More Birthdays and Life Lately

      August brought more intense heat and a birthday for sweet little grandson #3, Miles. He turned 1 year old and his party was scheduled for outside even though it is hot. If you dare to live in Florida, then you know it is hot .... you grin and bear it. It came a torrential downpour and lightning storm though, so plans were changed to inside. All worked out just fine.

     July and thus far in August have been some really really hot days with heat indexes in the upper 110's most days. My emotions have run the gamut from intense sadness to a smile mixed in to keep the sanity. It was not the summer I had planned, but it was the summer I got, so I am doing my best to find some goodness in it.

     One good thing was little Miles's party. Katie decorated their tiny home so cute, and both families piled inside and made it work. Paul Allen braved the elements from the porch to grill hotdogs and hamburgers. Little Miles seemed to enjoy it all. I will blow up this post with all the cuteness of the decorations and Miles.

     Entering the house, Katie had put up a banner with pictures of Miles taken over this past year.

     Near the table she had all kinds of baseball things including a hat from Paul Allen's childhood.

    The little hat was given to Paul Allen by Nana way back in 1992. Miles has gotten to wear it quite a bit.

     Someone liked his cake. He sat there for quite a while just digging and stuffing his mouth.

     Katie let me bake the cake for him and his cupcakes for the guests.

     Mimi and PaPa gave him a water table. He got to play today in it.

    And in the background you could see that the other grandparents bought him a playhouse.

     As I said, this summer has been a wide range of emotions. One such crazy thing that happens to me every time I think about having to clear out another home is to go on a search for what I can get rid of. I have had to clean out far too many homes ---I say. Knowing that I would want to bring home a few things from Mama's I would come home and walk around just opening up drawers and such to see what could leave my house. It is an odd thing that happens to me.

     Katie helped me by taking the Cricut from my craft room. I have used it all of like 3 times in almost 10 years of having it. I had such grandiose plans for it, but life just kept having other plans. That was the same with that new fancy sewing machine I bought almost 10 years ago too. First though, the Cricut was gladly relinquished to Katie for her to have in classroom. I told her if Lindsay or I needed something she could either make it for us or we could borrow it. She promptly put it to good use and sent me her new bulletin boards that she used the Cricut to make all sorts of things.

     She is an excellent math teacher and her class name is Palmer's Pandas.

     That sewing machine is leaving too. It has not been my favorite thing I ever purchased and you know I learned that what I thought I wanted to do when I retired from teaching was not actually what I wanted to do. I will take 3 grand boys filling my time any day over the other plans. 

    I do know that I want to keep Mama's sewing machine. If there is any one thing I would want of hers it would be that for so many reasons. Maybe I will share more about that one day when my brain works again. For now, I have made plans to move the newer fancy machine and the sewing table I bought for it to Mom's to put in the sale at her house whenever I reach that point and bring hers that is in a sewing cabinet here. I should probably let it go as well, since I have been sewing and loving my old 1979 Kenmore bought in college. However, like I said it would be the one thing I want to keep of Mom's... Maybe one of the girls will want one of them one day. It is a 1950's Kenmore and sews like a dream too.

     Jeff and Paul Allen moved the big pieces to Mama's new assisted living facility today. She will spend her first night over there tomorrow night. I am going to move her stuff slowly there. The plan is to let her get in with just the basics and add to it as she thinks of something she wants. I will do some light decorating over the next couple of evenings. For the remainder of August I will just let her get settled in and slowly let family come in and get what they want and then after Labor Day I will see about having a sale at her place. 

Mother seems to have trouble even thinking about what she wants to take because of leaving behind so much. I totally get it, but I am even having to pick out clothes to take. Hopefully, she will fully get in the groove soon. 

     None of this has been easy. While she has good days, this was just a life changing fall. I think she will improve, but there was just no way she could keep her home like she liked it or cook. The fall just slowed her roll. The place she is going is very nice. It is just an adjustment for all of us. We took her over this afternoon after we had moved the large pieces in so she could see how that looked. There was a church service going on and she seemed quite interested. Jeff forced her to pop in and look and there were many ladies who look like great candidates for Mom's next best friend. Praying for that!!!!

     The facility already had her name at the refreshment station in the town square.

    When I get her all settled in I will take pictures of her new home for the blog. I am praying for good days like today for her. There have been some really low days this summer for both of us. Jeff too. 

    Thanks to so many of you have sent me words of encouragement. ---Sandy

P.S. Barbara at Sweet Tea and Sandals accidentally permanently deleted her blog. Shudder to think... Here is her new blog address -

https://myjournalmemories.blogspot.com/