Happy Birthday Dad!

Well today is my Dad's Birthday and he is in America! What a way to spend his day! Good on ya Dad, hope you have the greatest day you have ever had!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!

Life has been a little hard, as you are all well aware, I have both my parents away at the moment, so support is zilch, except for friends of course. What would I do with out my gorgeous friends. So in saying that I would love to say a Huge Big Heartfelt Thanks to Sandy, Jane J, Jaimee, Al, Mele, & Janey B. You girls are my world. Thank you so much for the flowers, the cards, the support, the constant emails, phonecalls, visits, for just being you! I really do thank you all from the bottom of my heart! You have made my life alot easier with your support and constant care! OK Kleenex moment! *sniff sniff*!

Also in between all the constant goings on I managed to get my DT work done for September for Scrapbook Shelf. I got two papers to work with this month, Prima Marketing - Dude and Kaisercraft Dot to Dot.

Prima Marketing was really bold and colourful and suited Coopers personality, hence the reason why I have scrapped him.

CHEEKY

Kaisercraft Dot to Dot was a harder one to work with, but I found the right pics to go with it, with Travis getting his awards at school, but a Number Diecut Cardstock behind the layout, well it really popped, wonderful for his school layout and to top it off I made a Congratulations card to go with it! Travis was very proud of his layout and his card, as well as his Award of course. I am very proud of my big man, he is doing so well at school! Keep it up my little man, you are going places!!!!

Travis' School Award

Well its nearly the end of the month already! Gosh time is really flying of late! Take care and catch up with you all soon!

Love Lisxx

I can't believe

That its been two weeks today already that Netty had passed! Gosh time flies so bloody fast. It still feels like yesterday!

To be honest right now I am feeling quite fragile, very tired and very flat! Trying to comes to terms with my grief for Jeanette, trying to help Grant through it, trying to keep truck drivers happy at dads work (believe me - this is a hard one), mum has been going through a rough patch with major anxiety attacks for nearly three weeks now. I am worried about my mum! My dad has just left for America for two weeks and she is home alone. She won't stay with me, and it worries me, I call her during the day to make sure she is all right, I call in during the day, but she just worries me! I put her on a train today so she can go and stay with her sister in Wollongong. And then I am packing them up to go to Port Macquarie for a week, the break will do her good, but her state of mind with these anxiety attacks are quite frightening. So yes Worried I am! Frightened too! Feeling helpless cause I can't make her feel better! She tried to help me out the best she could during the days up to and after Jeanettes' passing, but I really could of used more help at the time, but knowing I couldn't ask just added to my stress levels. I feel like I am trying to keep everyone happy, making sure everyone is OK, going to work, trying to keep things in order at home, juggling the kids, that today it was just all too much and saw me just break down. I wish I could explain exactly how I feel, but I can't even explain it! It all just feels all too hard.

I try my hardest to be caring, sensitive and to keep things into order, but today I just feel like "Who is going to hold me up"? I just can't do everything! So a little bit of a sob story from me, just feeling the strains of everything of late and finding things are just that little bit difficult.

Seinora
Lisxx

Gods Garden

This was the scroll that Kate had created that was given to everyone at the funeral. What a wonderful poem and very true, God only takes the best!

A Blur!

Well the past 5 days have past in a blur. Sunday saw us all sitting down going through the motions of organising, etc. Not a nice thing to do, and the first time I have ever had to sit down and do this type of thing. Nick and Ali left to go back to Canberra to break the news to their children and to reorganise to come back up! I sent Grant home with Kate on SUnday afternoon as Kate was in the middle of moving, and I just did not want the to be by herself, they needed each other.

Monday saw me fall to pieces. I was so emotional all day. Of course I had cried during the past few days, but alot of me was focused on Grant, even Grants family, to be there for them. With no one to focus on all these memories came flooding back, christmas holidays at the bay with Netty, Christmas's, mothers days, her coming to visit in hospital when I had the boys, just little things that broke my heart. I really took it hard Monday! I also had to go and organise the wake, and the funeral music, which I found it hard to do by myself, but I kept thinking, Jeanette was strong, I can do it! She would be proud!

Tuesday I had the lovely Sandy come for a visit laiden with a handful of flowers, one bunch of rose from Sandy herself, one bunch of white lillies from Jane and one bunch of pink lillies from Al! Yes I lost it, I tried hard not too, but I lost it. THese girls are amazing, and I feel really blessed to have met such beautiful friends with such huge hearts. Look at these flowers, aren't they just perfect. Sandy's visit really brightened my day! Thank you so much you gorgeous girl and thank you all for your wonderful words and flowers. I love you all to death!

Grant and Kate came home Tuesday, and we had Grants Aunty Marg and her daughter Kat arrive too to stay. It felt comforting having people around again. Kate and I stayed up until 2am Wednesday morning, me scanning in a whole lot of pics for the Slideshow, while Kate created the Scrolls to give out to everyone, then it was time to print off just over 100 of them, scroll them and tie ribbon around them! It was one very long night, but comforting in the fact knowing that I was helping and contributing.

The boys absolutely adored having Marg & Kat stay with us. Cooper just fell in love with Kat and wouldn't leave her alone. Wednesday afternoon was hard, going the viewing, I had never been to one before and I can't say I liked it much. I had expected to see that gorgeous smile Netty had left on her face in the hospital but it was gone, and that broke my heart.

Thursday was the funeral and what a beautiful funeral it was. Sad Sad Sad, I don't think I have cried so much in all my life, but it paid tribute to the wonderful person she was, everyone captured Netty's spirit, I felt so comforted by Netty's family. I had Milly on one side of me as we helf hands and comforted each other, Aunty Marg on the other at one stage. Gosh the tears just poured. The music was perfect. Truly Netty! The slideshow was spectacular, capturing her life from when she was a little Dutch girl, to having a family, her grandchildren, her love of the beach and sunbathing, it was just perfect! Afterwards it was great to see all the family, reminiscing on old memories, celebrating Netty's life!

Netty you will be sadly missed by all!

Love Lisxx

We love you Netty!

It has been a long two days. I received a phonecall from Grant at work to say come straight to the hospital and don't go home to pick up the boys as his mum was unwell. When I walked onto the floor of Netty's room, it was a sea of family faces. All of Netty's siblings, their children and of course Netty's children. I knew straight away something was not right. I went into see Netty and I just didn't expect to see what I saw! It was only 5 days ago we were laughing, taking photo's, Netty was now very exhausted, tired, drifting in and out, we were told by one of the nurses to tell her everything you want to tell her, tell her to stop fighting as it was alright to go! We were waiting on Nick (Grants brother) to come up from Canberra. At one stage Kate and I were talking to Netty and I promised Netty that I would look after Grant and that Grant & I would take care of Kate. She opened her eyes and said thankyou, I told her I loved her and she told me she loved me back! She had also told us that the Angels were there. Netty always believed in her angels.

The room was always full of people, there was never a moment when her hand was not being held. Nick and Ali arrived just after 8pm, so we had all the family there together. By midnight we were all tired, and wandered home, leaving Netty's sister Chris who wanted to stay the night with her. We arrived back at the hospital at 8am. By that time Netty had slipped into a coma around 5am. She passed away at 2:05pm. What a sad sad day, it was raining, it was blowing a gail, the heavens poured! Netty had always said that make sure I don't die with my mouth open, and that I die beautiful. Well of course she died with her mouth opened as her breathing was very laboured towards the end. Chris and Kate both tried to close her mouth but to no avail. About 10 minutes after she had passed, someone had asked "Who closed Netty's mouth"? No one had, she must have came back and checked on how she looked and closed it herself. As we sat around the bed telling Netty tales, laughing and reminiscing, someone said"OMG look at Netty" As we all looked, her mouth was closed with a smile on her face. She looked absolutely beautiful. We were all crying in happiness, in sadness, it was truly unbelievable and I am so happy I was there to witness it! We still stayed by her side until after 5pm, reminiscing, telling Netty tales, and the hardest thing I found was to leave her and close that door behind us on the way out, it just didn't feel right! Netty I love you! You were an amazing strong woman! May you rest in peace!

Love Always Lisxx

a little bit of everything....

Well its the first of the month and we are back on track with another Stamping Challenge over at Scrapbook Shelf. This month my challenge is to stamp with another medium other than ink! Whether it be to emboss, like I did, to use paint, chalk, bleach, anything other than ink! Also I stretched the challenge just a little and asked that seeing that September is the month of Fathers day, that you tribute your layout to that male someone that is special in your life, whether it be your dad, your grandfather, your childrens dad, or a male that is special in your life. So I created my layout of my dad and his love of helicopters with an embossed stamp! Make sure you enter, I would love to see your work over at the SBS gallery!

Secondly with all the emphasis on family of late with us, I created a photo frame for just Grant and I with Kaisercrafts new Everblooming paper range. I just love how it has turned out!

And lastly we got another phonecall today to say that Netty was back in hospital with another haemorrage. She got her wish, she got to use her bathroom once! Will keep you posted!

Love Lisxx