Mommy's strawberry vest

This morning, I had Lil M try on my vest that my Mommaw made for me when I was a young child. It's a little big on her, but too cute. :) SO, I had to take some pics.

At daycare this morning they had Santa come... we didn't quite make it in time for Lil M to see him with her class, 'cause neither of us were feeling that great this morning. I think we're both just struggling to not get full-blown sick. :( But we'll be ok. Anyway, we went into the Pooh room to see him. Lil M wanted nothing to do with him. And she would only go near him with me. Now, I'm not sure if she would have had I not been there, but I was only there to get a couple of pics. And then she decided she'd rather have me. I'm not going to complain. Nor am I going to force her to sit with a stranger (even if it is santa).


Then we went to her room where they had snacks waiting for her and her classmate Audrey. So she had some yogurt, fruit and a donut. She shared a strawberry with me. :) She's so sweet.
Then Lil M and Audrey exchanged their books. Mia got a 123 dry-erase book that's cool. I didn't get a pic of that, though.


Overall, we were just plain late to the party. But I don't think she really cared. She still enjoyed what she got to do, and when I left they were making christmas trees... and what 3 year old doesn't like to use glue? ;-)

Peace.

Flowers

I received a beautiful arrangement of fresh flowers today. They were sent from my friends at work. That was so sweet and unexpected. Thank you all.

Peace.

Dinner and Family Time

We wore purple in honor of Mommaw. She was laid to rest in lavendar, and we wanted to show our respect. I am glad we did. She loved purple.Mindy and her new dolls.
Aunt Gay Gay and Me with our dolls.
Aunt Bonnie, Me, Mindy, Aunt Gay Gay and Myra Jo with all our dolls!!! Oh, how Mommaw loved her dolls. We'll have to display them for her.
Chase. He loved the countryside and the drive. We took TONS of pictures on the drive down and back.

It was really good for all of us to spend a few hours together after the funeral. It was a very tough few days for me. Mommaw was SUCH a huge part of our lives, and I still feel guilty for not being able to see her as much as I wanted. It was very comforting to hear how much she talked about Lil' M. Apparently, she carried her pics around and just went on and on about how much she loved her. That just makes my heart melt. You know, adoption is perceived differently than birth, by some. And the fact that Mommaw, in her 90 years... loved this child of mine, and gave her the same love she gave the rest of us is just heartening. There is hope, indeed.

Mommaw had something special set aside for each of her Grandchildren. She had jewelry for the Ladies and her quilts for the Men. Mindy and I were overwhelmed, because we weren't expecting anything. And, definitely nothing as special as the jewelry we saw here wear EVERY day!!! Amazing. So, I'm not the proud owner of the beautiful pendant she wore all the time, and Mindy has one of her rings. Words can't express how this makes me feel. I feel loved.

Mommaw also had her baby dolls that she collected over many, many years that she wanted us girls to have. This again was just for the grandchildren... even though, she had great and great-great grandchildren. Aunt Bonnie did give one of the dolls to Mia, and that just was so nice of her. :)

All of my heart goes out to my family and to Mommaw. May she be sitting with Jesus in a beautiful purple gown with lots of purple flowers and family she hasn't seen in a long, long time!!

Peace.

Resting Place

Mommaw started out a "Boone". So, it was befitting that the funeral took place at the Boone-Nickell Funeral Home. Our whole family was there, sans Mom and Uncle June. Even Uncle Lynnie was there. He is not doing well himself, as he has Colon Cancer. But we were so glad to see him and that he was able to make the trip. It is 3 hours or so from Dayton, which is where we all started our trips from.

Mommaw's first husband passed away the year before I was born. She wanted to be buried next to him, and you can maybe see the "Beckett" name plate, but she also has "Hunt" from my Grandpa who she loved very much. God, we are going to miss her.

This is me walking through the area to go back and see what they were going to do with the flowers. There were MANY fresh flowers. She was buried with a purple and pink rose, along with some family pictures and a small quilt I started the day Grandpa went to Hospice. I never got to finish it, but I wanted her to have it.
This is where my Mom's side of the family is laid to rest.

Amazingly, from Mommaw's grave, you can see Marcy's house, who was her Niece. They were very close, and it was comforting to see one of our family homes overlooking Elizaville. This is where we had some family time and dinner after the funeral.

Peace.

Mourning

Today, we go to the Viewing for my Grandmother. Sis' ex finally called and said he was sorry he had said Chase couldn't go... so, Chase can go with us now. THANK YOU for all your prayers. It is already going to be a very long, draining day. I'm glad we don't have to worry about that now.

Tom asked how we're doing... well, just this morning, I've been feeling panicky, overwhelmed. It's been a tough morning. Breathe, Melissa, Breathe..... that's my mantra.

Thank you again for your thoughts and prayers. I can, without a doubt, say this is the hardest, biggest loss in my life since my nephew passed and my other grandparents. Both of which, happened years ago.

God is good, and we will get through this. I have amazing family and friends. Oh, and Skippy. :) He's been hanging close to Mama these days. What a good boy!

In Memory

My beloved Grandmother, Mommaw, passed away last night. There was so much I wanted to write and to share, but I'm keeping a lot of it close to the vest right now.

Mommaw was amazing. She lived a very long, fruitful 90 years. But that wasn't all of it. She outlived both her husbands. She bore 4 children. She had quite a few grandchildren, and way more great-grandchildren who loved her.

Her favorite color was purple. Her favorite drink was sweet tea. But when we were kids she always had those little Cokes for us to drink out of a bottle. She had endless love, and butter bowls for us to play with. She let us sleep in the purple room. She always made sure we had what we needed growing up, which sometimes included a roof over our heads. She made the best ice cream, pies, dumplins, and corn of anyone I *ever* knew. She was an awesome cook. She comforted us when our Mom couldn't. She had a huge heart and a lot of love for her family.

This happening was very sudden. She fell and hit her head, they think because she had a stroke, but aren't sure. Her passing was quick and painless, but will leave a lasting mark on everyone's heart that new her or loved her. And there are many, many who loved her. For that, she is my hero.

May I live as long and fruitful life, filled with love and children. I love you Mommaw. You will always have a piece of my heart.

Peace.