If Heaven Wasn't So Far Away

I woke up yesterday morning to my amazing husband cooking breakfast for us.  He was making homefries (slow cooking for the best flavor), mushroom and onion fritatas, and fruit and yogurt parfaits...yummy!  While I was waiting for breafast, I was watching GAC's country music videos and Justin Moore's new song "If Heaven Wasn't So Far Away" came on.  It got me thinking about the people that I have lost and how wonderful it would be to see them again...if I could just take a day trip,  sit on a cloud and enjoy a picnic lunch with my Daddy, Grandma, Uncle Aaron, and of course my sweet little Boo Dog.  As usual, it sparked my morning creativity...here's what I came up with!

The Freedom Train

In Memory

Barry E. Kleban

October 14, 1924 - June 15, 2011

This week will be the anniversary of my father's passing.  I have decided to dedicate my blog this week to my daddy.  It's a bittersweet time for me, as my birthday falls just one week prior to the day my daddy passed.  In addition, Father's Day is within a couple of days of the anniversary as well.  I loved him more than he ever knew, although I consider myself extremely lucky to have been able to spend 10 wonderful days with him before he became too sick.  I am from a Jewish family and we were unable to find an available Rabbi to perform his service, so along with my sister Andrea and my brother Brad, we put the entire ceremony together.  I think we did him very proud.  

The following is the eulogy that I gave at my dad's funeral service:

The last few months, my dad struggled with cancer...became very frail...so initially when I sat down to write this, I could only think about his frailness...but today I choose to celebrate the healthy vibrant father I knew all my life...so I have one story out of the many that I have thought about over the last week. 

When I was 10 years old, America was celebrating it’s bicentennial.  I didn’t know what to think when he first suggested this to me, but he said Mel - we’re going to see the freedom train.  I thought - the Freedom Train?  I want to go to Great America - the new amusement park and ride on roller coasters.  But he insisted we go see the American Freedom Train.   See, Daddy was a history buff - and he wanted his little girl to see, understand and love America’s history as well.    

           

So...off to the freedom train we went.

The American Freedom Train was a traveling train that went around the country carrying all of America’s symbols of freedom and history.  The Liberty Bell, the Constitution...  It turned out to be the most wonderful day of my life.  It was just him and I...just the two of us walking around looking at all of this history.  I remember how special he made me feel that day...I was there with MY DADDY...the rest of the world didn’t even exist for us...it was our day.  It was made just for us...it has always been the memory that stuck out for me among all others.

We visited him in April, and the morning we were leaving to go home, we were sitting on the couch - just the two of us - saying goodbye - and he squeezed my hand and said Mel...do you remember the Freedom Train?  As it turns out, it was his fondest memory of the two of us as well...what a blessing...what a wonderful gift he gave me that day in 1976 and what a wonderful memory he left me with on the day that I last saw him...

Daddy, I love you and miss you so much...and in my heart I know you’re riding that Freedom Train once again.

Summertime is here!

WOW!  How lucky am I?  Another gorgeous day in the mountains...it's Memorial Day...lawns are being mowed, Sunday drivers are looking at the beautiful scenery, and yes - butterflies abound everywhere!  That got me thinking about the Cupcake Challenge for May...using summer colors for the card inspriation...off to work I go!  Hmmm...butterflies, summer colors, got it! 

 

Crazy Kids!

What an amazing beautiful day up in the mountains...sunny, 78 degrees, the perfect day!  I started my morning off with Mickey (the paper obsessed puppy) licking my hand telling me it's time to get up.  What a way to wake up.  He's the sweetest little thing.  Anyway, Roger (my picasso husband) was spending the day working with the volunteer crew cleaning up leaves in the development, so after I got some work done I decided to make a scrapbook page for ME!  Lately I have been spending so much time making pages for other people, it was time to work on my own.  When  my dad died last June, I inherited most of our family slides (yes - slides still exist).  A few months ago I started converting them and I found some adorable pictures of all 5 of us kids and thought they would make a great scrapbook page.  I decided to work on one today - it's a funny thing how a page for yourself can take so much longer than making custom pages for other people!  Well, I just finished it...what do you think?

Unicorns anyone?

The same friend that asked me for the aquarium layout asked me to make a few more pages for the scrapbook she is working on for her niece.  She is a very girly girl, so pink is a must!  I started off with kind of a magical page - the inspiration came from a cute little paper piecing unicorn I have been selling  on ebay. 

As you know, I am married to a "new" Picasso...since my husband retired, he has become a "starving artist" (lol).  I was talking to him about the unicorn and asked him if he could create a "magical"  background paper with his pastels.  Poof!  Not more than 30 minutes later, he came up with this amazing rainbow page.  I added a couple of picture mats, a flower embellishment, some glossy checkered trim, a journaling block, and here you have it.  What do you think of this?  Is my hubby a keeper?  I sure think so!

The Paper Obsessed Puppy

Oh, here's a funny little story...we have a new puppy (see puppy and hubby pic below) who is OBSESSED with paper - but not in a good way! He loves to tear it up! Great...just what I need...I am an obsessed paper crafter with a puppy who is obsessed with tearing up paper.

Well, anyway, a good friend of mine had a bunch of pics of when she took her niece to the Georgia Aquarium and asked me to make a two page layout for her.   I am very blessed...since my husband retired, he has found his creativity and is a budding artist. I was talking to him about the layout and and my wonderful Picasso  created water background paper with his pastels (I know, I know, I'm so lucky).  I then needed something for the bottom of the page...something that looked like rocks or sand or something.  So, off we went to Michaels to find the perfect paper.  I found the coolest thing...thin cork paper with an adhesive backing!  How cool is that?

VERY COOL!!!

 Of course I cannot just buy one thing when I go to Michaels, Hobby Lobby or Joann's, so I left with about 15 pieces of scrapbook paper among many other things (you know how it is).  Anyway, we got back home and I carefully put the paper away into one of my iris scrapbook page holders. 

The next morning, I wanted to look through the new paper that I bought (yes, I'm a paper geek), so I took it out of the case and gazed lovingly at my new finds (lol).   A few minutes later, we left to go out to breakfast.  

GASP!  YOU GUESSED IT! 

 I FORGOT TO PUT THE PAPER BACK!!! 

When we got home, little Mickey had torn my new paper to shreds - including the coolest ever cork with adhesive backing.  I know I know - it's my fault - I left it out - but I was so devastated.  My husband is so amazing that he just said, lets go back to Michaels and get some more.  Now this is very sweet because Michaels is about an hour drive from where our lake house is.  So, off we went in search of the cork paper...

But ALAS! 

They were out of the coolest ever cork with adhesive backing!

Sad face in tow :( , home we went.  I would have to come up with a new plan.

As I started work on the page,  I pulled out the torn up paper (yes, the coolest ever cork with adhesive backing), and realized something...Mickey (the paper obsessed puppy)  knew exactly what I needed and he created it for me.  The chewed up cork was the perfect bottom to the aquarium.  I got so excited that I placed it on the pages and just went to town...complete with fish, sharks, lobster, clams and a mermaid!  Notice the little air bubbles from each little fishy...

NOTE THE SAND BOTTOM! 

That's the work of my little Mickey...my little mini picasso...he's an artist...who knew? 

And by the way, for all of you doubters out there...

THIS IS A COMPLETELY TRUE STORY!!!

Left page

Right Page

Elegant Graduation Card

Almost a year has gone by...I guess I'm not very good at this blogging thing...I'll have to try harder.  A co-worker of mine asked me to make her a "girlie" graduation card for her future daughter in law.  I found some inspiration online and created this one...although it's hard to tell, the background is black with silver swirls...I created a punched scalloped border with my silhouette and used a black and a gray mat covered with a piece of clear vellum that I printed "Congratulations Graduate".  I then topped it off with a big white ribbon.  She loved it!  What do you think?  By the way...if you'd like to buy one, click here!