December

Hanukkah 2012 has ended and we're heading into the other seasonal holidays: the winter solstice (longest night of the year), Christmas, Kwanza (I still need to read up on that one) and New Year's.

After the 25th I'll post pictures of gifts that we hand made this year. 

Before Mom got sick we had bought a couple of gifts ahead of time. We do that, finding a perfect gift and getting it and setting it aside for Christmas or birthday.  One was a cloth doll of an old woman with a purple dress and red hat. The dress says: "People Like You Are Why I'm on Medication" or something like that. It also plays a take on "Dontcha" - the Pussy Cat Dolls number.

"Dontcha wish your grandma was hot like me? Dontach wish your grandma was a freak like me? Dontcha?"

That went to our former Red Hat Queen, Lynn. 

One change up we did was a gifting for friends that adopted us as family here (he became our handyman and then friend along with his wife). We bought two pieces of material that were going to be the center pieces of a string quilt. We didn't get a chance to buy the bulk material before Mom got sick. There's no way Jackie and I could do even a string quilt quick enough (machine pieced panels that are put on the quilting racks and yarn is sewn through about every six inches - in and up - and then the yarn is cut in the center and then the two strands are tied into a knot). So, instead of a quilt, Jackie made pillow out of the material for Chris and Georgia and stuffed them, I hand sewed them closed and did a wood burned project for each of them.

I also did wood burn projects for Jackie, my cousins and for Mom.  A turtle for Mom, of course. It just felt important to do a gifting for her this year.

We were also very grateful I had the foresight to do our cousin Chris one of my fleece blankets with the yarn trim around the edges = a Navy panel for him. I had that done before he visited us for Thanksgiving.  I think I've got a picture of it that I'll post.

Jackie crocheted Mom a long vest and liked it so much she did one for me. Mom didn't get to wear hers.

We plan on finishing the quilt Mom was working on and Jackie is going to see if she can get the hang of the rocking motion of hand quilting.  I'm good at hand sewing so I can do the piecing and Jackie can do the quilting.

We're going to give it a shot, Mom!

Thanksgiving and winter holidays

We had Mom home for Thanksgiving night and for a few days after that. She didn't want any pictures taken of her and we honored that.  She was beyond delighted that her grand nephew Chris was here for the holiday. He sat and talked with her and watched a movie. It made her happy in a difficult time.

The flowers were from Lynn & Jerry.

My sister did a marvelous job of cooking the dinner and setting everything up while Chris and I waited at the hospital for Mom to be released. Everything tasted wonderful and it would have been a very horrible holiday if Chris hadn't been here.

Chris doing the manly carving of the turkey

Food, glorious food!

Darcy didn't want Chris to leave

Neither did Nikki

Ceramic ornaments that Mom painted in 1978.  My sister and I are decorating a little at a time. If something doesn't feel right, we'll pack it back away.  We're doing this for Mom. The only religious items out for the holiday season will be my menorahs.

and nutcrackers!

Nesting Santas

For Mama

My electric Hanukkah menorah for the window and three of my candle menorahs (I have a couple more in addition to these)

Our Loss

It is with the utmost sorrow that my sister and I have to let people know that Mama passed on this evening less than 24 hours after entering hospice. She was diagnosed on the 21st and passed on the 1st. We are still stunned at how fast all of this happened.

It was a peaceful passing and she looked like she was sleeping without pain.

We played Rod Stewart; Blood, Sweat and Tears, The Who, Pasha an

d Guns n Roses. Yep, she had interesting tastes. I read from Khalil Gibran and talked and talked to her.

The staff at the hospital and the hospice were great and treated her well and us with respect.

She was visited by administrative people, workers and people from the senior center where she's been going several times a week. They all commented how bubbly and friendly she was, even when she was in pain. Everyone adored her and are going to miss her.

Jackie and I are shattered and feeling numb.

Mom didn't want a funeral or viewing. Her wishes were to be cremated. Jackie and I are going to open her Facebook page to everyone and we will send a link and ask that everyone post thoughts, prayers, remembrances and wishes. We are probably going to go to the center and spend some time with the people there and share with them.

Kathlene Sue ****  (nee, ****) was 71, born and raised in the Ozarks of Arkansas, she loved the mountains of any state (she hated Florida because it's flat). She was an enthusiastic Red Hatter, a Leo to the core, and the most amazing woman we have every known. She had friendships that lasted years that went beyond "best friends" or "friends" - people became family. That continued here in our new home. She was strong but allowed herself to be vulnerable. A voracious reader and highschool dropout, she took her GED decades later and scored within the top 5% of the country and was quite proud of that and went on to take some college courses.

Her joy, though, was people. She was drawn to customer service jobs: either as a bartender, waitress, cashier/manager or bank representative (loan officer). Becoming disabled and unable to work was a blow to her. The Red Hat group in CA was a godsend and the senior center in our state here the same.

One of the main decisions facing my sister and myself - what to do with over 1,000 turtles of various kinds? Btw: one will be traveling with her. Mom's first tatt was a turtle, the other was a rose for a deceased friend.

Thank you all for the prayers, positive energy and support. Jackie and I will need those for a bit longer. Most everyone knows how close the three of us are. One of the sides of the triangle is gone.

We ask that no flowers be sent to us. If people would like to contribute to a charity in Mom's memory, please contact us.