Showing posts with label Alyson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Alyson. Show all posts

Monday, May 30, 2011

What I've been up to this weekend...

I love inviting you all into my sunroom;
My 80's "seen better days" sunroom.

It's my fun spot in the house,
where quilts and nic nacs and color schemes change each season.

But guess who I found out here this weekend?

(me on left, Debbie on right)


Deb and her other half, the infamous Cat Daddy,
decided to make a weekend trip up through Oklahoma,
then into Missouri in search of junk gold.
They came by the house,
then we headed out for an Italian dinner.
I haven't laughed and hugged this much for a long time!

If you don't know Debbie,
then please go visit her at Talking Trash.
They are seasoned veterans of Warrenton,
and dealers at Winnie and Tulula's in Athens, Texas.
Talent extraordinaire!!
(and kindred spirits)

The reason I didn't get to spend more time with the dynamic duo
was due to something that had been in the works for awhile.

I've had a great booth space at Spring Creek Antiques and Tea room,
in Ozark Missouri for the last three years.
But it's not an easy place to navigate
 with furniture and tubs of merchandise.

And as some of you know,
I have a little issue with my heart;
a hereditary thingy, which has been kicking up lately.
The result of which has meant letting go of that space.




So Saturday me, hubbs, and daughter #2 Alyson,
headed down to pack it up and move it out.

But as we were about to unload it all in the garage,
I just couldn't make myself let all the "stuff" come back inside.
A quick decision and we were on the road again to Relics
where I have two other spaces.


There just happened to be an available space
 on the same aisle as my other two spots,
so I grabbed it up and we hurriedly put together this new booth;
a little more girly and white.


With 30 minutes left until closing we started unpacking tubs of smalls.
Aly is great at display so she threw it all together in record time.



See the window on the dollhouse here on the upper right?
Yeh...
that's how I felt by 6:00 that evening.
A little "wonky"!


But, thank you Lord, it's not in the garage!!!!




 
love you all,
off to buy white geraniums...


Thursday, June 24, 2010

Storybook Wedding


I think each little girl dreams of her

Wedding Day

and I was no exception.
Elaborate, or on a budget,
it can be Perfect!

My dear mom made all the bridesmaid dresses,
and helped me plan my special wedding day.

We met in August and we were married December 28, 1972,
almost 38 years ago.





I did a post last December about my
Red Plaid Wedding.

If you'd like to re-live it with me,
I invite you take a ride in the time machine.



And so began our lives together.
Joined together and kept together by God.
Without Him
we would never have found our way.






We were so young and really didn't know each other very well,
We just knew we were meant... yes,
 ordained to be together.



We have two darling daughters,
that their Daddy has walked down the aisle,
just like mine so many years ago.

And they lived happily ever after...






Please join Stephanie and all the Brides,
old and young,
at
for all the Wedding fun!

~~~~~
My 1 year Blog Anniversary Give Away
will end June 30.
Click here to enter!

2 winners will be chosen for Carolyn Westbrook's
soon to be released book.

The French Inspired Home



love,
Debra

(images 1 and 4 edited at photofunia)

Monday, October 26, 2009

Junkin' Monday after a Great Weekend

This last week I was able to find a few things
 out and about, and since I haven't been buying
 much lately, I wanted to share the good "junk"
that found it's way home with me.








This old tray with a fruit motif is pretty "shabby",
but I really have a fondness for these.
 I'm adding it to my collection.



Clay finial, not old, but I love the look of it.



A paper mache rabbit, sporting a festive fall ribbon,
and a wonderful old book from 1872 called
"Cheering Words",
which is a collection of poetry.







And this is a really precious gift that my sister-in-law Letty, from San Antonio made for me. She is a wonderful needlework artist, and she stitched this for me "special", because she knows how much I adore pumpkins! She even "coffee dyed" the linen herself.






This was a great weekend! The kids were here and we had a wonderful visit. We enjoyed ourselves at a couple of our favorite restaurants and then Saturday the girls and I did some major shopping at our mall. Shoes were the main interest. I only bought one pair of boots. The girls on the other hand had multiple finds. The three of us hadn't been shopping together in ages and we really had so much fun! It felt like "the good old days" when they were both living at home.

Erin and Keith, Chris and Alyson



Alyson in action!





Erin has to be available for business even on the weekend. She is a sales manager for the largest home builder in the U.S., and is based in St. Louis.

Here she is"Checkin' In".



I'm excited to have some fun things to share on
Junkin' Monday.

So be sure and click on the McLinky over at
to see the other "Junker's" weekend finds!





Some fun "Junk" and the Kids,
what a great combination!
Debra

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Happy Birthday, Alyson Re-Post

Please read for some important health information.

(I want to re-post this entry. Sometimes I'm in a hurry so I don't take the time to read all the post, and this is sort of a long one. I just glance at the photos and on I go. But today, please know this is not just me showing pictures of my girl, it's important medical information that can save a life. So now, the rest of the story...)

Twenty-nine years ago today, we were living in San Antonio. We left Missouri to be "grown-ups", on our own, except it was hard for me because I missed my family so very much. While we were there our little Texan was born, Alyson Leigh. I remember thinking about names for the baby. At that time, sonograms were not the norm, so we didn't know the gender of the baby. I would look through the newspaper every Sunday in the society section and all the beautiful engagement pictures, weddings, graduations, all seemed to be about the elusive "Allison". Not wanting to TOTALLY follow the crowd, we chose "Alyson", a different spelling, but still the quintessential "society" name.

My favorite senior portfolio picture.
1997




Alyson and her cousin, Spencer, at her wedding, August 2003.



This photo above is one of my favorite random shots.
Sorry for the fuzziness. I had to enlarge it.

The picture below is with Grandpa, my dad,
at Mom and Dad's home here in Missouri.

It looks as if she has a little boo-boo on her head. She was very active.
Always jumping and bouncing and often ending up hurt, because of it.




An Easter photo in her little sailor dress.


This post has a little serious side to it, which I want to share because this affected Alyson's life and wellbeing, along with the rest of us. I"ll try to keep this as short as possible. PLEASE read the rest of this post, as it might save the life of someone you know or love.

Alyson was born 5 weeks early and weighed a little over 5 lbs. We took her home 2 days later, but she had problems feeding and keeping formula down. At one point after a bottle, she choked and turned blue. We called the paramedics, but she would not have made it had I not just washed out an old nasal syringe. I cleared her nose and throat, and she recovered her breathing. Because she was so early I didn't have her room finished, nor any baby items in place. I had had a really rough pregnancy, and I felt lousy most of the time, so God timed my one day of early preparation, when I found a box of some of Erin's baby things, washed them and put them away.
She vomited daily, and we took her over and over to the pediatrician, but they said, early babies sometimes had problems with their digestion, so it was dismissed.
Fast forward 26 years and many distressing times. Aly had many upsets in her life, and growing up complained frequently of digestive problems, nothing ever showing up at doctor's visit.
Three years ago another problem started. She had numerous skin rashes; problems with eczema on her hands and face, which at times looked as if she had been burned with an iron.
She had to quit a job because she felt so horrible all the time, but remained a "trooper", trusting God for healing. She saw doctor after doctor with tests, tests, and MORE tests. I started going with her to talk with them, hoping they would take this more seriously, and that maybe I could shed some light on some of her "history". So finally we got to an Endocrinologist who was baffled and ready to give up. By this point I was "mad, and I'm not going to take it anymore"!!! I was hurting for my baby, and I was darn well going to get the answer! Finally, an obscure test was done as a "last resort" sort of thing.


Praise the Lord, an answer.

Apparently "House" was the only doctor who knew the answer to this medical mystery, as we saw on TV last year. Alyson was diagnosed with a blood disorder called "Hemochromatosis", which is hereditary. (our older daughter, Erin, does not have it) This physically causes her not to be able to process iron in foods and supplements. She literally was being poisoned because of it, as the iron build up starts to corrode organs and tissues. This diagnosis answered so many of the questions concerning her health through the years.
Untreated, the prognosis is early death, usually in the patient's 40's or 50's. Undiagnosed, this condition causes illnesses that begin to cause doctors to tune them out, or just think they are hypochondriacs. This condition has only been known about since the early 90's. Until then, people would go through their lives miserable, sick, hurting, and not knowing why.
So don't give up on getting an answer to your medical and health needs, stick with it and pound on the doctor's door. And if a child has serious vomiting that lasts, look into this medical issue.
She now is much better, as she limits drastically her red meat, and takes vitamins without iron. Occasionally she needs to have blood drawn, which helps remove some of the iron. All in all, she's back at a job, feeling good, and loving her life.

Thanks for letting me share. I love my beautiful daughter and know she wants others to be aware of this condition for diagnosis and management.

BE RELENTLESS in getting the answers you need.
Debra

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