Fly High Little Blue Bird

 20 days ago, one of the teachers who is in my daughter's pod had a birthday party for her four year old. Her older daughter, her baby daughter and three little cousins attended. One hour later, the baby suffered a seizure. 

20 days ago, the baby was lifeflighted to a children's hospital when the seizure didn't stop. 

20 days ago, the baby began treatments and tests to try to see what was going on and why this was happening. 

7 days ago, the baby's family found that, through genetic testing, a very rare condition had developed and that this would prove fatal to their little blue bird. They also found that the four year old has a 25% chance she has the same untreatable condition and that her oldest sister has a 25% chance she is a carrier and could never have children. 

Today, that little blue bird flew home to heaven from her mother's arms.  

Her mommy and daddy are asking for 3 for B. 

Please pray for someone or send them good vibes. 

Please tell someone what they mean to you or how they have impacted your life. 

Please do an act of random kindness in memory of Baby B.

I am so heartbroken. 

Mommy posted this early this morning: 

2/23/23 - Take the family pictures, don't hold off on a single thing. Take vacations, make the memories, take walks, play, live; all of the rest can wait. I put off getting"professional" family photos, waiting until B's first birthday to do all of it together. I waited too long! I was always worried about being sure the house was tidied up, laundry done, and everything prepped for each day;

I lost time with my babies. If you haven't learned anything through this journey, please take away the point of making each moment count, nothing is more important than the memories made and the moments spent together laughing and being present.

B is peaceful and that makes me at peace holding her body wrapped in mine. I play every song that you all send and pray over her with your words of love. She is such a fighter, and continues to be so strong. I can't truly fathom this is happening when I can feel her warm body tucked into mine and her heart beating under my cheek. I continue to pray for miracles and Gods peace simultaneously. But, right now she's peaceful and in my arms life still feels perfect in a sick way. Thinking of what is coming and navigating the future is overwhelming, makes me physically sick and is suffocating. So, for now, we listen to our worship music snuggled and intertwined. You will have to pry me from this bed.

Galentine's Day

I hope everyone had a special Valentine's Day!  I am blessed to be married to my wonderful husband. He is a great guy who would do anything for anyone, an outstanding father and even more outstanding grandfather. But romantic, he is not. 

He is great at filling my gas tank, checking on my tires, household repairs, setting up electronics and general maintenance around here. And always supportive of any ridiculous projects I come up with. So I just buy my own chocolate and flowers (Aldi's had tulips this year!)

Instead of Valentine's Day, I celebrate Galentine's Day. I started this with door drops to neighbors during Covid and still have special people in my life that needed to be appreciated. Sadly Miss Peggy who lived next door to me for the past 44 years passed away before Christmas. And one of my neighbors moved south. This year I honored my longtime neighbor/friend, my caregiving neighbor/church friend whose husband has been struggling with strokes, one daughter and two daughter-in-laws and a co-gramma who lost her husband a few short weeks ago. 

Dollar Tree, here I came. 

I bought the large Valentine "Buckets" and some small cups and pails for the candy! My theme is pink with a little red.  Unfortunately the buckets were only large enough for desserts. 

In addition to the pail and cup, I made heart shaped brownies and banana bread. That pretty much filled the bucket. 

I decided to put items that needed refrigerated in containers. So here is a container in a container. 

The inside container. 

Strawberry, blueberries, and petit fours! 

The sandwich container. 

Clockwise, chicken breast on Italian bread with garlic aioli, raisin bread with cream cheese and powdered sugar, ham, swiss and mustard on a Hawaiian roll, and egg salad on a croissant. 

I used the plates as lids and put the containers in a Valentine bag. 

Myself, I celebrated Galentine's Day in person with two other friends. We went out for coffee and talked for over four hours! 

And here is one of my favorite wedding pictures. It is my grandfather and his two wives. What? Well, the bride in the picture is my paternal grandmother, Mary and the attendants are her brother and sister-in-law.  My great uncle died the year before I was born and my grandmother died the year after I was born. My grandfather then married his sister-in-law. Got all that?