Easter 2010

Afternoon sunlight and Princess

The Start of the Garden

Hospice House

What a wonderful place!!!! My uncle Jackie has been staying in the Spartanburg Hospice House for the past week and a half. Everyone and everything there has been sweet and beautiful for him. The nurses and staff are wonderful and talented!! The facility is gorgeous and well thought out for the patients and families.

I have been blessed to have the morning shifts with Jackie while the children are in school. The first week he was still able to carry on conversations sometimes and it was very sweet to be able to spend time with him. This week is a little harder for him and the communication is almost completely gone. I spent a very quiet morning with him today and felt so blessed. First to have been blessed with a husband who sees the value in a woman staying home and not working in the work force. I also feel so blessed to be able to have these days to share with my family and be there for them. It was sweet to be able to sit by his bed today in the quiet. I've never been with someone dying before, it's an awesome experience to be able to be there. Just to hold their hands or give them a drink of water. I've always thought of myself as a person who can help children. Artie was the one who was good with older people. My thoughts have drastically changed this week. In some ways it is like a little baby again. Holding hands, rubbing backs and heads, in and out of bed, getting drinks, just giving love.

When I first found out I was pregnant and having a boy 17 years ago I was scared. All I knew was little girls. I didn't know you could love little boys. It feels the same way now. I didn't know you could enjoy being with some one knowing it was the end of their life. I am blessed!!!

~~ Brian and shovel ~~

Terry gave Brian a shovel for Christmas this year. Brian sent over some picture when he used it in his flowers!!! :-)

Holy Week

So, none of our Easter plans turned out like we planned. :-)

Artie's mom brought lunch over on Palm Sunday and we had a nice day together. She's such a wonderful cook. For Christmas she gave us all a coupon for a meal at Granny's Kitchen. This time she brought over fried chicken, roast and gravy, macaroni and cheese, fried okra, creamed corn, and homemade biscuits. I made some mashed potatoes to go with the gravy and it was all good. She topped it off with a lemon pound cake!! We watched the Gospel According to John and had a nice afternoon together. The children colored some pictures of Jesus riding in and palm branches. I think they all sent them home with Granny to go on her frig...

Terry's birthday was on Maudy Thursday this year, which was also April Fool's Day. I spent most of the day at school. First there was awards day for Terry's grade, then for Stephen, Bobby and Emily's. Stephen got the award for AB Honor Roll!! :-) I left quickly and picked up lunch for me and Terry from McDonald's and we had a nice time just the two of us in the teacher's lounge. Later in the afternoon I had it all arranged with the office and Terry was called in to the Principal's office. I was hiding in there with birthday balloons. Terry came in the office saying "Ya'll can't April Fool's me, I haven't done anything wrong and it's my birthday!!" He's only seven and I don't think I can fool him anymore!!! :-)

Thursday night we grilled out hamburgers and had cake and presents with the little children. Troy had to work so we saved his real birthday meal for Friday night. The only thing he wanted for his birthday was a gun. He got a rifle, a pistol, a holster, bandanna and handcuffs. They had a lot of fun. I have some pictures but I think they are lost on my new phone. We celebrated with dinner on Good Friday with all the brothers and sisters, Brian brought Lauren - it was so good to see them again, it's been too long. Daddy and Karen and Bobbie also came. We kinda overtook our section of Pizza Inn. I think Terry had a fun night.

We did manage to get our garden planted around Terry's birthday dinner. Artie worked half a day and then came home and we shopped and planted. (and finished after dinner with spot lights)

Here's our rundown of what all we planted:

10 cucumber plants

3 zucchini plants

4 cantaloupe plants

2 strawberry plants

rosemary

cilantro

thyme

9 spinach plants

9 romaine lettuce plants

a red bell pepper plant

a yellow bell pepper plant

a banana pepper plant

a cayenne pepper plant

9 broccoli

9 early girl tomatoes

9 celebrity tomatoes

9 homestead heirloom tomatoes

18 Rutgers tomatoes

1 cherry tomato

1 Roma tomato

1 patio tomato

2 blueberry plants

and many, many carrot seeds.

I would still like to squeeze in some more different types of lettuces when I see what kind of room I have left. There wasn't much to choose from when we were shopping. This is the biggest garden we've planted so far. Each year we try and do a little more. Last year's garden was such a bust with the drought, we are hoping for much better this year. Artie is very excited about it and has a new weeder. He is using it for his exercise and stress relief when he gets in from work.

Saturday we spent the day finishing up cleaning, grocery shopping and gathering and purchasing Easter clothes. Brenda and I had a fun afternoon shopping.

Easter was lovely at church. That has to be my very favorite day of all. As much as I love our church I still miss hearing Robbie Dismukes singing He's Alive!!! That is my very favorite Easter song and singer!!!

The children were riding bikes when we came in from church and we were getting lunch ready. Bobby and Terry went a little farther than they were suppose to be riding and Bobby had a bike wreck with a car. Everyone in the neighborhood went running to him. It was terrifying until we saw Bobby walking up the road pushing his bike. The car did actually run over his foot - he had tire prints on his ankle but God is so good he wasn't even hurt. Within the hour he was running through OUR YARD - AWAY FROM THE CARS!!!! I on the other hand, nearly had a nervous breakdown!!!! I took a nice nap after lunch and tried to recoup....

My uncle Jackie (Daddy's brother) fighting the last stages of cancer and we have been planning much around his hospital and hospice stay. I was able to visit him last week and Artie and I went Monday night. I missed having lunch with our whole family on Easter as I am sure he did too. The hospice house he is staying in is very nice.