Remember me?

I know, it has been a very long time since my last post. The last month and a half have been very busy (more than usual). So I am going to try and update you...

As per my last posting, I lost my grandmother on April 4th so my boys and I travelled to St. Louis, Missouri the following weekend for the funeral. It really was a bitter-sweet weekend...probably more sweet than bitter though. It was so good to get together with my immediate family as well as uncles, aunts and cousins.

Left-to-Right: Matthew my (son), Debbie (my sister), ME, Jamie (my sister), Diane (my mother), Robert (my son)...and the front 2 cuties - Lizzie and Sammie who are Jamie's

My boys with my parents (their grandparents)

My mom and I



My sisters and I...by the way, I am the oldest :)
From Left to Right: Debbie is the middle child, Me the oldest and Jamie the youngest

Mom and her 3 daughters

The memorial service was basically scripted by Grandma before she past away. Each one of us were required to read a specific poem or reading. Mine was Hector the Collector a poem by Shel Silverstein that talked about a little boy who collected everything. He loved old and broken things that no one else would give a second look. While many people would call these things Junk, they were a Treasure to Hector. Like Hector, Grandma loved "things" - antiquing was one of her favorite things to do. She has so many collections of "things" in her house - her treasures.

The weekend went very well and, as mentioned by Robert who attended Grandpa's funeral, it just didn't seem as sad as Grandpa's. And I really agreed with him. While I am sad to have lost my grandmother, there was some peace and comfort know that my grandparents were reunited April 14 in Heaven; and that she didn't have to live in the state that the stroke left her in on Feb. 7. Being unable to speak clearly or at all just wasn't for grandma, so I am glad that she didn't have to endure that too long.

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After returning home from the funeral weekend, it was time to really bear down and plan for the up coming Mother's Day for our 2 stores. Mother's Day business is just as crazy as Valentine's Day for us. And with Mexican Mother's Day on May 10 - Mother's Day business seem to last 6 days. I probably got about 8 hours of sleep in a 5-6 day period. Between early and long hours in the store(s) I also had a couple of overnight/graveyard shifts where I dipped strawberries and apples in chocolate for Chocolate covered Strawberry boxes and arrangments. Things that we don't ask our employees to do.

But now with Mother's Day behind us and having a couple of days to recoup, I am feeling a little more like myself. We are still somewhat short handed in our main store and I am having to fill in on Tuesday and Thursday mornings as well as closing on Wednesday evenings. Hopefully when our college kids change schedules or get out of school for the summer they can pick up some of these house and DH & I can rotate presence in the store...giving each of us time away from the store. The life of business owners...

I have found a few minutes here and there to put in some X's in Family Sampler, which I will try and get a status photo up soon!

Hope all is going well with you all. I am so sorry that I have been absent and I thank those of you who haven't left :)

Until next time, remember...

Live, Love, Laugh and Stitch Often!

Lisa