Lung Cancer Sucks

Three years ago today, my Momma died of lung cancer.

It was four days after my baby's 1st birthday.  The day after his birthday party. She didn't even get to be at it.  I only got three pictures of them together.  I'm sad every time I think about it.

I miss her everyday.  But the pain isn't as sharp as it used to be.

I don't see my siblings as much with her gone.  That makes me sad.

My cousin reminded me a funny story, so I decided to share it with you today.

One day my Aunt Shiela, cousin Love'e and her two sons (ages 10 and 13) came to visit mom (who's name was Twila), when she was sick.  Mom was talking about telemarketers and how they drove her crazy!  She said one night a telemarketer called and for Twiller. 

My mom quickly snapped, "Who the *beep* names their kid Twiller?"

My cousin's boys thought that was hilarious....and still talk about it to this day.

...

Oh, my gosh I miss her!

Uninspired

I've been feeling very uninspired to write on my blog this last week. I don't know why. Sometimes I feel like "do people really care about what I have to say?" or "do people really want to see more pics of my flowers?" Then I remember. "Oh, yeah. This is my blog. It's my journal for me to remember things that happen along our journey." I sometimes struggle with how I want to come across on here. Am I writing TO my readers or FOR my readers? I've decided I like to write for them. If you like it you'll come back, right? If not, you won't. But, I'll still have information about our daily life recorded for my future reference. What a great medium for memories!

I have to say how happy I am that I have so many new blog readers lately!! Many new families with special needs kiddo's have found me, and I'm building new relationships. It's the best part of the blog world! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR STOPPING BY. I couldn't do what I do without the support I've found online. To know I am not alone in this adventure. As new families find me, I try to add them to my sidebar.
Eventually I'm going to reorganize my sidebar blogs into categories, so all the families with special needs kids are in one section and we can all find each other easier!

So, as a quick catch up for the last week:

My sister Shiela and her husband Joe came to visit Sunday til Tuesday. We took a drive up to Wenas Lake, I got some really great pictures of them on her camera, and then we went to this Aspen Tree Forest that I just LOVE and hadn't had the opportunity to photograph yet.

I just love how tall they are, with just canopies at the top!

My sister got even better pictures with her camera, which is much better than mine. I really love the panoramic she got. You can see it on her blog, here.

Their dog, Tucker, enjoyed the drive, too!

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I decided to take them by our Mom's old place. My family will appreciate how nicely the new owners have fixed the place up! They painted the exterior and trim, added new flower beds, a new row of arborvitaes on the other side, put in new vinyl windows, and continued trimming the arborvitaes so you can actually get out of your car in the driveway! Doesn't it look so much nicer?

Here is Eli with his Auntie Shiela:

No - he's not asleep - just cuddling :)

Weekend Wrap-up

My niece Amelia was here visiting all last week.  It was wonderful!
She spent time playing with my scrapbooking stuff - and made some really cute crafts!  We watched movies....namely, Twilight, which I just wasn't sure if I'd like, so I wanted to see it with her because she's read the books and I wanted all the back story info, you know?  Vampire movies need a tutorial in my opinion!  LOL!  Turns out it was a very sweet love story....and I would have absolutely been hooked when I was younger!  I wouldn't mind reading the books.....but they are really thick!  No time for that around here!

Unfortunately, Eli's caregiver was sick all week.  The big plans we had...to visit all the different cultural things around our town...turned into quiet days at home....but she's the easiest company to have around and was happy to just read books when I needed to do housework, or put Eli down for naps and bedtime.

The week in Re-cap:

1. We picked blueberries - 12 lbs total
2. We went to Costco - and she bought three history books.
3. We went to the Feed Store - and she bought Peacock Feathers.
4. We made brownies...and ate the whole pan.
5. She created a scrapbook page using a beautiful picture of her sister Joey at Magone Lake.
6. She made one mini accordian album and decorated a mint tin to put it in.
7. We went shopping at Craft Warehouse - she bought a small sketchbook for her purse - she loved it!
8. We went to lunch at Red Robin - service was slow but the flavored lemonades were delish!
9. Then, we went to the Yakima Valley Museum.  Great art exhibit was on display and she got to see an original painting by one of her favorite artists:  Hung Liu 
10. We went scrapbooking at the monthly crop that I go to and she worked on an 8x8 album I gave her - we visited, ate, crafted, and went home at 10 so she could get a good night's sleep for her 5 hour drive the next morning.

I feel so blessed!  I'm so thankful for my family!

On Blueberry Hill

Last night after Eli fell asleep, like this, (while I was dressing him after his bath)

My niece Amelia, who is here visiting me this week, and I went here:

BLUEBERRY HILL

The guy said, "Pick anywhere you want, and eat as much as you can while you're picking."

The sun was going down, there was a slight breeze, and it was just beautiful weather for harvest!

......

Of course we had to take the infamous self-portrait.

Amelia - picking away...

Did you know this is how Blueberries grew?

I didn't.

They were VERY easy to pick! No thorns! :)

and here is our bounty:

12 lbs of Blueberries = $20.50

Picking with my niece, making this memory = Priceless!

Amelia - My Niece -The College Graduate!

My niece Amelia graduated from Eastern Oregon University last weekend.  She earned a degree of

Bachelor of Science in Art with a History Minor.

(These two photos were kindly stolen from my sister, Shiela, Amelia's Mom.)

I wasn't able to go away for the [whole] weekend, because I couldn't get a motel room with a kitchen.

Taking Eli out of town is hard enough, but to be in a motel is even harder.  Without a kitchen - not doable!

Amelia has a beautiful little apartment....that was full of her immediate family.  We would have been totally welcome to stay there - but with Eli's funky schedule (goes to bed at 6:30 at night and wakes up at 5:00 in the morning) I hate to inflict that on people in such close quarters, you know?

But I was able to make a day trip down to La Grande for the party!

Me.

On a road trip.

By myself.

Just me and the CD changer.

Yeah, baby!

6 hours of music and singing - and NO ELMO!!!

I gave myself a sore throat singing so much.

It was great!

My dear hubby stayed home with Eli and they had a great day and evening together!

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Here is Amelia posing with the beautiful cake her sister Montana made for her grad party.

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Amelia and Me:

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Here is my other niece, Montana, with her husband Doctor (he's from Ghana, Africa) and me and Amelia.

I had to take advantage of this photo op, because they now live near Salt Lake City, UT, and who knows when I'll see them again!

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I hadn't met Doctor before.  It was such a blessing to meet him.  He is a very tender spirit.

I liked him immediately.  I'm so happy my niece is married to such a nice man. 

And here is their precious 16 month old son Anongba, my great nephew I haven't seen since he was 3 weeks old!  So cute - but so not interested in me....a stranger.  boo hoo.

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Anongba and Barkley the dog

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Me and my sister Shiela.

It's a tradition.

We always have to take a cheesy self portrait whenever we see each other!

:)

I feel very blessed to have such an awesome family.  I'm so happy I was able to celebrate with them!

6 hour drive = $55.00

3 1/2 hour visit = Priceless!

Welcome to the World, Baby Asher

Introducing my new GREAT Nephew:

Asher Indra Lee

born on 6-10-09

10:24 am

6 lbs. and 13.4 oz

19 " long

 

Proud Parents:

Adam and Sami

 

I now have four great nephews! 
(5 actually, but one is in heaven.)

What's up with boys in our family?
.
Can we think pink for a while?

Somebody's gotta have another and give us a girl!

Anyone?

:)

We sure do make some pretty baby's in our family!

Erma Frances

My dear Gram...the most wonderful woman I've ever known...

would have been 87 today!

I'd like to share with you an excerpt from her hand-written autobiography:

In the summer of 1943 "people were moving to the west coast to work in the shipyards and aircraft factories and many other kinds of defense plants.  Jobs were a dime a dozen.  you could walk off one job and go to work somewhere else the same day.  Wages had started to go up some and everyone was going to get some of it"

My grandma lived in Ft. Scott, Kansas with her family.  She was married to a bum...and had to be the breadwinner.  In 1943!  My mom was born in December of 1942 - so here she was with an 8 month old moving to Portland, Oregon on a train.

"...Anyway, that first night on the train, the air-conditioning went out.  The train was packed.  There were people sitting on suitcases, laying in the isles."

My grandma's sister Wilma was with her.  Aunt Wilma and my mom both got very sick on the train.

"It was a miserable trip but we had hopes that things would be better out here.  I was pregnant when we left Kansas.  Just a month or six weeks along.  The evening after we arrived, or the next day, I had a miscarriage."

How heartbreaking!

"We went and got on at Vancouver Shipyard.  We rode what they called cattle cars to work, they were big old busses with a trailer like pulled behind with seats and they were usually full and people standing.  At that time there was still some chivalry left in the world.  Men would give up their seat for a woman sometimes.  Not always."

Can you imagine?  They rode in a trailer behind a bus!

"I swung from a rope more than once across that old Columbia River to work"

THAT'S MY GRANDMA! :)

"We were in welding school...and I think I went out on production in about three weeks."

Here is my grandma with her welding crew:

(click on the photo to make it bigger)

* * *

My grandma got pregnant right after they got settled in Portland.  She worked until she was about 5 months pregnant.  She ended up having twin boys in April of 1944. 

She said, "I was as big as a barrel before they were born." 

The crazy thing was....SHE DIDN'T KNOW IT WAS TWINS!  I guess the doctor thought he felt two babies, but he could never hear the second heartbeat.  After one baby was delivered and contractions started again...the doctor decided there was another baby in there!

Aaagh!  I can't imagine going to the hospital to have a baby...and going home with two!  They were so poor.  Her husband was an alcoholic and didn't provide at all.  I don't know what would have happened if she didn't have her family that had moved out west to help her!

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Her story is incredible.  Good enough to be published in my opinion! :)

There is a story I want to share, but I can't find it right now.

Stay tuned...

Family Christmas Photos

Well, this is as good as it gets.....the last picture taken, ended up the winner.....

My mother-n-law got me this huge scrapbooking kit! :)

I just so happened to have my camera ready and got this great picture of Lon hugging Eli. :)

Just me and my boy - he sure does a great Elvis impersonation, eh?

Christmas Eve with Grandpa Jerry

Thank you Grandpa Jerry for all the wonderful gifts! 

Three new DVD's, a huge teddy bear, and four soft blankets.

 

Wall-E came with a pillow, Mickey Mouse came with a doll, and Spiderman and Cars are fleece.

Unfortunately, not all of the pics turned out....will have to take more later....cause the fleece ones are neat!

Is it just me, or is Mickey giving two thumbs up?

Plus, we got a package from my sister Shiela today.  Wonderful knitted hats, scarves, slippers, homemade earrings, and beautiful pressed flowers in glass coasters!  We are so spoiled! :)  Thanks, Shi!

Isn't Eli styling in his new hat from his Auntie?

Happy Birthday, Momma!

This is my Momma.  Being a ham at my best friends' wedding!

     It was September.  This was the [first] time she decided to shave her head, because she was tired of the bleached out/permed/fried hair she had.  (She ended up doing this several more times in her life!  Ugh!)

     So, she was hamming it up, making music with the beer bottle, and every so often pulling her hat back to show the newly shorn head!

I was so embarrassed, to say the least!

My Aunt and Cousin are probably crying at remembering this event!  It was a hoot!

     Then to top the evening off....when Amy (my BFF) went to throw her bouquet....all the girls were waiting below the balcony where she was standing, with high hopes of catching the coveted "good luck charm", right?... (I was already married, so I was watching it all from across the room)....Amy tosses the bouquet....and MY MOM comes FLYING from the sidelines, about knocks everyone over, and catches the bouquet!

Yup.  That's my Momma!

You know why she did it?  Because at my wedding 7 months prior, Amy caught my bouquet....and my Mom saw the heartbreak in my niece Amelia's eyes, because she almost had it, and wanted it so bad!  This was Mom's way at getting back at Amy for catching my bouquet!  Annialating her friends!  LOL!

Oh, do I miss my Momma!  Today would have been her 66th Birthday. 
Thanks for letting me share one of my MANY crazy stories about her!  I hope you got a laugh out of it???  :)

Our Thanksgiving Table

UPDATED:

Here is what the table looked like on Thanksgiving as we sat down to eat. All of the food was fabulous....just like always, and we totally stuffed ourselves! (Pun intended)

My MIL getting the juices to make the gravy....pretty good lookin' turkey, ain't it?

The Salad for the Vegetarian Hubby, and The Good Husband - doing dishes after the meal :)

Me - after all was eaten and cleaned up. I sat down to put together the scrapbook page I made. We each wrote down what we were thankful for.

(well, maybe not all was cleaned up - that is my pumpkin pie sitting in front of me!)
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ORIGINAL POST: "Happy Thanksgiving"

We are staying home this year, and having Lonnie's family over to our new home for dinner.
I'm very excited! I'm attemping my dear Gram's Banana Cream Pie - wish me luck! It's a pie filling from scratch on the stove....yikes...I've never done that before!

I have many things to be thankful for this year!
- My beautiful and AWESOME son!
- My loving and thoughtful husband!
- An everloving, ever-forgiving Lord and Savior in Jesus!
- Our beautiful home
- My family - lots and lots of wonderful family :)

- Friends who help make each day a little easier....

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

A friend of mine sent this verse to me, and I just love it! I hope you find comfort in it, too!

Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again-rejoice!
Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do.
Remember, the Lord is coming soon.
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.
Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.
If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more
wonderful than the human mind can understand.
His peace will guard you hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:4-7


My practice run...making sure all the dishes fit! Just in case I forget to take pictures amongst all the hustle and bustle of getting the meal on the table.

Baby Anongba updates

EASTER WEEKEND PICTURES :)