It still hurts

I lost my Grandma Betty, 2 weeks ago now. It's still hard to look at these photos. I've learned that early morning phone calls are never a good thing. I had the pleasure of my grandma's presence in my life for 34 years, and that's a blessing. She was so young when she had my mother, and I know most people don't get to enjoy a grandparent for that long. But it makes it infinitely harder to let them go. My grandma always made me laugh. Even as a child in a room full of adults I gravitated toward her like the sun. She was the only person who was at least as likely as I was to get into trouble. :)
This is one of only 2 photos I took at her funeral/wake. I just had to find a way to understand how final this was, as the entire out of state trip made with a dog and a child in 2 days was just surreal. I'll be honest, I love this picture, it's peaceful and beautiful and I needed that. I hope it doesn't seem strange that I took it, I don't think it's morbid at all. My mother needed my sister and I with her and I know now that it was important that I went.
As always, my grandma didn't look like herself at the wake. At all. I hate that. So I took this photo of her picture in the doorway. No matter what, I'll always remember my grandma golden tanned from the golf course, a martini in one hand and a cigarette in the other, with a little smirk cursing under her breath (that would make sailors blush). I love you grandma, and I'll miss you until we met again.
Until tomorrow. It's a Monday. :P

Updating

Been out of town for a funeral, an unexpected death in the family. I'll be back soon, to share details. I have to unpack as I have to go to work tomorrow. Not such a happy day. Until tomorrow.

Cocoa Daisy Oct. Happy Days

Brrr. It's cold here! What happened to Fall? Just like that gone? Seems wrong. Seems like even the weather is just a touch dramatic and neurotic lately. I'm just saying. :)

My baby is potty trained, I can't believe it. I have so much to say about that, but not much time tonight. Here are my pages for the Cocoa Daisy Oct. gallery:

This one's title should have been "an unlikely fall tradition", but that wouldn't fit on the tag. It's ok, that's what we are making when visit this pumpkin patch/shop. And it is tradition now, we are going next weekend. Made entirely of the main kit: Happy days.

This page is kind of a place-holder for me. I take photos of J every year in his Halloween costume, and then I edit the snot out of them in photoshop using a photo extraction technique (if there is interest, leave me a comment, otherwise I won't bore all the non-techies). So, I am up to 3 photos (seen) below. My goal is to have the most amazing Halloween mini album ever, someday. I love how the photo technique is really dramatic, it works for Halloween anyway, it's over the top. But, and this is a big but, I'm not ready to make the album yet. I need more photos, another couple of years. So I made this page to remember and record the details, so when the time comes, I won't forget them. I have my work cut out for me this year, J wants to be Buzz lightyear. That costume is white, it will be my biggest challenge yet. :) Mostly the patterned paper add-on here with a ticket and alphas from the main.
This one is about my dh, and it is made with the main kit except for the JBS butterfly. That stamp, sticker, tag, paper and cardstock are all from the main kit.
Lastly, I misted! What I loved about misting-the randomness of it. What I did not love about misting, the randomness of it! I sprayed it 3 times, big juicy lovely drops of dark calico that looked like ink came out, but when I sprayed for real, a fine mist. It's ok, it was still fun. :) And I'd do it again. I still don't understand what I did wrong, but I guess the learning curve is high. :)
Gotta go, I'll try to post again. Happy Monday to you! Until tomorrow.