Mardi Gras Morning all over again

The crop should be a lot of fun today at livelovescrap. I have to get my colors on and my body motivated, but I am working on it!! lol See you all there with lots of beads and fun things to do!

Six Years Ago Doesn't Seem so Long

It just seems like the other day when Aunt Bootsy and Uncle Tom came to Ohio all the way from Texas to enjoy a Mardi Gras Party and surprise my Momma. And you can tell she was surprised!!! I have been thinking about my mom the past several weeks, a lot, and I miss her. But I had the best dream with her in it the other night and well, it helped I think. She was laughing that giant belly laugh and we were so happy just hanging out. It must be the news about Dad and the "heart" thing .. her way of wrapping me up and preparing me for another battle ... as least that is what I think. So today, I'll try and stay busy and talk to myself a lot about drying the tears that won't seem to stop. Happy tears, mixed with a screaming heart .... now that is quite the concoction.

Teenagers

I have been taking care of Addie for a couple days and it has brought me full circle in being a mother. She has been stretching her wings as well as out heart strings this year and I have been making myself let go of that rope around her, slowly, day by day. And then a few days ago she got really sick .... tonsils the size of basketballs and a fever we are having a time trying to get rid of. She woke up at 4 am the morning before last, crying because she was in so much pain ... so I did what any good mom would do, got the Tylenol, the soothing voice, the 7up and stayed up until she finally went back to sleep ... and then continued to worry. So, two days later, she's exhausted and fast asleep upstairs. And even though she has survived a divorce, the lose of her grandma, a few flushed goldfish, losing her two dogs within a year of each other, high school drama, an abused soccer body, she still has a beautiful heart and soul and is not tarnished or broken or too old at seventeen to ask me to help her with "stuff". The moral of this story is, she still needs her mommy and I am thankful.

Happy Mardi Gras!

Mardi Gras Party

Well, it took an entire day to recover from all the rich foods and wonderful company, but I managed to make it back today! Mardi Gras is such a fun time of year ... all the beautiful colors and masks ..... here's a little history ....

"Mardi Gras" means "Fat Tuesday." Traditionally, it is the last day for Catholics to indulge—and often overindulge—before Ash Wednesday starts the sober weeks of fasting that come with Lent. Formally known as Shrove Tuesday, Mardi Gras has long been a time of extravagant fun for European Christians. In fact, some people think Mardi Gras celebrations have their source in the wild springtime orgies of the ancient Romans.In the United States, Mardi Gras draws millions of fun-seekers to New Orleans every year. Mardi Gras has been celebrated in New Orleans on a grand scale, with masked balls and colorful parades, since French settlers arrived in the early 1700s. Hidden behind masks, people behaved so raucously that for decades in the early 19th century masks were deemed illegal in that party-loving city."

Anyway, I'll post pictures as they trinkle in ... and we are hosting a Mardi Gras crop at livelovescrap this weekend ... so come in full costume or at least a mask and beads!