A Letter to Heaven

Dear Daddy,
   I sure am missing you today. There is so much I'd love to tell you. I like to think that God lets you look down from heaven and see the happy times. You would be so proud of momma. Not only graduating at 78 but with a 3.75 GPA. Brooke has somehow never forgotten you even though she was only 9 months old when you went to heaven. She seemed to think Darrell was you at times but seemed confused about his voice.  She's taking piano lessons and wants to go back to the violin before too long. She's also talkative and a tad sassy. She would keep you laughing, I know, and she would have you wrapped around her finger. Christopher started guitar lessons like you wanted him to.  He is amazing and loves his music. He has so many guitars. He loves cars like you did, too. He owns 3 right now and one he is rebuiling the engine in.  You would have enjoyed working with him on it. He's dating an amazing girl named Skye and you would so love her, just like we do. Elizabeth had a little girl on your birthday 3 years ago. Do you happen to know about that? Perhaps you had something to do with it? :-)  It just seems like something you would do. Marianne never meets a stranger and loves talking to people just like her great grandpa. She's gorgeous and so smart.  You'd love Mark, too, and be so proud of him and Elizabeth. Elaine graduated from college. You were so proud of her for going back. And one more thing....I can play that little "Floyd Cramer lick" on the piano that you loved so much. I hope I can play it for you in heaven. I know you always wanted me to learn that.
I hope your birthday celebration is awesome. I know in heaven it couldn't be anything but awesome. I love you, daddy, and miss you. I don't know how long before I see you again but I WILL!  Heaven is my ultimate goal!

My Momma

     I'm sitting here tonight feeling a lot of emotions. It's kind of funny because the roles are reversed but in a good way. In just 2 days my momma, at the age of 78, will be walking down the aisle to receive her college diploma.

My sister and I will be decorating her table and beaming with pride as the daughters, instead of the mother.

 I think back to Oct. 28, 1996, when the dr came out of the OR where momma was having emergency heart surgery and told us she was gone. They were still working with her but the 1% chance they could bring her back she would most likely be in a vegatative state for the rest of her life. Using the paddles 3 times, being 14 minutes without oxygen to her vital organs, they replaced and repaired what they could and now said she had a 20% chance of living. It wasn't an easy recovery but God wasn't done. When she was finally weaned off of the breathing machine and able to talk she told the surgeon "thank you" for what he had done. He had just said to her, "You know we lost you."  The surgeon looked at her, pointed to heaven and said, "Don't thank me, Thank Him"  They couldn't even give her a time of how much longer she had to live because they said she shouldn't have lived. (The drs weren't even able to find enough good veins to replace all the bad one's and she had a diseased heart) In Oct. 2014, it will have been 18 years. Momma took care of daddy, who was paraplegic, until he passed away in 2000, finished high school and graduated at the ACE headquarters in TN, pastored a church, went to Israel, and is now graduating college. No one need ever tell me that my God is dead or that He isn't still working miracles. My momma is a miracle and I thank God everyday for her. I never want to take for granted how blessed I am to have Geraldine Francis as my momma and that God allowed me to see, first hand, that He still works miracles today.

March 2014 Creative Dare - I Am

I'm so glad Tracy challenges us because there are times I just think I don't have it in me and then.....she challenges and I find creativity, enjoyment, gratification......well, all you that join in, I know you understand what I'm trying to say.  :-)  I used a background that I had made some time ago and used glaze pens, sharpies, pitt pen, a white pen, watercolors, rub-ons, washi tape, and a white and black charcoal pencil. It was fun and "I Am" trying to "Embrace" (my word of the year) who "I Am" instead of being so critical of myself and how God made me.  :-)

Thank you, Tracy, for........everything!  

If you would like to join in......Check out Tracy's blog here. :-)

2014 Creative Dare

I'm so thankful for Tracy Weinzapfel Burgos and the Mixed Media Monday Group for the encouragement to create when sometimes.....I just don't think I have it in me.  Here is my entry for the January Creative Dare . My word is "Embrace"

Word of the Year Search

Once upon a time there was a mom who loved her family so much but was struggling. Struggling against the sicknesses that kept her from doing the things that a mother usually does. A wife, a daughter, a sister, a friend, a Sunday School teacher and much more but I just couldn't do it all. I wanted to so badly and it would make me so frustrated the tears would come. I would pray over and over, "Lord, if you'll just let me feel a little bit good tomorrow, I just want to feel like getting up."  Ok, so I didn't get a miracle and even after 3 surgeries, numerous tests, and doctors, I still have a lot of health issues. But.....sometimes God doesn't choose to heal you or take away the pain for reasons only known to Him. It doesn't mean He doesn't care. He just sees those things down the road and what you're going to need to make it through those. Ah, but he sent me a friend. Not just a friend but someone who taught me that in spite of my pain and frustrations I can make beauty. Lots of beauty all around me. And then she introduced me to one of the most loving group of people that have been there for me through so many things. When I didn't want my family to know how much I was worried I could tell them all about it, ask for prayers and I received some of the most encouraging words that were what I needed. When I first began watching  Tracy Weinzapfel I thought art journaling was one of the craziest things I'd ever seen. People made a huge mess of a page, slapped more mess on it, scribbled on it and called it "Art Journaling"? No beauty or art could I see. lol  Then Tracy taught me the true beauty of art journaling and became not only my teacher but an amazing friend. What I love about her....She is real! She is kind to everyone and tries so hard to make sure she doesn't miss giving each new member a welcome to the Mixed Media Monday group and encourages each new artist even though we have grown to over 500!   I haven't done much creating since October but they love me anyway!  haha  They continued to encourage me and they've encouraged me right into creating again and it feels so good!!!  Love that Angie and I are challenging each other.  I just don't have a word for the year and asked for help. MMM came through once again and I decided to write down words from everyone that posted. It didn't stop there. Since I still don't have my word chosen......I got out that page that Yvonne encouraged me to underwrite on (and boy, did I ever lol) and began to create. Now there are all those beautiful words I wrote down on that page and the reminder of the wonderful things my friends said to me. It isn't my most beautiful page ever but it makes me so happy.  I also tried some things out that I had wanted to try so I could share some alternatives for supplies with others that can't afford some of the more pricey things. It worked!  :-)

Angie.....On the left is how the page looked before (minus the flower I drew lol) If you look close at the top photo on the right you can see the underwriting faintly.  These are before I started outlining all my flowers.

On the left is my finished page.  I used a homemade gesso (Shannon Green). It's great if you like texture which I do. I had heard that you could use eye shadow for shimmer sprays. Then I got to thinking (scary, I know lol) Could you use other makeup? My daughter thought it sounded good and got me some things to try. Then I bought a kit on clearance after Christmas. The upper pink flower was done in lipstick with blush rubbed on top. It is outlined in liquid eyeliner. The stem of the orange flower is done in green eye shadow. Different colors. I found you can use the eye shadow as a chalk to get one effect or wet it and use it like a paint for a different effect. I'm still experimenting but you can get a lot of things at the $1 store, $ General, etc. I sure hope this help some of you. We went through a really rough time a couple years ago when hubby's company almost went under so I understand how you can long to create but not have the funds to buy fun stuff.  

Whew!  I really shouldn't try to make up 2 months in one post! ;-)

I do want to say "Thank You" from the bottom of my heart to the awesome people at Mixed Media Mondays! So thankful for you!