friend,  Jesus.  He’s with me all the time”.  Agnes asked what they were talking about.  “He was telling me about heaven.  Have you been to heaven?” 

On July 27th, 1981, Megan went to heaven.  Suffering from complications from a virus that her body couldn’t fight off, she went into a coma.  She had been in a coma for 11 days.   I sat alone one night after the doctors had told us that Megan’s EEG (a test which measures electrical activity in the brain) had shown no brain activity.  They would, of course, repeat this test, along with other tests, but they wanted to let us know they did not expect any change.  We should expect that she was brain dead.  After pleading with God to not take her from me, then threatening God if he did, Jesus came to visit me, in the form of a nameless, faceless, woman .  At 2:00 in the morning… in the lobby area near the hospital chapel.  This woman came in and sat down beside me and started talking.  I didn’t even look at her.  In fact, it made me angry that she was intruding upon my self imposed isolation, but she did not expect any conversation or compassion from me.  Softly, she told me that she visited the chapel every night, to pray that God take her son home to heaven.  He had to be fed through tubes, wore diapers, didn’t know her or even that he was alive and had been like that for 12 years.  She wanted so badly for his soul to be released so he could be an angel in heaven, rather than have his body chained to earth, where there was no joy for him.  As soon as I realized that she had just just portrayed the kind of life that I might have been threatening God for Megan to have, I looked up, but she was no where within my sight.  Did I imagine her?  No, I believe, as Megan did, that Jesus came to visit me that night.  I ran back to the chapel, took back my threats and turned my precious Megan over to him.  I know she dances with the other angels now.  I hope that she dances with the son of the woman who came to me as Megan’s Jesus.  Sometimes, when I’m sleeping, I can almost feel her light footsteps dancing right over my heart.

I still wake up each morning grateful for the many gifts that God has blessed me with.  So if your holiday gets stressed and you wonder why we go through the glitz, the pressure, and the headaches that goes with the holidays, take a moment and think of all that you have to be grateful for and why and who we are really celebrating this Christmas season.  All my love, SisterBrendy

I'm Still Here...Just Busy!

Taylor "stroller cool" at Great Grandma Thompson's recently. Can you believe she 6 months old already?

I don't want you to think I've given up on my blog, it's just that things have been a little busy around here lately. First, my hubby got sick with the flu and ended up in the hospital, then a kidney stone hit me and knocked me off my feet for a couple of weeks, (boy do I hate those things!) I've been watching my precious little granddaughter several days a week, trying to spend a couple of days up at my Mom's every couple of weeks, still trying to organize my basement, working on making fall and Christmas wreaths, picking up my paintbrush here and now, working with Jenna on her wedding plans, trying to get in some Christmas shopping when time allows.....and the list just seems to go on and on. So much for being retired, right? Life is good and I continue to be blessed by the love of family and friends. Tomorrow is hubby's birthday, and twice a year, there is a huge flea market held at the Scioto County fairgrounds, which just so happens to coincide with his birthday this year. That's where we'll be tomorrow (well I guess I should say today, since it is 2:00 a.m.) It is so huge, we never get to see everything before we poop out. We don't often do things together, so I'm looking forward to our outing. I'll let you know what kind of goodies I find and bring back with me.......until then, look for the small joys in your life and be thankful for them!