siblings - business - kids

Sooo... what's been happening? I am unsure of what i am gonna write about today so, bear with me as I babble along until I come up with something interesting...
My hubby's brother, his wife and 3 yr old boy are coming to visit today. I am surprised and excited. Surprised because I am always inviting them to come down and leave the inlaws behind, not that I don't love them, it would just be nice to hang out as siblings but never have in 6 yrs. Well, they called up and said "how about this weekend?" and we said "Great!"
I have about 15 different ideas on things we could do... I'll just have to wait until they get here to decide... my ideas are :
Take the whole family on a train ride through the mountians
Head out to Cade's Cove
Take the sister in law painting, or all 4 of us and let my girls babysit!
Have a cookout and invite a bunch of people...
Ok, so really 4 ideas...
Teen A is starting cheerleading which I think is great!
Preteen P (formally known as Little P) is going to play the flute in band... (I loved band, so excited)
And I am considering on venturing into a new business, I am fact gathering about a couple of them right now... soo no hints. But when I decide... it will be a grand anouncement.

BFF, Painting, MaryKay and no tears!

What an awesome weekend, and just what I needed.... Several weeks ago, my BFF planned to come from Ohio to Tenn to visit for a weekend... Due the the changing circumstances, we talked about postponing the weekend, I consuled hubby and he said "Have her come, you need it" He was SO right!
She has recently started selling Mary Kay, so first thing Saturday morning we had a MaryKay party which was alot of fun, and she did a fantasic job. I only wish I could've provided her with more sales!

Once that was finished we headed downtown to Knoxville's Market Square... It's a pedestrian area of entertainment, reasaurants and boutiques. It's also my favorite place in Knoxville.

Then we went to Sips and Strokes For a VERY reasonable price, you are given a 16 x 20 canvas, all the supplies possibly needed and a step by step walk through to creating a beautiful oil painting. It was an absolute blast! You can bring any beverage/snack of choice... the instructor was funny and every painting there looked different and beautiful all at the same time.

She left on Sunday morning and I spent the entire day in my nightgown watching movies and doing laundry. Hubby and I watched the movie Country Strong and I bawled at the end, I thought it was just heart wrenching.

I then realized that the day I spent with BFF on Saturday was the only day I haven't cried since dad died.

Hubby

Yet another reason why I love my husband:

The day we returned to work after my dad passed one of hubby's co-workers approached him and said "Sorry to hear about your father-in-law... Did he leave you anything?"

My husband looked at him square in the eye and said "Yes. His daughter"



I can't even type that without tearing up, don't worry dad, I'm in good hands.

My dad.

I am back home, and back to work. Everything regarding my dad's funeral went really well. Everything was beautiful and all 6 of us kids/step & half got along beautifully.

I feel like there is a piece of my heart missing. I cry all the time. I miss him so much.



I am finding out things that I never knew, that I am sure he found insignificant, like the fact that once a week he went to the local F.I.S.H. food pantry and bagged groceries and carried them to people's cars.



I am sure many of you are OVER hearing me grieve my dad, but you are just gonna have to suffer for a while... One of these days, I be back to my silly, sarcastic self.



I will leave you with this... a letter written to us by someone who knew my dad:



Please pass my sympathy along to Joe Owen's daughter.
I cannot express enough my fond feelings and memories of Joe and the calmness that he was able to bring my busy life while I was at Hill International. Joe was a truly a man that I respect for his professionalism as well as his true concern for others. On very stressful days Joe was able to spot this and knew the right thing to say or do to assist me thru these times.
Once on a day where I thought I was near the end of my rope, Joe said to me "wait right there, I have something to help you". He then left my office for a few minutes and returned with a plaque that had the serenity prayer on it. Joe advised me to read it whenever I felt that the stress to go on was overwhelming.
Well, it now hangs in my home office a forever reminder of this great man whom passed thru my life's journey.....never to be forgotten. I am sure there are many stories of how this wonderful man touched lives that his family never knew and only kept alive in the hearts he touched.
With heartfelt respect,
Joe M

Couponing Class

I am thinking of holding a little couponing class, get together... So far I've had 2 friends ask me to help them get organized and figure it all out.
So if you are in the S. Knoxville area, or within driving distance... would you want to come over and set up your coupon binder?
I am actually thinking about doing it tuesday night.
If you want to come, email me at jnframpton@hotmail.com... (i"ll give you my address)
Bring the family, the men can watch tv, the kids can play... and us women (or men) can get our savings on!

dad

My dad lost his battle on earth yesterday. I am trying to rejoice in his arrival to the arms of our Lord, bu I really just want him here.

Prayer Request for my dad

Last month my dad was diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver. His health has been spiraling downward at a rapid pace because he has continued his unhealthy lifestyle. If he would change, the disease’s progression could slow down or stop.

Wednesday, August 10th at 11:30 he has another Doctor’s appt. His Dr is planning on explaining that he is NOT a “Dead Man Walking” as he proclaims. He does have options, there is help, and there are programs available.

I feel like this is could be the last opportunity for my dad to be rescued from this addiction. He is going to need to overwhelmingly feel the spirit of the Lord, and together, with your help, I believe we can do that.

I am asking all my Brothers and Sisters in Christ to take just 1-5 minutes (on Wednesday Aug 10th at 11:30) and pray with me for my dad. We may not be united physically, but we can be united spiritually. Please pray for his salvation, for a friend for him, for his heart to soften and hear the doctor's plea, for courage and strength to fight, for respect for his own life...

Jordan

Back to school... and Dad

EEK! My kids come home today! I know they had a blast in Florida the past 2 weeks with O'ma, and hubby and I had a great time reconnecting with each other, but oh I have missed them and and can't wait to have them home.

Went to a new church yesterday... we loved our old church, but it was so far away we couldn't get involved... So we started looking at the small community churches close to home. OF COURSE, there was a guest speaker there today... but I am looking forward to going back next Sunday.

It seems my dad is deteriorating quickly... He doesn't eat, he only drinks, he has lost a ton of weight and I am told he is very skinny, his belly is swollen, he sleeps 11-15 hrs a day and as of this past Thursday his eyes are showing signs of jaundice. He feels as though he is a "dead man walking" the damage is done and he has no options. He has a Doctor's appt on Thursday and the Dr. is once again going to try to explain that he DOES have an option, he HAS to stop drinking and there are programs and facilities to help him.

SO Thursday's post is going to be a prayer for my dad. For his salvation, for a friend for him, for his heart to soften and hear the doctor's plea, for courage and strength to fight, for respect for his own life...

What I am asking is for everyone who reads this, pray for my dad Thursday, email it to you prayer warriors, link it on your blog, call you best friend... He is going to need to overwhelmingly feel the spirit of the Lord, and together, with your help, I believe we can do that.

Juliet

It's thursday...

I've been in real estate class for 2 days

I am officially a REALTOR.

I am not prepared to write Couponing: Lesson 3

So I am going to share some pictures of the German Shepard we adopted from the animal shelter, Juliet.

I had some pictures of her now, all 70lbs of her, trying to wrestle a 10ft stick, but the internet bleeped as I was trying to upload those pics this morning, and then I had to run to work...

Another Dad update

My brother is in Ohio on a family visiting vacation. He is the first one of us 3 kids to see dad since he got sick, since Dad is in Ohio, My brother lives in Virginia, my sister is in Florida and me of course in TN.
He was shocked to see the deterioration of my dad's health, he said his arms and legs are very skinny but his belly large swollen to the point that it looked hard. When my brother arrived at 11am, my dad was just waking up from bed, ate a half a crab cake and nothing else the entire time he was there (4-5 hrs). My dad was very emotional, believes he is dying, believes that he has no options, and believes that he is to blame for his illness. He kept telling my brother he has Liver Cancer, when we all know that it's cirrhosis... i think he just can't bring himself to say it.
Yesterday I received a txt from my brother stating that us 3 kids needed to have a conference call. Obviously regarding my dad, but what part... no idea.
Then I received a txt stating that he was going to see dad's dr tomorrow at 9:30 and what question did we have? Honestly, my only two questions are: Can you help him with the pain? How long do I have left with him?
I went to Al-Anon last night. I managed to introduce myself, but that was it. "my name's Lucky" and they said "Hi Lucky" I had a huge lump on my throat the entire meeting, eyes brimming with tears, I didn't say a word and as soon as the meeting was over, I RAN for my car and bawled. A few minutes later, i heard a tap tap on my window, one of the people from inside said "My first 6 weeks, I came to meeting didn't utter a word, and cried in my car afterwards. Keep coming back" Funny, it was exactly what I needed to hear.