My Momma and Daddy

Mom's Eulogy read at the service:

Lois Aliene Decker Fox was born and lived nearly all of her life in Harlingen. She was third child of Winnie Vaughan and S. A. Decker. Her brothers are S. A. (Alex) Decker, Jr. and Richard Decker. Her sisters living are Dorotha Compton and Jeanie Swanson. Those passed are Marge Moncus and Barbara McCutchen.

Lois went to school and graduated valedictorian of the 1941 class at Stuart Place High School. After graduation, she worked and helped her mother. One day a friend brought a young man from the Army Air Force Base by her home to “meet those Decker girls”. Charles, a young soldier, sat on his bike at the end of the sidewalk while they visited on the porch. Lois got up and went to talk to him and that began their more than 60 year love.

Lois told of one date where they were walking along a canal bank. Charles picked her up and pretended he was going to throw her in. Well, he slipped and dropped her in that canal! When she saw his face, she knew she loved him.

It was during WWII when Charles asked Lois to marry him. On June 26^th, 1944, she became Mrs. Charles C. Fox. As Charlie turned to kiss his bride, she fainted in his arms.

A year later, June 23, 1945, Lois gave birth to their firstborn, Charles Ellis, in South Dakota where Charlie was stationed. Three years later, October 11, 1948, her baby boy, James Neal, joined the family. In the following years, they bought a home on Cragon Road and lived their nearly 50 years raising their boys, cotton, oranges and grapefruit and then, their daughter, Linda Sue was born July 22, 1959.

In 2002, they sold their family farm and moved to town. Charlie went to heaven in 2004 and Lois stayed with us nearly four more years quietly loving us, quietly teaching us and quietly praying for us. Over the past 14 years she had health challenges, but never dwelled on herself. She loved the simple life she lived and loved the Lord with all her heart. Her children were loved and taught about God's love and salvation. The only worries she had were when she worried about a loved one and she handled that with prayer.

Lois never liked anyone to make a fuss over her, so she would be making a face about this eulogy. We will choose not to mourn her death, but to rejoice and celebrate the everlasting life she now has through Jesus Christ.

Simple Woman Daybook - Friday 11/28/08

The Simple Woman's Daybook... take a look

Outside my window... It's cloudy and peaceful

I am thinking... about how close my mom is to heaven

I am thankful for... this will be a long one....

1. my dear mother, who's given all of herself and her love for her family
2. my precious husband, who is not only working hard to provide for us, but doing so much to help me as I care for Mom and whose shoulders are always ready to soak up tears and arms ready to comfort
3. my Erin, who is always ready to help me as best she can and who comforts with arms around me when she sees I need it. She also is a sweet distraction.
4. my Jamie and my Christy, who call to check on me and come when they can. They have arms to put around me to hold me when I need held. I still so strongly feel their little presence as babies in my arms... what happened to the time? But that's all right. They have grown into beautiful women with tender hearts.
5. my Peter, who married Christy and completes the whole for them both. He is her rock on earth and it comforts to know she has him.
6. my faithful, loving, present-even-though-long distant friend and sister-in-Christ, Judy, who always calls just when I need to hear her voice and has an ear to hear whatever I need to say, offers practical and heart-felt advice and instruction and comfort
7. my sweet brothers, who are so supportive of my efforts for their mother. I ache that they can't be with her, too, in these last hours. Charlie was able to come for a visit and Jimmy would be here if he at all could.
8. my friends, Rebecca, Kim, Gloria and many online friends who call or contact often to check in and see what I need and how to pray.
9. and though mentioned last is my all-in-all Lord and Strength, Jesus... my Comfort and Helper, Holy Spirit... and my Father who knows the day and the hour that Mom will enter into her everlasting rest and provides all we have need of to continue on one day at a time.

From the kitchen... I hear Erin warming up some leftover turkey

I am wearing... scrub pants, a tank top and my favorite pea pod apron

I am creating... my blog entry...that's all I can focus on right now.

I am going... to go make a sandwich

I am reading... Simple Abundance

I am hoping... for continued grace to care for Mom

I am hearing... SpongeBob in the background... Erin and her TV addiction!

Around the house...I'm trying to get some laundry done...lots of bed sheets for Mom's hospital bed

One of my favorite things... reading with Erin. We're reading a historical fiction about the pilgrims right now.

A few plans for the rest of the week: One day at a time, Sweet Jesus. That's all I'm asking of you.

Here is picture thought I am sharing... Yesterday, Allen made a wonderful stuff turkey breast stuffed with rice, mushrooms and spinach..mmmm. Jamie made her always wonderful spinach-artichoke dip... that's more of a side dish than just a dip. Christy made wonderful mashed potatoes. Erin and I made pumpkin and pecan pies We had a great thanksgiving dinner and a precious time with my family. Afterwards, Christy set up a tripod for family pictures. This picture was taken of me and my girls with Mom. Bittersweet.

The Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY Nov 22 08...
Outside my window... a fat squirrel with some food in his mouth
I am thinking... about the chilly fall weather
I am thankful for... my brother being here to see my Mom
From the kitchen... the smell of 3 beautiful loaves of bread and 1 raisin bread and a gingerbread bar
I am wearing... warm black jeans and my "Real Women Quilt" tshirt
I am creating... victorian embroidered boots for swaps
I am going... to go take a nap... up early to take care of Mom
I am reading... Simple Abundance
I am hoping... for continued grace to care for Mom
I am hearing... NCIS on Mom's TV and the hum of the heater
Around the house... it is pretty quiet. My dh and dd10 are at a soccer tournament today.
One of my favorite things... baking. I love the satisfaction of making healthy bread that's soft and tastes so good!
A few plans for the rest of the week: One day at a time, Sweet Jesus. That's all I'm asking of you.
Here is picture thought I am sharing... a tea set I got for Erin for Christmas if I can wait that long! I'm excited to give it to her. She's always loved fixing tea parties for us and her little plastic princess tea set was way too small to have fun with. It was great when she was 3, but now it's time for a more grown-up tea set and I can't wait to have tea parties with her using this one. It's truly beautiful and an Ebay find. I had her pick out fabric to make a little table runner and napkins to use with it, too.
http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

"Gobble, Gobble," says my little turkey!

Erin attends a local AWANA club and loves it. This last Thursday they were to come dressed as an Indian, Pilgrim or Turkey. Well, my darlin' was the only turkey! She even won first prize.

We had lots of fun making the tail and gluing feathers all over it, the arm band wings and glueing paper feathers and real ones all over, the crown with feathers and padding her turkey body! Too cute.

What a girl.... for being a turkey.... she sure is a ham!

Participation in National Tie One On Day is simple - on the day before Thanksgiving, pause in the preparation of your own bounty, wrap a loaf of bread or other baked good in an apron, tuck a prayer or note of encouragement in the pocket, and tie one on...an apron, of course! and deliver the wrapped bundle to someone in need of spiritual or physical sustenance.

As encouragement to your assistance in the promotion of National Tie One On Day and its message of sharing and gratefulness, Andrews McMeel, my wonderful publisher, is offering 5 copies of The Apron Book and 5 copies of Apronisms in a giveaway, along with 5 vintage aprons from my personal collection! That's 15 wonderful giveaways!

To enter the giveaway, follow the instructions on the home page and post the National Tie One On Day button on your website or blog, then leave a comment on this blog. Please provide an email where I might contact you, should you be a winner. Entries accepted until 9 pm Mountain Time, November 26th.

Grandma Timex !!!

Well, I've got to come up with a nickname for this woman! She has been close to death several times and always comes back... thank you, Jesus. She had been getting weaker and weaker over a week's time and early Wed. morning we thought she'd had a stroke. She couldn't speak. Through a miraculous series of events, we got a house call by a doctor!!!! Dr. Castillo who is the head hospitalist at VBMC also works with hospice who I was in contact with and came to evaluate Mom. He thought stroke and she wanted to go to the hospital, so we called EMS and off she went to what I thought was the end or near it. Well, when I got to the hospital a few hours later (Erin is sick and I couldn't go until Allen got home) she began talking my ear off and fussing (she's not a fussy lady) about getting that tranfusion tube out of her arm. HALLELUJAH!!!! God is good. No matter how prepared you think you are getting for losing your momma, it never happens. I don't want her suffering, but would miss her SO much. Well, she talked and talked for the next three hours until she told me to go home and eat and go to bed! What a woman! TIMEX... THAT'S HER She takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin' !!!! Grandma Timex!!! I know that her health is not good and God has a time for her to pass on to eternity. She's ready when He's ready, but we'll just wait happily with her until that time.

Quilt

The Handmade Quilt-er is giving away this beautiful quilt (actually one like it) to one blessed person! What a gifted artist she is. Check out her blog and why she does what she does.
Lord, bless her!

Listen, Ladies and Lordings and you will hear...

... about our pilgrimage to the Texas Renaissance Fair. We arrived Tuesday morn ready to partake of all the merriment that abounded at the Fair. As you can see by the tableau (pictures), we enjoyed all the fabric finery, foods, and wares the merchants hawked. There was enjoyment of archery, melodious singers, riding the King's Swing, and Erin was offered the opportunity to ride a pachyderm. She was almost was lost to us at the King's Confusion maze. We wandered the fair grounds (resting often in the lovely surroundings) for about 5 hours and came away a bit lighter in our pockets, lighter in our hearts, but heavy in our eyelids with bodies ready for a good night's repose. We highly recommend you consider attending the fair. It is great fun!
Texas Renaissance Festival

Flower Pincushions from Medicine Bottle Caps

I know this has been passed around, but I wanted to share the little pin cushions I've been making with 'childproof' pill bottlecaps. It's the ones that are on the large bottles. The caps are about 2 1/2 inches across.

As you can see, you cut out circles larger than the top so that you can stitch around it like a yo-yo and draw it up around the lid. Then you do the flower middle (where you stick the pins) the same way and draw it up around the ball of batting. Fit the middle down on the bottom and stitch them together. Make 8 triangles cut from 4 approximately 2 to 2 1/2 inch squares. Gather the long side of each triangle on a thread and stitch them down gathered around the edge. This looks like leaves or petals. You can attach a string to hang it from if you like or just sit it by your chair for your stitchin' time.

As far as the material, I used wool felt and I think some of it was kunin felt, too. But you can use poly felt or cotton fabric or any fabric. Wool is good, especially inside, to keep your needles from rusting.

To look at some more AWESOME PINCUSHIONS click the link

I'M BA-ACK!

What a great time I had! We stopped at a quilt shop in Beeville on the way up on Wednesday. We got to our room and settled in before dinner. Of course, for four days we sewed and ate and sewed and snacked and sewed and ate and sewed and snacked and sewed and ate and sewed and snacked, then slept. In between we stopped at a couple of quilt shops that gave us nice discounts. I bought a yard each of a set of fabrics half price! from Oak Leaf Quilts in New Braunfels and the cutest fat fruit bottomed girls at the Quilt Haus. We were given an incredible gift from guild of a plastic tote for blocks and it was filled with lots of great supplies. We each sewed up a quilt block that was pre-cut and my buddy Judy who visited me twice (YEA!) got to draw two winners of block sets. (She didn't draw my name -- )-8 LOL) an Austin quilt guild was in the smaller meeting room we used last year and they shared lots of great projects with us. Two of which one our sweet ladies learned to make and we got started making pocket organizers that hang down in front of the machine and little "ort" bags for scraps and threads. Plus, a small group of us went for the mystery quilt project. I almost finished my top at retreat.... OMG, a lot of 2 inch squares to cut! I'm holding my "Autumn in the Valley" that's just missing two borders. I want to finish it soon! We got home Sunday early evening and I slept two hours because I stayed up til 3 am so I could finish the top before I left retreat. I'm starting to get things back together around here and it's time to get it together again for our trip to the Texas Renaissance Festival next week. I've never travelled twice this close together. I'm a homebody. But... I'll tell you I'm already planning on retreat next year. What a Hoot and a Hollar!!!! Thanks to all my wonderful guild friends for their good times and friendship that we shared.

I'M GOING TO RETRE-E-EAT!!!!!!

I'm getting excited! I really didn't think it was 'sposed to be' this year. Last year's guild quilt retreat was so much fun and this year is one day longer and in a bigger sewing room. Sweet! A sweet lady, Mary, in guild is unfortunately unable to go and invited me to take her place. I had a 'list' of things to overcome to get to go, but HALLELUJAH! It is working out. It is amazing though how many important things can get planned for one week!

Oh, well, lots of people have been good to me and are stepping in and helping. Including my wonderful husband and three daughters who will be caring for my mom.

Her health is deteriorating and she is not as independent as she has been. I'm very concerned about her, but she really seems to be wanting to pass on and not hurt anymore. We're not going to rush it, but God has a day and an hour and we're not going to 'try' to get in his way either. I just pray that He will let her be comfortable and happy for as many days, weeks, months she has with us.

Retreat is at John Newcomb's Tennis Ranch near New Braunfels Texas. What a beautiful area, beautiful facility, incredible food, great accomodations... and wonderfully sweet ladies to sew with, too. Last year we shop-hopped all the way up, during and on the way back, too.