Well, it's been a minute and a lot has happened!

I have not had the wherewithal to blog. It's been a sad few days.

 

So. Last weekend was our winter scrapbook retreat. You might recall that my sister-in-law was not able to come because she was sick. To make a long story short, we found out on Saturday that she passed away. OMGosh! It was such a shock. We are all going to miss her so much--especially our family. She has been one of our sisters for 50 years. And my scrapbooking buddy for 25 years. Plus, we've done a lot of traveling together. I talked to my sister, Jeanne, every day since it happened. We still can't believe it. It's going to take awhile to adjust to life without her. 

One of our early scrapbook retreats. 

This is our current favorite place to scrapbook. This is where we were when we got the news. 

Last spring, I had the pleasure of showing her around London. 

From the back, Janet, Jennifer, Janice, Jeanne and me. I don't remember where we were in this picture. Missing are Joyce and Sharon to round out our sisterhood.

Our first mother/daughter trip to Savannah, GA.

Our most recent trip--2024--in Charleston, SC.

This was last winter--Nancy is behind the camera.

This was my 70th birthday party. My sister, Janice, sils, Sharon and Janet came down and surprised me. I couldn't believe it. That meant a lot to me that they would take the time to make the trip.

Here is her obituary. Her daughter, Jackie wrote it. I've removed last names because, well, this is the internet!!

Janet passed away on February 21, 2026.

She was preceded in death by her husband Ronald and her parents Claude “Jack” and Doris. She was the loving mother of Michael and Jacquelyn (Gregory); cherished grandmother “Gram” of Evelyn and Josephine; beloved sister of Jerry (Karen) and Susan (John) treasured aunt and great-aunt to many.

To know Janet was to love Janet. She had the most generous and caring heart and always knew how to make people feel special. She enjoyed traveling with her friends and family and was always up for a new adventure. Janet loved her kids without limit and was always there for them. She was the best Gram a kid could ask for; planning special activities and games, taking fun trips, making holidays memorable, cheering on the sidelines, and loving her granddaughters with her whole heart. Sunday evenings will never be the same without her lavish dinners, catching up on the week, and playing games. She will be missed beyond measure.

A Celebration of Life will take place at a later date.

************************************

Janet, I am going to miss you so much!! Love, Barb

Scrapbook Saturday

I am still on my winter scrapbook retreat on Kentucky Lake. Janet was unable to come at the last minute as she is home with the flu (we think). I'll be making her title and end pages for her.

This year our theme is all about our home. I always design the title and end page of our album. So, the girls are able to make them while we're all together. I always have every detail pre-cut, because if I don't, someone will mess it up!!

The title page starts with 2 large pictures of each person's house. 

The inside is a map of where the house is located--cut into a large heart. Then it's sewn down the middle on the sewing machine and folded in half. I used a gold star to designate where we actually live. I used the heart folded in half as a template to cut the part of the house that will match up to the base photo.

I cut out all of the little houses on the Cricut. The title "For the Love of" is printed on a transparency. "HOME" on the inside map circle is stamped. It's closed with a photo turn. I used the latblemaker to print the address for everyone. Pretty simple, yet really fun to make.

For the end page, I decided to do a weaving technique. I cut all of the base frames for the weaving. That was a bit time-consuming, but had to be exact. I didn't have extra paper to spare. The quote is printed on a transparency and adhered on top. Buttons just give it a little 3-dimensional element.

I used the leftovers to make the little houses and stapled a piece of twill ribbon on top. Add the year and voila'--done!

Another retreat in the books!

Friday Funnies

Ten Things Thursday

Today, it's ten random things:

How cute are these t-shirts for a family vacation or reunion? I don't know if this is a single family or siblings. My best friend growing up was one of 14 children, so it's definitely possible.

I think this is the cutest thing! What a fun way to retire old rocking horses!

Believe it or not, this is a painted building! It looks so real!

I'm surprised we've never heard anything about this. It seems like an interesting public interest story. And pretty unbelievable to boot!

I've had this photo in my file for a long time. I don't know where this is, but it sure would be fun to have a meal here. So beautiful inside and overlooking the water.

I had this game growing up--and I have it now--although it's not my original game. I picked it up at an antique shop somewhere. I always went for Tom to be my boyfriend, and my prom dress was always the pink one--if I could get it!

This is interesting and a great use of old jeans and their zippers. Still, I wouldn't want it hanging on my wall. Maybe in a kid's room. But aren't people so creative? I would never have thought of something like this. I would definitely have to be able to sew much better than I do!

I'm not sure how I feel about this. Looking at the face, this little kitty seems adorable. But then when you look at the whole thing, it's kind of creepy!

These are the kinds of things that you can't be sure are really true. One thing I knew from Paul Newman's book was that he was a pretty serious alcoholic. But if this is true, how sweet--and what a gift to leave behind.

When visiting London, I always visit Fortnum and Mason. I wish I had actually seen this in person. I have no idea what the event was about.

What I DIDN'T Buy Wednesday!

First off, a "shout-out" to my little brother! Happy Birthday Matt! I'm glad you were here over the weekend!

He's in red with his GI Joe doll!

Here he is with Jordan and his wife, Sharon. She's been in the family for nearly 50 years!

Okay, on to what I didn't buy!

I was watering my pitiful plants in the sunroom on Tuesday morning. Then I came across this...

...little guy--a frog! What? He's about the size of a quarter. He must have been living in one of the plants. I don't know where he's getting water unless he's eating leaves. Hey, do frogs eat leaves? It just dawned on me that I've noticed some holes in the some leaves. I guess I'll have to look that up. We're pretty sure they eat insects, so if that's the case, he's probably living on the tiny little gnats that we seems to have an abundance of--at least every time I prune and pull of dead leaves. That stands to reason, I brought them in straight from the outside and did not spray them. I need to get some houseplant insecticide. 

Okay, I looked it up--frogs eat tiny bugs, aphids, and insects. So they aren't responsible for the holes in the leaves. But where they are getting water is definitely a mystery. 

Anyway, Butch said we should just leave the little fellow alone. He's probably happy in our sunroom--lots of sunlight and no predators. I thought putting him outside might be better, but then he would have to worry about predators. Hmmm, I wonder what eats frogs. I guess I better look that up too!

See, this is the kind of thing that monopolizes my time--rabbit holes!

Well, I guess that's it for now.

Travel Tuesday

Actually, this post is about family traveling here for Morgan's baby shower. 

It was a whirlwind weekend. It's getting harder and harder to get everyone together due to distance and time restrictions. So we definitely make the most of our "all too brief" time together.

The weekend started with Mindy & Justin coming over for happy hour on Friday night. She needed to take care of getting her gift put together for the shower. 

Saturday, all of the girls came over around 11 a.m. Sandy, Victoria and Elizabeth got here from Atlanta a little earlier. I made a taco salad for lunch, the girls went through the stuff I was getting rid of, and we talked about our upcoming Costa Rica trip. Before we knew it, I had to leave to pick up the food for the shower while Stephanie and Morgan went to the airport to pick up Jordan. 

Matt and Sharon arrived from St. Louis and I ordered Corky's BBQ for dinner. About 6:30, the cousins all left to meet up with Mitchell and Emily at Stephanie's house. The rest of us stayed here and just spent the evening talking. 

Sunday was the day of the shower. It was a little hectic getting everything ready, but it turned out so nice! 

I borrowed the pram from my friend, Nancy. We had intended to use it to hold all of the gifts, but we ended up not having enough room for it. So, instead we used it to greet our guests! It was perfect!

Stephanie and her girls! 

Sharon made the centerpiece--it turned out so darn cute!

We also had everyone pen a note on baby diapers for a little late night encouragement! 

Sandy and her girls from left: Elizabeth, Victoria, Sandy and Emily (Mitchell's finacee')

The cousins: Jordan, Elizabeth, Morgan and Victoria. Why is it that all pregnant ladies hold their bellies? I don't remember doing that!

Me and ALL of my girls! Me, Mindy behind, Stephanie, Jordan, Morgan, Elizabeth, Sandy and Victoria. 

You can see Sharon and my brother, Matt amidst Sandy and her girls.

Mindy with her godfather!

Well, the only thing you can see in any of these pictures is the cute balloon arch that Stephanie, Jordan and Victoria made. The theme was baby safari. I couldn't believe how much stuff is out there for that. It was all so cute.

We had two games--the one where you taste the baby food--only these days, there is more than one flavor in a jar--like spinach, peas and bananas, or blackberries, avocado and plums! 

We also played the "name the baby name" of different animals. That one was hard. Surprisingly, a baby monkey is called an "infant!"

The food was delicious--we got it from Chicken Salad Chick. We ordered petit fours from Publix that were so good!

Morgan got so many great gifts and everyone brought a book to start off the baby's library. 

It was all very fun. The party ended pretty promptly at 3. Steph had to run Jordan back to the airport to catch her 5 p.m. flight back to L.A. We got the house put back in order pretty quickly with so many people helping. Then, Butch and I, Matt and Sharon had a relaxing evening! Whew! It was a lot! A. Lot!

Now, I'm off tomorrow for our winter scrapbook retreat. Sadly, Janet texted that she is sick and won't be able to join us this time! I'm really going to miss her. Jeanne, Janet and I started doing this twice a year about 20 years ago. It's two more times I get to see them during the year! 

I'll be back soon.